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Chapter 2
Lia was used to her stepfather coming home drunk, clutching a half empty bottle of some sort of liquor and staggering toward her menacingly. Sometimes he would mumble incoherent things, like “She’s going to get me, it’s all her fault” or things that never made any sense to Lia. She never understood what he meant by that, but she always thought that he was paranoid. She would often guess that this was what came with being schizophrenic.
Whenever he came home like that –which happened to be every day and if she was lucky 5 days a week- Lia would grab Attie and find somewhere safe to sleep with her. That usually meant in a closet or somewhere her stepfather would forget to look. Lia had explored every bit of the house. Where she spent the nights hiding mostly depended on where she was at the time her stepfather walked in.
Since she had gotten a break over the past few nights, Lia thought that something had changed. Tonight wasn’t supposed to be any different, but somehow it was. Instead of drinking tonight her step father had done some kind of drugs, and instead of staggering in with his usual bottle he came in screaming abuse at his step daughter. That wasn’t that much different, what was different was the crazed look in his eyes.
Lia realizing the change quickly got to her feet and took Attie with her. She was sitting in the living room with Attie. Unfortunately, her stepfather anticipated the move and stepped on the other side, backhanding her using his full force. Lia didn’t expect the blow, so she went plummeting face first toward the floor. She shifted her body in the process, to protect Attie from the fall, but that meant Lia couldn’t protect herself. There was a loud thump as her head hit the floor, Lia saw black and did her best not to pass out.
“Lia, Lia, please get up” Attie’s high pitch scream kept her alert, Lia couldn’t afford to blackout, her sister needed her. She forced down the sick feeling that she was getting and tried to move.
His face contorted into a mask of pure hatred and anger. Lia couldn’t understand the reason for his anger, and she didn’t want to wait to find out. Lia tried scrambling to her feet to make a break for it, but a foot connected with her abdomen making it impossible for her to breathe. Tears involuntarily escaped her eyes; she opened and closed her mouth trying to take in as much air as she could. Before she could fully recover from that blow, something hit her on the side of her head adding more to her pain. Lia swore she could see stars dancing behind her eyelids. She fought to keep conscious, but the last thing she heard was Attie screaming her name while being dragged away.
Max had a plan for his daughter, he never liked Attie. Lia had always kept Attie away from him, but tonight was different. Now that he had her, he was going to finish this once and for all. Since Attie came, his life had gotten a lot harder, and Max didn’t want her around anymore. They thought he was crazy, they thought he needed medication, but he knew better. It was her fault, he blamed her for everything. In his eyes, Attie was a mistake and if he had a choice, she wouldn’t have been born. Everything that he had tried to suppress during those past years, especially after his wife was taken away from him came back to the front of his mind.
Rage clouded his judgment and he saw red. Max dragged the sobbing Attie to the kitchen and grabbed a can of liquid fire starter. He wasn’t sure how long he had before Lia was awake so he had to act fast. He let go of Attie for a few seconds so he could rummage through the cabinets for matches. Attie seeing a chance for an escape ran for it. She only made it to the living room where Lia was lying on the floor.
“Lia, Lia… wake up… Lia wake up” Attie shook her sister awake in between sobs.
Lia was glad for the break, but she felt something calling out to her. She didn’t want to wake up , she wasn’t ready to wake up yet, but there was urgency in the small voice calling her and cradling her head. Wasn’t there something she was forgetting? She fought with every muscle in her body to open her eyes. Just as she was opening them, there was a piercing scream. Lia forced her eyes shut again.
Max was dragging Attie away again. This time Attie fought, she kicked and screamed. She called for Lia, but Lia didn’t come for her, Lia couldn’t come for her. Attie’s screams turned into sobs and soon, into soft whimpers.
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Lia wasn’t sure for how long she was out, but she was back. After she had forced her eyes shut, the scream which she could no longer hear had been excruciatingly painful to her head. She couldn’t understand why she was waking up on the floor or why her head was hurting so much. Lia tried to remember what happened, and as soon as everything came flooding back to her she was on her feet. She swayed from side to side, but steadied herself using the couch. ‘God please don’t let him do anything to her’ she thought to herself. Lia opened door after door, for some reason, it seems like there were more doors than usual.
