Isaac's Sister

Chapter 2

  Alexis's POV

     "Where the fuck were you?!" Dad demanded. He stormed over to me and grabbed my arm.

     "At Isaac's practice," I told him honestly.

     "Liar!" He screamed. He slapped me across the face.

     "I'm not lying!" I responded.

     "Do not talk back to me young lady!" He yelled in my face. He dragged me over to the basement door, unlocked it, and threw me down the stairs. I knew exactly where this was going. My heart rate sped up just by thinking about it. I sat up and looked up at him. Right as I looked up, he struck me with his belt. The metal buckle hit me across my cheek. I shrieked. "Shut up!" He screamed at me. He kept hitting me with his belt. When he finally stopped, he took my upper arm and dragged me over to the old ice box. I instinctively tried to squirm out of his grasp. He pushed me into the ground.

     "Get up, you filthy brat!" Dad commanded. I used my hands and knees to lift myself up. I stood up, but I hurt all over. He opened the latch and picked me up. He dropped me in and closed the top. I heard the sound of the lock being put on.

     It was pitch black. I flipped over and looked up. Or, at least, what I thought was up. That was the main reason that I hated it. It was so dark that you couldn't tell up from down or left from right. After a while, it starts messing with your head. I felt it harder to breathe, and the only think I could hear was my own messed up breathing. I had to get out of here. I started pushing up with my feet as hard as I could. I flipped over and pounded the bottom with my fists until I felt the skin on my knuckles break. The pain only made my breathing worse. I thought I heard Isaac's voice calling out to me, but I knew it was all in my head. Is box was soundproof. I then heard mom saying my name. I looked around, but I couldn't tell if my eyes were open or closed. All I knew were my cheeks were wet with a mixture of sweat and tears and my knuckles were oozing blood. I pressed my back up against one end of it and my feet against the other, I pushed as hard as I could. My head pounded. I couldn't take this anymore. How long had I been in here? A second? A minute? An hour? A day? I couldn't keep track of my own breathing, much less how much time had gone by. I couldn't take it anymore! I screamed in anguish and started sobbing. I was crying so much that I knew if I had eaten anything that day, which I hadn't, I would've thrown it up. I slapped myself to try to stop crying. I had to calm down. It was no use. I slammed my fist into the ground once more in frustration. I hated myself for being this scared. I hated myself for being this weak. I hated myself. In that moment, I wished nothing more than to be dead. It was that single thought that made me realize that I was broken. I was broken beyond repair. I started banging my head against the side of it until I could actually see stars and didn't have enough strength to do it again.

     "Just let me die," I whispered. I was done. I quit. No, I can't quit. I have to stay. I have to stay for Isaac. I punched the wall. Did I want myself dead or not? I hated myself. I continued crying as I pushed my back and feet against opposite sides of the box in a desperate last attempt to get free. I fell back onto the bottom with my legs against bent. I was too tall to lay completely flat in it, even though I was only 5 ft 2 in. Thankfully, Dad had stopped doing this to Isaac a long time ago. The air was getting thicker by the second. It made me cry even harder. I was gasping for the tiniest breath or air. I couldn't think. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't see. I couldn't hear. I couldn't feel. What was left? All of a sudden, a bright light filled the box. I shrieked at the sudden light and slammed my eyes shut. I covered my eyes with my hands.

     "Oh my god, Alex!" I didn't have to open my eyes to know it was Isaac. I felt him take my wrists and pull me up. My knees couldn't hold me up, so I collapsed against him. He lifted me up and sat me down on the floor. "Alex, it's okay. Open your eyes," Isaac told me. I slowly opened them, but the light was just too harsh, so I shut them again. I heard Isaac get up and flick a switch. I opened my eyes, and realized that he had turned off a light so it was darker and easier for me to see.

     "No-Isaac-Dad," I stuttered hoarsely. It hurt to talk, and I was still having trouble breathing.

     "He's passed out on the couch. It's okay. I got you. You're safe," he assured me as he embraced me in a hug. I sobbed onto his shoulder. "I've got you. You're okay," Isaac whispered as he stroked my hair.

     "H-h-how l-long?" I stuttered.

     "I don't know. When did you get home?" He asked.

     "Five m-minutes after y-you texted D-D-Declan," I replied. He let go of me and looked me in the eyes. "How l-long?" I asked again.

     "Almost four hours," Isaac whispered. He scrunched his eyebrows and moved away some of my hair. I winced as his fingertips grazed the spot that I was hitting against the box. He also touched the cut on my cheek. "Where else?" He questioned. I showed him my bruised and bloodied knuckles. He examined them closely. I could tell by the look on his face that he knew I was punching the inside of the metal box. I turned and lifted up my shirt just enough for him to see a long bruise along my spine and lots of red marks and lines. I didn't turn back around to face him after that. I couldn't.

     "I'm sorry," I whispered. He sighed.

     "Come on. Let's get you cleaned up. Can you walk?" Isaac asked. He stood up, and helped me to my feet. I needed to lean on him a little, but I could walk otherwise. I realized that I could finally breathe, but I was still drenched in sweat. Isaac helped me up the stairs and into the kitchen. I sat down in one of the chairs, and Isaac started rifling through one of the cupboards. "Alex, come 'ere," he told me, so I did. It hurt to walk, but I managed to do it. He turned on the faucet to cold, took my wrists, and put my knuckles under the stream of water. I hissed in pain and yanked my hands away. "Alex, we have to do this so it won't get infected," Isaac sighed. I sighed with him and slowly stuck my hands under the running water until the sink was no longer stained red from my blood. Isaac gently dried off my hands and wrapped white gauze around my knuckles. He secured the bandages with paper clips since we didn't really have anything else. "I think it's time for you to get some sleep," Isaac told me. I nodded.

     "Can you, um..." I whispered. Isaac smiled a little.

     "Yes, I will stay with you until you fall asleep. I just need to clean up. I'll be upstairs in a few," Isaac replied. I hurried out of the room and up the stairs. I changed out of my uncomfortable clothes into sweatpants and a t-shirt. Right as I finished changing, I heard a knock at my bedroom door. I crossed the room and opened it. Isaac was there in his pajamas. I walked back to my bed and crawled under the covers. Isaac pulled over the chair from my desk and sat down next to my bed. He held my hand and smiled at me.

     "How are you feeling?" Isaac whispered to me. I shrugged.

     "Tired," I replied quietly.

     "Then go to sleep," Isaac chuckled. "I'll be right here. Nothing can hurt you while I'm here, okay?"

     "Okay," I smiled. I closed my eyes and tried to fall asleep. Eventually, sleep finally overtook me.   

AUTHOR'S NOTE- Hey guys! I just wanted to thank you again for reading, and I love getting feedback on how the chapters are if you have a comment or question about anything. Thanks! (: