I laid on my bed and struggled to get some sleep. Even though I tried my hardest I could not sleep these last few weeks. I was extremely worried about Skye. I found him and Goliath in the kitchen the other day and they were whispering about something. I saw Skye flinch as Goliath tried to grab his arm. There was a mixture of contempt and fear in his eyes. They looked at me and Goliath smirked while Skye vanished through the front door. I knew that I would get no explanation from Goliath.
It has been gnawing at me.
My mother's change of heart was as short lived as we expected. She has become indifferent. She barely even acknowledges our existence anymore. She hardly leaves their room. In the beginning every time this happened and she fell of the wagon I would take it personally. It would be like I was losing my mother all over again. Now I am sadly used to it. Maybe I never really had a mother. She may still be alive but according to us we labelled ourselves as orphans a long time ago.
I closed my heavy eyelids and finally started to drift off just as the front door creaked opened. It was three in the morning on a Saturday. I heard something fall and then someone laughing. I focused my eyes in the dark and saw Skye and who I assumed was Natasha. They almost fell over one of the couches as they tried to sneak into the house. She laughed as she flirted and kissed my brother on his neck. He grabbed her hair and kissed her aggressively on the mouth. This was nothing like my brother. He hated physical contact. Why was he initiating it?
"Do you know what time it is?" I rubbed my eyes.
"Go back to sleep Mac."
"Funny, considering I finally fell asleep and then the two of you woke me up!"
"Just relax McKenzie" Natasha slurred her words and giggled. "Loosen up will you. We were just having a good time." She could barely stand as she swayed left and right.
I stood up in my shorts and a plain T-Shirt. Enough was enough. I had kept my mouth shut for long enough. It was time to give them a piece of my mind. I was tired, irritated and really hungry. I think the last time we had food in the house was a few days ago.
"That is it! I have had it! Do you call bringing my brother home, who is two years younger than you are by the way, drunk and high 'fun'? Then I would rather the two of you stop having so much fun."
"Shut up Mac. You are going to wake up Goliath and mom. It is not a big deal okay. Just leave us alone."
"No big deal? No big deal? What the hell is going on with you? What do you think you are doing? You know how..."
"I am thinking that for once in my pathetic life I actually feel normal. I have a life separate from you and you are jealous. You can't take the idea of me not being totally dependent on you. Come Nat..." He took Natasha's wrist and tried to pull her towards his room. In that moment I did not care if Goliath woke up, or my mother, or the whole neighborhood, he just hurt me with his words and I was furious. How could he think that I wanted him to be dependent upon me? That I did not want him to be happy?
"I really do not care what or who you do in your free time, as long as you are not doing her! Who knows what or who else she is doing behind your back!" Skye stopped and turned around.
"Why do you always have to be such a b#$%! Why can't you just be happy for me that I finally found someone who cares about me?"
"She does not care about you! She is just using you!"
"For what? Because no one could possibly love someone as messed up as me, right? Because no one could love someone as ugly or disgusting as me!" I could see tears form in his eyes. He was physically shaking as he spoke.
"I did not mean it that way!"
"Please McKenzie, enlighten me, how on earth did you mean it to sound?"
"What is going on here?"
"None of your business! Just stay out of it." Skye's voice was still a bit strange from the pills and alcohol, or whatever else she had given him, but there was hate in his voice. It was like venom soaked through his eyes. He struggled to make eye contact with Goliath.
"How dare you scream at me? Should I teach you some more respect booitjie huh?"
"I'm getting out of here babe. Call me tomorrow about Brian's party..." Natasha backed away and left us alone with Goliath.
"Yes leave! Walks when thinks get tough. She is a real keeper Skye. She..." Before I could say anything else Goliath's fist slammed into my face and I fell backwards onto the carpet. I got a carpet burn and my jaw pained. I could taste blood inside my mouth. I lifted my head and saw Goliath grab Skye by the throat and throw him at the wooden table in the middle of the sitting room. The wood table broke and Skye laid on the carpet with the broken pieces around him. There was a large piece embedded in his right side.
He looked like he was in a lot of pain as he reached with his hand towards the wood. His fingers were covered in blood as he lifted them from the spot at his side. Goliath sat on top of Skye. He sat down in such a way that Skye could not move his legs or arms. Skye tried to breathe under the impact. I could see him strain against the weight.
"Get off me!" Skye gasped and he tried to push Goliath off of him.
"Get off him" I whispered. There was a facial expression of pure fear on Skye's face. It was as if though Skye suddenly froze in place. Goliath was busy crushing him. Goliath laughed and grabbed onto Skye's hair pulling his face into place. He slammed his head back against the carpet before he let go.
"Do you remember what happened last time you disrespected me boy?" Skye shook his head. I had no idea what they were talking about, but I could see the distress in Skye's eyes. It only confirmed that Goliath had done something unspeakable. I was sure of it. Something cruel and I had to make sure that he did not do it again.
"Stop it Goliath!" I tried to stand up. Goliath grabbed Skye's throat and started pressing. Skye choked and I could see that there was no air coming in. He made strange noises and looked up at Goliath with pleading eyes.
"Stop! You are going to kill him!" I screamed and the tears ran down my cheeks. Goliath just kept pressing.
Skye's eyes started to roll backwards in his head. I forced myself onto my feet and I grabbed a piece of wood from the broken table. I slammed it into his shoulder, but he just kept choking Skye. I slammed him again in the same spot until he finally let go and turned around. He pushed me and I fell backwards and hit my head on the carpet so hard that it bounced into the air and slammed on the carpet a second time. Goliath's weight landed on top of me and I could feel some of my bones breaking under the pressure. I screamed out loud and he placed his hand on my mouth. .
"Mom!!!!!! Mom!!!"
I knew that it was hopeless, but I had to try. Maybe for once in my life my mother could do something helpful. She helped us the other day in the kitchen, why not now?
It was only a month ago when she promised to change.
"I have had enough of you and your brother. Since the day I first came here you have been nothing but trouble. Especially you. You have always thought that you were better than me. I had to stand by while a dumb blonde tried to make me look like a fool." He slapped me and I tried to force the tears back. He was really heavy and it was difficult to move.
"I never..."
"Yes you did!" He hit me again, this time with his fist and I began to cry.
"Do not think that I did not hear the two of you laughing at me behind my back! Always whispering. Always looking down at me. Who is laughing now? Huh? I got your brother back though, I showed him who the boss is around here."
"What did you do to him?"
Goliath laughed. "He was busy talking back as always and I was fed up. I knew how to hurt him, really hurt him, in a manner that he would never talk back again, but it seems like he forgot. Maybe when I am done here I will give him another lesson in who is in control of this household."
"No...Please..." He hit me again and I started to cry even louder. I wanted to kill him for hurting Skye, but I could not even move a finger.
"This time you are going to listen to me! I am sick and tired of being called stupid and you always teasing me..."
"Please stop it...I never teased you... Get off! I can't breathe."
He started to play with the edge of my shorts and I could feel myself freezing.
No.
Not again.
He hit me against the side of my head and a pain shot through my whole head as my vision turned black.