Hello, my name is Samantha. I have dark brown hair and deep dark brown eyes. I’m really skinny and the clothes I wear are simple, jeans, t-shirt and converse. If I had friends I’m sure they would call me some cool nick name like Sam or Sami. I live in a small town in the middle of nowhere. I live in a farmhouse with the dragon (my dad). My dad is a drunk and he’s very abusive, but he was never like this when my mom was alive. A few years ago my mom died in child birth with my little sister.

After mom died, dad lay around like the life was dragged out of him, like I didn’t even matter. He lost his job and the little money he did have he spent on cheap whiskey. I miss my old life. I miss my mom. When my mom was alive my, dad would tell her when she would smile she would outshine the sun.

Every morning I wake up hoping this nightmare would end but then reality sets in. “Samantha, get your butt down here right now.” It was like my alarm saying Sam get up its time for your morning beating. Sometimes I wish my name wasn’t Samantha! I walked down the stairs. I can smell the whiskey on his breath.

He then grabs me by the head of my hair and throws me in the kitchen towards the sink. Inside the sink there was a cup a plate and a spoon. He says to me “Look at this, Look at those dirty dishes”.
I yell “I’m sorry, I’m sorry”. He pushes me in the floor and hits me right across my face and his eagle ring it scraped on my cheek. I get up and run out of the room. He yells out “Emily,” my mom’s name, but I didn’t go back. There’s no telling what he might do.
I run upstairs and close my door and get ready for school. I feel scared and hurt. How could he do this to me? I’d rather be at school than here. I run down the stairs and out the door. I meet the school bus at the end of the drive way I’ve never been so happy to see that big yellow bus. Finally I arrived at school and all the kids are standing around outside waiting for school to start. I put my hood up to try to cover my face. There was no where I could be alone. The bell rings.
I make my way to my locker, and I get there it won’t open. I say I’m having a bad day even though they’re never good to begin with. The tardy bell rings. I feel something run down my face and hit the floor. “Oh my gosh I’m bleeding” I thought putting my hand over my cheek. I run to the bathroom and check the stalls. No one was in there, and I lock the bathroom door.
I look in the mirror and I see the big cut right across my cheek. I thought to myself what do I say to anyone that asks me what happened? I unlock the door and look around making sure there was no one there. I run for the front door hoping I don’t get caught. I was almost there when I heard, “stop right there young lady”, I paused, my heart dropped.
Like an idiot I just stood there. My principal, Mrs. Honey, walked over to me I was still facing the front door. She said, “Turn around.”I was hoping she wouldn’t say that, but she did. I turned around and she gasped “Oh my god! What happened to you? “I had no idea what to say. I just stood there looking at the floor, She said “and don’t tell me you fell or your cat scratched you.”Mrs. Honey isn’t stupid she knows how my dad is. Mrs. Honey was a very dear friend to my mom.
I knew I couldn’t lie to her so I started rambling that he was drunk and that he was always hitting me. I started to cry. She grabbed me and held me for a moment and took me into her office. She called the police, Mrs. Honey kept me with her while the police went to get the dragon he doesn’t deserve the name dad. He was always hurting me when I never did anything to him. Mrs. Honey and I got a phone call from the police saying my so called father was dead in his old rocking chair.
She hung up the phone, I was relieved. I wasn’t sad but I was a little surprised. They police said they think he died of alcohol poisoning. The next few days I was in one of those homes for kids, I was with this couple for a few weeks. Then my counselor came and got me I was in her office for a while then I saw Mrs. Honey. She walked through the door, she said” come on sweetie you’re coming home with me” I was so excited to hear that from her. Mrs. Honey said “your mom would have wanted it this way” I couldn’t agree with her more.


I’ve lived with Melanie Honey for about a year now, I’m in college at Harvard. I’m planning on being a lawyer to help families and kids going through the same abuse I went through, this makes me a stronger person than ever.