Overlooked(part 4)

by Sophia Haddad


The costume was perfect, if I wanted to be my mom. I could just grab her ugliest purse and run away with all of her money and id. But it wasn't that time now. I have some more days left before the bills are due (and let me just tell you I won't pay them without a fight). Because right now the world was mine to mess up. Let the wild side of me run free.

I grabbed some money from the wallet and decided to leave the cleaning up for later-I had decided now that the house was mine to redo. I could do it all in my own style, now that I owned it and everything in it. I put on a pair of ripped up jeans, threw on an old t-shirt, and stole my brothers bike from the backyard. Ha ha.  Oh yeah I'm badass.  Don't mess with me!  I wasn't ready to steal the car and just drive away. There were still some things I didn't feel safe doing.

My first stop was the mall. I could buy some decent clothes and possibly some other necessities as they popped up. I think I should get some scary clothes.  Y'know like the ones emo people wear.  Heck maybe I should be emo. I am so glad I live in a small town and the mall isn't miles away. It was only a short ride but I secretly enjoyed getting out of the house. Even though the air was poluted and the streets were trashed with years of low maitenance, I felt free.

It was common throughout the town for people to just not care. About anything really. And, living in the town, I was brought up the same way. I didn't care if I died today or if some guys in dark shades took my house away. I just wanted to have fun. I hoped it would stay that way but I had heard that these were just the effects of being young.

Most people here could even pull off what I was doing. It all contributed to the fact that anything could happen and it would be allowed to just pass by, unnoticed. I didn't take it for granted that this was the perfect place for my situation.  Yeah that's right! I will rule this town! People will regret not knowing me before this opperation.

It was easy to navigate the mall. Like most buildings here, it was small. But it served a dire purpose.

I stopped in a locally owned store called Shirts and Pants. Nice name. But like I said, people here may be lazy, but they make service simple.

I browsed for something cool. Something that would fit my style and looked good on me so I could show it off on my outings. I also favored a comfortable outfit for when I would stay indoors and possibly work.

I tried on some warm jeans with designs on the back pockets. Then I noticed a pair of skinny jeans. Oh yeah baby, I thought to myself and checked out the price tag. $49.99. Well its safe to say things don't run cheap here.

As I discouragedly headed towards the door, thinking screw this, an either stupid or brilliant idea crossed my mind. I could steal this. With all the laws I've broken already, why not just go all out? Why not become a full criminal? Who's going to stop me from becoming a skilled evil doer. My parents would have done the same thing. Or would they? I don't know. I want out! Stop making me be all goodie-goodie!  C'mon! Just try to stop me!  The saddest part is that I had nothing standing in my way.

Overlooked(part 3)

by Sophia Haddad


Yes. Don't doubt it. I'm going to give myself a complete makeover. At least I don't have to change my gender like people do in so many movies. The id is only a facial picture but it would help to add some weight onto my tiny figure. I have to look older. 48ish I suppose. I can do that easily. At least that's what I thought when I started.

I dug through my moms drawer of makeup for some mature eyeshadow. I wasn't going to go full out and make my face completely covered. I wanted it to look natural like my mom did in the picture. I found a basic bronzer that could help my pale complection. I even added some red to my cheeks to make me look plumper. That was the look I was going for.

I searched through some laundry still by the washing machine so I could be sure it was all clean. The part I most enjoyed was gathering up all the socks I owned, tying them together, and shoving them up my shirt, then forming the blob of knitted mess into a somewhat convincing body for me.

I looked in the mirror and realized I needed a bit more height on me. I pondered the subject for a moment before finding an easy solution. I found my mom's biggest platform shoes. There were three things I needed in these shoes: height(obviously), an I'm-grown-up-and-I-still-try-for-fashion-even-though-I'm-so-80's look, and a bigger opening than my regular size feet would fit into for stuffing big socks into.

The extra sock idea was my attempt at adding the most possible height I could. I didn't have much to work with at the time. Well either that or I was to lazy and tired to look for more. I sat down on a couch-hard with all the added flub-and layered on one sock after another until my feet wouldn't feel the weight of an anvil if it was dropped on them.

With difficulty, I put on the shoes. I stared into my parents old full-length mirror and gasped. I was overjoyed to see that I wasn't myself. Only if one looked deep into my eyes would they be able to tell it was me. But that's not what I needed. No one knew me anyway so this wasn't a disguise. I was trying to look older, not less myself. Then it occured to me, I could do anything I wanted, be whoever I wanted outside of the costume. Now was my chance for a new life.

Overlooked(part 2)

By: Sophia Haddad

Maybe it was meant to be like this. Fate chose me to be the lonely one. But I didn't know how I would handle it all.

First of all, I had to have food. I already have shelter, well good enough for me. I mean, the dining room may be a bit singed but for the most part, the rest of our...my house stands.

I know my family was rich enough to provide enough food to last me until I'm old enough to get a job. But to find their credit card...let the searching begin.

Now just because you're rich doesn't mean you're organized. It's not like they could just keep all their money and credit cards in a purse or wallet or something. No. That would be to easy for their complicated lives.

