Changed!

The first sting of Andrew's hand against her cheek was a familiar agony, followed by the sickening crunch of a kick to her ribs. "Get the fuck up and get to school!" he roared, his words slurred, thick with menace.

Sophia scrambled to her feet, every movement a searing protest from her battered body. Her mother, as always, was a motionless form on the couch, lost to her drug-induced stupor.

Clutching her aching side, Sophia pulled on her worn hoodie, the fabric a thin shield against the biting cold outside. She limped through the quiet house, past the unconscious figure on the couch, and out into the desolate morning. The school gates loomed, a daunting entry to another day of hiding her pain, her secrets, and the raw, unyielding truth of her life.