Altered: Shay's Backstory

~Oi, so if you guys are wondreing why I have not really been working on Night Shift it is so I can finish this before I forget it. As soon as this is done though I will be working on Night Shift. The Characters are not mine, except Shay and Phil. Characters and the Altered story belong to Kimberly King so go look for her if you want the whole story (trust me it's pretty epic.). Cover also drawn by her.~

Shay slowly took her time walking home. She was in no rush and there was nothing waiting for her there. Walking down the streets while the cars buzzed by she was reminded the anniversary this particular day. 

            This was the day her mom had died in that fatal car crash. The memory was shut away in Shay's mind. It was too painful to keep around but the after affects where the worst part.  Due to the wreck he father had broke down and fell into alcoholism. He tried to wash away the depression of losing his wife with the stuff, but all it did was carry him away from Shay. 

         As Shay unlocked to door to her house, her stomach growled. She walked in and felt her pockets. She knew her dinner would be the crackers and mustard packets she grabbed from the teachers’ lounge. She wished she would have swiped that hot dog from that vender that was not paying attention. 

   Soon night fell and Shay was doing her homework and eating her meal under the dim light of the kitchen. The front door's lock clicked and the hinges squeaked as someone stumbled in. Shay looked up at the wall clock, it was only 10 and her father had already come home from the pub. 

   She heard footsteps as he came into the kitchen. He grumbled to himself as he stumbled in. “Hi Dad." Shay said without looking up. "Ugh.... You’re still here?" He said as he made for the empty fridge. His grumbles turned hostile as he slammed the fridge door shut and pounded his fist on the table crushing one of Shay's crackers. 

                 Blankly Shay looked up to him and smelled the alcohol on His breath. “May I help you?" She asked annoyed.  Anger welled up inside her father and reflected in his voice," You little moocher! You drank all my booze!" Shay lifted an eyebrow at him and looked at the fridge. She sighed and looked back at him," you didn't have any booze remember? You bought those 2 weeks ago. Not that it matters. You drank it all it one night."

                 This did not subdue his anger; he whipped his hand across her face. Shay was shocked, no matter how drunk he got he had never laid a hand on her. "You’re lying!" He yelled in anger. Shay felt fear rise in her chest. He rose for another strike but before he could land the strike Shay ducked under the table. This made him even more infuriated that he yelled more," You’re just like her! And that makes me sick!" He grabbed the table and flipped it over. Shay rolled out of his way as the kicked at her. 

                  Shay knew who her father was comparing her too, her mother. She made a mad dash to the stairs. Yet unluckily her father landed a kick into her back and she plowed into the wall. She tried to get to her feet but her dad held her chin so she was forced to make eye contact. “You want to know a secret of your mothers before she died? She was going to divorce me, Shay." Her father sadly reported. Earlier in life maybe Shay would have sympathized with him and be crushed at the thought of the family splitting. Yet now she could comprehend why her mother would divorce this man. Now Fending for herself and growing up in a way no child should Shay's heart had been hardened. She knew life did not always pan out. Her sympathy for this man was drained from over the years. 

   Shay glared at her father coldly. He noticed this and growled, “Isn’t that sad?" Shay knew what he was doing. He was trying to gain her pity, but she had none to give him. When he heard no reply to this he shoved her gruffly against the wall. "Just like that! You remind me of her so much! I should just take you out of this world so you don't cause me trouble like she caused!" His grip tightened and Shay realized he was too drunk to stop. Shay's fist shot out and connected with his diaphragm. In this her father gasped for breath and mistakenly let go of shay. She took off up the flight of stairs and sprinted down the hall to her room. 

  As soon as shay had slammed the door shut she grabbed the chair from her desk and shoved it under the door knob to keep the door closed. She grabbed the blanket off her bed and also stuffed it under the door to provide extra protection. 

   Then with no warning there was loud pounding on the door. Shay's adrenalin kicked in and subsided her fear.  She grabbed her pocket knife from her bed stand and made for the window. The pounding was getting louder and she knew she did not have much time. She unlatched the window and saw cop cars gathering around the house. She assumed the neighbors had heard the commotion and called the police. 

  A horrible crack broke the air. Shay turned to see her father busting down the door. For a split second they made eye contact. He lunged at her fiercely. Shay dashed out the window onto the roof. The police were out of their cars now. Shay knew if she went with the police they would realize her minor crimes, she was possibly facing the Juvenal center. Either way she had to get out of here. Her footsteps on the roof screamed about the satiability of the roof. Her father seemed to hesitate to come out on the roof.

                 Shay saw the police storm the front door and intrude into the house. She had to jump off the roof and make a break for it. She here the scornful yells of her father as the police dragged him back Away from the window. Shay looked back to see a police attempting to come out on to the roof he calmly said something to her but shay did not hear it. She neared the edge of the roof and jumped. 

                She landed best she could but her feet stung from the impact. She took off across the side walk, she looked back to see cops chasing her. Then she felt someone from the side grab her. Shay struggled to get free but who ever had hold on her was not budging. She knew she was caught. The best she could do now was to play it off like she had thought she had been running from her dad. 

   She looked up to the man holding her and relaxed. He let go of her," your safe now. Your father is in our custody." Shay looked around the man to see her father in handcuffs being led to a cop car. Her fear was subsiding now and being replaced with bitterness. 

   The cop guided shay to a car. She knew now they would take her away. She was strangely okay with this though. Maybe things would change now. A new family, a new place, new life. She closed her eyes realizing she was tired and tried imagined what tomorrow would hold. The slight bumps and movement of the car lulled her into sleep.