As I walked home from the park I noticed a truck close to me. I looked and saw the truck stop at my house. My house? I ran and went inside. I saw my parents talking to people. When they were done I walked up to them. “Mom, dad what is going on? Why are moving trucks here?” they both looked pale. “Maria we have bad news, my company is moving again, and it seems we’re moving to Phoenix, Arizona.”
“What?” “Maria! I know this hurts again, since you get along here just fine, but it’s my job!”
“Dad, I’m turning eighteen in two weeks. Umm…can I just stay here? I mean I have a job already. I get paid well.”
“Maria are you insane? What would the people say about us leaving our daughter here all alone?” oh wow it’s not like I’m the only person who lives all alone. “Mom, tell dad that I’m capable of living on my own.” “Sorry Maria but I agree with you dad on this. You’re just too young.”
“Mom! I’m going to be eighteen. An adult! I don’t want leave again. Plus Peter is here too.” I escaped to my room. I would let them talk about it. I was sure they would let me. I went to sleep after all today was the day to go to school and live my worst day, even worse then yesterday. I woke up early today so that I could walk and think about all that has happened these days. It wasn’t normal; I was a person who brought bad luck everywhere no matter what everything happens to me. I started to feel hungry but I didn’t want to go down stairs and see my parents; not yet. I looked at the clock I still had more than thirty minutes to get to school. I was walking down stairs and barely heard what my mom said to me. Mom and dad finally agreed that I could live alone. They would leave in a few months. As I walked to school a car came behind me.
“Maria come on, I’ll give you a ride.” I turned and Stephan was there smiling. After all that happened he stills thinks he can have me? I got the cell phone that Miguel gave me out. I kept walking and clicked the number one on speed dial. “Hello?”
“Hey, Miguel I need your help.”
“What is it?”
“Well you see Stephan is behind me; following me. He wants to give me a ride to school, and he doesn’t leave me alone.”
“Say no more I’m on my way.” He hung up. How was he going to know where I’m at? I turned over, the car was still there but Stephan was not in it. I looked around, nobody was there. Something warm grabbed me. I screamed but I knew nobody heard because the person covered my face. I started to see blurry…





Oooow my head! I tried to get up but my hands were tied? Why were they tied? I opened my eyes; it was very dark and very cold I couldn’t see much. My head began to swim I didn’t remember how I got here. “Are you awake?” I had heard that voice before, I knew better than to answer. “What? Cat got your tongue?” I closed my eyes hoping that I was dreaming. Something or someone grabbed my face! And than all of a sudden lips were on top of mine. I didn’t want this, I wanted to push it away, but I couldn’t I wasn’t strong enough. I opened my eyes; he was wearing all black so that I wouldn’t notice who he was but I could and this really shocked me. It was Stephan! “My, my you are a great little thing.” He smiled but the smile was not the one he always gave me it was a wicked smile! I hadn’t noticed that I was shaking until he was pushing me to stop me. I wanted to scream but I didn’t think my voice would be loud enough. I screamed anyway. “Scream all you want! Nobody will hear you!” why was he doing this? I thought he didn’t want to hurt me. He laid on top of me and he started to kiss me. I didn’t have time to react but his lips were the only ones moving I was still way to still. I wanted to scream really loud so that everyone could hear me and help me. He was relaxed, too relaxed. He undid his shirts’ button and he had it off in a second. He tried to undo mine but I moved around so he couldn’t; so he grabbed my shirt and ripped it! He took off his pants and was about to take mine off when I screamed louder than the first time. “NO!”
“Shh... Baby you’ll be mine weather you like it or not.” He whispered in my ear he brought his lips back on mine I moved my head and screamed again. “Help me! No!” he was getting really naked now and was about to make me his. I stared to feel really dirty. He was going to take my virginity away. “Get you dirty hands off her!” I heard someone yell, but I didn’t know who. I had no will to open my eyes, but suddenly I had no weight on top of me.
His dark eyes stared at me, he had done everything to me; he had touched me and kissed me against my will. But now I had no will. He grabbed me and I started to scream even though nobody would hear like he said. And he wasn’t lying nobody helped me. I was in a black hole I was alone and with no way of escape. My life was over! So many people had hurt me but I got over it, but nobody had hurt me in a way that I couldn’t heal at all.
“Maria, can you hear me?” someone was calling me, but I didn’t know how to answer I wanted to answer but I couldn’t. “I know you can hear me, come on talk to me. I know you want to.” I wanted many things like wanting to belong in this place. But maybe if I hadn’t moved here in the first place nothing would have happened to me. I didn’t belong and now I didn’t have a will either. I was dead! I wanted to get out of this nightmare but I couldn’t, wake me up somebody try harder, but they couldn’t. I wanted to see who was talking to me. “Maria you’re alright! He didn’t do anything to you! You’re safe!”

