Chloe

Chloe was always into trouble, even from birth. Her mother didn't want to keep her so she gave her up for adoption, and she ended up in a house with her cousins and giagiá.
However Chloe felt this woman deserved nothing of the title.
Her giagiá was a cruel woman, obviously lacking someone to love her, and it showed. Perhaps it was her grandmothers cruel features? The old woman was aged well into her seventies and she had no smile wrinkles. Her dark hair with grey streaks was tied back into a dark bun, and her black piercing eyes always seemed to follow Chloe's movements. If Chloe's giagiá was ever happy, it was long before Chloe was born.
Ever since Chloe was young her giagiá seemed to blame her for everything bad that happened in the house.
When her cousin, Lexie fell and broke her arm, she blamed Chloe.
"You never hurt your family you ungrateful girl! I chose to take you in when your mother put you up for adoption, and I can chose to send you away as well!"
"But giagiá you don't understand! I-I pushed her out of the way...so the man wouldn't hurt her!"
"You are a liar! Just like your mother!"
Chloe never forgot that day. Odd events like that always seemed to happen. Her giagiá seemed to enjoy tormenting her, even when she wasn't around. Was she responsible for the day at preschool? Somehow the pet snake managed to wriggle out of its cage and find itself on Chloe's nap mat. It still made Chloe wonder if the woman was purposely out to get her.
The rest her family never did anything but torment Chloe along with her grandmother. Her cousins always tripped her while she was carrying heavy things, then said she did it on purpose.
Chloe's cousin Lexie, was the worst of them all. The girl resembled her father well but she had her grandmother's piercing eyes. She was beautiful, and very jealous and conceded of her looks. When Chloe turned twelve and started to mature, Lexie gave her a surprise haircut.
"What's the matter? You look like a real orphan now!" She taunted.
Chloe did everything in her power to not scream and kick and yell at her cousin, but she punched her right in the nose.
"I'm not an orphan!" Chloe snapped back. Even though she resented her mother and father for leaving her alone, she didn't like it when people made them out to be convicts or..dead. Chloe wasn't sure if she should defend her parents honor, but she would try even if she had to fight Lexie or all her cousins.
Of course when her uncle came into the room, Lexie broke down in tears and said Chloe tried to attack her.
That night her giagiá locked her in the basement. Chloe forgot how long, but it didn't matter to her. She wanted to get away from her wretched family, and the trouble that they caused.
It was a hopeless wish sometimes, and Chloe bit her tongue every time she was tempted to run away. The abuse never stopped as Chloe grew. Chloe always seemed to get into trouble, even she she was never involved.



Sun broke through the room and hit Chloe's face. She yawned and stretched her arms out as she awoke.
Chloe never slept well through the night, and she wished she could. All the nightmares and the constant bites from insects, it could make a person fall victim to insanity. This was Chloe's life, it was normal for her. She would go to bed at ten, wake with a start at one in the morning, toss and turn constantly at three, and rise by seven-thirty. On her peaceful days, (which hardly ever happened), she would get five hours of sleep.
Today was not a peaceful day.
Chloe sluggishly climbed out of bed and hobbled over to the door of her closet.
Now being a child that was a resented part of the family, Chloe never got to go out much. When her giagiá wanted her gone, she would either send her out to do chores, or to wander around the 50 acre compound.
Chloe felt free when she was running along the Long Island hills, but she always got a rude awakening when she reached the fence. It was as if her giagiá kept animals inside the compound, because the fence was outlined with electrical wire. An old dried up well stood beside the west fence, and Chloe had found numerous carcasses of birds lying around it before. It frightened her, so she never went near the west part of the fields.
Chloe sighed, remembering the outside of her room and she gazed wistfully at the bars hung on her window. She wished she could go outside and ride the horses, or run along the trickling stream behind the house, in the dark woods that she wanted to explore as a child.