A small whimper brought Lia to a stop in front of a door that was left ajar. She didn’t want to rush in because she didn’t want a repeat of earlier, but Lia also couldn’t leave Attie at the mercy of her stepfather. Lia went back the same way she came, looking for something along the way that could be used as a weapon. Her eyes landed on a fake plant and traveled down to the heavy looking pot. She didn’t think twice as she pulled the plant out, and took the pot. She carefully walked back to the door where she heard the whimper.
Lia stopped and took a deep breath before she pushed open the door. Thankfully, it made no noise and her stepfather didn’t know about her being in the room. He had his back turned and was pouring some sort of liquid on something. His frame blocked Lia’s view, but she was sure that the thing she was dousing with the liquid was Attie. Lia was about to say something but quickly clamped her mouth shut. She preferred him not knowing that she was here.
“I’m going to burn you, you’re my kid, and I can burn you. I can’t burn Lia, she’s not mine, but I should burn her too just for good measure.” He was saying to Attie.
A startled gasp escaped Lia’s mouth, as she heard what Max was saying. She should have realized that he was pouring liquid fire started on his daughter. Her brain was still slow from the blow she took earlier. The smell was there, how she could have missed that. Lia became aware of another problem, when her stepfather turned towards her menacingly. He had heard the gasp and turned abruptly, momentarily forgetting his task.
“Lia” Attie’s tired voice said, she was relieved to see Lia.
“I’m here” Lia answered as Max took a step closer to her.
“I suggest you leave right now, this is between me and my daughter” He said with venom in his voice.
“She’s only 3 Max, please let her go”
“NO” He screamed “She is my daughter, unless you want to burn with her, YOU LEAVE RIGHT- NOW” He was saying in between raged breaths.
Lia couldn’t make any false move, her shoulders slumped and she looked defeated. She turned around as if she was going to walk away, but it was all part of her plan. Before she could go any further, she turned back towards Max who had already returned to his task. Max had believed that Lia was just going to walk out and leave the poor Attie at his mercy. Lia took the opportunity and raised the pot above her head, smashing it against Max’ skull. There was a look of surprise on his face followed by a thud. He was out cold to Lia’s surprise. It must have been all the alcohol in his system and whatever else he was on.
Lia took hold of her little sister who was now back to sobbing. She didn’t wait to see if or when her stepfather would wake up.
“I got you baby, I got you, shhh” She said to her baby sister. Lia ran to her room, grabbed a suitcase that she had prepared for times like this, her backpack, Attie’s bag and left. Lia didn’t have a clue what she was going to do or where she was going, but she was sure on one thing, they weren’t going back.
Lia walked aimlessly through the streets, the cold biting her cheeks and fingers. She couldn’t think of anywhere to go, but it was getting too cold to stay out. She had to come up with something soon. Even if she didn’t have a place to stay, she needed something for Attie. An idea popped into her head, she wasn’t sure it would work out, but she would never know if she never tried. Lia gathered the last of her strength and went to Miss Sallie. After a few knocks, Sallie came out in her nightgown, half asleep.
Lia didn’t wait for Miss Sallie to talk, she jumped right into it.
“I’m so sorry to bother you at this time but, I need to put Attie here for the night. I can pay you for that, but I can’t keep her at the house.” She said trying hard to keep her tears at bay. There would be time for crying, right now wasn’t the time.
“Come in, is everything okay?”
“Come in, is everything okay?”
“Everything is fine” she lied “I just need to leave Attie here” Lia tried to put Attie down. Attie wouldn’t let go, she just held on to Lia’s neck as if it was a lifeline.
“Please baby, I have to go.”
Attie shook her head no, and fresh tears poured out of her eyes. Miss Sallie watched the exchange before she said “Look I don’t know what’s going on, but you look like you’ve been ran over with a truck, and Attie doesn’t want you to go, why don’t you stay with her?”
