Gambling with the mafia

Chapter 1- Ciara

I hear my alarm go off and groan covering my eyes with my arm. Giving myself another minute but remember i have to make breakfast for my step-dad before i go to school. I quickly get dressed quietly in the dark throwing on a pair of baggy jeans and a long sleeve thermal. Knotting my long dark hair into a messy bun and walking in the kitchen, I get to work trying to be as quiet as I can so i dont wake him before 7am. I get a glimpse of my reflection in the hall mirror on my way to the kitchen. I look so much like my mother my heart aches when I see my reflection. She passed away from bone Cancer when I was 9 years old and she was the sweetest woman on earth. Simon resents that I look so much like her.

He gets so angry if i don't do everything he tells me, last time i messed up i got cigarette burns to the arm. He's an ex marine but now a sheriff in this small town and gets to do anything he wants with me since everyone in town believes he's a literal angel. I finish up breakfast, eggs, toast and bacon and start the coffee pot as I hear him stirring upstairs. I'm setting everything on the table as he walks in “good morning dad.” I say with a voluntary smile.

He just grunts and starts shoveling food in his mouth. “Do you need anything else before I go to school?” I ask and he shakes his head no. “Hurry Straight home after.” He says in a harsh tone as if I ever gave him reason to be. I put my worn shoes on and leave quietly. The sun is coming up as I start walking to school. Its a mile walk but its a good time to take a deep breath and calm myself somewhat before a full day of being bullied.

My name is Ciara but to everyone else im slut, stupid, w***e, b***h, really anything derogatory I get called daily. It's fine i'll leave this horrid little town when I turn 18 in a week. I've saved enough for a bus ticket to the next state over and will work wherever will hire me until I can get a degree. School is almost out and I've finished classes and have technically graduated but the school counselor says I can't get the paper diploma until after graduation. I cannot wait that long. I have to get out of here before I get stuffed in another trash can or beat up.

I'm getting close to the high-school now and see the popular kids sitting in the courtyard. They're all very attractive but also my biggest tormentors so I turn to go into a side door keeping my head down in avoidance. As I open the side door by the cafeteria I feel my backpack get yanked taking me with it. I groan as I hit my ass on the concrete, scraping my hands when I land on them.

“Get up stupid b***h” Adrian the leader of the popular kids snarls at me. His dark eyes are glaring at me when I look up. I stand up brushing my hands off. “You dumb slut You thought you would get by unnoticed.” The minions behind him were laughing. I sigh and look down waiting for my beating and clench my hands into fists bracing myself. He kicks the back of my knees falling on them. He grabs my bun as the bell signals 5 minutes to class. “Safe for now.” He releases my hair and they saunter off to class.

I get up and walk to class brushing the dirt from my palms and knees. I don't cry when the kids at school try to bully me, I go through worse everyday at home. My stepfather, Simon has been beating me daily and molesting me since I turned 13. Whatever petty torment the school bullies put me through can't compare to my home bully. I walk into English, my favorite subject and sit in the back where I normally sit. Pulling out the book we're reading at this time- Grendel by john gardener and my notebook with the recent assignment in it. The teacher Ms. Marsh begins reading where we left off and I zone out thinking of my plan to leave this town again. All too soon the bell rings and everyone packs their bags up.

My day goes on going through the motions of classes and being shoved into wall's. After school lets out I walk straight home and see Simon's police cruiser in the driveway, he got off work early which means I'm going to make dinner and go to bed. I just hope he's in a good mood today and doesn't touch me at all. I walk into the house and smell the booze immediately. Putting my bag in my room i go to start dinner, he's already sitting at the table with bottles of empty beer on the table surrounding him.

“Where's my dinner little b***h?” He slurs at me. “I'm getting started now.” I say as meekly as possible. Turning on the stove i get the steak I marinated this morning out of the fridge. I turn on the oven for the potato wedges I'll bake that I also prepared this morning. “Hurry up.” He growls. “It'll be done shortly.” I reply softly. I wish my mom were still alive or even a nice relative would have taken me in. Someone to look after me instead of living in this hell. My mom died when I was 9 from cancer in her bones. She had no family to take me so custody went to simon. They got married when I was 3 years old and he insisted on me calling him dad when i learned to talk.

