The day of her big escape arrived. Rachel had to try hard to seem unconcerned and not too happy. She tried to act as if she was simply going back to the farm even if she didn’t want to. What she was really feeling was a weird mix of excitement and nerves. She was about to make the biggest move of her life. The single biggest independent decision she had ever made. Not to mention the riskiest. Though when she thought about it Rachel decided going back to the farm was probably riskier, she had no idea what surprises Trevor had planned for her this year or what she might do to him if he tried and he was by himself.
She had had enough. There was no way she would continue to allow herself to be treated that way and now she was old enough to be able to do something about it. There had even been the odd occasion when Rachel had thought about what she might like to do to Trevor if he tried again. She been taking self-defence classes, and learning things from those who knew how to handle themselves.
Her parents had been surprised when she had asked for a gym membership, they had compromised by getting her a trial three month membership, which they later extended when it became clear to them that Rachel was serious about using it. Rachel had become driven. She had decided it was her body and no-one was going to do anything to it she didn’t want them to. She wanted to choose who she let touch her. She was a physical person and she realised the better her body looked the more likely it was she would get the kind of attention she craved.
Rachel got on the bus refusing to wave to her parents or even acknowledge they were there. She was being dumped at the bus station as her parents were on the way to the airport. They were heading to Bali, she’d found the plane tickets in her Dad’s study one night when she was looking for spare cash.
Part of her thought her parents would figure out her plan before the bus pulled away from the station so she refused to allow herself to relax until the bus was driving along the open road. Rachel couldn’t believe she was really doing it. The thing she had spent the better part of twelve months planning. She wanted to get up and move around, she was feeling excited and a bit scared all at once.
She made herself stay seated, something could still go wrong. Her aunt and uncle might actually be on time and waiting for the bus. It hadn’t happened in four years but it was one of those things she couldn’t control. If they were there, there was the chance they may try and flag the bus down and if that happened she was stuffed. They may even call the police who might then be waiting for her at the bus terminal in Perth. She wouldn’t know she was clear until she was checked into a backpackers.
Rachel looked at her watch, her parents could know something was up in as little as eight hours. That was providing someone could contact them in Bali, which was by no means a certainty they weren’t particular about checking their messages when they were on holiday. As for their mobile phones, well if they had them on technically they could be reached, if they were staying somewhere there was signal, but they usually had them off.
Rachel knew all this because there’d been a few times over the last six years she had tried calling them to tell them what Trevor was doing to her. She had even asked her parents about their contact-ability a couple of years back only to be told “When we go on holidays we like to be as un-contactable as possible.”
“But what if I really need to talk or something happens to me?” she had pushed.
“Your aunt will know how to contact us.” Her mother made it sound as if that was the end of the conversation.
Rachel, unwilling to give in so easily, tried a different approach. “What if something happens to her?”
The response was a very unsatisfying, “Don’t be silly nothing is going to happen to Lena.”
Rachel pretty much gave up on her parents after that. She just didn’t understand them. Even though she’d been annoyed, angry and hurting, there was still apart of her that wanted to believe her parents really did care about her. They were supposed to love her, they said they loved her, but they never actually did anything that showed her they loved her. In fact if their actions were anything to go by she seemed to rate low in their priorities.
Rachel stared out the window not really paying attention to the scenery racing by. She was thinking about her new life and wondering if her parents would even miss her.
“From now on,” she whispered as the bus drove through the town she was supposed to be getting off in, “I’m going to live my life, my way and no-one is going to tell me different.”
She breathed a sigh of relief as they drove right past the service station that served as the town’s bus stop. It looked as though whoever was supposed to be picking her up was running late. She now had a little extra breathing room and with a bit of luck their first thought would be they must have gotten the dates mixed up.
There was no-one waiting when Rachel’s bus arrived at the East Perth Terminal. She waited impatiently for her bags to be off loaded, as soon as they were she quickly made her way to the train platform so she could get into the city proper. She wanted to get out of the terminal as soon as possible, the quicker she got into the city the quicker she would be able to get lost.
She had had enough. There was no way she would continue to allow herself to be treated that way and now she was old enough to be able to do something about it. There had even been the odd occasion when Rachel had thought about what she might like to do to Trevor if he tried again. She been taking self-defence classes, and learning things from those who knew how to handle themselves.
Her parents had been surprised when she had asked for a gym membership, they had compromised by getting her a trial three month membership, which they later extended when it became clear to them that Rachel was serious about using it. Rachel had become driven. She had decided it was her body and no-one was going to do anything to it she didn’t want them to. She wanted to choose who she let touch her. She was a physical person and she realised the better her body looked the more likely it was she would get the kind of attention she craved.
Rachel got on the bus refusing to wave to her parents or even acknowledge they were there. She was being dumped at the bus station as her parents were on the way to the airport. They were heading to Bali, she’d found the plane tickets in her Dad’s study one night when she was looking for spare cash.
Part of her thought her parents would figure out her plan before the bus pulled away from the station so she refused to allow herself to relax until the bus was driving along the open road. Rachel couldn’t believe she was really doing it. The thing she had spent the better part of twelve months planning. She wanted to get up and move around, she was feeling excited and a bit scared all at once.
She made herself stay seated, something could still go wrong. Her aunt and uncle might actually be on time and waiting for the bus. It hadn’t happened in four years but it was one of those things she couldn’t control. If they were there, there was the chance they may try and flag the bus down and if that happened she was stuffed. They may even call the police who might then be waiting for her at the bus terminal in Perth. She wouldn’t know she was clear until she was checked into a backpackers.
Rachel looked at her watch, her parents could know something was up in as little as eight hours. That was providing someone could contact them in Bali, which was by no means a certainty they weren’t particular about checking their messages when they were on holiday. As for their mobile phones, well if they had them on technically they could be reached, if they were staying somewhere there was signal, but they usually had them off.
Rachel knew all this because there’d been a few times over the last six years she had tried calling them to tell them what Trevor was doing to her. She had even asked her parents about their contact-ability a couple of years back only to be told “When we go on holidays we like to be as un-contactable as possible.”
“But what if I really need to talk or something happens to me?” she had pushed.
“Your aunt will know how to contact us.” Her mother made it sound as if that was the end of the conversation.
Rachel, unwilling to give in so easily, tried a different approach. “What if something happens to her?”
The response was a very unsatisfying, “Don’t be silly nothing is going to happen to Lena.”
Rachel pretty much gave up on her parents after that. She just didn’t understand them. Even though she’d been annoyed, angry and hurting, there was still apart of her that wanted to believe her parents really did care about her. They were supposed to love her, they said they loved her, but they never actually did anything that showed her they loved her. In fact if their actions were anything to go by she seemed to rate low in their priorities.
Rachel stared out the window not really paying attention to the scenery racing by. She was thinking about her new life and wondering if her parents would even miss her.
“From now on,” she whispered as the bus drove through the town she was supposed to be getting off in, “I’m going to live my life, my way and no-one is going to tell me different.”
She breathed a sigh of relief as they drove right past the service station that served as the town’s bus stop. It looked as though whoever was supposed to be picking her up was running late. She now had a little extra breathing room and with a bit of luck their first thought would be they must have gotten the dates mixed up.
There was no-one waiting when Rachel’s bus arrived at the East Perth Terminal. She waited impatiently for her bags to be off loaded, as soon as they were she quickly made her way to the train platform so she could get into the city proper. She wanted to get out of the terminal as soon as possible, the quicker she got into the city the quicker she would be able to get lost.
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