The stream was Chloe's favorite spot in the whole world. She felt connected physically, it always seemed to ease things that were on her mind. Chloe remembered months earlier, her giagiá had screamed for her to get out of her sight, and Chloe ran outside, passing her cousins on horseback. Her older cousin Henry, chased her along with his twin Fred. They had picked her up, and through her into the mud by the stream, and started to pelt her with clumps of dirt.
"Stop please!" She begged them.
"What, you don't like the mud? I thought you would you piece of dirt!" Fred spat.
Chloe tried not to cry at the foot of the stream once they had left. Fred had been cruel to her because she had caught him smoking, and told her uncle (who didn't believe her, as usual).
Chloe ran her hands over her stick-like arms and sighed. She glanced quickly in the mirror, staring back at the girl in the glass.
"Why can't you be strong?" Chloe said quietly, glaring at herself. "You're so..weak."
Chloe covered her mirror up with one of her sheets and headed out of her room quietly. She glanced at the calendar and grimaced. October 28th. She was going to have to work all morning long preparing brunch for her family.
This particular fall morning, Chloe loathed for two reasons. One being it was Alyssa-the-brat's birthday, and second she was distracted as usual.
Alyssa was just like her other siblings, she was younger than Chloe by two years. She tended to leave Chloe alone, but she joined her siblings in tormenting her at times.
Chloe pulled at her chocolate colored shirt, and her mind wandered as she thought about the boy with the same colored eyes. Chloe was different than her cousins, not only because she had ADHD and dyslexia, she had...dreams. (YOU CAN'T TELL ANYONE ABOUT MY DREAMS. NO ONE!) It was odd because Chloe would have dreams in the middle of the day, or even when the sun had begun to rise without even dozing off.
The last few weeks felt like torture for Chloe, since having her luck, she would be stuck with dreaming of a handsome boy around her age. Chloe guessed he looked around fourteen, but she couldn't tell very well because it was dark, and she didn't know why.
The dream Chloe had the night before, was nothing compared to the others she had had in the past.
In this particular one, the boy was walking alone along a dark river. Fire was exploding in the distance and she could faintly hear the sound of screams in the background.
Where am I? Chloe thought.
The boy stopped suddenly, and gazed up at the dark sky. Was he sad? His eyes looked dark in the dream, and it was hard for Chloe to make out his face. She walked toward him and reached out, maybe she could comfort him?
"Hello?" She said, touching his arm.
The dark boy's head whipped around, and he stared right at her.
"Chloe..."
That was when the dream ended, and she had to finish washing dishes.
Who was this boy? How did this stranger know her name? Had she met him before?
That would be entirely impossible, Chloe thought. You know, since I'm not allowed to go outside!
Chloe walked from room silently and headed down the stairs, the old wood creaking under her feet. She passed old pictures of her ancestors and her grandfather, the man who was married to her giagiá. The portrait seemed to stair at her like all the others.
You are such a failure Chloe! I can't even stop staring at your impudent face because you are such an imbecile!
Chloe shook her head and walked into the other room, her family staring at her silently as she entered. The dining room was decorated for a birthday party, but this wasn't your normal cheesy birthday party. The birthday parties her giagiá held were always austere. There would be guests arriving around dinner time and they would stay at the house until late at night, even sometimes until early morning hours. At the head of the table was her giagiá, and across from her was a seat decorated with silk strips of fabric and sparkling confetti. A card with Alyssa written on it was placed on an empty plate, a wine glass filled with sparkling grape juice beside it.
Chloe's Uncle Bobby, Alyssa's father, stood beside it and gave her a smile that she hated. Ever since she turned fourteen he didn't look at her with disgust, just desire. He resembled his mother just like his children, but he probably looked more like Chloe's grandfather. He had blonde hair that was cut short, but scraggly. He wore glasses from time to time, but this morning they were absent from his cruel face. His eyes were scrunched up a tiny bit, as if he were surveying how he could hurt Chloe this morning.