Why did he say that to me? Did he want me to suffer more? How did he know about what happened to me? He didn’t know nobody knew. Stephan had made me in a person who lost everything. He killed me! And that was never going to be fixed. It was like getting fire put down my throat. I began to scream.
“No! Don’t touch me! No!!” I opened my eyes right at that moment. The face I saw was different from the one I saw in my dreams. The face I saw now wasn’t the one who had killed me. These eyes were full of concern, and they were a beautiful green. His hair was all messed up and was browner than I had ever seen it. I stopped my scream short. I looked around; away from his eyes. The room was white and there was a computer on a desk; it was on. I had never seen this room before. Where am I?
“Where am I?” my voice came out in a whisper because my voice was still shaken. “Your in my bedroom.” He said matter-of-fact. I heard myself gasp and from the look on his face he did too. “It’s okay I live here by myself so nobody saw me bring you here. And I swear I didn’t and won’t do anything to you. You have been a sleep for a while. I thought you were in a coma or something.” He half smiled, as I saw his smile I remembered something; a wicked smile! I saw blurry again and feel into unconscious.
*




*





*



Who knows who how long I slept? I opened my eyes and a face more beautiful than anything I had seen in these past few weeks. “Maria are you alright now?” I turned around laying on my stomach. I was dirty! Nothing was going to fix that. “Maria, come on, you have try and move on. Nothing happened to you. I swear!” Tears began to flow down my cheeks, they were unstoppable. He pulled me onto his lap where I cried on his shirt. I wonder how long we were like that. I knew the questions were about to begin, but my stomach had other ideas. “Hungary I suppose, understandable. You did sleep a long time.” He looked upset.
“How long have I been asleep?” My voice was hoarse. “You’ve been asleep for about a month.”
“A month? Wow!” I wonder if my parents know where I’m at. Are they worried? “Maria maybe you should call your parents. I mean I wanted to call them but I don’t have their number, and you brought the cell phone that I gave you so I couldn’t call them from here to there. Sorry.” He patted in his pocket and than gave me my blue cell phone. I dialed my house number. I was worried what would they think about me disappearing for a long time? “Hello?” a worried voice answered.
“Mom?” I asked her, my voice cracked. Miguel gave me water which I drank gladly, I was still hungry but I had to get through with this first. “Thank you.” I whispered in my ear. “Maria! Honey where are you!?” the voice was getting more hysterical. “Mom, calm down. I’m fine. I’m at…” how could I tell her I was at Miguel’s house? I looked at him and he whispered in my ear. “You’re at the hospital. Let me talk to her if you need help. Oh and tell her that you’ll be home tomorrow.” He winked at me. I knew I had to lie to protect Miguel and myself.
“Maria are you there?”
“Yeah I’m here.”
“Where are you so we can come and pick you up?”
“Mom I’m at the hospital and I’m sorry for putting you through this. I’ll be home tomorrow. Do you want to talk to the doctor?”
“Yes Maria I want to talk to the doctor.” I gave Miguel the phone; I once again winked at me. “Hello, Dr. Rojas speaking.” He made his voice sound so professional that if I was talking to him I would’ve believed him. I hoped my mother would also take the bait. “yes actually she has recovered from her illness.” He was silent for a second. “Well ma’am, you see she has to take a few more tests tonight. But she’ll be driven home tomorrow.” He looked relaxed enough so I wasn’t so worried; instead I looked around while he talked with my mother. He seemed not like me getting up. I saw a picture. It was Miguel and with his parents. He looked like his dad a lot. He was so small in the picture; I wished I had known him before too he was such a wonderful person. I moved around looking around more when I saw Miguel’s face. “Who’s going to take her home?” he asked I could clearly hear my mom shout at the doctor. “Yeah who’s bringing my daughter home!?” oh my god we hadn’t thought about that. But maybe he could tell my mom that he my boyfriend was taking me home, but no. I couldn’t ask him to do that. Never.
“Her boyfriend will take her home.” Huh!? What the hell!? Did I just hear what I think I heard?
“Um…his name is Miguel Mantory.”
Mantory was that his real last name? I had never heard his last name. Wait Ms. Goldstein told me his last name. No duh. What was that all about? Oh well at least my mom would feel better.
“Uh-huh she will be home no later than four p.m. okay bye.” He hung up. “What was that?” I was shocked but mad at the same time. Mom knew Alex was my boyfriend. I will have to explain everything to her. “But Maria didn’t you already break up with him?” hoe did he know that? I didn’t tell anyone. I had indeed broken up with him. “Yeah. But how do you know that? And don’t tell me I told you because I didn’t I would know.” He stared at me like he was worried he had said to much. I stared at him until he looked away; I knew he was hiding something. “Come on Miguel. Tell me how you know that I broke up with Alex?” he turned around and left the room.