Lia tried to hide the relief she felt at hearing that she too could stay. The truth was, she wasn’t ready to let go of her little sister either, but Lia was willing to part with her it that meant Attie could get one night of sleep somewhere safe.
“Thank you Miss Sallie” Lia said and Attie calmed down a little.
Miss Sallie scrunched up her nose “What’s that smell?”
Lia knew what she was talking about, but she didn’t say anything. Miss Sallie waited but, never got a response. “Well, if you’re not going to talk then follow me.” Sallie didn’t wait to see if Lia would follow as she started making her way toward a room similar to Lia’s room back in her stepfather’s home. “Here” she said “put your things here and wash her up, we’ll talk in the morning if you’re up for it”
“Thank you miss Sallie” Lia said
Lia turned on the hot water in the bathroom and used a washcloth to wash the smell of fire starter off of her little sister. She washed herself in a similar manner. Since she was carrying Attie, some of the liquid had transferred onto her clothes, making her reek of the thing. Lia moved mindlessly around, preoccupying herself with getting some clean clothes on Attie and herself. She felt the numbness creep through her, and she let it, she was in fact glad for it. Lia needed to be strong for her little sister and right now breaking down wasn’t an option. When Lia was satisfied that there was nothing else she needed to do, she climbed in bed with Attie who clung on to her as if afraid that if she let go even for a split second, Lia might disappear.
Lia held on to her little sister, lost in her thoughts. They were both facing each other, but saying nothing. Attie used one hand and touched Lia’s face, Lia’s eyes flew open but still she said nothing.
“Lia?” Attie said
“Yes baby” she replied, Attie didn’t even correct her as she usually did whenever Lia called her baby.
“Why doesn’t daddy love me? Did I do something wrong? “She asked almost in a whisper.
The questions brought pain to Lia, they were something she often asked herself. She didn’t have the answer for them, and she doubted that she ever will. Lia did the only thing she could do in that moment; she hugged Attie before she answered her in a whisper.
“I don’t know why, but you didn’t do anything wrong.” Lia paused in her answer, she pulled out of the hug and made sure Attie was looking straight into her eyes before she continued “I love you, I will always love you, and don’t you ever forget that.”
“You promise?” Attie whispered. With eyes so sad, she waited for Lia’s answer as if they were the only thing that mattered.
“I promise.”
“I love you too Lia” She murmured before she nestled closer to her and immediately went to sleep.
Lia closed her eyes, willing sleep to come and make her forget everything, but it never came. She started thinking about everything and the fact that she was almost too late to save her little sister. Lia couldn’t believe that Max was actually thinking about burning his daughter alive. Even though it wouldn’t have been her fault, she knew she would have never forgiven herself had the unthinkable happened. She always protected her sister and then when Attie needed her the most, Lia wasn’t there. Yes, she was knocked unconscious, but that still didn’t sit right with her. Lia was scared out of her mind; she didn’t realize that until she actually started to think about everything. She knew that had she not knock out her stepfather, he would have carried out his plan.
Lia was also thinking about what she was going to do to take care of Attie, since she couldn’t possibly go back to the house. She was sure that her stepfather would be expecting them and she wasn’t ready to face him yet. She racked her brain for possible places and she couldn’t find any. A shelter wouldn’t work, she didn’t have any friends, and even if she did, who would take her in with a little sister. Her mind worked the possible solutions and nothing seemed to work. Just as she was about to give up and try sleeping, she remembered something. When she was younger, before her mom married her stepfather, her father used to own a small building, her parents had turned the little building into a dry cleaner and a tax services office. Her father had died years ago, but if she remembered correctly, the place belonged to her mother now. She was the one caring for it when her father had passed away. It wasn’t until two years ago, since her mom went to jail precisely that they shut them down. Since her mother was no longer here, Lia was just going to assume that the place belonged to her now.
Glad that she had at least figured something out, Lia let exhaustion wash over her. She closed her eyes and this time she welcomed sleep.
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