I leaned my forehead against the ice cold window and watched the rain patter on the street below. It soon got darker and the rain got heavier.
I closed my eyes and dreamed that I was out there and I could feel the rain on my skin. I miss the fresh air, being able to run.
I leaned back and saw the bars. I hated those bars. They made my room be more of an official prison. I shut my curtains on them and fell into the darkness.
That's when I heard the footsteps coming up the stairs. I jumped up in fright and backed up into the corner. They came closer to my door, so the small chink of light disappeared. I held my breath as the door opened. The door never opened, unless my Father wanted something from me, something that I wasn't willing to give.
"No... please." I would scream if I knew that it would do any good, but it would just make him angry.
"Shut up!" I closed my eyes.
***
He left me there to cry. I could feel the bruises that were going to develop. I went back to the window, but it didn't give me the feeling of freedom any more. It made me feel more trapped than ever.
Then I noticed the boy standing there. My gaze widened at him. He was staring straight at me. He was getting drenched by the rain and I was wondering why he was staring at me.
He was making movement with his hands at me. It looked like he was asking me to open something. He meant the window. I shook my head. He then put his hand to his ear and made a phone gesture. I shook my head again.
He looked disappointed. He stuck his hands in his pockets and walked off. I sighed as he disappeared around the corner.
***
A bowl of soup and some bread were shoved through the door. I scrambled off my bed and drank it in one gulp. I soon regretted it as it didn’t fill the large hole in my stomach and made me hungrier. I scoffed down the bread and walked back over to the window. The sun was almost directly overhead and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.
The boy was there again. I squinted at him and he smiled. He had chocolate brown hair and what it looked like blue eyes. He looked quite tall, but I couldn’t tell from here. He was making waving movements again. He wanted me to come out. I sighed and shook my head. I watched as his smile disappeared. He started mouthing something at me. I frowned at him. I saw him sigh. I wanted to be able to talk to him.
“One minute.” I mouthed the words at him. He seemed to understand. I ducked under my window and searched through the dust bunnies. I’m sure I saw my Father drop a key at some point. I grinned as I found the key to my window. The only problem was the bars. I think I could fit through them. I opened the window as far as I could and slipped out. I landed hard on the ground. I glanced through the living room window.
The boy was staring at me. I smiled and walked over. His mouth was hanging open.
“Are you grounded or something?” He looked me up and down and I realized that I was wearing really scruffy jeans and an old t-shirt.
“Umm… yeah, something like that. I’m Katie.” It didn’t feel as awkward as I thought it would be.
“I’m Jacob. Do you want to go into town or something? I would really like to know something about you. I see you by that window almost every day.” He offered me his arm. I was surprised at how much of a gentleman he was.
“Okay, but I’ve got to warn you that I have no money.” He laughed. We walked together. He seemed like a perfect match for me. I didn’t know too much about music and Facebook. I was relieved when he didn’t either. I can’t remember what we talked about. We just talked and we got closer at each sentence. We sat talking over greasy fish and chips that he kindly paid for. I started to become conscious of the time.
He walked me back home. We walked hand in hand. I felt like I’d always known him. I smiled at him as I stood in front of the gate to my house. He was quite close to me and I wondered if he was going to kiss me. He closed the gap between us. His lips were soft and tasted of bubble-gum. It ended too quickly for me.
“Sorry, that was rude.” He was blushing slightly. I kissed him back. He looked surprised.
“I don’t mind. I’ve got to go.” I climbed up the ivory. I didn’t know why I didn’t do this before. I didn’t stop smiling for hours. I knew it was going fast with him, but I didn’t care.
***
I went out with Jacob the next day and the next, and the next. We found that we had more in common and I started to love him. I never thought that I would fall in love. Our relationship lasted for a week, and then one week, my father caught us. My week of happiness was over.
“Katie! Get back inside now.” He grabbed me by the wrist and dragged me away from Jacob. I screamed and struggled. I lost sight of Jacob but I think he had been knocked out. My father dragged me back into the house and up the stairs. I screamed the whole way and tried to get away. I knew what would happen. He would always threaten me no to leave the house or…
***
I no longer felt the pain. I didn’t feel the cuts or the bruises. I felt almost peaceful. I opened my eyes and saw my room. I sat up and felt strangely light. I stood up to go to the window and saw police cars. I looked back to my bed and screamed. Blood covered the wall and in the middle of the bed was my body.
***
Years later the witnesses at the time still remembered the scream of the girl that had already died. It would haunt them for the rest of their lives. Jacob never got over Katie’s death. He felt like it was his fault. He had seen the bruises, but never thought anything of it. He should have tried to stop her father but he was weak and had been unconscious through all of it.
Katie’s father had a mysterious life in prison. He couldn’t sleep after the day he killed his daughter and he said that he could see her, she haunted him. Everyone thought he had gone crazy, until they had found him murdered with no evidence. On the wall, painted with blood, was written “I have had my revenge. My father is dead and he deserved to die.”