text: Kirstin Garcia Nadia I do not own picture, i got it off google 
  still in progress  
   
   
   The beginning 
   I am drowning, I’m drowning in what they call life. As if the breath from my very lungs were being ripped away…I then realized that this would be my last day as the person I was and become the person I was meant to be. 
     
   
   Chapter one: 
   
   It’s a Monday morning and I can hear my foster mom calling me, “HEY! Wake up you’re going to be late”. My eyes widen as I looked at the time, “damn I’m going to be late on the first day”,  I dashed out of bed in a frenzy. I need to get dressed to make the bus I thought to myself. I quickly looked through my closet and finally made a decision on what I wanted to wear. my outfit consists of my combat boots with my black lace dress and my thigh high socks, I guess you could say that I liked to wear black. 
   I failed to make the bus, I had to ask Andrew to take me to school "ugh" I hissed at the idea of my creepy foster dad driving me to school. I loathed the way he was always calling me beautiful and staring at me from afar, he didn’t make me feel comfortable. Every time I was alone with him I always waited for the moment when he would attack me, however, my foster mom would always come home I would feel somewhat relieved but she wasn’t any better than the monster she called her husband, I then decided to walk to school I didn’t want to risk Andrew getting in a bad mood and me become his punching bag in the end. 
   I finally made it to school after a long forty-five minutes of walking, it was already the second period. I then heard a familiar voice calling my name “Nadia where were your first period, you missed a really important test” I then reply, “I’m sorry... I missed the bus and my parents weren’t home (I lied) …”  Katie then replied, “from now on I’m going to come pick you up at 7:00 am every morning “ …… “No you can’t do that” I replied “my parents will get angry and I don’t want to have to deal with them, but thank you for the offer”, For those of you who didn’t know Katie and I have been friends since I moved in with the Wilsons aka my foster parents. 
   The day went by faster than I thought, I wasn’t ready to go home so I called into work and asked if I could cover anyone’s shift. Sally my boss said yes that my coworker Melissa had called in sick and that she would be out for a couple of days she said that I could cover those days if I wanted, I didn’t mind I was actually quite happy because I get to be away from home and It was more money towards savings and the more money I saved the further away I can get from this godforsaken town. 
   I took two subways and then rode my bike the rest of the way you could say that work was a little far but I didn’t mind I liked the city, I lived a little way out of the downtown area of Seoul, South Korea ever since I was adopted. When I arrived to work I wasn’t late, in fact, I was forty-five minutes early so I had time to eat an early lunch then I clocked in and greeted my boss then continued with the rest of the day. 
     
   It was almost midnight when I got off from work, I gathered my things and headed towards the door but before I left I had to empty all the money from the cash register and put it in the safe I then would be able to say my goodbyes and go home. When I left It was dark and the subways had stopped running, I would have to ride my bike home which means I would get home around two in the morning then I would have to do my homework my chores only then I would be able to sleep this was my usual schedule, but I didn’t mind getting only a few hours of sleep just as long as I knew that I had everything I needed to do done. 
   I finally made it home but to my surprise Andrew was awake and he had been drinking, I unlock the door and make my way inside but the sound of his heavy feet stomping and staggering towards me brought me to a stop. 
   “Where have you been Nadia?” Said, Andrew 
   “I was at work, sir...” 
   I was waiting for him to just let me go and get my homework done so I could get some sleep 
   Andrew then said “that is not acceptable, I will not let you come home at all hours of the night” 
   I saw the fiery in his eyes. “Where’s Anna?” I asked 
   “She’s not here she went on a business trip for a few days it’s just us two” 
   My heart started to beat faster than I have ever imagined it could. 
   “My dear Nadia come here and play with daddy, “said Andrew 
   “I’m rather tired I'm going to sleep” I sprinted towards my door in hope that he wouldn’t catch me. 
   I looked behind me and it looked as if a wild beast was hoping to catch his prey, “come here Nadia I just want to have some fun I promise I won’t hurt you”. 
   When I reached my room and locked the door and leaned against it. 
     It was morning now and I could still hear the banging on the door even after he had left that horrid sound was imprinted and played back to back as if it was a broken record in my mind, I removed the dresser and unlocked the door “hello” I heard at the front door it was Child Protective Services, 
   I was about to walk down to the door but then Andrew suddenly appeared and answered the door. 
   “Hello my name is Mrs. Brown I am with Child Protective Services I am here to talk to Nadia, is she in?” 
   “No, I don’t think she is,” said Andrew 
   Without thinking I sprinted downstairs and said “yes I am here I just got in” 
   I could feel Andrews’s evil gaze burning a hole through me. 
   “We need to talk,” said the woman 
   As we walked outside I could feel the cool breeze on my porcelain skin, it felt as if I am just now feeling the breeze of the wind and the shine of the sun for the first time. The woman who called herself Mrs. Brown asked me a lot of questions she then told me that my mother wasn’t dead and that she has been in contact with her I was stunned by the news I didn’t know what to say at that moment, I had spent all my life believing that my mother was rotting away in the ground somewhere. 
   I was furious, my birth mother she was alive this whole time and she never once tried to get into contact with me she didn’t even try seventeen years. 
   The woman saw my confusion, doubt, and sadness she then stopped me in my tracks 
   “Nadia she doesn’t know that you’re alive, that’s why she hasn’t tried to contact you, but she will soon I have contacted her and confirmed that you are still alive I need you to go pack your things so we can go” 
   I did as I was told and I rushed inside to get my things together but as I was on my way to my room I felt a hand grab my arm “where the hell do you think you’re going” said Andrew  
   “I’m leaving,” I said in a slightly annoyed tone. 
   “The hell you are, you’re not going anywhere” he raised his hand I closed my eyes tightly, but before he could hit me he fell he to the floor the police where there, they had arrested him and took him in to be questioned. 
   “Let’s hurry and go get your things,” said Mrs. Brown. 
     
