text: Dawn  Leagers Story Of My Life The Real Me Have you noticed that life is unfair? Well I have. I am only fifteen and this is my story. I have been beaten by my grandpa and my mother. I have been in and out of foster care for five years. I have taken care of babies to toddlers to old people. I even turned to a life of crime. I was in and out of juvie because I couldn't stop getting in trouble. I have stolen two cars and been rapped five times. I am back home but trust me my life isn't any better. Still in a abusive relationship with my mother. But I think its about time to stand up and speak for yourself. Tell your story and don't back down. Lets make this generations better then the next not worst.  
   
   
   CHAPTER ONE: The Early Life 
   
   “BANG!!!!” I wake up to a loud noise and my grandpa yelling. I slowly find my way out of bed and to my bedroom door. I put my ear the the door and quietly listen to hear whats going on. “I CAME TO GET MY KIDS!” I hear my mom yell from the dinning room. “Whats going on?” I hear a voice coming from behind me. 
   
   
    I turn around to see my little sister sitting up on the bed rubbing the sleep from her eyes. “I don’t know. I think I hear mom arguing with grandpa” I saying in a quiet voice so the adults don’t hear me. “Why is mom here?” she said still rubbing her eyes. “Shhhh be quiet. We don’t want grandpa to know we are awake. He’ll get mad.”  
   
   
    “Why is mom here?” she repeated but in a lower tone. “I don’t know. Thats what i am trying to find out” I push my ear back to the door while Tessa crawled out of bed and joined me. “GET OUT OF MY WAY!!!” I heard my mom yell. “GIRLS!! GIRLS GET OUT HERE! WE ARE LEAVING!”  
   
   
    My sister and I looked at each other with fear in our eyes, not sure if we want to risk getting in trouble with our grandpa. “IF YOU GIRLS COME OUT OF THAT BEDROOM YOUR GROUNDED!” My grandpa yelled after. “I don’t want to be grounded but I want to go with mom” I whispered. “Me too” she replied. “Okay get your shoes on, we’re leaving.” We both walked to our closet and started to dig for our shoes in the dark.  
   
   
    “Why don’t we turn on the light so we can see?” Tessa suggested. “I don’t want papa to know we are leaving. He might try and stop us” I answered and she nodded in agreement. “Found them” she announced proudly. “I found my shoes before you did haha” and then I found a pair of my shoes wile she was mocking me. “brat” I said quietly while slowly put my ear to the door to see if i can hear anything. 
   
   
   “Anything?” Tessa asked in a questioning whisper. “I cant hear anything” I replied a little worried but didn’t let it show because I wanted to keep my sister as calm as possible. I slowly opened the door enough to let a stream of the dinning room light shine in and held my hand to my lips gesturing for my sister to stay quite.  
   mother said in a smooth voice trying to keep my sister and me calm. “Look what you’re doing dad, your scaring my daughters. Now move out of our way.” he didn’t say anything but stand there blocking the door with his eyes locked on my mom. “Fine dad if you want to be that way ill put them back to bed and come back with the police” she said while turning around and walking us back through the hall way but didn’t go to our room. S 
   he picked us up and ran through the laundry room and out the back door. When we were a block away she put us down and told us to keep running. 
   
   
   “SMACK!” A loud noise came through the wall and my mom comes around the corner with tears in her eyes and holding her cheek. She saw that I was awake and pushed the door further open to see if my sister is awake and sure enough Tessa was standing behind me in her pink night gown that matched mine. She looks down at our feet to see if we had our shoes on and she smiled. 
   
   
    “So you guys are gonna come with me huh?” she asked while kneeling down so we are face to face. I looked back at Tessa and she looked at me. “Yeah” I replied answering for the both of us. “Okay girls. Lets go and hurry” my mom said while taking both of our hands and leading us out of our rooms and through the hall and into the dinning room. “You are not going anywhere with my grandchildren” my grandpa said in a growling voice. Tessa ran up behind me and wrapped her arms around me in fear.  
   
   
    “They are my children and I will do whatever I want with them now move!” my  
   
   
   "Where are we running to?" I asked mom. "I don't know yet." We ran for another half block and we stopped and started to walk. "Okay girls, listen up. If the cops pull us over and ask us whats going on just say that I came over to see you and I was planning to stay the night and grandpa got mad and slapped me and chocked me okay?" I looked over at Tessa and she nodded her head in agreement and so did I but lucky no cops showed up. 
   
