-Chapter 1-

I laid on my room floor, hidden behind the bed, in a fetal position with my hands over my ears. Their yelling could be heard from the kitchen and it seemed to go on forever. STOP IT! I screamed to myself. I pressed my hands to my ears harder trying to get their yelling and screaming out of my head.

However, it seemed it only get louder. Tears streamed down my puffy, red face as the heat of their conversation grew more intense.

Seconds later, I heard glass shatter and rumbling going on. Screaming along with loud bumps and thumps against the walls could be heard. I felt arms around me and panic immediately gripped at my body and I began fighting whoever it was.

"NO! LET ME GO! PLEASE!" I begged.

"Lilly it's okay it's me." An all too familiar voice said to me.

My body relaxed before I  could register who it was. I looked up and saw my big brother, Jacob, staring down at me with tears in his eyes. I jumped in his arms and hugged him tight never wanting to let go. He's always been my security blanket and it only made me want to hold tighter.

"It's okay Lil. I'm here now. Let's go we have to get out of here." He said as he pulled away to retrieve our things. "I already packed us some clothes. Here's your bag." He said as he handed me my backpack.

"Where are we going?" I asked as the fighting and screaming downstairs began to get louder.

"Someplace away from here, for a while." He said as he stood and opened my window.

I wiped my eyes and stood up completely. I grabbed my house keys and my cell phone and charger off my dresser and stuffed them into my bag then climbed out the window. I dropped my bag first and then jumped afterward. My room window wasn't that far from the ground so I landed with a thud. I looked back up and saw Jay ease his way out. He stood on the small ledge under my window as he closed the window behind him and jumped down.

I took one look into the kitchen window--which gave us a view of the living room--to see just how much damage they had done. The site I saw was terrible. Broken glass everywhere, blood on the walls, furniture turned over, and one unconscious body on the floor as the other two continued to fight.

The sight made my body shudder inside out.

That's when he looked up towards the window and we locked eyes. In an instant, I was frozen in my place on the ground. My body went cold and stiff, fear ate away at my heart until it reached my stomach and soon all the other organs until there was nothing left but veins. I couldn't move, nor could I breathe. His death-defying stare made my body feel like lead just stuck in one place with nowhere to go. He yelled something and pointed towards me.

Jacob grabbed my hand snapping me out of the trance and we both ran far away from the house. Fresh tears made their way down my face, blurring my vision, making it harder to see as we ran through the dark trees in our back yard. I heard my back door open and yelling coming from it. I was sure he was going to come rushing out and grab me at any moment.

"We got to hurry he's coming!" Jacob said frantically as we both ran, with him mostly dragging me along.

We continued to run while he yelled after us. As my legs began to give out on me I forced them to continue to run. We zigzagged our way through the trees trying to lose him. We didn't stop until we got to the river. We ran to our favorite hiding spot, inside the cave, and sat in the far back quietly, completely submerged in dark. We stayed silent for a few minutes until we were sure we lost him. I moved closer to Jay and completely lost it. I cried like a big baby.

When will it all end?

As I cried I couldn't get the images of his eyes out of my head. They made a permanent place in my mind, they were forever etched into my brain, which only made me cry harder. I was ready to leave this life behind. No more pain, no tears that are silent; it's just me and my protector.

****

I was awakened by the sound of rushing waters from the river. I sat up wincing at the pain shooting through my body from sleeping on the stone ground, mixed with the throbbing pain inside my head. I guess I cried myself to sleep once again.

My body was stiff and still tired; crying can really drain you of all your energy. I looked around the cave and saw it was empty. A sudden rush of panic began to build slowly. Fear rose in my throat and I fought to hold back a cry. I couldn't cry again, I just couldn't. Jay wasn't gone, he didn't leave me here alone, and I'll find him. I had to keep telling myself in order to stay calm. His bag was still here so he couldn't have gone far. I stepped out into the clear blue morning, the wind blowing a cool breeze against my soft skin. I was too wound up to actually enjoy the nice weather.

As I stood in the opening of the cave I looked out into the water, if only I could stay here forever everything would be okay. Seeing the scenery unfold before my eyes caused me to calm down and relax even more. Jay wasn't gone far and I was happy.

I stepped away from the entrance and made my way down to the river. When I got down there I saw Jay sitting on the ground with his knees to his chest. I quietly made my way over to him and sat next to him. He looked at me with fear and love in his eyes and just held me close.

"Why did he do it?" I asked after a long moment of silence.

"We don't know, but I promise you I won't let him touch you ever again, you understand me?" He asked with a serious tone and vengeance in his eyes. I studied his face and then nodded.

We sat by the river for a while longer not saying a word. I can always count on my brother to protect me from anyone who tries to harm me. But I just can't help but think of who would protect me if anything bad happens to him. Where would I go, what would I do? I can't bear to think of losing him. He's the closest thing I have to a real family.

My mom died three days after I was born, and since then my dad has been terrible. He would constantly return home drunk and start something with my stepmom.

As for last night's events, it was the same as before except he caught her cheating. It all started with just yelling and cursing, nothing out of the ordinary but then the yelling grew more and more intense and I knew things were going to go downhill and into hell from there. My father is stronger than he looks. I just wish he wasn't so evil.

"Have you been back to the house yet?" I asked curiously.

"No not yet. I think we should stay away for a while." He said with no type of emotion in his voice at all. He continued to stare off into the water without turning to me. "It's safer if we don't go back right away."

"But where will we stay? How will we eat? We can't stay here forever Jay." I argued. I pulled away from him and stared at him closely. It's like he was becoming a whole new person before my eyes.

"I know Lilly, I just don't think going back home is a good idea right now. You saw what happened in there, it's not safe. Trust me." He spoke yet again with no emotion; it's like he didn't care what happened to us. He turned and looked at me and the look in his eyes made my skin crawl made me feel uncomfortable around him.

"Jay." I said in a whisper. "What's going on with you? You're scaring me." I said in a soft tone and I backed away from him a little. He reached for my hand but I quickly snatched it away.

He slowly pulled his hand back to himself and turned and faced the water before he turned back to me. "Lil everything will be okay, I promise. I just don't want you getting hurt anymore." He took a deep breath before continuing. "I promise you I'll find a place for us to stay at for a while, but right now we can't stay at home."

"What about school?"

"I have everything under control. We'll still be going to school and everything." He was about to say more but then stopped himself. "Listen Lilly you trust me don't you?"

I nodded my head, unable to speak.

"Then trust me when I say everything with us will be fine. Just let me handle it okay?"

"O..Okay." I stammered. I just sat there and pulled my knees up to my chest and looked into the water.

I saw my reflection staring back at me. But what I saw wasn't me. She had my long lengthy black hair, my pretty hazel blue eyes, my perfectly tanned skin, and my dimples, but she didn't seem like me. She didn't look like the frightened teenage girl; she looked brave and strong like nothing could break her down. No longer wanting to stare at my reflection, I swiped at the water creating ripples.

"I wish my life was different." I mumbled to myself. Things were never right in my life.

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Sorry It's So Short, Promise The Other Chapters Will Be Longer, But Hey It's A Start. If You Liked It; You Know What To Do; Comment & Vote. Thank You All.

EDIT: 2/6/15

EDIT: 12/14/19