Chapter 4: New Life, New Surroundings

Onika's P.O.V.

As we walk out of the airport, a cold gush of air hits my face. I instantly got goose bumps, but I wasn't paying attention to that. My thoughts were far out. I couldn't believe that right before me lay a white world. Snow was everywhere.

"Wow, this is amazing” I say out loud. "Look mom, it's snowing!”

She just chuckled at me. She knew that it was my first time seeing snow. It was so cold too. I saw people rushing all around me. Some were even carrying presents. It was almost Christmas after all. I look over to see Jelani's expression. His was just as amazed as mine. I wonder what I'll be getting this year. My thoughts get good interrupted when I hear my mom calling my name. I walk towards her, and we all get into a taxi. This is the new start.

“Mom, can we go make snow angels?” I ask her while gazing out the window. She looked at me and laughed.

“Yes baby, maybe later on.”

I stare out the window some more. I saw kids and their parents playing in the snow. Some were making a snowman with a carrot for a nose. I’ve never seen all this before, well only on TV. We pull up to this house. It was a fairly nice house. My first thought when I came to New York, was that the house would be like a castle in a fairytale. You know, white picket and stuff.

When we arrived at the house, I saw that all the furniture wasn’t put down. I didn’t really understand it but anyway.

“Onika baby, come help me and your brother put ya’ll stuff inside.”

“Yes ma’am.”

I helped her put the suitcases inside, and then started to look about. I let my imagination run along with me.

“So, this is your new castle?” asked my conscience.

“I would think so”

“It’s not so big and no prince or princesses in sight!” it said to me abit sad.

“It’s okay, we’ll find a way to make it work, just wait and see.”

My mom showed me my room, which happened to be all white except for my stuff and my bedspread. It was abit tiny but still roomy enough. I wonder where my dad is.

That night after dinner, while I was in my room, I heard the front door slam shut. I jumped abit because I was scared. I got up and went into Jelani’s room.

“Nika, what are you doing here?” he asks me sleepily.

“I heard the door slam, and I got scared.” I say close to tears. He sighed and made room for me to lie down next to him.

“Goodnight Nika.” He tells me while kissing my forehead.

“Good night Lani.” I say while yawning. The last thing I remember hearing was my father yelling at my mother.

~End P.O.V. ~

The following morning, Onika wakes up before her brother. She stretches and goes to the bathroom to so her morning ritual. While she was in there she heard the front door slam again. I jump once again. I wonder who could be slamming the door like that without mom yelling at them. I hastily put on my day’s clothing and ran downstairs.

“No running in this house!” my mom says. Her voice sounded shaky.

Onika slow down her pace and walked into the kitchen where she finds her mother with her head in her hands. It looked as if she was crying.

“Mom?” she whispers.   She looked up and her assumptions were right. Her eyes were puffy red and she was shaking. Onika speed walked towards her and hugged her. She was sniffling softly. Onika was close to tears herself. She hated to see others cry, especially when it’s her mother. She didn’t know what happened and also didn’t really get any ideas on what might have happened.

“Mom, where’s daddy?” I ask her and her eyes widen for a split second before she relaxed.

“He went to work baby, he should be back with us for dinner.” She says to assure me. I still wasn’t comfortable with how she was acting.

“Mom, are you okay?” I say looking her over. I then notice her cheek was abit red. I remembered that mine turned that red when a ball had hit me in my face and also when one of friend’s mom had hit their face for talking back. I stared at her. She was talking but I wasn’t hearing her at all. “Who would hit my mother?” was the only thing running through my mind.

“Mom, did someone hit you?” she asks her abit alarmed. She looked at me stunned as if I figured out something I wasn’t supposed to.

“That doesn’t matter baby, come on let’s go eat breakfast. There are a couple things I want us all to do today. “She says trying to change the subject.

We sit at the table and say grace. While we were eating, my mom suddenly exclaims:” Where is your brother?”

“I think he’s still in bed. He was really tired from yesterday.” She say not looking up from her plate. Her mother sighed before getting up and going upstairs to wake him. Onika on the other hand was silently crying. The tears were dropping onto her plate but she didn’t care. Her imagination came to her rescue.

“Why would my dad hit my mom? She asked her conscience.

“I don’t really know, but that’s really mean. Your mom looks hurt. You have to find a prince to help!” it says to her.

Onika quickly finished her food and put her plate in the sink. Her mom would probably wash it so she ran off to her room to play with conscience.  They spent a good 1 ½ hour playing when her mother came and to her it was time to go out.

Onika was skipping down the block while her mother and brother walked closely behind. They both were happy to see that she was having the time of her life. Onika on the other hand was worried. The whole thing with her mother just kept running through her head.

They walk up to this school building and are greeted by a fairly thin woman who looked about 50 years old. The lady had a wide smile on her face. Onika and Jelani’s mother shakes hands with her and they exchange little conversation. Onika and her brother just look about with wide eyes because back home their school wasn’t so big. Also it was close to vacation time. Why would anyone want to be here in this weather?

“Hi my name is Mrs. Severin and this is Clarence Witherspoon. This school is also known as P.S. 45. I’m the principal here.  I’ll see you two after the Christmas vacation officially. Do you guys have any questions or so?” Onika and her brother shook their heads from side to side. The principal smiled at them. “Well I guess I’ll see you two after the vacation. Have a pleasant one!”

“Same to you.” The Maraj family answered. They walked away from the school and took the bus to a nearby Wal-Mart to do some grocery shopping. It took them about an hour to get everything and another 25 minutes to take the bus home.

Later that night Robert Maraj was coming home from ‘work’ drunk. His eyes were red and he was filled with anger. He opened his front door and slammed it shut. Onika, who happened to be in the kitchen washing the dishes while her mom cooked, dropped a plate on to the floor as she jumped. She knew then it was really her father slamming the doors. “But why?”

“Carol!” he yelled. Mom looked at me as if to tell me stay there and keep an eye on the pots on the stove. I nodded and she walked out of the kitchen.

“Yes dear?” she asks abit worried.

“Where’s my plate of food?”

“Oh, I’m almost finished cooking so just relax for a little.”

“Woman, I expect when I reach home that there is food on the table. Not a thing about wait.” He said angrily. He was about to pick up something to throw, but then he say his little girl running out and standing in front her mother.

“STOP!” she screamed and he froze. He didn’t want his daughter to see him like this. Jelani also came into view. You could clearly tell he was angry.

“Stay away from momma.” He said with his teeth gritted. Robert just glared at him and put the vase down. He started drifting as soon as the television was on.

“Eww, what’s that smell?” Onika thought to herself. She looked at Jelani for the answer. He shrugged and said “Liquor”.

This is how things went for a while. Onika and Jelani find comfort at school. The weird part is, they never told anyone what was going on, they just went about their little businesses. Was their going to be a dark cloud over their ‘castle?