Owning Her Heart

Christina I hugged my hoodie around myself, ignoring the strange glances from some of the passers-by as I hurried home. I usually made sure to leave the library before the sun sets so I wouldn't have to brave these hostile streets in the plunging darkness. But I had a tonne of important assignments to complete and I couldn't afford to let my average drop by any measure. Of course, trying to do them at home was a lost cause. My aunt would start railing that I'm using up electricity, then she'll use that as an excuse to hit me and Lucia, my little sister. I sighed wearily as I thought about how our life took such a drastic turn for the worse. Just six months earlier, we were still a happy family. Then my parents suddenly had a car accident which claimed their life and Lucia and I were taken in by our previously estranged uncle and aunt. They seemed nice enough when talking with the authorities but once at home, they turned physically and verbally abusive. I didn't report them out of fear that Lucia and I would be separated. "Just four months more…" I repeated to myself as I darted down the last street leading to my house. Only four months left until I'll be graduating High School. Then I'll take Lucia away, find a proper job and we'll be able to live a better life. I've made it this far, so what's another four months of patience? I sighed in relief when I saw the house was wholly dark. My uncle and aunt must have already gone to sleep, meaning I would be spared from their wrath for today. But then I cringed, guilt tugging my chest when I thought about Lucia who had been left all alone with them. I hoped they hadn't been too harsh on her. I soundlessly slipped through the overgrown grass fronting the house, stopping at the window to the room Lucia and I shared, which I had left open a crack. I sneaked inside, trying to be as quiet as possible as I shut the window. "Chris?" Came Lucia's sleep-addled voice shortly after. "Hey sweetie." I jovially murmured. "Sorry for waking you." I perched on her bed and caressed her wavy blonde hair. Her green eyes glinted in the moonlight as she stared up at me. Lucia’s looks were like the complete opposite of me. In contrast to her gorgeous waist-length hair, mine was just straight & jet-black, hanging up to my shoulders. My only redeeming point might be my eyes which were a bright hazel color. "Why are you so late?" Lucia murmured. "I was worried…" "Sorry... got held back with my homework. I hope Uncle Henry and Aunt Georgia didn't give you a hard time in my absence." "Not really… they just had me do the chores as usual." I knew she was lying so I wouldn't worry and this made my heart weigh heavily in my chest. Since we started living here, there hasn't been a day where our guardians didn't raise their hands on us. "Go back to sleep now." I whispered, leaning forward to drop a kiss on her forehead. "We need to rise up early to go to school tomorrow." As if my words had a spell effect, immediately after, her eyelids slowly dropped and she softly snored. I smiled down at her sleeping face tenderly. I treasured Lucia more than anything else. And not just because she was the only one I had left. Since I was eight years older, I had taken to looking after her from the very beginning. I rose from the bed, then noiselessly retrieved a towel and fresh clothes from our wardrobe. I then discreetly approached the door and listened intently for any sounds coming from the outside. When I was reassured, I softly peeled the door open and darted to the bathroom room, swiftly locking the door behind me. I then rapidly went about taking a shower. As usual my aunt had used up all the hot water and I gasped when freezing water hit my skin. There was only one bath in the house and they wouldn't appreciate me hogging it if they felt the need to use the toilet. Mostly I didn't want to cross my uncle. The few times he managed to catch me alone, especially at night, he has tried to touch me inappropriately. I trembled with revulsion when I remembered the last time he did that… he seemed intent to rape me. Thankfully I managed to get away but ever since then, I had to double my precautions. Just as I was turning off the water faucet, my body froze when I heard someone trying to open the bathroom door. My worst fears were confirmed when shortly after, my uncle's grouchy voice called out. "Who's there?" "Just a second!" I shouted back, my heart in my throat as I went about hastily drying myself and throwing on my clothes. He wasn't voicing out any protest and I knew this didn't bode well. I opened the door and there he stood, his skinny figure leaning leisurely against the doorframe. His lips were pulled back in a smirk, showing his yellowish teeth. I tried hastily stepping past him but he blocked my way. "Coming back this late at night." He chided, clicking his tongue. "Just what were you up to?" "I had several assignments to complete." I mumbled. I tried to walk around him but he yet again stepped in my path. "Right." He drawled leisurely, then outright stepped into my space. "It's good that you're entertaining other guys, but you shouldn't forget about your dear uncle who's been doing so much for you." His hand reached out to stroke the length of my arm and goosebumps broke out all over my skin. I lowered my head, then darted away as fast as I could. However, I only managed two steps before a tug on my arm propelled me back into the bathroom. He dragged me to the center, then shoved me down onto the cold granite floor. My heart lurched with dread when I saw him looming above me while staring at me lustfully. The moment I'd been dreading for so long was now upon me. He seemed really intent to do the deed. I knew this was his intention all along but I hoped I'd be able to ward him off until Lucia