“Miguel?” I looked down for the first time and I realized I had his clothes on, I knew they were his because they were boy clothes. I blushed. How did I get these clothes on!? Who put them on? I got up and walked down the hall. “Miguel where are you?” I looked around but he was nowhere. I was about to walk back to the bedroom, when I heard him talking. I heard the thing that made my eyes sting. “She woke up. I see her and…” he didn’t finish his sentence because he saw me standing there with teary eyes. I turned around and ran back to the bedroom where I should have stayed. But I was thankful that I now knew how he felt about me, and that made a lot of things that have happened to me these past few weeks. First I got raped and now this! Why me? Why was everything happening to me? “Maria! Open this door! We need to talk!” I looked around and found it on the bed. The cell phone. I dialed the number that was way too familiar. “Hello?”
“Hey. Peter. It’s me Maria can you come and pick me up from my boyfriends- cross that from my friends’ house?”
“Yeah I’ll be there soon.” I gave him the address and he said he be here in a while.
“Maria open the door. We really need to talk about what you heard!” I climbed out the window that was like on the second floor. I needed to forget the words that hurt me. He said it he didn’t want me here… than why did he bring me here? I ran holding the cell phone and than peter called me.
“Hello?”
“Maria I’m around the corner…oh I see you. Come on hurry up.” I ran as fast as I could. I got into the car and from the mirror I could see Miguel running toward us, but he didn’t make it.
“So…Maria where have you been?” should I tell him the truth even if it hurts Miguel? “I was at the hospital. I had An illness, I got out today and asked Miguel to come and get me but than I asked him something and than I heard something that I didn’t need to hear so we got into a fight. But nothing happened he tried to explain but was stubborn and ignored him. That’s when I called you.” I had to lie to protect someone who hated me.
“Oh. Well I’m glad you’re okay. He didn’t do anything to you?”
“No. He didn’t I just told you that.”
“Okay than. Lets get you home.”
“Thanks Pete.”
“No problem but I have to tell you something important.” He looked worried. “What is it?”
“While you were missing…mom and dad were like totally worried sick about you. They thought something bad happened to you like you getting killed. Anyway they looked for you and one day the police called they said they might have found you. We went to see but she wasn’t you. She did look a lot like you and she was an orphan. Mom and dad sort of adopted her. She also took your room.” Why? Why was this happing to me? I always suffer the most.
“So what do you think? Her name is Mandy by the way.” I couldn’t answer, so much in one day. Instead of answering I looked at my brother. His hair was black and I guess he cut it. He had blue eyes like my father. He wore a black shirt and blue jeans. He was soon going to be nineteen. He was going to collage next year. Too bad he hasn’t found a girlfriend. It took us another while to get home, but when we got there; a blue car was in the driveway. I saw who it was right away; Miguel. What did he want now? He wanted me away from him. So what was he doing here?
“Maria, we’re home. Come on out of the car.” Peter had just gotten out, but I couldn’t. I didn’t want to face Miguel; not yet.
“Maria come on out. We need to talk.” Who said that? It wasn’t Miguel nor peter. Through this whole thing I didn’t see Rita next to Miguel wearing his jacket and they were holding hands! No! Why?! The tears overflowed. I got out and ran as fast as I could to the house.
“Peter throw me the house keys!” I screamed my voice cracked right when I needed it. I turned to catch the keys when I saw Miguel running also! Rita wasn’t; she and peter were talking! How could they talk at a time like this? I opened the door a few seconds before Miguel cached up… but he missed. I shut the door. Where do I go now? My room wasn’t mine anymore. I walked around and than right at that moment I saw her. She had hair like mine, but she wasn’t as pale as me, and she was wearing my clothes! While I was what?! Wearing Miguel’s’! She looked up from the book she was reading; which was my book!
“Who are you? What are you doing in my house?” she was asking no she was demanding to know!
“Maria!!” screams were coming down the stairs. No doubt peter had told mom and dad. Great all I needed! Mom was first at sight. From behind I could hear Mandy whisper my name. Mom ran to me and hugged me real tight and kissed me so much! Dad made mom leave my side which I was grateful for; until he did the same. All I needed right now was to be alone. My parents shouldn’t be hugging or worse kissing a dirty person!