Smithereens. Chapter 01.
Today's morning was like a happy day in the eyes of a little girl because that day was her birthday. She was seven years old to be exact. Although that day would have been the best of her short life, the morning after her birthday would change the course of her life definitely.
The pile of presents was piled up in the corner of her room, the product of all her friends having attended her birthday. Sofía prepared to get out of bed and wash for what she was supposed to do that Monday. She would attend a new school and, even if she didn't want to admit it, because she didn't like to be sad, she would miss her friends very much. She would start in a different school with different classmates and that terrified her too much. It terrified her to think that none of those people would want to be with her and she would be alone forever. Yes, it was too much for her. But she decided to stay calm for a second and keep getting ready. She should look presentable for that special day, even if she did not want to go with her mother to the new destination.
With her right hand, she grasped the white comb, and with her left hand, she took a headband from the top drawer of that table. She brushed her soft, straight hair as she watched the birds playing with each other through the window. At least they have company, the little girl thought. So, it was in that instant that her tranquility broke.
"Do you really think dressed like that you'll make new friends? I don't think so, Sofia."
She turned her head quickly and looked in the direction of the pile of gifts that lay near the closet. What had that been? Someone had spoken in her room, but there was no reason in her head for this to be possible, for a single fact: she was completely alone within those four walls and as much as that was true, she kept hearing that voice calling her there. She did not understand. A chill shook her body and her comb slipped through her fingers, making a thud against the floor. Who did that voice belong to?
"Aren't you going to say anything, you little scum? Come on, speak up! Looks like I'm screaming at a fucking corpse."
No, it couldn't be. Someone was there with her, but she couldn't see it, literally. If it was a person taller than her, she could know who it was, the gifts did not even reach the ceiling of the room and the closet was open. No, there was no one there, but at the same time, there was, because she heard that voice. The whole thing was so confusing that she made the little girl dizzy, although at the same time she made him feel horrible when she looked at her silhouette in the mirror. So badly had she chosen her outfit? Maybe that blouse didn't go very well with the pink skirt, but she was one of hers. Maybe that voice was right: she didn't look good that way. She glanced at her watch next to her and yelled “No!”. She only had five minutes left before her mother finished putting on her makeup. She had to hurry or she would come to her room-
"Come on, daughter, we will be late." A lady who was not over forty made her presence known as she entered the room. "Are you ready?"
"You're going to be alone anyway, I don't understand why you try hard to please others." Someone near the little girl whispered, too close that she believed that there was a person behind her, but there was no one there.
"Yes, mom. I'm done."
Sofía bewildered and with some fear, she left the room with her mother. That voice was still inside that place. She was quiet that day, her mother was stressed about being early and she didn't want to make a mess inside the car. Ten years later she reproached herself for her mistake and thought that she should have told her mother what happened that day, perhaps it would have been less complicated for her after her. Perhaps her future would not have been cruelly destroyed.