and I can leave this place. He tried pulling at my clothes and my survival instinct kicked in. "Let me go you damn pervert!" I shouted, my hands lifting to scratch wherever I could reach. His pained grunt spurred me on and I lifted my leg to deliver a fierce kick. This time a loud bellow left his mouth and I inwardly cheered when I saw him clutching the place between his legs. Served him right! His pupils were dilated maniacally as he stared at me. "You'll pay for this, b***h! I won't let you get away." He tried to yet again reach for me but I tried my best to fight him off. Despite being skinny, the man had surprising strength. Just then, the bathroom door burst open. "What's with all the ruckus?" My aunt's sharp voice boomed through the place. I felt some relief when her gaze landed on us. At least she could bear witness to that bastard's true nature. Taking advantage of my uncle's momentary distraction, I hedged away from him, then darted over to my aunt, who currently appeared shell-shocked. "Aunt Beth!" I said in a strangled voice as I neared her. "I-" Before I could get any other word out, her hand lifted to deliver a stinging slap to my cheek. "You damn b***h!" She screeched, her eyes on me murderous. "You dare try to seduce my husband." I gaped at her in disbelief. It's pretty obvious that I'm the victim here. Yet she's accusing me? "It's not like that!" I exclaimed. "He's the one who-" "Shut up!" She hollered, this time backhanding me across the face. "I can see the truth for what it is! You ungrateful brat!" All of her words were accompanied by more harsh blows which had me crashing onto the hard floor. "Even though we were kind enough to take you and your sister in and provide for you!" Aunt Beth kept railing. "You dared pull such a trick on us! I won't let you off this time!" I glowered at her from beneath my lashes even though she had yet to relent her assault. So she kept saying but I knew the only reason she took us under our charge was to enjoy the meager inheritance our parents left for us. All along they've been spending our money lavishly while Lucia and I were barely given enough to eat. My feelings of outrage somehow gave me strength and I reached out to grip her foot right before she could kick me. Then I pulled with all my might until she lost her balance. I groggily pulled myself back to my feet, then turned to find my aunt also struggling to get up. Her overweight body put her at a disadvantage but it worked in my favor. As soon as she managed to get on her hands and knees, I kicked at her lower back… just like she always enjoyed doing while beating me or Lucia. She hollered in pain, her body smacking loudly against the granite floor. "Here! Have a taste of your own medicine." I gritted. As much as I wanted to stay there and keep bashing her some more as retribution, my self-preservation took priority. I darted out of the bathroom, heading straight towards my room. But they intercepted me before I could reach it, shoving me to the floor. My stomach lurched when I felt my uncle's lanky body against my back. One of his hands was restraining my arms while the other was reaching for my jeans. "I told you I'm not letting you get away." He gritted in my ear, his stale breath making me nauseous. I was beginning to despair that all hope was lost when suddenly his weight lifted from me. Darting a glance behind me, horror overtook me when I saw my aunt appearing crazed as she brandished a knife towards me. I somehow managed to move away just in the nick of time, barely evading the weapon. "You shameless slut! I'll end you today!" She screeched, once again descending her weapon on me. She really seemed intent on killing me. The fear caused my limbs to tremble so much that my movements were hindered. I could see death reaching out to me with its merciless clutches and I mourned my miserable fate. Just then, Aunt Beth suddenly released a pained cry and fell to her knees. I was surprised when I saw Lucia standing right behind her, my uncle's old baseball bat clutched in her hands. "Chris!" She shouted, rushing up to me. "Are you okay?" Out of the corner of my eyes, I could see my uncle moving towards us, his eyes devious. "Lucia! Be careful!" I managed to snatch the bat from her hand, then slammed it against him with all my might. It only caught him in the shoulder but at least we were given enough time to get away. With a death grip on Lucia's palm, I rushed us both to our room. Slamming the door shut, I grabbed a nearby chair, trying my best to block out all intruders. "This won't hold them back for long." Lucia mumbled in a trembling voice. "No it won't." I murmured, my voice equally quivering. "That's why we need to get away from here." Not wasting a breath, I darted to our wardrobe, gathering all the essentials I could. "What?" Lucia asked in confusion. "But where will we go?" "We'll worry about that later. But if we stay here those people will kill us." As if on cue, immediately after I heard someone banging on our door, followed by my uncle's roaring voice threatening us to come out. Or they'll rape us first… I shivered, then shook my head to clear it. "Come on, help me out." I urged Lucia. I didn't have a duffel bag but our possessions were meager to begin with and thankfully we were able to shove the most important items in our school bags. My uncle stopped trying to get the door open and I knew this meant he was trying to get to us through the window. I frantically pulled Lucia towards the still slightly ajar window, and we both ventured out into the darkness outside. I could hear the scrunching of boots as my uncle headed towards us. Signaling Lucia to be quiet, I guided her over to the overgrown grass. We both crouched down into its concealing thickness, then waited with bated breath. As soon as