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Life is a game.

Everything was perfect when I was young. The most loving and supportive parents, a great school with lots of friends, freedom and liberty to do what I want. I had the greatest support group and a strong will to excel in life. I was well respected at school where unity was valued above all else. I had the rays of a bright future in my eyes.

Life is a game.

Dad lost his job, got involved with alcohol. Fought with Mum. Debts poured in through the mailbox. Verbal insults turned into physical violence. We fled, away from our home and friends and school and family, away to somewhere no one will be able to find us. We travelled by night, hid in the day, all for the fear hanging over us like a giant hissing cobra, dripping venomous hate and waiting for the perfect moment to strike when we dropped our guards.

Life is a game.

New neighbourhood, new school, new place. New faces - scared, suspicious, angry, hopeful. Apprehension and skepticism of the little child who ran away from home. Mum struggled to find a job. The debts were still coming in, chasing after us for thousands of miles.

Life is a game.

Misunderstanding, isolation, punishment. The strange people with the strange faces didn't understand. Withdrawal, repression, obsoletion. For the first time in my life, I was utterly alone.

Life is a game.