Joseph
When we got home we were going straight upstairs, until dad called us down probably because we confused him in class. He waited until we were both standing in front of him. I thought the only punishment was that we had to take the bus instead of going home with him in his car which let him get here before us.
"Which one of you had the ingenious idea to switch seats?" He asked with his voice dipped in anger. "I am waiting for an answer." I know Justin isn't going to take responsibility because he doesn't when it is his never mind mine.
"It could have been mine," I say nervously in the quietest but most innocent voice I could muster up.
"It EITHER WAS OR WASN'T!" My dad says as he loses his temper. Suddenly he just snapped and grabbed us both by the shirt and threw us down the basement stairs and locked the door without turning the lights on. Then when I landed my head hit first on the cement floor and my vision was completely black as I lost consciousness. The last thing I heard was dad saying something about us both being punished but then I lost all hope of holding onto the small string of conciseness I had left.
Justin
I land on top of Joseph in the cold, wet cement basement. I hope I didn't hurt Joseph when I fell on top of him.
"If neither of you will take responsibility you both will get punished severely." I heard him call after us, but I still hear his booming voice echo inside my head.
"Joseph, did I hurt you when I landed on you?" I get off as I say that not to hurt him anymore. When he doesn't say anything, I try again. "Joseph, did I hurt you?" I say a bit louder but still no response. "Joseph?" I am now barely able to speak. He must have hit his head hard. Wait what if he is dead. I breath harder and start to panic in my head. I choose to go up the stairs in the darkness.
"DAD!" I say as I start banging on the door.
"You can say anything, but I am not opening that door." My banging slows down as I start to cry
"Joseph is unconscious please," I say in a desperate voice but obviously not desperate enough.
"How do I know that this just isn't some made up nonsense."
"Just... Please...Open... The... Door... I ... Need... To... Know... Joseph... is... O.. K" I say hitting the door as hard as I can manage in my distressed state. "I'll do anything... Just, please." Somewhere during that, I manage to persuade him because he opened the door to see me fall forward as I was leaning on the door at the time and see Joseph at the bottom of the stairs.
I saw as his face lit with panic and he grabbed his phone, which I guessed he called the ambulance on but I wasn't paying attention I just ran down the stairs now in the light and hugged my unconscious brother hoping it would make him ok.
I stayed in that position and would have stayed there until he woke up, but someone tried to reassure me and get me to let go of him.
"Dear please, he will be ok just let me take him in need to check over him." I nodded my head and let her take Joseph I sat there in the cold trying to calm myself and pull myself together.
"Ehem!" Said the other paramedic which prompted me to get out of the basement. "We are going to have to check you as well because him falling isn't a viable story." I don't say anything in response I just follow him.
"will he be ok?" That's the only thing that comes out my mouth, but it didn't sound like my own voice it sounded foreign to me no one seemed to hear my voice.
I was going to go in but stopped myself and I can tell they didn't want me in there, in case I refused to let go of my brother again. I saw someone staring and they at the ambulance, so I tried to lock gaze with them when they first noticed they looked behind them like they thought I was looking at someone else. When they were satisfied I was looking at her she started to speak.
"So urm... Is it ok if I err... Ask what happened?" I can tell by the way she stuttered she wasn't used to speaking to other people. It was only then when it hit me. I have seen her before, she's from my school.