my uncle climbed the window and disappeared into our room, I tugged on Lucia's hand and we both took off at breakneck speed. I kept running blindly ahead, never once checking back. My body ached from the beating I received earlier and over time, my lungs screamed for air. But still I forced my limbs to carry me forward, sheer will mainly driving me at this point. Only when Lucia lost her footing did I stagger to a halt. "Lucia!" I shouted in alarm. "Are you okay?" "I'm fine… I think." She croaked as I helped her back up. I thoroughly checked on her, finding both her knees were scraped but the wounds seemed superficial. We were short of supplies so I could only clean her wounds with some paper towel and wrapped them with handkerchiefs. The neighborhood we had currently reached was unfamiliar but we were probably still close to our uncle and aunt's home and needed to keep going. "Here, wear this." I told Lucia, taking off my hoodie to pull it over her head. In my rush I had failed to notice that she was wearing only a flimsy nightgown and we didn't have time to retrieve some warmer clothing. "What about you?" She asked in concern even while she hugged the oversized hoodie around herself. I gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm fine. I'm feeling hot after running all this time, anyway. Come on, we need to keep going." After ensuring Lucia could walk, we resumed our trek, this time while walking normally. The darkness and frigidity of the night wrapped around us making the whole atmosphere more hostile. The cold penetrated deep into my bones, but I barely registered it all. It seems like my mind had also been frozen and rendered numb. "Where are we going now?" Lucia asked. "I have no idea." I mumbled back. "Where will we live from now on?" She asked again. "I have… no idea." I whispered brokenly, my throat burning. I had to close my eyes to hold back the need to break down. Finally my mind was coming to terms with reality. I left it all behind and there was no going back. Everything was over. I endured months of abuse but in the end we couldn't secure our future. Now we were left penniless, wandering the streets with no place to go. What will become of us from now on? "Chris! You're trembling!" Lucia croaked after some time. "You should take back the hoodie." She went to pull the cloth over her head, but I stopped her. "It's okay, I'm fine." I lied. "I'm only trembling because of the residue of adrenaline and fear." "Liar." She mumbled. "At least let's find someplace warm where we can rest. I'm feeling tired." I stared down at her helplessly. I knew her legs had to be hurting just like mine did. Probably more because she just got injured. "Okay, come on." I held her hand, and we resumed our advance with purpose. Some time later we came across a warehouse with several containers lying in front of it. One of them just happened to be open and we sneaked into it. The inside was stacked with boxes and wasn't exactly accommodating but at least we were spared from the cold night air. I searched my bag and donned some warmer clothing, then Lucia and I lay huddled together, attempting to get some rest. Lucia was out cold within minutes. I stroked her forehead as I stared at her slumbering face. The poor girl must have been really tired. As a ten year old kid, going through everything she just did was surely overwhelming. Yet she didn't break down at all. Even though I was much older, only two months shy of turning eighteen, I felt like I would fall apart at any instant. I was still wallowing over how to proceed from now, when the door to the warehouse suddenly slammed shut, making me jump. "What happened?" Lucia asked in alarm. I didn't have time to answer her when suddenly everything around us began moving. "What's happening?" Lucia asked in alarm. She tried standing up but I held her back. "Shhh… don't make any noise." I whispered urgently. I darted my gaze around in alarm and after some time, my worst fears were confirmed when I got the distinct impression that we were moving through a vehicle. "It seems we're being transported to another location." I whispered to Lucia. "But this might be a good thing. At least we'll be further away from uncle and aunt." She was staring up at me, her eyes displaying such fear. "It's okay." I murmured, wrapping her in a tight hug. "I'm here and I'll protect you. So don't worry. Everything will be fine… as long as we have each other." I endlessly repeated this to myself through the endless hours as the vehicle kept moving. As long as Lucia and I weren't separated, nothing else matters. It seemed like an eternity passed until the vehicle pulled to a stop. Lucia and I remained hidden deep within the container as the door was opened and people began unloading it. At some point, we managed to catch an opening and rushed out of the place into totally unfamiliar surroundings. The sun was already high up in the sky and we welcomed it after the freezing night we just spent. We moved over to the nearest street, then meandered down it, gawking at our surroundings with a mixture of awe and wariness. Some of the passers-by were eyeing us strangely. I guessed we were an unusual sight with the clothes we randomly threw on and the oversized hoodie Lucia still wore. But I didn't pay the people much mind, keeping my focus more on the structures around me. Everything here was so much more gigantic compared to our previous home town. I had a hunch based on some of the features and when I checked a nearby newspaper stand, it confirmed that we were indeed in California. Several miles away from my hometown. I spun around in place, the fear finally beginning to creep in. With no way to fend for ourselves, how were we going to survive now that we had landed in this unfamiliar place where no one knew us?