5

LORENA

Papa pounds his fist against my bedroom door, making me startle.

I quickly end the chat with the girls,and prepare to face my family.I hear him stomp away, and pulling myself up, I unlock the door and open it. I peek down the hallway and see if anyone is out except me.

“Lorena,” he yells out my name

Laura tries to talk him down out of his anger; he pushes her aside,I knew it was coming. “ I'm the one you are angry at don't attack Laura” I declared

He thought I was being disrespectful, and when I mentioned it to him, he slapped me so hard it felt like my teeth rattled.

He continuously kicks me in the back as I curve into myself a desperate attempt to hide by face or any part of me that might show I'm wearing bruises.

“ you couldn't have made the Moravia kid like you at first glance, you are useless to me,” he yelled angrily.

I looked at mama who was at the corner whimpering like she couldn't see what was happening.

After the first time papa hit me, I cried my eyes out. I couldn’t understand why he changed so much, but with time, I realized he was always evil and just hid it from the rest of the world well.As he started ranting about how everything was wrong in his life.

I dart across the hall to my bathroom and grab a couple of Advils to help with the dull ache in my side.

Walking to the room , I stop by the side table to pick up a glass of water. I set it down on one of the little tables in my room.

I don't cry anymore at this point.

After taking the drugs I walk to the window in my room and stare out side as, I wrap my arms around myself, and as the silence stretches, my body begins to tremble.

Father, don’t let this man kill me.

Actually, don’t let him put his hands on me.

After a few minutes of staring at the the emptiness of the sky, i got get ready for bed, the feeling of desperation overwhelms me, feeling trapped in the house I was brought up.

To escape this mafia marriage I decide to run away. I walk to my closet, open it, get out a few shirts, some trousers run to the vanity table, open some drawers, grab my passport and a few important papers.

Grab my ballet bag put some essentials in it, Copied out Sofia and Lucie's numbers into a booklet, I would eventually call them when I'm settled down , move to my bedside table take out a piece of paper and begin to pen down a letter for my sister.

Dear Laura

Sorry for doing this to you. But I can't take it anymore you were supposed to marry into the Moravia family but because I was more disposable I became the scapegoat. All our life it felt as if I was a substitute,like I should have not been born you are the first child but it seems I was born to protect you not the other way round well I can't condone it so I have to go.

Looking back at my room one last time making sure no one was awake I made my way slowly downstairs.avoiding the parts of the floorboards that creaks making it to the door slowly opening the door.

I make my way to the lowest part of the fence in the compound while avoiding the cameras liitered on the edges of the fence, tossing my bag across jumping on the fence to the other side finally free.

I pick up my bag and run never looking back to see what I had lost.

“ Finally free” I shout into the night, smiling for the first time since yesterday.

I hail a cab, if it is known that I left by that time I'm long gone, I just have to pass the Moravia territories at the edge of the city.

Then take a ferry out of the city.

Ten minutes later I was in the Moravia territories, and I gave the driver a fifty dollar bill then jumped out of the cab and ran towards the ferry. My eyes scouted for the two familiar faces, and the moment I spotted them, I rushed towards them.

“You made it,” Sofia murmured relieved. Her face was sad, her lip trembling. I took her hands in mine, hugging her tightly, feeling my throat starting to close up from holding back tears.

“Yes, I need to catch the first flight out of this country.” I hated leaving and starting all over but I had no choice. It made me resent my father even more.

Why couldn’t he have just given laura to them i wouldn't be in this mess right now, he might have been free to continue ruling his cursed empire? Instead, he had to destroy everything by angering the Moravia family.

“We need to get to the International Airport. All of your emergency travel documents and travel bags are kept there.” Sofia knew that too. Thankfully, I could access my savings from anywhere in the world.

I wouldn’t go hungry without money, food or a way to afford a shelter. Right now, we just had to get out of here.

Lucie nodded. It tore at my insides to drag myself to another start.

“We stick together. We do this together.”

I exhaled a breath I didn’t know I was holding. I wouldn’t have blamed her if they hated me for this, but it felt good having them by my side.

“Thank you,” I muttered. We had been more than a family for as long as we’ve known each other.

“Do you think this will work?” Sofia kept glancing around the airport.She was scared just as much as I was. If i was dragged us back home, we’d be doomed. I escaping my fate is risky, I wasn’t sure if I would succeed.

Despite my worries, I nodded in answer, words stuck in my throat. It had to work.

As it got to my check in point I raised up my head and looked ahead only to see Alessandro Moravia staring at me with a smirk on his face.

“ Where are you off to little one?” he said in his sultry Italian accent.