THREE: BRUISES AND BEGINNINGS

Micah was out for an early morning jog, her mind occupied with her conversation with her dad last night. He was responsible for most of the pain she felt .

Hating the man was useless. He was her dad after all. She brushed off all the family thoughts and continued her jogging.

She came across a boutique which displayed gorgeous dresses for eye viewing pleasure. She couldn't help but admire the aquamarine blue ballet dress worn by a silver mannequin.

It sort of reminded her that hers needed to be changed. She needed new shoes too as she was starting to outgrow hers.

She sighed sadly at the possibility of acquiring these things. She was yet to gather cash for her tuition at the academy let alone her dancing accessories and her wages weren't helping.

She needed a new job. One that could pay her tuition and maybe guarantee a few changes in her dancing closet.

She quickly brushed the thoughts aside and jogged along a winding path, her feet pounding the pavement in a steady rhythm.

She had a cold shower when she got home, dressing up quickly and leaving for work.

The store had opened and was packed full with customers. She managed to squeeze her way in, changing quickly into her work clothes.

"Hi, Greg." she greeted warmly while attending to a customer.

"Welcome, you're quite late." he said

"I guess I overslept." Micah sighed.

Greg chuckled. "Everything okay tho?"

Micah smiled instead.

Just then, the store owner, Mrs Smith walked out of her office.

"Morning, Mrs Smith" Micah's voice rang.

"Micah, get me the mail, would you?"

"Sure thing" she replied, dashing outside and towards the mail box.

She grabbed the mail alongside another mail which bore her name. She had personally asked the postman to deliver her mails to the store's mail box where her stepmom was out of reach.

Tossing hers into her pocket, she returned to the store. The store closed early since they were out of stock. Mrs Smith had planned on restocking the next few days.

Micah changed quickly, grabbing her bag. Her destination?

Home. She sighed, leaving the store.

"Good you're back." Victoria began just as Micah walked in, her voice dripping with disdain.

"There's a lot to be done around here. The laundry needs folding, the floors need mopping and the dishes need to be cleaned." she continued.

"I'm sorry Mrs Thompson but I'm really tired." Micah said calmly.

"These chores aren't going to do themselves!" Victoria pointed out.

"You're right, so if you don't mind you can get Tovia to do them." Micah replied.

Victoria's face darkened. "Listen dear, I'm not your mother so you better mind it."

"The last time I checked, I never call you mum so where's all that coming from?" Micah asked, clearly irritated.

Just then, her dad walked in and Tovia was just behind him, carrying tons of shopping bags.

Micah stared from the bags to Tovia then to her dad. She bit her lips angrily, rolling her eyes away.

"What's going on here?" He asked, noticing the tension in the air.

Victoria turned to him, a sugary sweet smile on her face. "It's just Micah being her usual uncooperative self. I'm starting to think her mother didn't do a very good job in raising her."

"You know nothing about me or my mum. If you want these chores to be done, you can go ahead and ask your darling daughter, I bet you raised her the ideal way." Micah spat, her voice venomous.

Victoria's face slowly darkened. "Watch your tongue, Micah!"

"No," Micah said, her tone eerily calm. "You watch it."

That instant, a sharp, stinging pain pierced her left cheek. She clutched her cheek in shock, her brain struggling to process what happened.

Until that day, he has never raised his hand to her. She glared at him, tears clouding her eyes, anger and hurt flashing through them.

"What has gotten into you?!" He roared, his eyes burning with fury. "Apologize to your mother."

"She's not my mother!!" She said, her teeth clenched.

Tovia looked on, a smug smile on her face while Victoria's smile turned into a satisfied smirk.

Micah glared at them in fury, a burning mix of hatred and anger. She turned on her heel, racing upstairs to her room.

"Micah!"

But she was far from listening, slamming her door just as she got to her room. She had her back to the door, clasping her palm over her mouth while sliding down to the floor.

Hurt, anger and frustration swirled in her chest.

She swore never to let their words and actions get to her. She was strong and wouldn't let anyone make her feel otherwise.

Exhaustion eventually took over and she fell asleep on the floor, her body curled up in a tight ball.

The next morning, she was disoriented and groggy. She slowly sat, rubbing her eyes. They had grown puffy from crying.

She looked down at herself, realizing she still had her clothes from yesterday on, she let out a groan. She must've been more exhausted than she thought.

She pulled her phone from her pocket, her mail falling out. She knew the mail came from the academy and was sure of it's content.

However, she tore the seal open, her eyes scanning its content.

She was wrong.

"A job offer?"

A live in babysitter position that could foot her tuition and leave her with extra change.

Micah stared at the mail, her mind racing with excitement and possibility. The chance to pay her tuition was there in her hands.

Maybe a fresh start was all she needed.

Somewhere a lot better than her toxic home. A place where her only job would be to take care of kids and not the entire household.

She felt a surge of hope and determination and she knew she had to grab the opportunity. Real fast because as stated in the mail, she needed to fill in some information about herself and submit via email.

She quickly gathered herself up, pulling a chair to the table where her laptop rested and started immediately.

By the time she finished, it was already noon. She couldn't believe how much time she spent but that didn't matter.

She knew just one thing.....

Hope.

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