The Unknown Road

3 - Archie

I DON'T KNOW WHAT it is about today, but I feel excited.

Today was the first day of sixth form, and after a week of being cooped up inside, I was looking forward to spending my days having fun with my friends again.

Before we leave, we have to endure one more breakfast... with him.

'Him' is my dad, Richard Wall. He's one of the most well-respected businessmen in the South East. But he isn't who you think he should be. He's much worse.

To everyone else, we're his picture of happiness: a perfect wife, two beautiful children and the life everyone wants. But they always say no family was perfect, and ours was the furthest you could get from it.

Millie and I had wanted to get out, but the only reason we waited was because of Mum. Mum's money was all tied up with Dad's, so she couldn't get out by herself. But I saw it as an opportunity for Millie and me as well. I wasn't old enough yet, but I knew once my inheritance kicked in at eighteen I'd be able to provide for them both, and more. And that was all ever I'd wanted.

But the thing is, Dad hasn't always been like this, and that's what is so hard.

He used to be just as normal as every other dad. He was caring, always putting us first, no matter what. He laughed and joked with us on our holidays, and he was genuinely fun to be around. But when Grandad died three years ago, it was as if a switch had been tripped in his brain, like a circuit that had broken, and couldn't be fixed. He was heartbroken. He'd looked up to him in many ways. He'd been there for him when times were hard, and Grandad was the backbone behind the company and the reason he's the successful businessman he is today.

After the funeral, Dad became obsessed with his work. But that wasn't it. His arguments are became more disjointed and his temper flared more easily... and that's just at work. For us it's worse. He's distant, cold and violent, and it's downright terrifying.

So now, instead of being disappointed at the number of business trips he took, we couldn't wait until the next one, sometimes even wishing he'd never come back.

Speaking of trips. This summer just gone had been epic. Whilst Dad went on business excursions  across various countries, Mum surprised us with an excursion of our own: five weeks backpacking in Peru, followed by three weeks sunning ourselves in Rio.

Once Millie had finished, we packed our bags and we left. I was a bit nervous about leaving Dee, my girlfriend, but once I stopped worrying I had a great time, embracing this once in a lifetime experience. And I got to experience it with two of my favourite people. We had eight weeks of fun, sun and carefree laughter. It truly was a once in a lifetime experience.

But then summers always have to end.

None of us wanted to come home and back to reality. Sure, I wanted to see my friends, but coming home meant seeing him again and with that, the fear of what he'd do.

Dread had filled my stomach when Mum took us to the airport, after she was inconveniently asked to stay behind for work. She dropped us off with a promise of being back for our first day of school, but I had a bad feeling about it. I knew she probably wouldn't be keeping it.

Sure enough, here we were. Today was our first day, and she still wasn't back. And neither had she contacted us to say when she would be back.

I hated that I lead this sort of double life. One life where I was absolutely terrified, and the other where I was smiling for my friends. It's all because I don't know what else to do. Fear drove me everyday, but the smiling and the pretending kept me going through any day. But soon I wasn't going to be able to ignore the fear, and terror will take over. The thought of that happening soon makes me sick to my stomach.