When Victoria Left
Short Fiction and Art by Anelicia Vega

Victoria was a very shy, lonely, and quiet child. Her parents did not pay much attention to her. They were always working, partying, or fighting with one another. Through out her childhood she played alone in her room or outside, only having her imagination to occupy herself. Victoria was very curious and observant. She loved in the morning when the sun was just rising how it lit up her room with different shades of orange, yellow, and red. She enjoyed watching the clouds form into unusual shapes and watching the leaves change from bright green like an apple to yellow like a lemon in autumn. At noon she would run to the window to hear the yells of the old man from across the street screaming at the birds to stop chirping because they were disrupting   his nap. All of these things made Victoria happy, laugh, and smile. But yet she was lonely. She yearned for a sister, a brother, or friend. Every night she would wish on a certain star, then one right by the moon, for a friend to play with. But that wish came true only in her dreams.

One humid summer day, Victoria was sitting outside under her favorite   apricot tree. She had a plastic bag full of juicy plumped apricots that she picked and a blue bucket to put the pits in. Her hands and face got very sticky from the juice. She grabbed a rag and wiped her face. After five apricots she laid in the grass, watching the clouds slowly pass by. From a far she heard a noise.

It was coming from the bushes by the roses. She curiously crept up to the bush. Trying not to scare whatever was hiding, she carefully moved the bushes around. She was surprised to see that it was a kitten. His left paw was wrapped around a red string that was tangled around all the branches. She untangled his paw and picked him up. He had fluffy grayish and brownish fur that was stripped with black and his eyes were marble grey. While she was holding him he started to purr and that's when she quickly fell in love with him. She named him Max. She told him excitedly, “I m going to take care of you and watch you grow. I'll love you forever!” She was full of happiness but full of fear as well.

She did not know how her mom would react to him. So she found an old grey crate from the garage and sneaked it up to her room. For padding she used her favorite blanket with stars and clouds on it. She placed Max in the crate. He meowed because he wanted her to hold him. She scratched his head and he slowly drifted asleep. Her mom came in full of anger. “What are you doing!” she yelled out waking up Max. “Nothing!” Victoria cried and ran towards the crate. Her mom walked to the crate and demanded to see what was inside of the crate.

Victoria was scared and trembling with fear. She lifted up the blanket and showed her the cat. Her mom yelled at Victoria and told her that she can not keep the kitten and tomorrow in the morning she must get rid of it. She walked away and slammed the door. Victoria cried hysterically. She loved Max too much. Her feelings were hurt and the thought of her mom taking him away broke her heart. She just could not do it. So she decided to leave. She hated the house and how it made her feel. She knew that if she left she could do what she wanted and probably make some friends. She pulled out her polka dotted backpack from the closet and packed it with her clothes. She wrapped Max in his blanket and opened the window. She stared out into to night sky and she softly whispered a wish, “I hope not to get caught and to get as far away as I can from here.” She jumped out of the window and quietly left. In the morning her mom and dad went into her room. They notice she was not there. They searched outside by the apricot tree, but she was nowhere to be found. Her dad searched the backyard and the garage, while her mom searched every room in the house. But yet she was not found. Thinking she probably went for a walk, they waited outside for her on the stairs, hoping she would come back. You could tell that her mom was sad and her dad was in shock. They finally realized she wasn't coming back. For the first time, Victoria's parents actually cared and wanted her around.