Drew.

CHAPTER 1

As another ear piercing scream rung throughout my house; I found the echo of it almost unbearable. Hearing the screams of my mother daily was driving me to insanity and I had no control of the steering wheel. It was as if I was driving on the same roads on repeat with no escape route. My thoughts were interrupted by my bedroom door swinging open; Ellie running into my room and jumping onto my bed, holding onto me as if I was her life support. I retrained myself from giving into the cynical emotions I felt right now and I rocked her back and forth, comforting her and forgetting about my own worries... my own emotions. I didn't have to be there to see what happened; it was like this every single day of my family and I's despondent and wretched life. I wanted to scream and cry in frustration, bash my fists against the walls until they caved in on me and my immoral father, but I had to be strong for my sister, reacting to his sinister ways would show weakness. I was the only strong figure in her life, our mother was not able to be strong for us and she sure as hell wasn't able to help me.

Plus my father couldn't find out my weakness otherwise he'd use it against me and damn this family even more than he has. I can see him hurting my sister and mother in front of me to make the state I'm in an even worse state than it is now. Lucky for my sister and I, whenever he decides to act on his violence it's always in private. People would usually think this life couldn't get any worse but it could and he knows exactly how to do that. He would do it without a second thought, which can only be described as horrific. My father was a horrible man.

"Go back to sleep Ellie" I whispered quietly stroking her shoulder-length hair and placing her fragile body onto my bed tucking her in. Slowly, I crept out my room trying not to wake her up even more and, fortunately, succeeding. I quickly scurried into my bathroom looking at myself in the mirror and picked out my flaws which made me, well me. The pale ghost-like skin contrasted against the black undereye bags and bruises covering my body. My honey coloured hair was a messy blob on top of my head letting me know putting it in a bun before I slept was definitely not one of my best ideas. I stared into my hazel eyes which I had luckily inherited from my lovely father; the feature being another horrible reminder that I was actually related to someone like him and there was nothing I could do about it. I left the bathroom untying my knotty hair, letting it cascade down my back as I rushed downstairs to find my mum.

It was only 8:30 in the morning and this is what happens. She lay there on the cold hard tiled floors on her side crying and shaking; a black eye creeping onto her sensitive skin, which was almost translucent. He had everything he ever he wanted... My father, Henry, had a loving family, he had gotten married and the only thing he had left was enjoying the feeling of his fists against the only family he had left until we were bruised and broken. Everyday gets worse and worse leaving me to wonder what runs through his head when he does this to his own wife, his own daughter... His own blood and flesh. But yet he doesn't give a single shit about us and he hasn't ever since the accident.

I grabbed an ice pack from the freezer and gave it to my mum as I rubbed her back and sat next to her, sometimes I felt like I was her mother instead of her being mine. She cried into her hands as I comforted her telling her it will all be okay one day, soon enough her cries became sobs then into quiet sniffles every once in a while. Horrible is an understatement when it came to watching the person who brought you into the world cry because of your own father. She doesn't deserve this, no one does.

"I can't do this anymore Lynn, we need to get out of here. I'm going to call my sister, she will find us somewhere to go until you finish school and we can leave this country. We need to leave now before Henry gets back from his trip. I promise you everything will be okay. Go get Ellie ready."