We both rush to the door and onto the landing, peaking down the staircase.
The door opens and Michael marches through, muttering and grunting to himself.
"Caleb?" he yells.
Caleb grabs my arm and pulls me back into his room. He opens his closet and gently pushes me inside. I'm too terrified to protest.
He holds the handles of the doors, and whispers in a quick voice, "I need you to stay silent, okay?"
"Caleb-"
Interrupting me, he continues, "And no matter what you hear, no matter what happens to me, do not leave this closet until you hear the front door close. I know it will. I wasn't expecting him back this soon."
Michael calls Caleb's name again.
"Caleb, what-"
"Do you understand that? Do not leave."
"But how can I just sit here, and-"
"Promise me, Lena," he pleads. "Please."
Unwillingly, I nod, tears threatening to submerge my cheeks. "I promise."
He smiles weakly and closes the closet, the darkness engulfing me, but there's a small gap in the doors so that I can see through.
Caleb snaps his attention to his bedroom door as Michael bursts through, rage coating his features.
"Dad, I didn't expect you back so soon," Caleb says calmly.
Michael takes a step closer to Caleb, who takes a subtle step back. "Why are the drapes open?"
Caleb falters, and then stutters, "I-I thought the house needed a bit of light, that's all."
"So I'm gone for four days and you think you own this place?" snaps Michael.
"No no, that's not what I'm saying," Caleb exclaims.
"You know I don't open the drapes. And you know what disobedient children get, don't you?"
Defeated, Caleb nods, face expressionless.
Shaking his head, Michael unwinds his belt, and wraps the end around his right hand.
"Turn around, Caleb."
My lip starts quivering, and I want to burst out the closet and stand in the way of the belt, to take the pain instead of Caleb, but he told me not to, he warned me not to...
And I promised.
"Please-" he pleads, putting his hands up in surrender.
"Turn around!" Michael shouts.
Caleb slowly does as he's told, rotating so that the monster has a good view of his back.
Michael lifts up Caleb's shirt, ripping it off his head, and tossing it to the side.
He raises his arm, and lashes it across Caleb's back mercilessly. The impact almost hits me.
Tears wet my cheeks but I can't move. I want to scream, to cry out as loud as I can so that the whole world can know what's going on in this house.
YOU ARE READING
Finding Lena | ✔️
Teen Fiction"I think there's more to you than you're letting on, Caleb Myers." He chuckles, but a knowing look flashes across his eyes. "What do you mean by that?" "I think you're hiding a lot." "Aren't we all."
