Nevvy and I made it out again. We just wanted some time to run around as a break from our chores. She doesn't understand our life like I do, but we both know that we can't get caught out here. One day, we have to run away.
"Lilly! There's his car!" she squeals, pointing to the driveway.
"Run!" I yell at her and the two of us race to the house and sneak back into the basement through the window to continue doing our chores.
"Girls! I'm home!" our uncle Mark yells down the stairs.
"We're working!" we reply, knowing what he wants to hear. There is never a break in our day. Today, like every Monday, was an exception. Those days, he leaves to go to work. He only goes once a week. We don't know why; we don't even know what he does.
We continue to do our chores for at least another hour before he calls down the stairs again. "Lillian, Neveah, supper!"
We get served a can of stew everyday for supper. Although we do get hungry, he says that normal people eat only once a day. I think he might be lying, but I don't know.
We run upstairs to grab our can, open it, and sit on the floor to eat beside the kitchen counters. We know better than to talk.
"Okay, girls, my TV show's starting, so it's time for you to get to bed," Uncle Mark says.
"Goodnight," Nevvy whispers. I can almost hear longing in her voice. We know it won't be a good night.
Once we are downstairs, we lay down on the blankets in the laundry room where we have slept since coming here. The blankets are washed once a week with our clothes.
The sky is dark, but not intimidating. We are not asleep like we should be, but I don't feel scared.
"Let's go," I whisper.
An older, rattier Nevvy limps in pain as she follows me the best she can. I notice pain coming from my arm.
"Hold it right there! You girls are dead!"
I awake with a gasp. These dreams come often. They're an escape, ending with a capture once again and we never make it out again alive. This is why we're still here, 6 years later.
---
The next morning, we start on our chores while Uncle Mark sits on the couch in front of the TV. We rarely see him anywhere else. He gets out our can of stew every evening and checks up on our chores, but that's it.
I look up the second that I hear Nevvy gasp. There's a knock on the door.
"Girls! Go downstairs!" Uncle Mark yells.
We stand shocked.
"Now!" He shoves us down the stairs and closes the door at the top as we stumble down. The lock clicks. We're stuck.
Once I've regained my balance, I walk up to the door and listen to the person that came to the house. I've never heard her voice before.
"We were told that somebody saw two young girls out on your property, looking shabby. Only, you say you live alone. Why were there girls on your yard?" she asks.
"I don't know," Uncle Mark says, trying to sound innocent. "They could be the neighbor girls."
"Okay, we will just do a quick inspection but then we can leave you be."
"There's really no need," he says, but I hear her walk through the house.
When they return to the door, I hear her say that everything seems okay, but that if there are more calls, she may return. I hope that she returns while he's at work.
"What happened?" Nevvy asks.
"A lady came to tell Uncle Mark that someone saw us outside," I whisper. "She might come again if they hear more."
She nods but looks worried. I then see why when I turn around.
"Girls," he says, "why were you outside?"
YOU ARE READING
Sweet and Innocent (Demi Lovato)
FanfictionSix years ago, a toddler and her baby sister were orphaned after their parents died in a car crash. Lillian and Neveah were left with their uncle who was the last surviving family member in America. They were never safe at their uncle's house and th...