Bobby coughed into his palm and looked away from Chloe, to his mother. His other children, Isabelle, Lexie, Fred, and Henry sat at the table, each of them drinking grape juice quietly.
"You overslept....again." Chloe's giagiá said, her tone angry.
"I'm sorry giagiá. I-couldn't find the shirt you wanted me to wear.."
The old woman scoffed. "Just like your mother...excuses!" She slammed her fist down on the table. She leaned forward and Chloe felt a strong hand grip her neck and bring her head closer to giagiá's.
Her Uncle Bobby snarled into her ear. "You will never disobey us again!" He said.
Chloe payed him no attention because her grandmother tilted her head and slapped Chloe with no indifference, as if she wasn't a human being.
"Go, now." Chloe's giagiá hissed, Chloe's cousins started snickering quietly behind them.
Chloe ran from the room and hurried into a quiet corner of the kitchen and curled up in a ball.
Normally Chloe would just handle this like every other time and come up with a witty comeback or not make eye contact.
This was different. Ever since Chloe was young it was like she could sense danger. That's how she knew about the crazy man with the baseball bat and how he might hurt her cousin. When she was in the dining room, it was as if she could sense a dangerous presence. Her skin continued to tingle and Chloe buried her head in her hands.
She let herself cry, but only a few tears. Her giagiá always said,
"Crying is a sign of weakness, it shows that you are the sick buck in the herd."
Chloe never wanted to be the weakest link, not ever. She wiped her nose on her sleeve and walked over to the hot stove, the metal sizzling in the quiet room.
"My dear, why the tears?"
Chloe gasped and turned around quickly, holding a frying pan in her hand.
A man, a very tall man, stood in front if her. Every place around his body emitted a powerful aura, but the room smelled of ben gay and week old Chinese food. The man wore a suit, like her Uncle forced her to iron.
He had scars running all over his body as if he were a human puzzle and bright blue eyes that looked her up and down.
"Who are you?" Chloe asked, raising the pan.
"Relax. I mean you no harm, unless I am forced to inflict it." The stranger stepped towards her and she backed into the stove, burning her arm.
"Ow!" Chloe squeaked.
The man smiled as if seeing her in pain was enjoyable. Chloe's body tingled again, as if her body knew this man was bad news.
"I wanted to ask, what time is it? I believe I have lost my watch."
Chloe looked over at the stove. The clock above it ticked quietly, it was the only sound in the room for a moment. She glanced back at the man, who gave her a look that said: Hurry up!
"It's nineteen minutes after ten." Chloe said quietly. "Why are you in my house?"
The man frowned. Chloe was confused, she have the man the time.
"Oh dear.....You won't do. She needs recruits who know more than you."
"I'm sorry?-"
The man stepped forward quickly and grabbed Chloe by the arm. She screamed and wriggled out of his grip.
"Giagiá! Some creep is in the house!"
Chloe gasped as she stood in the dining room, her family inert. Her cousins were scattered apart and her giagiá and uncle hung from the chandelier. Her cousin Alyssa, the birthday girl, was sprawled on the floor at her feet. Chloe swallowed as sob as her eyes met the glassy stare coming from Alyssa's body.
The man must have followed her out of the kitchen because he put his hand over her mouth and dragged her back into the kitchen. Chloe kicked and screamed, she had never really had to do anything like fighting before.
As he dragged her past the counter, Chloe grabbed a cutting knife and stabbed him in between his ribs.
The frightening man stepped back in shock but then smiled at her. Chloe could have sworn his eyes turned to pure gold, and they glowered down at her.
The wound healed instantly and he tackled her. Chloe's head slammed into the tile floor and she shook her head, trying to stay awake. Dots appeared in front of her eyes, and she thought she saw him put a knife in her hand. Chloe tried to stay awake but her consciousness slipped from her.
The last thing she saw was the man looking at her and whispering,
"Have fun."

Notes