Cara’s pov:
“You’re such a stubborn child!”Mr Santiago exclaimed “are you sure she’s even our real daughter?”
I stood there expressionless.Honestly,this wasn’t anything new.I was the black sheep of the family…I walked out on my father and his nagging became louder
“Where do you think you’re going to?” Mrs Santiago screamed tugging on my hair and my head being pushed into the wall with so much force,blood streams down my face
Her hand tangled in my hair, yanking my head back before I could react. The wall met my forehead with a dull thud, the force knocking the air from my chest. I didn’t cry. Crying only made it worse.
“Mom,Dad it’s enough!!” Tiffany interfered standing between I and my parents,out of all my older siblings Tiffany is the eldest and only one who ever tries standing up for me
“Go up to your room”
I pushed myself up with the support of the wall behind me using my last strength to get up and go to my room
Just another day in the Santiago house .
I went to my room,locked the door and went straight to the bathroom.I looked up at myself in the mirror numb eyes and a bruised face,I opened the drawer below the sink grabbing ointments to clean the injures from tonight’s incident
Ive done this before.
Too many times to count.
After cleaning up and laid down on my bed staring at the ceiling tears streaming down my face.Today didn’t hurt more than others but felt final,my final straw.
Enough is enough
I reached under my pillow and pulled out the calendar I kept hidden there. My finger hovered before circling the date I’d memorized by heart.
My eighteenth birthday,two weeks away
Just two more weeks to go
The day I would leave.
I didn’t care about this family anymore. Not my parents. Not my older siblings who watched and said nothing, who obeyed like lap dogs and never stepped in,even when I was bleeding. They have never been there for me I’ve always felt somewhat like an outsider
Except Tiffany.
She was the only one who ever looked at me like she still saw her own blood,a sister and someone she loved
I know at times she probably steps in to help me just because she feels somewhat guilty for allowing our parents to treat us the way they do as the eldest daughter
I skipped dinner that night. Not like anyone noticed. No one ever did. I laid my side, clutching the calendar to my chest like it could protect me, counting down the days in my head.
Two weeks.
Two weeks until I broke free from the shackles of my own
A sound outside my window made me freeze.
I held my breath, listening. The house was quiet too quiet…but the noise came again, soft and distant. Voices from the street. A car passing slowly.
I sat up and looked out the window
This wasn’t fear. Fear only comes from inside this house.
This felt different than what I’ve been feeling
I slipped off the bed and crossed the room, careful not to let the floorboards creak. The window was already unlocked. I pushed it open with patience as slowly as I could,trying not to make a single sound
Cold air rushed in.
I didn’t hesitate,I’ve never been outside without Tiffany but I needed this im already turning 18 soon so what’s the worst that could happen?
I climbed onto the window sill, lowered myself slowly, and dropped down onto the grass swiftly .The landing sent a dull ache through my legs, but I stayed silent. I straightened, glancing back at the dark shape of the house.
No lights turned on.
No one came looking.
I ran and ran without looking back.
The street should’ve been loud at this hour. It always was. Music. Shouting. Life spilling out onto the pavement.
Instead, everything slowed.
Conversations faded. A door closed. Somewhere nearby, footsteps stopped.
A car rolled to a halt a few feet away from me. The engine stayed running
I felt it then,that strange weight in the air, like I was being watched…followed
When I looked up, he was already there.
Leaning against the car. Calm. Unbothered. Watching me like he’d been expecting this moment as if he knew me
“You shouldn’t be out here alone,” he said.
I swallowed, forcing my voice steady. “And you are?”
His gaze turned briefly toward the house behind me, then back to my face. The corner of his mouth curved slightly but it definitely wasn’t a smile.
“Someone who knows how dangerous this street can be.”
My heart skipped a beat
“And someone you’ll remember.”
