Chapter 5

I remember that day clearly. I had been so stupid. That was when I still had a dad. He and my mom were fighting. My dad was drunk and was yelling loud enough to wake the neighbors. " Who was that guy? Who is he!" " He's no one! Just a co-worker!" my mom yelled back. Dad slaps her across the face sending her flying across the room. I ran out of my room and grabbed onto dad's leg. " Stop! Stop hurting mom!" " Get off!" he shouts and flings me off his leg. I smash into a burning candlestick by the window.

Mom and I had been waiting for dad to come home. It was their wedding annisversary and it was my idea that we light up candles to make things more romantic. Mom got back up, " You! How dare you do that to our daughter!" Dad throws a lamp on the ground smashing it into pieces. " What? You actually care about MY daughter? When you were with another man?" "He was a co-worker!" mom repeats angrily. Beside me I begin to feel heat and out of the corner of my eyes I see a fire spreading up the curtains.

" Really? Then explain why I saw you at a bar with him. Laughing and flirting?" Dad counters. Mom pauses, " That..." Dad grabs her shoulders and shake her, " I knew it! I knew it!" I cry out as hot searing pain licks my face. For some reason I can't move. I cried out to my parents, but they were so busy fighting and yelling, that they didn't hear me. Once again I tried to move, but my body was frozen. I scream as the fire burned my left half of the body. Helpless as my parents took no notice.

" For God's sake shut up!" my mom shouts, then cries out when she sees me. The smell of burning flesh fills up my nose as I continue to scream and scream from the pain. After that I passed out.

When I woke up again I was in the hospital and my parents had divorced. I was told that I had been out for a week. My burn was very severe, that even plastic surgery couldn't make it better. I couldn't move for several months and dared not to look in a mirror. When I finally was able to go home, I finally got the courage to look at myself. I was never that pretty to begin with, but when I saw my reflection in the mirror I was horrified. The left half of my body had been burned badly. My skin was wrinkled and mottled burned red and pink, like half of my face had melted. My left eye a milky white. I was so scared of myself that I had nightmares for weeks. I had to accept it eventually. I was a monster.