The Perfect Imperfection(#Wattys2015)

Chapter#1

"I'm sitting by my desk looking through the pages of this very book. Life passed me so fast that I lost the track of time. Today I am me. Rachel Fanning."I spoke to myself and the former memories flooded through my head as I read the first sentence of my book. About many years ago when it all began.................when it actually begun.

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I woke up from the noises being made right outside my bedroom. I was 11years old back then. I walked towards the bedroom door and opened it a little to sneak a peak of the strange scenerio outside. My parents were fighting. I don't exactly remember it clearly about what were they fighting for. But all I exactly remember is that my father rose his hands to slap my mom across the face. I stood there watching everything. I was trembling because that's all what I do when they do this. My heartbeat increased with every single word and every single abuse he hurled on her. I couldn't resist so I let out a cry. They saw me standing in the doorway. HE saw me standing in the doorway. I saw my father drag my mother into their room and locked it.

Then I heard the usual sounds behind that door. He was beating her blue black. And I knew it.

I did what I usually do. I banged the door and screamed father to let my mom go but he won't until his hands or.... his belt were satisfied.

My mom finally came out after several hours and I was the one who witnessed her look. It was always me who saw it all happen. When I saw it for the first time,I was perhaps 7 or 8 or maybe that is the only time I remember it. I was scared of my dad. Alot. I hated him. Alot. I too wanted to beat him. Alot.

I got ready for school by myself because I never wanted to bother her. Ever. I was a sixth grader at that time. An 11 year old kid.

*END OF FLASH BACK"*

"Rachel!Rachel! are you even listening to me? Can you hear me?" Sarah my bestfriend called out to me.

"Yeah yeah I can hear you. I was just thinking about the....um...the..." I stagggered.

"About your past?"she asked.

"No,no nothing like that. Just some random school stuff that's all. I told her running my hands through my hair in confusion.

"You can't lie to me and you know that,right? I can see the tears in your eyes. " Sarah said politely taking my hand into her from the cold concrete table in the cafeteria.

"I just don't wanna make you sad because of what I feel for my horrible past. I wanna take a fresh start. It's our last year and I don't want flashbacks from my past to offend us or weaken us like that evry now and then. That's all. I'm just trying to rise from the ashes."I spoke facing down at our hands bacause if I'd stare into my best friend's eyes,I wouldn't be able to hold back my tears at all.

She rose up and embraced me into a tight hug,like she always did.

The bell rang and we rose to our feet and turned on our heels towards our classes. It was going to be another random day at school like every other day,I thought to myself as I moved to my class. The last semester of my high school.

We both were foreign exchange students from Canada from last 2 years but I had my own apartment here in California where I was supposed to live according to the rules of the major authorities while my parents lived back in Seattle along with my younger sister Fiona. Sarah's father shifted here in California along with her younger sister Ainnie when Sarah was selected for the students change program. So as her father shifted,she didn't have to live in an apartment like me. I don't really think that the reason he moved here in California was just for the sake of Sarah's education. He came here to escape the shame of his guilt. The people in their town and the people who knew him were all too aware of his good deeds. Now just to hide himself of the accusations that were actually true,he wanted to take a fresh start with his daughters. Atleast I don't buy that,because he says it. He shouldn't have done that. It was a murder and it was too brutal.