I first entered their bedroom, my parents that is. It's painful, not only the thought of searching through dead people's rooms, but the smell. How could they stand it? I'm sure their noses had to adjust to everything.

As I searched through the clothes strewn about the floor, I found more than I wanted to. There were unpaid bills, many of them. Suddenly, my spirits fell as I realized my life wasn't going to be easy. I didn't have money at my disposal, everything provided and just layed out on a silver platter. I would have to work.

If I didn't find a way to pay the bills, people would come looking for me. I don't know enough about finances to know who or what they would do to me but I knew it wasn't going to be good. I had to keep looking for their profit stash, if they even had any. Now that one money failure was revealed, who knows how many more flaws will appear in my scheme.

I think I almost cried tears of joy to find a wallet, hidden of course. It contained a few twenties and some discount cards. Then I saw my real prize. An id. I looked enough like my mom to pass but I might need a makeover to make me look older. Here is where it gets fun I thought, a sly grin playing across my face.

Overlooked(part 1)

by Sophia Haddad


I didn't expect that one small accident to change my life forever.  Ruin? Possibly.  Improve? I don't know.  But it all started in the park. Just an ordinary park.  Except for the litter and unclean water that flowed in a river across the field.  I was sitting under a tree with my cat.  At this point in my life my family treasured me and I imagined it would stay that way forever.  How wrong was I.

My cat was a present, given to me by my loving brother who always looked out for me and viewed me as his responsibility to keep happy.  He took the job with pride. He often told me that it made him feel ackomplished having someone to look after.  I should have seen it coming.  He didn't take care of me because he loved me, he did it for his benefit. So that he could feel more grown up.  The rest of my family was the same.  Selfish.  All of them.

I was only five at the time and didn't understand the ins and outs of my family's feelings but it's obvious now that all they cared about were themselves.  I looked down at my cat and stroked her silky fur.   I always treasured her.  She was my favorite gift.  My family was unnaturally concerned though, that I keep the cat safe.  It didn't seem a problem to me, the cat was so special.

But the world fell apart as I watched helplessly as my cat ran away.  I knew she would come back so I didn't bother running after her.  That was my flaw.  She didn't come back.  So I searched and searched and had no luck.

As though the heartbreaking loss of my cat wasn't enough, my dad decided to pound me for it.  He told me I was irresponsible and I didn't deserve anymore privlages. To anger me even more, he added that he knew I was worthless right from the off.  Following my father's example, as the rest of my family always had, my mom and brother soon took against me as well.

I had to find someone I trusted. That turned out to be my mom.  She was the best of the worst.  She pretended to hate me while around the rest of my family to keep the family at ease, while really she kind of liked me.  She pitied me at least.  She would do small tasks to earn my appreciation such as sneaking me some food when I wasn't allowed or reading me stories to help me sleep. But it was really all so that she felt alright bullying me.  She never actually liked me.  Though she still, was the biggest one I felt for when the time came.  When karma evened out our justices.

<#>

I sat on the blood-stained carpet wondering why on earth they had just left me here. Then I remembered. I didn't want to be noticed. For mainly sentimental reasons I had hid, wanting more time in the place that had always served as my home. I was amazed that after the accident the building still stood tall, unharmed. Of course I knew it would. It's invincible.

My one safehaven consisted of a few blankets nailed into two opposite walls of my room. They were draped in a hammock-like fashion but big enough to conceal me from unwanted intruders.  The blankets weren't necessarily strong fabric, I just happened to be underfed and capable of not ripping them when I laid up there.  For years my canopy had served as a refuge to me, especially on nights of uncivilized fights.

The night my family died was like all others. I was alone in the canopy above my room. Strangely, either no one bothered to look or it was hidden enough, but I was never found up there. I could collect my thoughts before I got bored enough to face the horror that was my family. They hate me. Not for a specific reason. But they needed something to hate in their perfect lives.

They were eating another gourmet dinner without me. That's when all the pain, all the drunken hurt, all the reasons so vague came together. They all felt it, like a wave washing over them all. I was lucky to be hidden away, innocent enough not to feel all of it. But while my mom, dad, and brother were getting out of control, there was a disaster waiting to happen.

I walked in as the beer bottle hit the stove. I'm not sure who threw the bottle, or who randomly turned on the stove, but it started a fire.

Being the skinniest and least drunk, I had the common sense to run for the fire extinguisher. For better or for worse though, I was too late.

When I arrived at the dining room, they were dead. All of them. Every last ungrateful person in this house. I put out the flames to save myself and sunk back into my canopy.

I couldn't read the feelings I felt so I respectfully imagined them to combine into a simple sadness. I wish that was all it was. I wish I could feel sorry for the people at had shared living quarters with me for 13 years. But it was more complicated than that.

I suppose one of our neighbors saw the smoke and called a fire department. But when they came, I left no trace. It's not as though anyone had acknowledged my existence before so no one came looking. Our low-budget firemen did a short sweep removing the bodies but didn't bother being thorough so I was left unscathed.

But after all I've been through, I still sit, same as ever, forgotten, alone, and overlooked.