   
   
   
   CHAPTER TWO: Where Am I? 
   
    I woke up in a new room, in a new bed with different blankets laying on top of me. "Where am I" I thought to myself. I turned over to see if my sister and mom was in the room with me. I only saw one little lump under the blanket so that meant that Tessa was only with me. "This isn't the house I fell asleep in last night. I fell asleep on a couch in a one bedroom house." I was about to scream for my mom but my mouth started to water and my sniffer was telling me that there is eggs being cooked somewhere in this house.  
   
   
   I slowly and quietly slid to the side of the mattress that was laying flat on the carpet floor and flung my legs off the side of it. I looked back to see if I woke my sister but she was still sound asleep. "I wonder when she fell asleep. I know I passed out before her" I thought to myself. I lifted myself off of the mattress and tiptoed to the door and slowly cracked it. I opened it far enough that I could hardly slip out. I looked down the long hallway not sure which way to go. I took a left and followed the wonderful smell of the cooking eggs.  
   
   
   I walked into the kitchen to see my mom standing over the stove singing and dancing to some music. "MOMMY!" I screamed louder then the music. She jumped a little because I startled her. She walked over to the radio and turned down the music. "Good-morning sleeping beauty" she sung in a cheery voice. "Im hungry mommy" i whined. "Well lucky for you I am making a yummy breakfast. Go wake your sister and tell her its time to eat" she said waving me out of the kitchen.  
   
   
   I walked back down the hall and slowly opened the second door to the right. I poked my head in and saw my sister still asleep on the mattress. I opened the door all the way and ran to the bed to hoped on top of her. “Time to wake up Tessa! Mom’s making food!” I hollered close to her ear. She didn’t even move a inch so I took her by her feet and started to pull her off the bed. “STOP!” she yelled in a tired voice. 
   
   
    “Mom told me to wake you up so if you aren’t in the kitchen in five minutes mom is going to come in here herself” I warned her.  I walked back into the kitchen and sat down at the table. “Where is your sister?” my mother asked not taking her eyes off the food. “I woke her up and told her to come eat but I don’t know if——“ I said but got cut off by my sister walking into the kitchen while rubbing her sleepy eyes. “Hey baby. Hungry?” Mom asked to Tessa while giving her a hug. 
   
   
    Tessa just nodded her head and took the seat that was across the table from me. After a few minutes of sitting there and listening to the radio my mom finally gave us our food. I slowly ate my food and went to go take a shower. After I got out of the shower my mom picked out some cloths for me and sat them on the mattress. I got dressed and laid back down to take a nap. I dozed off when my head hit the pillow. What seemed like a few minutes was actually a few hours. My mom came barging into the room and told me to get my shoes on and run out to the car. She looked scared so I freaked out and picked up my shoes and ran to the car.  
   
   
    I didn’t even bother to put them on. A few minutes passed and my mom, and her boy friend and I where in the car waiting for my sister. She finally walked out the house and slowly walked to the car. “Hurry your ass up” my mom hollered at her. When she hopped in the car next to me mom sped off. “Why are you driving fast ma?” I asked with fear in my eyes. “I’ll explain everything when we get there Amber okay?”  
   
   
    “What’s going on mom?” I asked again. “Amber not right now” she said sternly. I didn’t ask her anymore questions after that. Maybe a hour passed and we were at the hospital and that’s when my mom turned around in her seat and told me the horrifying incident that changed my life forever literally. “Your grandpa had a stroke and they don’t know if he’ll ever be able to walk or talk again” she said to me and my sister. Tears stings the back of my eyes and my vision became blurry with in seconds. After a few minutes of everyone crying we pulled ourself together and walked into the hospital. 
   
   
    When we got up to his room he was laying there with his eyes closed, not able to move a muscle or make a single sound. I went over to my mom and pulled her by her shirt gesturing for her to bend down so I can tell her something and that’s just what she did. “Do you think he can hear us” I whispered to my mom making sure I was quiet enough that nobody else could hear me. “Yes sweetie, he can hear us” she replied. Than she went up to my grandpas bed and held his hand and kissed him on the forehead. “Hi daddy. I hope your awake so know that I am here with you” she said. Tessa walked up next to her and starred at our grandpa while I went to the other side of the bed to hold his other hand.  
   
