“Zevon,” Collin warned, exasperated.
“Fine.”
“Good, now help put all this stuff away.”
“At least we have food now,” Dominic said, amused. “And what the hell is this?”
“Looked good, so I got it.”
“That’s an upside-down pie,” Collin said. “And now, it’s squished. Did you have to put the package of kitty litter on top of it?”
“Uh, it’s still edible,” Zevon laughed.
“What will you tell her about Alan?” Dominic asked.
“Nothing yet,” Collin said. “We don’t know where he is, and I don’t want her to worry about him. She needs to focus on getting better and not looking over her shoulder.”
“He can’t find us here,” Zevon said.
“She’s safe,” Collin agreed, “and as long as she doesn’t venture into town alone, she’ll stay that way. No one here knows who we are, just that we’re renting this hose for a few weeks to hike. The town is big enough that no one will even care why we’re here.”
“I don’t like it.”
Yeah, neither did I. Dominic, out of everyone, was the last person I would have thought would keep something like that from me. I was tired of them treating me as if I were made out of glass. I was upset that my stupid tears wouldn’t shut off with a flip of a switch, either.
Iwas hiding in the closet, knees pulled to my chest. Streams of tears fell from my eyes and onto to my black pants. I shook in fear. His boots thumped on the floor. I knew he wanted me to hear him coming. He knew where I was hiding; yet he took his time to find me.
He loved this game. He loved making me upset and then chasing me down. No, not chase. Stalk. Now was no different.
This time, he was drunk, and I knew it’d be worse.
I just wanted to go home. I wanted my brother back to tell me that I was being stupid for getting into trouble. I even wanted Daddy to hand out his punishment. I knew I’d be in deep water when I got back home.
“You think hiding will make it any better?” the man laughed. In the next second, he pulled my arm and I had no choice but to let him. I cried out in pain as he squeezed.
“I want to go home. Please.”
“You are home, you stupid girl,” he hissed, dragging me to the bed and throwing me face-down. “There’s no other home but this one for you. There is no one but you and me. Got it?”
“Please. I want Mommy.”
“She hates you. She left you and will never come get you. Get that fucking news through your thick head. No one wants you.”
“You lie!”
His hand came down hard on my butt, causing me to wail. It still hurt from the day before.
“You will not talk unless I tell you to. You will learn the rules of my house one way or another. Do as I say, or you will be punished.”
“Please!”
Another swat, this time closer to my upper back. Tears leaked from my eyes like a dripping faucet. “You will say ‘Yes, Sir,’ or I’ll add more.”
“Y…yes s..sir,” I whimpered.
He swatted my butt three more times before huffing and walking away, leaving me a crying mess on the bed.
“You no longer have a brother. You have no family. You are mine to do with as I please. The sooner you figure that out, the easier it’ll be.”
