The Victim Contents

Chapter One: The house

The Victim › Chapter One

A wealthy family casts its adopted daughter as proof of its virtue. She sees how useful the role can be and starts playing it to her own advantage.

Start Chapter One: “Hello world” →

Sections

  1. Hello world
    The narrator introduces herself: the adopted, “token” daughter of a wealthy family, who has already learned to play the part.
  2. We wuz
    In history class, the narrator corrects her teacher about the pharaohs and learns how much trouble being right can cause.
  3. The cat
    Shunned after her classroom “crime”, the narrator discovers what a sad story about her past can do to the people judging her.
  4. Scott free
    Father comes home for dinner with lipstick on his neck, and the narrator watches her adoptive parents' marriage up close.
  5. Appointed psycho
    Questioned by the school psychologist, the narrator wonders how she became as violent as the kids she despises.
  6. DUI
    The narrator steals alcohol for a party that gets out of hand, and the blame lands on her.
  7. Patronizing
    Mother drives home drunk after a hit-and-run, with the narrator in the passenger seat.
  8. Change of heart
    Back from eight days in hospital, the narrator finds her mother reborn as a model housewife, and doesn't believe it.
  9. The edge of madness
    Having seen the first crack in her mother's mask, the narrator decides to keep hammering at it.
  10. Playing tag
    Anonymous letters keep arriving, acting out a grim future for Mother with plastic toys.
  11. The first time
    Sirens fill the city as the narrator stares at a wounded heir on the ground, unable to believe what has happened.
  12. War preparations
    Mother is discharged from hospital, and the narrator prepares for what she might do next.
  13. Too far gone
    Trapped at home with her adoptive mother, the narrator looks for a way out for herself and her siblings.