INTRUDER

27 DAYS BEFORE THE INTRUSION

Today I woke up unusually tired. I woke up with the urge to not go to school. Again, I wanted some alone time. 
Maggie made me some breakfast, hoping that I would feel better and the tiredness would go away, but it didn't. 
In class, I couldn't concentrate at all. I was so tired. I was still thinking about the man in the woods. I was almost up all night thinking about how maybe he was watching me all night. Maybe he follows me to school everyday. Maybe he is planning on one day abducting me and taking me who knows where. 
I shook that thought off and tried to concentrate in class. I wanted to concentrate... it's just that there os so much things on my mind. There's the fact that my mom is always sad, the fact that there is someone in the woods, the fact that Garred my abuse me when I get home.... or the worst of them all: the fact that I'm scared of going home. 
I am constantly frightened of going home, of seeing Garred. I'm constantly thinking about how I never want to see Garred, he never cares about anything nor does he care about us. He doesn't love us. Not at all. He would rather live somewhere else, but why doesn't he leave? That question has always haunted me until this day. Why doesn't he just leave us? He could just pack his stuff and go... but why doesn't he? Maybe he is scared of my mom or maybe he just doesn't want to see us crumble... or maybe (deep down inside me, I hope this is true) he loves us. Maybe he loves us and just doesn't know how to express it. There are people out there that do not know how to express the love they have, instead they show the opposite. To us it looks like he is a devil and that he hates us, but to him it's his was of showing how much he loves us. He loves us, I have concluded. But Im still disgusted at how he abuses us. How could someone so... so nice looking want to cause harm to us? Garred has nice black hair and he has nice blue eyes. Just like the ocean. His hands are soft and smooth but when he hits us, they're hard and tough. His face is always smiling when he isn't with us, but when he is, his face looks dead with hatred.
I always wondered, when I was growing up, why my mom married him. I always thought it was because of his looks and it was weird. He never really looked handsome. He just looked nice. My mom told me that she married him because he was polite when they met. When they met. You see, you never really know the true story of someone until you actually pay attention and see their true side. I guess my mom never saw that and she saw the reality to late. 
I also had a theory on his money. Garred was a lawyer. He had a bunch of money off of divorce. If you were going throw a divorce, you would have to pay him 500 dollars and hour. He sometimes cheated, I mean a bunch of other lawyers do too, but he would try to drag on the battle even though it was already over in order to get more money. Maybe because of that, my mom never wanted a divorce. He was friends with all the judges too, which made it even harder if you were on the opponents side. He could make you look like trash. I think that't the reason my mom is scared and it sort of does make sense. 
Garred never really let me have a boyfriend either and maybe that was a reason why I was always mad at him. I had this crush on a boy named Dylan and I was always dreaming about how we would get married and have children, but my dad crushed my dreams. He said that it wasn't possible and that it was a stupid "fantasy". A stupid fantasy, really? When I told him about Dylan, he hit me. A slap across the cheek making it bleed. I cried and he sent me to my room. Yeah, that's my father. 
"Claire? Sweetie, are you with me?" Mrs. Macy's voice crossed my mind.
"What?" I suddenly opened my eyes and it was weird because I didn't even notice they were closed. 
"Class just ended... Did you fall asleep?" I was shocked when she said that classes ended because I didn't even notice before. I must've fallen asleep in the middle of history class, ugh. I love history. 
"Claire, is everything alright?" She asks me with a worried look on her face.
"Yes, Mrs. Macy, it's just that I'm very tired."
"Oh, do you want me to send you home to get some rest." 
"No, it's fine." I get up and grab my bag. I hurry out and run away, hoping that she won't call my parents because I know that if she does then I will have to go back to the psychologist. That's the last thing I want. 
I look at the clock in my last class and I'm dreading for the bell to ring and I'm hoping it does't ring.
It does and I just stay there, sitting there. 
Mrs. Teresa comes up to me and tells me that I better hurry up because I might miss the bus. I guess she's right. 
I run to my bus getting on on time. Perfect. It arrives at my stop and I walk home. While I'm walking home I was thinking about how I wish Garred wouldn't be home and I would get home feeling safe, but that's not the case.
When I arrive home, I see Garred spread on the couch watching T.V. I go quietly to my room and shut myself inside. I slide my body down the door letting out a heavy breath. Then I hear the footsteps drawing nearer and nearer. Then I hear the horrifying banging on my door and then I know Garred is trying to get in.
"Stupid girl, why are you looking yourself inside? Don't you know I can just break the door!?" He yells through the door. At this point, I am truly frightened. I feel like there is no way out...