Caged in Paradise (2nd Draft)

Home Invasion, His Eyes

I'm at the dining table, poking at my leftovers with my fork, lost in thought. Mom's on one side, Dad's on the other. The house is quiet, all I hear is my Dad's voice, which I stopped listening to a while ago. I just hear this faint murmuring in the distance.

He keeps talking, going on about his projects and all the stuff he wants me to do. All the business endeavors he wants me to get involved in. Honestly it's making me feel like I'm drowning right at this dining table. It's even making me nauseous.

"Koa, are you even listening?" he sounds disappointed... as always.

I glance up from my plate, "Hm?" I murmur, eyebrows raised. He sighs deeply, setting his cutlery down. He exchanges a glance with my mother, but her expression remains unreadable, devoid of any emotions, just blank. I've always found that quite... frustrating.

"Koa, there's important things we need to discuss tonight. There's a conference tomorrow-"

"I don't care." I say bluntly.

My father clenches his jaw. "What was that?" He locks eyes with me. His dark gaze feels like an endless void. It's like he only cares about himself and his business. He's completely clueless about my life. He barely knows any of my friends, or who I hang out with. All he wants is a perfect son to inherit his wealth and help him acquire even more... It's revolting.

"What? Are you back in puberty? This conference will determine if they want to work with us or not. It's a significant chance to grow our network and allies. It could even lead to a great college opportunity for you. Why aren't you taking this seriously?" My father's voice deepens, his face turns angrier as he talks.

I stop chewing my food for a moment, gathering my thoughts. Then with a full mouth I casually state, "I don't want you dictating my life or my future."

"You're being ungrateful. We're doing all of this for you," he almost yells angrily, tossing his napkin aggressively onto his half-eaten plate. "Marcus..." My mother attempts calmly, but my father abruptly rises from the table, pushing his chair back in frustration.

"Liar," I call him out, barely audible. But unfortunately, he catches it. And I'm rewarded with a disgusting glare as he begins pacing behind my mother, signaling that I'm getting under his skin. But then again, so is he getting under mine.

"Why would I lie to you?" my father asks, his arm expanding in frustration.

I push my empty plate away and glance at my mom, giving her a smile. "Thanks, Mom, the food was delicious." I stand up from the table, heading towards the living room, but my dad grabs my arm. I jerk it away forcefully. The tension grows.

Him touching me sets off a storm of irritation and anger raging within me. I feel so trapped in this house, I feel so trapped in this life my father demands I should live. I'm filled with so much anger that it's tough to keep it in check. And for some reason, my dad keeps pushing until it all boils over.

Every. Single. Time.

"Can't you just leave me the fuck alone?!" I scream at him.

"Koa!" My mother's surprised and frightened warning rings out from the dining table. My father arches his eyebrows, clearly unimpressed by my comment. But my anger won't be contained. "You know nothing about what I want! All you care about is yourself and your dumb business! Did you ever stop to think about my dreams? About what I want to do with my life?"

He starts chuckling and shakes his head dismissively. "Yeah, those dreams of yours are childish and bizarre. You need to face the real world soon, Koa. Life out there isn't so forgiving or generous."