Take my heart

5 years ago... Gabriella Campbell All I wanted was a peaceful life with no drama. I wanted a friend I could count on for anything, parents who would support me through anything, and, most importantly, I wanted to become a doctor. But God might've thought I asked for a lot and decided to take everything from me... little by little. I never liked going to school a few years ago. My parents started fighting a lot and my home soon became toxic for me. The school was the only safe haven I have and I always looked forward to getting out of the house. It was a typical school day that day. I picked up my sister from her school like always and headed to the ice-cream shop. Ever since our home no longer became home, we found our safety in each other. We would spend time together after school only to not go to our home early. My sister was 10 years old and she should be enjoying her childhood with slumber parties and camping. However, she was stuck with her only sister and a toxic environment. Not going to lie but I always thought of leaving this place, find a new home, and lead a happy and better life. But I couldn't do it, no. My sister, Hazel, deserved better. She deserved a house, proper food, proper environment... all of which I can't provide if I were to go on my own.  I was pulled out of my trance as Hazel shook my hand excitedly for ice-cream. I looked down at her and chuckled. "You want ice-cream, huh?" I asked her and she nodded with a big grin. "Please, please, please," she used her puppy eyes on me. This girl is gonna be the death of me. I chuckled again at her and led her to the shop. I only had 10 bucks on me and used the entire money on getting Hazel her ice-cream. She is all I had and I would do anything for her.  We spent some time at the park after and soon, it was 6 pm in the evening. s**t. I thought to myself before letting out a heavy sigh. "Hazel, we have to go home now, or else, dad would get mad," I told her as I held our bags. She turned around and looked at me sadly. "Why do we have to go back? I don't want to go home. They always shout at each other." Her beautiful hazel-colored eyes, just like her name, were filled with water.  I leaned down to her and wiped her eyes gently. "I know princess. But if we don't go home now, we won't be able to have dinner and no place to sleep. Do you want that?" I asked her sadly to make her understand and she nodded while looking down at the ground. "We will leave soon and have our own home, okay?" I asked her with a slight smile. "Really?" She asked with hope and I nodded. "Really. Let's go now." I smiled and held her tiny hand. I don't know if giving her hope is the right way to go but all I cared about was to give her the happiness she deserves. We eventually reached our house. I sighed slightly and looked down at Hazel again. "Remember to not make any noise, okay?" She nodded quickly and I gave her backpack back to her. I held onto her tiny hand a little tighter and opened the main door to enter. But little did I know that my life is going to change entirely from here.