Into the Ocean

•Everything Has Changed•

•Chapter title~ lyrics from "Everything Has Changed" by Taylor Swift feat. Ed Sheeran •
***
I slide into the bathtub and let the warm, soapy water calm me down. After my mom left, again, my aunt and uncle came straight to my room and scolded me on how stupid and childish I am.

I close my eyes and let my mind wander. There are too many things to think about. I'm angry with my aunt and uncle, angry with my mom, sad about my dad not being here, worried about school...
Oh crap.
I snap my eyes open. I'm about to get out of the bath when a memory flies into my brain.
Ohhh yeahh...

After Ms. Winston told me about my dad, she explained to me that I would 't have to go to school any more, since that was our last week. And I know what you guys are thinking, why were the teachers teaching when school was almost over? Well, they were just introducing us to what next year was going to be like. So fun.

I take a deep breath and close my eyes again. Suddenly, my legs start to feel uncomfortable. I open my eyes and lift one of my legs out of the water. I see a pattern of some sort forming, but that's not all. I notice my foot start to grow, which I know is not supposed to happen.
What the hell is wrong with me?!

In panic, I slide out of the bathtub and quickly grab my towel. I rub furiously on my legs to dry them. Strangely enough, the patterns start to disappear, my foot stops growing, and my legs feel better.
This makes no sense.
I grab another towel and wrap up my hair. I go into my room and get dressed. I pick up my phone and dial Evelyn's number.
She'll help me, she always does.

I wait for her to pick up, but she doesn't.
Ughh!
I don't bother to leave a message. Now that I think about it, there was nothing she could have done. I take the towel off my hair and let my hair rest on my right shoulder.

I don't know what to do. There's no one I can talk to.
But there is...
I take a pillow off my bed and throw it. They won't listen, they never do. But I'm desperate. I get off my bed and walk down the stairs. I get to the bottom of the stairs and contemplate what I'm about to do.
Should I do this? Is this a good idea?

I walk towards the kitchen and see Aunt Jane and Uncle Mike sitting at the island, drinking their herbal tea.
Here goes nothing...
I walk over to them and take a seat. As I sit, I can see them trying to figure out why I'm sitting near them.
"Hi." I say. I figure that's a good start to what I'm about to talk to them about. They look at each other with looks of disgust. Aunt Jane clears her throat and begins her first sentence.
"The proper way to greet us would be by saying, 'Good Afternoon Aunt Jane and Uncle Mike, I hope you guys are having a pleasant day.'"

I clench my teeth together.
Are you fricking kidding me?!
"Good Afternoon Aunt Jane and Uncle Mike, I hope you guys are having a pleasant day." I can barely get the last part out without smacking them upside the head.
"Much better." My uncle claims.
Thank god.
I start thinking about how I can phrase what happened upstairs, but no matter how I phrase it, I sound crazy (which is probably true).

"Well, what do you want Coraline? We don't have all day you know." I look at the faces of my aunt and uncle. I can't find any trace of love in their eyes. I feel myself start to break down. They don't care about me. They never did, and they never will.
"Seriously Coraline, talk. We can't just sit here waiting for your words to come out of that stupid mouth."
"Excuse me?" I snap.
"You heard me." My uncle says.
"Ok, that's it. I'm done! I can't take this anymore! I thought you guys would have some sympathy and actually treat me like a person instead of-of acting like I'm some piece of garbage! I don't get it! Why can't you guys be nice to me, huh?! Why is that so hard for you?!" I scream.

I can see their faces turn red. My uncle calmly gets up, walks over to me, and slaps me. I fall to the ground out of shock. I feel my cheek burn from where Mike struck me. He grabs my wrist, pulls me up, and makes me face him.
"I will not be spoken to that way. I am the man of this house, and I will treat you however I want." I can see his eyes burning with hatred. I twist out of his grip and run up the stairs. I grab everything of importance, shove it in a lavender suitcase, and run down the stairs. I make a beeline for the door but am suddenly pulled back.

"Where do you think you're going?" I stare into my uncle's eyes. There's no way I'm staying here. Even though it hurts to leave, I have no other choice.
"Anywhere but here." I grab my suitcase and run out the door. I can hear my aunt and uncle calling after me, but I don't care. I'm never going back, not with them there. I head off in the direction of Evelyn's house.
***
I arrive at her house and ring the doorbell. I hear footsteps approaching the door, and I sigh with relief. Mrs. Wizzo answers the door, and her face lights up when she sees me.
"Coraline! What a pleasant surprise! How have you been lately?" I see her eyes drift down to my suitcase and watch as her face suddenly becomes confused. "What's wrong Coral? Why do you have a suitcase with you?" I hear the pain in her voice. She's always been like the mom I never had. She cared for me and always wanted to make me happy.

"I had to leave. I was wondering if I could stay here. Is that ok?" I feel the salty tears stream down my face as everything I just went through flies back into my memory.

"Oh, sweetheart! Of course! You can absolutely stay with us!" Mrs. Wizzo exclaims as she pulls me into a giant bear hug. I cry into her shoulder. She begins to stroke my hair and soothe me. Just then, I see Evelyn waltz down the stairs and freeze when she sees me in the doorway. "Coral! Oh my gosh, what happened?! What did they do to you?!" She runs to the door with a look of concern on her face. Mrs. Wizzo lets me go and looks at her daughter.

"We will talk in the kitchen. Evelyn, will you please bring Coral's suitcase up into the guest bedroom? I will go make us some lemonade." Mrs. Wizzo makes her way to the kitchen while Evelyn grabs my suitcase. As I start walking, Evelyn grabs my arm and makes me face her. She has a questioning look on her face. All of a sudden, her face changes to horror. Her eyes stare at the spot on my cheek that most likely has a bruise on it by now. I open my mouth to explain, but no words come out.

"You will explain everything, understood?" Evelyn says forcefully. I nod my head, and she lets me go. I walk into the kitchen and take a seat at the island. Mrs. Wizzo sets the pitcher of lemonade on the counter and pulls out some freshly baked brownies. Evelyn returns and takes a seat next to me. I hear my heart start pounding, and I try to swallow all my fear, but I have a knot in my throat.

"Coral, you can tell us. It's ok." I look up at Mrs. Wizzo. I see her pleading face and realize I have to tell them. I close my eyes, and see my father, telling me everything was going to be ok. I go back into my memory and remember all the painful moments. I take a deep breath and begin my story.
***
I sit on the guest room bed and begin thinking. I just finished telling my story, and Evelyn and her mom were downstairs discussing what to do with me. I feel tears roll down my cheeks, and quickly wipe them away.
No more crying Coral, you have to be strong.
I take shaky breathes to try and calm down. It's working.

I hear a knock at the door, and I stand up to go answer it. Evelyn and her mom are there, with sad expressions on their faces.
"Coral, we are so sorry." Mrs. Wizzo whispers.
"Don't be. It's not your fault." I whisper back.
"Coral, is there anything you want us to do? Anything at all?" Evelyn asks. I think about it for a moment, and I nod my head.
"There actually is."
***
I stare into the mirror. I could barely recognize the girl looking back at me. She has suffered through so much. I look at my new hairstyle. I've always wanted to dye the ends of my hair blue, and now I can. It's really pretty. Suddenly, I realize that I'm not the same girl I was a few weeks ago. I look different and I feel different.
Everything has changed, I think to myself.