Chapter 1

My name is Jenna Mars. I'm 9 years old. My mother died while giving birth to me and my dad never forgave me. For as long as I can remember he would use me as a punching bag, whenever he came home drunk and that was nearly every night. I don't go to school, I just stay in my room .

All I have in there is  a mattress and a cupboard some pencils and papers and a few bits and pieces. My cupboard is my hiding place when my father comes home with a companion I hide in there and close the door of the cup to not here there noises. On the 20th of May my life changed for ever. My father came home drunk at 11pm he had lost his job. I heard him but I covered my head with the blanket pretending to be asleep when all of a sudden the lights came on and my hair was pulled he was hitting and kicking me he took off his belt and started to whip me with the buckle. I screamed and cried but he kept belting me beating me with an inch of my life. My head was bleeding I felt there my cheek dying with the belt buckle. He was kicking me in my stomach and before I new what had happened someone pulled him away from me. I quickly moved and hid in the cupboard hoping no one would see me, when all of a sudden the door opened and I cowered in the corner. I remembered a soft voice of a man talking to me telling me every is going to be alright trying to bring me out of the cupboard. His voice was so gentle and soft I felt safe for some reason. When he touched my hand and lifted me out I was crying. All I heard him say is that I was safe and no one is going to hurt me anymore. I carried by him into the police car. I fell asleep in his arms and when I woke up the next morning I was in a hospital bed with bandages on my head.