   
    “Hi papa” I said because I wasn’t sure what was appropriate to say. I moved over so my brother, who was already at the hospital, can hold his hand too. I look up at my brother to see that there was tears filling his eyes. I was surprised because I have never seen my brother cry. I touched his arm to try to comfort him but I can tell that it isn’t helping so I moved my hand from his arm and sat down in the chair that was in the corner of the room. A few minutes passed and everyone is crying including me and than my mom got a phone call, it was my Uncle Robert. She went out into the call the take the call and didn’t come back in for what seemed like forever. 
   
   
    She walked up to me and my sister who is now sitting beside me on the chair and bent down to speak to us. “You guys have school in the morning so you are gonna go stay the night with you grandmother tonight while your brother, John, and I stay here with grandpa tonight” she said. “No. I want to stay with papa tonight. That’s not fair that John gets to stay and we don’t” I protested. “You are not going to miss school Amber but right after school I will pick you up and bring you back here to see him okay?” she asked trying to reason with me. “Okay” I agreed even though I know she won’t go through with it because she is flaky. 
   
   
    After Tessa and I said our good byes, we left the hospital and headed to my grandmothers house. When we got there our mom didn’t even bother to take us up to  front door. She just dropped us off in her drive way and waved and said “I love you girls” and sped off. We didn’t bother to say it back because she wouldn’t hear us anyways so we just waved back. When she was out of sight we walked into our grandmothers house. When I opened the front door my grandma and her mom was sitting at the big round dinning table. “Hey grandma” I said while giving her a big head and a kiss on her cheek. “Hey sweetie” she said and I sat down on her lap while Tessa did the same.  
   
   
    “Do you girls want a muffin?” She asked while lifting me and Tessa off her lap and standing up.  “Oh yes” I said while Tessa just nodded her head. “What kind do you want?” She asked both of us while going over to the cabinet and taking out the small box of different kind of muffins. “Banana” my sister said in a excitement, with a big smile upon her face. My grandma just nodded her head and turned her attention towards me and pulled out the kind that I always have. “Chocolate chips with double chocolate?” she ask and I nodded.  
   
   
    She handed us our muffins and told us to go to the living room to watch some T.V and we did as she said. When we got to the living room I hoped on my couch while Tessa hoped on her’s. “I’m bored” Tessa announced. “I am to” I said. “Wanna go outside and see if we can find any snakes?” She asked exactly. “Sure” I answered with bored ness in my voice. “Yay. I’ll go ask Grandma” she said while jumping off the couch and running down the hall and into the dinning room.  
   
   
    Within seconds she came running back and ran outside, so I followed after her. We walked around in the tall grass that looks like it hasn’t been mowed in months. “Found one!” she hollered while reaching for a stick to poke it. “Don’t touch it. You’ll make it mad” I yelled at her while running over to take the stick out of her hand but I was to late. She was ready poking it and sure enough it got pissed and started to hiss at her. “It’s going to bite you” I warned her while putting my hands on my hips in a sassy way.  
   
   
    “No it won’t. I won’t let it” she said back in a confident voice. “Whatever” I said while rolling my eyes. I took a few steps toward her to look at the snake. It was green so which meant it was a garden snake so I walked closer to it. “It’s going to bite you” Tessa said in a mocking tone. “Shut up” I said while giving her a bitch stare. “You aren’t aloud to say that” she said while running back inside to tell on me but “I didn’t care” I hollered loud enough that she could heat me but I actually cared a lot more then what I led her to believe.  
   
   
    After taking another glance at the snake I walked back inside because I was bored and it was hot outside. When I walked through the door Tessa came running down the hall and grandma was right behind her. Oh boy I thought. “Amanda did you tell your sister to shut up?” She asked with her arms crossed. “Yes…” I answered. “Amanda ray you know better. Now go stand in the corner” she demanded. 
   
   
    I walked over to the corner but before I put my nose to the wall I turned around and said “I only told Tessa to shut up because she was poking at a snake.” “TESSA! How many times have I told you to not mess with snakes!” My grandma yelled at her and Tessa didn’t say anything. She just looked down at the floor. “Didn’t I tell you right before you went outside to not touch any wild animals?” Grandma questioned her. “Well yes….but…” Tessa started to say but grandma was already taking her by the arms and showering her to a corner to. “Amanda you have five minutes” she said.  
   
