Island Rush (Sample)

Chapter 3

As I drove home, I wasn't afraid anymore of being in trouble with my dad. I was so incredibly thrilled! I mean, I got the raise! How awesome was that? Donna was really nice about it too and congratulated me along with my boss, Shelly. It wouldn't be enough, obviously. It would help though, and it would make me feel much more secure at home now that my dad is getting what he wanted.

When I walked in the front door that night, he was there, sitting on the couch and waiting. I wasn't nervous or afraid, or at least, not like I usually was around him. After I closed the front door with a click and met his eyes, he waited for me to speak.

"Um, I got the raise," I said, biting my lip and watching him carefully. With how late it was, it was common sense to assume he has been drinking. Validation came in the form of the number of beer cans that sat on the coffee table.

However, he seemed fairly focused on me. A smile broke out across his face, and it only made me cringe. I was safe from a beating and his harassment. I could handle his creepiness I suppose. Dad stood up and walked over to me, wrapping an arm around me. Oddly enough... he gave me a hug. It was a hug that actually made me want to cry.

It reminded me of how he use to hug me. Lovingly almost. It just made me want to shake my head. How could he turn from my caring dad to this monster? The signs were always there, and we had our differences. I suppose just too many things built up until he broke. Therefore, it hurt terribly to have him hug me right now. I had to force my arms down and to not return what felt like a real fatherly hug. I knew it wasn't, even when he spoke. "I'm so proud of you," he said.

I'm not proud... That's all I could think to myself. Because even though I was happy with the raise and the fact that I felt safe, it was for a terrible cause. After all, this is to bail my brother out. If I'm honest with myself, my brother could be worse than my dad in some ways.

My brother was a perverted sicko and always has been screwed up in that way. Like I said, there were signs that this could happen, that this family could fall apart. Some of those signs were from my dad that I remember from an early age. His drinking, angry physical outbursts, and how he seemed bipolar at times. However, when it came to my brother... he didn't exactly show 'signs.' That implies that his state of mind wasn't clearly displayed. But my brother was always weird. Always laughing at things that didn't make sense to laugh at. He had a very unhealthy deep interest in anything relating to sex. I hated the memories of the way he would sometimes look at me too. I was just grateful my father wasn't like him in that way. That didn't make dad better. It was my dad's idea to kill my mother.

He looked up and stepped back after a minute. After such a strange and affectionate hug from him that put me on edge, I was very tense. He hasn't hugged me like that in a long time. I was sure it was because I never contributed so much towards helping him.

That's why I was just a little less surprised when he raised his hand in a fast motion, swinging it towards my face. I flinched and looked away, waiting for him to hit me. Instead, he laughed and caressed my cheek. "Good night, bitch."

He walked and stumbled up the stairs a moment later. When I heard him shut his bedroom door behind him, I wasn't sure how long I stood there for. I knew that even though I got a raise, there was still the fact that I was stuck in a house with an abusive dad.

I really thought about running away before. The issue was he was too smart for me to try that. He lets me leave the house, like a normal kid. He allows me freedom. If he were worried about me revealing the truth, he would keep me on a very short leash. He knew that if I run, I will be caught; that's why he offered me the freedom I want. I was trapped no matter what and he knows I knew that.