     a week has passed since then and I still haven’t seen my mother they still haven’t told me anything about my mom, why fake her death who was after her that caused her to take these actions? 
   ‘ma’am could you come with me please” said the guard 
   “Where are we going” I replied a stern look 
   The guard was a foreigner his Korean was weird but he was really good, on the way to where ever we were going we had a very nice conversation his name was Alexander, however, he went by “Alex” he was only six years older than I was I was surprised, he was the youngest guard in the unit and he was the first guy I talked to since I arrived here It was very nice and I enjoyed the conversation it made me smile and laugh something I didn’t do very often it was a nice change. 
   Moments later we had arrived at the main office where I had seen Mrs. brown waiting I ran and hugged her and asked where she had been she said: “I brought someone who has been wanting to meet you”. 
   I knew from the moment she said those words that from this day onwards is going to change 
   Before I entered the room she Mrs. Brown told me if I’m not ready if I need more time she would understand. I stopped her and asked what her name was I wondered my whole life. 
   “Min-seo” that’s your mother’s name 
   Her name was beautiful and sweet like the cherry blossoms in spring but I didn’t want to meet her not looking like this not with a black eye and bruises up to my neck and down to my feet, I didn’t be to see the pain in her eyes whole she observed me and saw how my life had been until this point. 
   “Uh, Mrs. Brown... I don’t want to see her right now” 
   She looked at me with sad eyes I knew she knew why I didn’t want to see her not yet anyway 
   “Okay honey I’ll tell her,” said Mrs. Brown 
   I felt really bad, I wonder how sad min-set was? 
   Three weeks have passed and the marks on my body are gone I told Mrs. Brown that I wanted to meet her but to my surprise she wasn’t there and she didn’t want to see me I wondered if it was my fault I didn’t mean to upset her… Mrs. Brown saw the confusion and pain in my eyes and gave me a hug, it felt nice it felt warm like it was actually genuine 
     
   
   Chapter two: 
   
     
     
   It has been a year already and I don’t remember how the sun felt on my skin, I’ve been kept in this facility that protects from the only god knows what my mother was hiding me from. I have no freedom here like I did on the outside but I can’t go back I’m dead to the world in order to keep me hidden I had to also fake my death they even had the news show my picture in the news saying I was involved in a car accident on the way to the airport to be sent abroad … I find it funny. 
   I the year I have been here under the protection of CPS and the government, I started messing around with “jay” the guard that was in charge of me he was a very sweet and handsome young man and also very tall he was six foot five and he had icy blue eyes and blondish brown hair we weren’t dating it was more like if we needed affection or pleasure we would go meet each other in the dark of night. 
   However, in time I found myself wanting him around I wanted to tell my feeling to him but that changed when he found a woman suited to him we haven’t talked since then… you could say I was upset but I understood why he didn’t choose me I wasn’t his match I wore black and had burgundy hair and the woman was blonde and had gorgeous green eyes she was a dance teacher and I was a girl who didn’t exist to the world. So I understood why it wasn’t me. 
   It was awkward seeing in every day so I requested for a new guard when I met her I didn't know that we would become very good friends, she was beautiful she had black hair with purple underneath and her eyes were a silver blue color it was enchanting and when she talked she had a soothing voice 
   “Hello I’m Mina,” said the new guard 
   “Hello I’m Nadia nice to meet you” 
   She was also five foot like me, I wondered if she would be able to take care of herself in this place so I decided to talk to her more and befriend her 
     
     
     
     
   
   
   Publication Date: April 17th 2018 https://www.bookrix.com/-fu0c6e48be0d165