   
    “And you” she said to Tessa while pointing at her “you have fifteen minutes for not listening” she said and than walked off. When she was out of the room Tessa said in a whisper “Tattle tail.” “You tattled first” I said back in a whisper. After that we were silent. Five minutes passed and I heard “Amanda your time is up.” I smiled a big smile at Tessa and walked away. I sat on the couch and turned on some cartoon. When Tessa heard the T.V she tried to peak to watch too. 
   
   
    “No looking at the T.V. You’re in trouble” I remind her. Tessa then turned back around and a few seconds later she tried to peak again so I ran down the hall and told on her. “TESSA, GET YOUR ASS IN HERE NOW” our grandma yelled from the dinning room. Tessa turned around and sticked her tongue out at me. “GRANDMA SHE STUCK HER TOUNGE OUT AT ME!!” I hollered down the hall. “TESSA” grandma yelled in a pissed off voice. Tessa walked into the dinning room and after she turned the corner, I started to walk down the hall so I can hear what kind of punishment grandma was about to give her.  
   
   
    “You are going to stand in that corner for thirty minutes. You are not going to be hatful” grandma said in a stern voice. I heard Tessa starting to cry and I started to laugh. I put my hand to my mouth because I didn’t want grandma to know that I was spying on them. “Amanda” grandma said. “Are you spying again?” I walked around the corner and nodded my head. “Go to the corner for another five minutes” she said while pointing to the corner that she wanted me to go to. I hate you I thought to myself but I wouldn’t dare say it out loud. 
   
   
    I walked over to the corner and stood there for five minutes. “Okay you can go now Amanda but behave yourself” grandma said in a stern tone. “Okay” I answered. I walked back down the hall and into the living room to watch more T.V. I laid my head down and sleep consumed me. 
   
   
     
   
   
   (TO BE CONTINUED)  
   
   
     
   
   
   
   
   CHAPTER THREE: Sleep Over 
   
   I woke up to my grandma waking me up for school. I got up and slowly found my way to the bathroom. I was still 95% asleep so I wasn’t sure what I was doing at my grandma’s house. After a few seconds of dwelling on it, it finally hit me. My grandpa had a stroke and he’s at the hospital. All the memorized of him laying in the hospital bed hopeless brought tears to my eyes and I fell to the grounded and hugged my knees and started to rock back and forth. Knock-knock. “Sweetie are you okay?” my grandma asked while slowly opening the door.  
   
   
    She saw me sitting on the ground and immediately cuddled next to me. My sister walked into the bathroom to see what all the noise was about and when she poked her head in she had tears rolling down her face. She came to join  us in the hug and we sat like that for what seemed like hours. “I don’t think you guys should be going to school like this” my grandma announced. My sister didn’t say anything we just nodded our heads in agreement. “Go back and try to get more rest while I call the school and explain everything to them” grandma told us. Tessa and I stood up and walked back to our couches and laid down while we enjoyed watching T.V. After a few minutes of just laying there I started to miss my grandpa and tears stung the back of my eyes.  
   
   
    I closed my eyes to try to keep them from coming but that seemed to make it worst and tears rolled down my face. Tessa heard me crying and she moved over to were I was laying to comfort me. She laid behind me and put her arm around my waste while I continued to cry. After a few minutes of crying sleep consumed me. When I woke up the sun was peering through the blinds and into my eyes. I looked over to my sister cuddling up next to me while sleeping. I turned my attention to the cartoons on T.V and waited till mom came to pick us up to go see out grandpa like she promised she would. Don’t get your hopes up I told myself.  
   
   
    After a few hours of just laying there Tessa woke up and went to her own couch. “I’m hungry” I announced. “Me too” Tessa agreed. I stood up to go to the dinning room to get some food and Tessa did the same. I took off down the hall way and sat down in my seat and Tessa sat down in her seat that was next to me. “Hungry?” my grandma said while lifting herself up from her chair and walking to the kitchen to fix us some cereal. We both said yes at the same time. 
   
     
   
   
   Publication Date: September 27th 2017 https://www.bookrix.com/-dta5d3c3a1b1c95