Was that why Daddy hit me? Did he get some sort of enjoyment out of it? Because it didn’t seem like he did. He was just angry, or frustrated, or disappointed. Daddy was always disappointed. If he knew what I had done with Mason…
Proper girls don’t look at boys, Harper. They keep themselves pure until marriage and obey their husbands.
I shouldn’t have done that. I shouldn’t have let Mason touch me. I was stupid, naive, foolish and everything else Daddy said I was. A useless little girl that couldn’t even listen to one rule. Stay out of his office…
I giggledand skipped across the wooden floor. The shadows dancing on the walls kept trying to reach out and grab me, but I was quicker. I swirled around one black tendril, then hopped over another. Then, when one tried to sneak up to the roof, I did what Mason taught me and flicked on my flashlight sending it back to the dark underworld where it came from.
“I’m the greatest shadow vanquisher,” I called out and rushed down the hall.
I’d never been up this late and was a little scared to come out of my room – monsters liked to eat things when it was dark – but I forgot to tell Momma about the beach tomorrow. Mason had a surprise for me and said I had to get there at twelve pm sharp or it would be ruined. So I had to tell Momma before she went to bed, otherwise we’d be late.
And wives were never late for appointments with their husbands.
Her room was the first place I checked, but she wasn’t there. Now I’d come down here because Sean said that sometimes Daddy and Momma had ‘special time’ in his office. It couldn’t be that special if we weren’t there. Parents never did anything fun without their kids.
“Please Ned…”
Oo there’s Momma.
“I won’t say a thing. I swear.”
My nose scrunched at Daddy’s office door. Why would Momma say that? She’s the one that told me secrets were bad. Maybe this one wasn’t? Mason and I had secrets and none of those were bad, but I still told her about them. That way Mason and I could still keep them quiet, but they weren’t a secret.
“Why were you talking to Dean Whitley today?”
Daddy sounded mad.
“I just ran into him downtown –“ Momma tried to explain, but Daddy cut her off.
“Enough!”
I jumped back a little. He was really mad.
“I’ve worked too long for this to let you fuck it up, Ivy!”
That was a bad word. I wish I had my swear jar.
I heard something smash on the floor, then what sounded like a slap.
“Please Ned,” Momma pleaded, “I love you.”
It went quiet, but if I listened really hard I could hear someone crying. Was it Momma? Daddy shouldn’t make her cry. Even if she did break something. I had to help her. That’s what Mason would do. He’d barge right in there and save the person crying.
I puffed my chest out, rolled my shoulders back and pushed the door open. “Leave Momma alone!”
My feet instantly froze. Momma was laying on the floor next to a broken lamp, and sitting on top of her was Daddy. His hands were around her neck, squeezing so hard her eyes were bulging out of her head.
I couldn’t move. Not even when Momma turned her strangled face my way and croaked out, “Harper, run.”
“Harper, calm down.”
No, I couldn’t. I had to listen to her this time and run. I threw my hands out, lashing out at the man who was going to hurt me. Who hurt her. Angry brown eyes glared down at me. The same eyes that used to hold warmth and lovingly tuck me into bed. Why was he hurting me? What did I do?
“I’m sorry,” I cried while kicking him in the shin. “I didn’t mean to go into your office.”
“God damnit!”
It wasn’t until I was slammed back on something soft that I realized the eyes staring down at me weren’t brown. They were green. I wasn’t seven-years-old, and this wasn’t Daddy’s office. It was Mason’s room.
