Home: A Stranded Novel by Theresa Shaver Read Free Book Online

made a vow to never let it happen again. Until she was safe, and they had gotten their town and homes back, she would do whatever it took to stay alive and free, and she knew just where to start.
    Lisa whirled away from the mirror and left the bathroom. She searched the drawers in the kitchen until she found what she was looking for and carried them back into the bathroom. She met her steely -eyed stare in the mirror and nodded at herself in determination before grabbing a hank of hair and brutally slicing through it with the scissors she had found. If she was going to be a different person she would start with how she looked. No one would be able to use her hair against her again. She hacked away as best as she could with the dull blades and never noticed the tears that were finally flowing down her face. Shocked words brought her back to herself and she stopped in mid-cut. Turning her head slowly, she saw Dara standing there staring at her with an open mouth.
    “ Whoa, whoa, what are you doing?!” she gasped.
    When Lisa just stared at her blankly, Dara scanned the hair covered floor around her and then looked back up at her. Understanding and compassion flowed into her eyes.
    “Let me help you,” she said quietly.
    Lisa handed the scissors to Dara and let herself be led over to the table where Dara gently pushed her down on to the bench seat. Dara grabbed a towel and draped it around Lisa’s shoulders before asking, “How much?”
    Lisa swallowed and whispered, “All of it.”
    Dara stared at her intently before nodding and moved behind her where she started to snip away at the ragged mess. She didn’t speak at first and the only sound in the camper was the sound of the blades snipping. As Lisa gradually relaxed, Dara finally started to speak.
    “I understand why you want this. I dyed my hair black and put in blue streaks because I couldn’t stand to look at myself in the mirror. I didn’t recognize the person I was anymore. When my dad left, my mother started to drink. She would get wasted and stay that way for days. My whole life changed. I had to take care of my brother and clean up my mom and the girl I used to be just disappeared. I didn’t know who I was anymore so I changed my hair and made it harsh because I felt like it was the only thing I could control and it expressed how angry I was. It also helped to isolate me from others because I didn’t want anyone to know what was going on with me. All anyone saw was a Goth chick and they left me alone. I know it’s not quite the same as what you are going through, but I do understand.”
    Dara moved around in front of Lisa and after a few more snips stood back and sighed. The sound brought Lisa’ s head up and Dara smiled when their eyes met.
    “I know you are feeling lost right now , but you are here with us and you are a survivor. You’re part of our family now and we will get our homes back.” She paused and shook her head and then laughed. “But I have to tell you that I hate you on principle.” When Lisa’s eyes widened in dismay, Dara laughed again. “Here you are dirty and with all your hair chopped off and you still look like a supermodel!” A slow smile spread across Lisa’s face and she reached out and took Dara’s hand and gave it a squeeze.
    “Thank you. Thank you for understanding.” She rubbed her hands over her shorn head and laughed. “I feel lighter and kind of naked!”
    Dara laughed, “You really do look great. Your eyes and cheekbones are killer with that cut. If you want to know the truth…you look like you could kick some serious butt!”
    Lisa beamed at Dara, “That’s what I want! I don’t want to be a victim anymore. I want to help fight for our town and families.”
    Dara nodded in understanding. “Well, if a haircut was all it would take to win them back, yours would do it. Come on, let’s get this cleaned up. If you want we can gather all your hair up and burn it as a symbolic gesture to becoming a new you.