Beyond Repair (short story)

Chapter 1

Great stories always start with the background of the main character, so I think I'll do that. My name is Lee Marie Daloft, short for Liane. I hate that name, and anyone who calls me it. I live with my older brother Sean, who is twenty nine, and his boyfriend Riley, who is the same age. They are my two favorite people in the world. Now, you may be thinking, 'where are the parents?' and my answer is simple.

I. Don't. Care.

For all I know they could be shooting up in some abandoned barn, maybe drinking hardcore at some bar, or even just roaming the streets somewhere. My brother gained custody of me six years ago, when I was only ten years old. I’m really eager to turn 18, which is in two years. I'll finally be on my own. Not that my brother and his boyfriend are any bad, I just can't stand the rules.

Now of course you're second question might be 'why do you live with your brother?' well, I'll tell you.

It all started when I was five years old. My mom landed a career as a lawyer, and my dad was currently a tobacco executive. My mom was doing this one case for a woman who was suing the tobacco company for false advertising on their products. Now, this was a while back, so I'm pretty sure they don't do this anymore. Anyway, my dad, like always, stood up for my mom. He got into a very profane fight with his boss, which got him fired. Now too long after that, my mom lost the case, which lead to my father's 'urges'.

See, when my mom lost the case, she went hardcore into her work, trying to do everything she could to get everything right. That meant long hours in her study or at work, never with the family. My dad started to get very lonely, and he turned to me for comfort. I was only six at the time, and I was daddy's little girl. I never did anything wrong, and I always followed his rules. Whenever I did something good, he would reward me by touching my in a way that he shouldn't have. Of course I never realized that then, though. Whenever I disobeyed him though, I felt the sting of his hand, fist, or some random object. After he would hit me, he'd quickly tell me he was sorry, but the cycle continued. I was never free from him, unless I was at school.

The years went by, my dad got more touchy feely with me, and my mom discovered a new friend. Heroin. How it got into her hands, only I know. When I was seven, she ended up quitting her job, but my dad never knew. Every time she went to 'work,' she'd be off to play with some guy. That guy was the one who got her into it, but he left her two months later. How do I know? Well, my mom keeps this online diary thing, and I once wandered into her room and read the entry that was up. I couldn't help but cry myself to sleep that night.

A couple years went by with the same thing happening until one night changed it all. It was my tenth birthday, and while I was outside with my friends, my mom and dad were inside 'having fun'. I don't really know how this happened, but my dad ended up finding out about her drug habit. I heard him once talking to himself in his room. It was kind of strange, but I couldn't stop listening. All I remember was 'If I don't do this, then she'll leave me.' and that's how I figured it all out. I was a pretty smart ten year old, but that was only because I had to grow up really fast.

As you can guess, everything went downhill from there. They both got into the crap, and it was obvious that they had no intention of stopping. The one day that changed my whole life was Friday, may 28th 2003. I was coming home from school when I opened the door to an enraged father, all sweaty and gross. I didn't know then, but now I think it was because he hadn't had his fix and he really needed something. What I did know was that I needed to run, and I did.

My books were instantly on the ground and I bolted up to my room. His footsteps were the only thing I focused on while I tried to find my room through tears in my eyes. What I did was probably the most stupid thing ever. I turned around to see how far he was, and when I realized he was close, I faced forwards and ran smack-dab into a wall. After that I was picked up by my shirt and dragged into his room. Blood was creeping out of nose from when I hit the wall, but I wasn't really focused on that. All I was focused on was trying to escape my father's grasp, but he was too strong.

At that point I knew I wasn't getting away. When he threw me on his bed, I knew what was going to happen. While he pounded his fists against my stomach, I curled up into a ball and held my tears in. I had to make him think I was strong and what he did didn't hurt me. I guess he got fed up with hurting me, and that was when he started ripping my clothes off.

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That was practically all I remember from that night. Of course I know what he did to me, but I try to block those memories. Long story short, I became a lousy daughter after that. I never did anything around the house, I stayed in my room all day, and I couldn't eat. My parents got so sick of dealing with me; they brought me to my brother's house and arranged for me to stay with him for a little bit. About a few months after that, the papers were signed, and I belonged to Sean.