Find me

Chapter 1

Aria POV

My life had three rules.

1. Always do as you are told. Disobedience leads to punishment.
2. Never talk back. Nobody cares about your opinion.
3. Never look people in the eye. It's disrespectful.

In my 17 years of life, I learned to follow these rules perfectly. I always did as I was told. I never talked back. I never looked up at anyone. I mastered these rules, and they helped me survive.

When I was a child, I thought that everyone lived by the same rules. I thought that it was normal for parents to hit or starve their children. I thought it was normal to spend days locked up in the basement after accidentally burning dinner. It was the way I grew up, and I thought it was normal to be punished when you did something wrong.

It wasn’t until I was about eight years old that I started noticing that the way I lived was far from normal. It wasn’t until I was eight years old that I realized that my parents were different than other parents out there.

When I was at school one day, I got braver and looked up at some of the students at the school I was attending at the time. They seemed happy. They were laughing, looking each other in the eyes, and talking freely. At first, I thought that they were only allowed to do that at school. I thought that they had to follow the same rules I did when they were at home.

But then I got to watch TV for the first time. My parents were out, and I turned the TV on. I knew how badly I would be punished if they ever found out, but I got braver after I saw kids at my school acting so freely. I watched a movie where a mother kissed and hugged her child. The father helped his child with the homework and played with him. I was in denial after I watched the movie. I told myself that it wasn’t real. I told myself that it was a movie, and movies are always different from real life.

As I got older, I couldn’t lie to myself anymore. My parents were abusive. The way I grew up wasn’t normal. Other kids didn’t live by the same rules I did. Other kids didn’t get hit if they did something wrong. Other kids weren’t denied food if they did something wrong.

As I got older, I wanted to talk to someone about what was happening to me. I wanted to ask for help. I wished that someone would find me and save me from the life my parents made me live. But I was always too scared to ask for help. I was raised to believe that I couldn’t speak unless spoken to directly. I was raised believing that I didn’t matter. Each time I wanted to speak up and ask for help, I got so scared that I would just give up.

What if people didn’t believe me? What if my parents found out and punished me? What if I was wrong, and the way I lived was normal after all?

I never found out exactly why my parents treated me the way they did. I heard them fight one time, and my dad screamed at my mom that the only thing he wanted was a boy, and she couldn’t even give him that. Maybe that’s why they hated me. They wanted a boy, but they got me. But they could have put me out for adoption the moment I was born. They didn’t have to abuse me my whole life.

Other adults in my life never doubted anything. Firstly, I was always a good child. I did as I was told. I answered the questions I was asked. I never got into trouble. My grades at school were always very good. Secondly, we always moved around the country. We've never stayed long enough anywhere for anyone to notice that something was wrong. Both my parents had an alcohol problem, and they could never keep a job for long. We always had to move around for them to escape the reputation that followed them.

That is how I ended up in this small town in Washington. My dad got a job as a construction worker, and we had to move here. My mom was still looking for a job. She used to be a nurse, but her career went down the drain when she started to drink and do drugs. Her license was taken away when she showed up to work drunk and high and almost killed a patient. Since then, she has worked mainly as a cleaning lady.

Both of my parents always complained that they wouldn’t have to work if I wasn’t a part of their lives. They always complained that it was too expensive for them to take care of me. I tried to get a job to help them financially, but no one wanted to hire a child. I finally managed to get a job last year when I turned 16. I helped out at the local library. But, we had to move after two months, and the money I made lasted exactly one trip to the liquor store.

Maybe I will be able to find a job in this new town. I saw the library as we were driving to our house. Maybe they need someone to help them out. I would have to go ask them after school.

I stared at the building in front of me, tugging on the sleeve of my hoodie. I had an ugly bruise on my wrist from a few days ago. My dad wasn’t happy with the dinner I made, so he punished me. Unfortunately, learning the rules wasn’t enough to save me from their punishments.

I took a deep breath and started walking toward the building. I could do this. Just a few more months, and I would be graduating. Just a few more months, and I would leave for college.

I was nervous because it was already November and I knew that everybody would know about a new girl joining in the middle of the semester. I've joined enough schools to know that when you join in the middle of the school year, everybody knows and stares at you.

I opened the door and stepped inside the building. I lowered my head instinctively. Thankfully, it was still early, and the hallways were empty. The students didn’t arrive yet.

I walked to the administration office and knocked on the door.

"Come in." I heard a female voice shout.

I opened the door and stepped inside.
A middle-aged woman looked at me and smiled.

"You must be the new student." she said, looking away and rummaging through the papers on her desk.

"Yes." I said quietly as I approached her desk. "My name is Aria Evans."

"It’s nice to meet you, Miss Evans." she said as she looked back up at me and handed me my schedule. "My name is Anna Cruz. Do you have any questions, Aria?"

"I don’t." I said it quietly, shaking my head.

"Okay." she smiled. "Feel free to come to me if you need anything. Welcome to the school, Aria."

"Thank you." I said, giving her a small smile, before walking back to the door.

I took another deep breath and stepped back into the hallway.

Here we go.

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Hi, guys! 😄

I had so much inspiration today that I decided to post the first chapter. I probably won't be able to post another until Monday, but I hope you liked this one! I hope you like the story description as well. 😁

I thought about which story I wanted to write first, and I chose this one. I currently have more inspiration for this one than for the sequel to Never Let Her Go. I will write the sequel for Never let her go next for sure! 🤭😃

Have a wonderful weekend! I'm sending you tons of hugs. ❤