The night was cold as I walked home from the library. I shivered and pulled my jacket tighter around my shoulders. I checked the time on my phone—6:45 pm. I stayed as long as I could to avoid my father and his crazy friends. Ever since my mother died three years ago, he changed. He was once so loving and a doting father, but now he's a man I don't recognize. He moved us away from my hometown and into the city, where he became a drug dealer. He's a ruthless man; I run drugs for him when I'm home, I try not to be home much.
If you had told me three years ago, this would be my life; I'd have called you crazy. I turned onto my street and walked through the gates to the trailer park. Yes, we live in a trailer home because this is the only place you can have a lot of people over and be loud, and no one will call the police on you. Most of the people that live here buy drugs from my father anyway.
I walked past three homes before I got to my house, which isn't much of a home. The paint was peeling, and the smell that came from it was disgusting. I took a deep breath to steady myself and reached a shaking hand for the door handle. I pulled it open, and the door was yanked from me, causing me to stumble into someone.
"Whoa there, pretty baby. No need to throw yourself at me." Said a deep and very drunk voice. Fear shot through me, and I wrenched myself out of his arms.
"Hey, where are you going, baby?" I looked up to see Samuel leering at me with a creepy smirk.
Samuel is the most disturbing man I've ever met. He buys and sells Heroin from my Father. He's about 6 feet tall, with a slight build. His face is hallow from overusing drugs and hardly eating. But the terrifying thing about him is his eyes. Hazy brown eyes make him seem like he's hardly there, but if you watch closely, you can see the intelligence there.
I've learned that to survive in this world, the drug world. You need to know to pay attention and watch those around you.
"Samuel! Enough, she's not old enough yet." My Father's deep voice rumbled from inside. I looked over at him as he bagged weed and various other drugs. "When she turns 18 in a few months, I'll sell her to you."
My Father is a handsome man, or he used to be. His once luscious brown hair has grown thin from drug use. His once muscular body has gotten some fat to it now, but he's still solid. His bright blue eyes that I got from him have gone dull and lifeless from grief.
I looked at him, and my heart stopped in my chest, and I went numb with fear. My father is going to sell me!? Pale-faced I whipped my head around to look at Samuel as he licked his lips. I stiffened with fright as he brought his head down.
"Until next time, my pretty." He licked my ear, and I almost vomited. Moving away from him, I stepped into the house.
"Where have you been, Sarah?" I looked over at the man; I called Father.
"I was at the library; I have an AP exam tomorrow," I said in a quiet voice. My Father hummed.
"Be home early tomorrow; I have a shipment that I need you to run for me." He looks up at me, and his cold eyes hold me in place.
My lip trembles. "Yes, sir."
He nods and looks back down at what he is doing. I quickly ran to my room and shut the door. Luckily today, none of his crazy friends are here, so I can take a shower without having to worry about any of them coming in.
An hour after my shower, I'm lying in bed doing homework when I hear the front door burst open, and the yelling starts. It's a police raid! I hop off my bed and get on the ground as gunfire sounds throughout the house. I put my hands over my hand and waited for the police to find me.
This is my chance to get the hell away from here. My door flies open, and an office comes in. He stops when he sees me.
"Please take me away from here!" I plead with him. He pulls his mask off and kneels near me.
"It's ok; you're safe now. What's your name?" He asks and holds out his hand to me? I gently place my hand into his.
"Sarah, I want to make a deal; I will tell you everything if you place me in Protective custody." I tighten my grip on the officer's hand and stare him straight in the eye.
He nods his head. "I will help you." he pulls me up and into his arms and walks me through the house. It's a mess; things are overturned and knocked off shelves. Bullet holes riddle the walls. Off to the left, where the kitchen is, I see my Father face down and in a pool of his blood. He's dead. I stood there staring at him and waited for the grief to hit me, but nothing, I felt nothing—no anger, no pain, just empty.
"Come on; you shouldn't see this." the officer said.
"I'm glad he's dead. He was going to sell me as a sex slave." My voice is cold and emotionless.
The officer put his arm around my shoulders and led me out of the house and into the back of a police cruiser.
The following 6 hours are a blur to me. I get to the police station, and I am taken into an interrogation room, where I tell them everything, and now a detective named Sam sits with me as I wait for them to decide my fate. The detective stands as the chef comes over to us. I stand as well.
"Well, young lady, it seems your mother left a house for you, back in your hometown, as well as 1 million in life insurance." He hands me a copy of her will.
I'm shocked. I had no idea about this. I look up at him, and tears fill my eyes. Mom's still taking care of me, even from the grave. Relief swipes through me, and I cry. I can finally get the hell away from here and start again.
The Chief places a hand on my shoulder. "No more tears, kid. Let's get you set up for the night, and in the morning, I will have someone from CPS drive you to Lake City."
Lake City. It is a small town in the middle of nowhere with about ten thousand people. Trees and open air, is what I missed the most about it.
I nod my head and follow Detective Sam out of the station and into his car. Once he drops me off at the hotel, I get my key and make my way upstairs to my room. I should feel sad that my father is dead, but I don't.
Once inside my room, I lock the doors and stand there for a few minutes, just trying to process the day. It's honestly too much to think about, but I feel so relieved to be leaving this city. I'll never have to see Samuel ever again. With that thought, I turn and make my way to the bed and flop on it. It's so soft. Softer than the bed I had. I kick off my shoes and crawl under the sheets, and I'm asleep before my head hits the pillow.