Orphaned

Chapter 1: Penelope

Four years later...

I look into the mirror. Even after a month, I still can't believe my once brown hair is blonde. It reaches my back and is straight. My green eyes are big and my lips a light cherry red color.

My stomach growls. I glace at the clock. 4:28 pm. Two hours 'till my small dinner of bread and water, and if I'm lucky, I'll get a piece of fruit.

I stare at myself in the mirror again. I've been wearing the same clothes since I was three: an oversized white t-shirt and a pair of black leggings, both badly torn and stained. I have no shoes.

"PENNY! PENNY YOU GET OVER HERE RIGHT NOW!" I hear Mommy screech. "PENNY YOU WILL BE SORRY IF YOU DONT GET HERE RIGHT NOW!!

I quickly run towards Mommy's voice. She stands there, her blonde hair in a bun, her icy blue eyes glaring at me, her pink lips pressed into a thin line. She grabs my arm and drags me to a juice spill on the floor.

"Penelope Clarrissa Parkerson." she says slowly, her voice full of venom. "Did you do this?"

I gasp in shock. "Wh-what? Mommy I wiw neva do that! Imma gwood giwl, I pwomise!" I say, my lisp making it hard to understand what I'm saying.

She leans in and slaps my cheek. "Never call me "mommy" and get rid of that stupid lisp of yours!"

"O-owkay." I stutter out. "B-but Mommy I didn't-"

"DON'T" she interrupts. "You call me Karen. Do you hear me?"

I hang my head low. "Yes Kawen." Mommy throws a rag at me, and I pick it up and start cleaning the spill, but something kicks me into the sticky liquid in front of me.

"What is this? A juice spill? Look at what you did you-you-you UNGRATEFUL urchin." Turning around, I see Daddy standing over me, his brunette hair is pulled back into a ponytail, his green eyes are furious. "I spent good money on that juice! Who said you could get any? Nobody, that's who! Now because of this, you are only getting half a piece of bread!" I don't see why it's a problem...I think to myself. Even if I had spilled it, Mommy and Daddy have enough money to buy a lot of juices. Daddy then grabs the nearest plate and smashes it on the floor. He then storms out of the room, muttering under his breath.

I use the rag to wipe up the floor. Then I run to my room, which is the basement. Mommy and Daddy never throw anything away. The small basement was filled with old tv sets, books, tables, chairs and more. I sleep on a deflated air mattress with a thin, torn, blanket in the corner of the basement.

Crying, I crawl onto my "bed" and fall into a dreamless sleep.

° ° °

I awake to the sound of the basement door being opened, causing a bright light to shine onto my face.

"Penelope, we are heading out to get something we have wanted for a while. Your bread and water is on the floor." Daddy says. He leaves, just as quick as when he came.

I fumble around, bumping into various objects to reach the door and the light switch. When I reach it, I flip it, and a dim light illuminates the room. Near me is a tray with half a slice of wheat bread and a small dixie cup of water. The look at the tiny portion before me. It wasn't nearly enough food.

I think of Mommy and Daddy's lavish dinners. Plates piled high with steak and potatoes and vegetables. And as if that wasn't enough, they would have dessert: Ice cream and cakes piled high with fruits, drizzled with syrups of all kinds. And the drinks. They never even drank regular water. The water was always bubbly and sparkley looking. They would also drink juice and fizzy drinks, like Coca Cola, Pepsi, and Sprite.

Sighing, I turn to face my food. I eat it slowly, pretending I'm eating pizza or chicken nuggets and I drink the water, half hoping it would change into Sprite: clear but delicious.

Turning off the lights, I feel my way to my "bed". Only then do I fall onto it and sob quietly.