Gingerly, she patted her tender skin dry, then stood before the full-length mirror just long enough to assess the damage. Jeans and a sweatshirt, she reasoned, would conceal the welts, but her face was another story.
"You're hideous," she whispered through clenched teeth. "And I hate you."
It was time....
Fueled by equal parts anger and fear, she moved with lightning speed, dumping the contents of her backpack onto the bed. No need for Math or History books, she thought bitterly as she stuffed clothes into the ragged canvas bag.
For a fleeting moment, she reached for the photograph of her mother. Then she stopped.
Her sister should have it.
The thought of leaving her sister sickened her, but what choice did she have?
There was no time to think. No time for regrets.
The frigid air tore at the fragile flesh of her bruised cheek, a silent warning of what lay ahead. Refusing to acknowledge the premonition, she fixed her eyes on the only thing that mattered now—
the promise of the rising sun. She trudged through the slushy mess that was her driveway, quietly closing the gate behind her. Careful not to look back, she swallowed the lump rising in her throat. If she saw the house one last time, she knew she'd probably lose the courage to keep walking.
Her eyes stung. Her toes were already numb, and with every step the worn straps of her backpack bit deeper into her shoulders, intensifying the ache of her rapidly bruising body.
She told herself there was nothing to fear. Everyone would assume she was on her way to school.
Still, every approaching set of headlights made her stomach churn and her pulse quicken. Every passing car sounded as though it might slow beside her.
She shivered at the thought.
Thankfully, the streets were nearly empty, the eastern sky just beginning to surrender to the hopeful light of dawn. Though every step carried her farther from everything she had ever known, the brightening sky somehow strengthened her resolve.
She had no plan beyond getting away. No idea where she would go from here.
Only one certainty remained.
She had to leave.
And once she did, she knew she could never return.