I finish the steak and potatoes and bring him his plate still hot. It smells great but I'll be eating ramen and leftover potatoes. He doesnt allow me to eat expensive foods like steak. He starts eating but stops soon after leaning back in his chair. “Something wrong dad?” I ask gently. “This tastes like s**t, are you trying to poison me?” His voice starts rising to a yell. He pushes the plate onto the floor and it shatters. I bend down to pick it all up and he kicks me in the face. I fall back and lose my breath, my face throbbing. I can't even react when he begins kicking me in the sides.

“You little w***e i know you're trying to poison me!” He's yelling random crazy things now that dont make any sense. I guard my face with my arms while he kicks my sides and i feel a crunch at some point. He stops eventually breathing heavily and stumbles into the living room, throwing himself down into the recliner. I lay there a while longer just trying to breathe, it hurts on my right side when I do. Slowly I begin to sit leaning on the cupboards as I bring myself up to a angle.

I start picking up the broken pieces of the plate around me as tears start dropping down my face. Finally I stand heavily using the counter for support and drop the broken plate and food into the trash. I walk slowly to look into the living room and see Simon asleep and snoring loudly. This day can't possibly get worse. I decide I can't take this anymore and go quietly to my room, shutting the door silently behind me. I grab the duffel bag and a bag of cash I stored under my bed and begin throwing clothes in. I've accumulated about 200 dollars I've stolen from simons wallet over the last two years; usually when he's passed out drunk. move catlike as I slide the bedroom window open and double check that I have everything I'll need, throwing the duffel over my left side since the right is officially the worst pain I've ever experienced.

I change into a pair of leggings and some baggy sweatpants over them because i don't know how long ill be out waiting on the next bus. Then a thermal and a baggy hoodie over that. All i own is baggy because simon refused to buy anything my size or new, he said he couldn't have boys looking at my body and being a w***e.

Climbing out the window as quiet as possible l try to not breath to prevent some of the worst pain. I make it out the window with a short drop down and a thud but dammit if that doesn't hurt I kneel just to catch my breath and every inhale is like a knife in and out of my ribs. Surely my ribs are broken but i dont have the time or money to focus on that right now.

I get up and pick up a light jog just focusing on breathing and getting to the bus stop and out of sight of the house. I make it around the corner and slow to a fast walk pulling my hood over my head and putting my head down. It's a few blocks to the bus station and I begin thinking about how Simon will react when he realizes his little punching bag is gone.

Finally reaching the bus station I walked into the 24 hr lobby in the small building and up to the window. There's a very old and tired looking man who I ask for a ticket to the next bus out anywhere. “That would be to Las Vegas.” He doesn't even look at me as he reads his computer screen. “Perfect, how much?” I ask. “$120. Cash or card?” He asks back. That's a little more than I had hoped but surely there are restaurants that need a waitress in Vegas. I pull out the cash and hand it over. He prints my ticket and hands it to me, “It'll be here in two hours.” He says. “Thank you.” I whisper back and walk to the bench facing the door and plop down.

Time moves slowly and it makes me realize my right side is unbearable. I'll have to get a bandage to wrap my abdomen As soon as I can. I know that the bastard broke at least one rib, which is a first as far as broken bones go. I sit anxiously and watch the door for two hours trying so hard to think of anything besides the pain. Like what my life will hopefully be like in a big city where No one knows me and I won't be abused anymore. Finally the bus pulls up outside, the sun rising as I step outside. I hadn't realized i've been awake all night but the adrenaline of the situation hasn't worn off yet either.

Stepping onto the bus I show the driver my ticket, he waves me back and I go to an unoccupied seat near the back. The bus smells like sweat and mildew, with only a few other people on the bus. They also look defeated and don't make eye contact. I prop my bag up on my left side so i can lean away from the right onto it. It only takes a few miles out of the town limit before I pass out.