The sound of the breaking glass stopped me from taking another step. I starred into the darkness ahead of me, this wasn’t where I wanted to be. I wanted to be with my mother. Mother. Why did I have to think of my mother? I tried not to think of the day…
But the memories of the dread filled night filled her head. I remember it as if it was yesterday.
There was banging on the front door. A manly voice yelling to let him in.
“KIDS! Go hide! Eric, take care of your sister, Clare! Hide and don’t come out!” my mother yelled to us.
“But where are you going to go?” Eric asked my mom.
“Don’t worry about me! Go and hide! NOW!”
“I love you mommy.” I whispered just loud enough for her to hear.
Eric grabbed my hand and tugged me out of the living room, threw the back door and into the shed. He left the shed door open just enough to see the living room window, where my mom stood, back to us.
A man walked into the room, the curtains covering him. I heard yells and shouts for what felt like ever but really was only two minutes. The man kept punching, and hitting my mother. Tears came to my eyes. I didn’t want to watch anymore but I couldn’t look away. More shouts, more punches, more yells, more hits and even more tears.
“Eric? What’s happening?” I asked in a whisper.
No answer. Just muteness.
The silence was broken by what sounded like several gunshots.
My mother fell to her death.
“Mommy?” I whispered to myself. Tears pouring from my face. “MO-!” Eric’s hand covered my mouth in mid-scream. I looked up into his eyes, tears filling his face.
“We have to stay hidden here. We can’t be caught. Tonight, we well run. Don’t draw attention to the shed.” He told me.
I nodded, not trusting my voice.
And that’s what we did, we hide until night fall. Then we ran.
Clare came back to reality when she heard thumping foot steps increasing.
“Who’s there?” a strong voice called out.
“It’s only me Dad.” I called back.
“Mhmm.”
I walked up the stairs and paused.
“What was that shattering glass?” I asked.
There was a long pause, for a moment I didn’t think he was going to answer. I was getting ready to go to my room when finally I heard him.
“Someone tried to kill me, but I made sure they were not able to, I threw them out the window.” He finally answered.
“Mhm.” I said, not sure what to say.
“Oh, and I have a feeling that Eric wont be coming home tonight.” He told me.
My stomach swelled up. Eric. My brother. The only family I have that actually loves me. Dead. My father killed him. I wanted to charge at my dad. Stab him. Kill him. But I couldn’t. I had to stay and pretend I loved him, so he wouldn’t kill me. I couldn’t run. He’d find me.
“What’s wrong?” my father asked from the bottom of the stairs. I hadn’t realized I didn’t move.
“Nothing. I’m going to my room.” I said, trying for my voice not to crack and show how upset I was.
Once my door was shut to my room I went to my alarm (four thirty-seven pm) and turn the music on, just in case my father was listening outside my door for tears. I walked over towards my bed and just collapsed, tears swelling up in my eyes. I couldn’t breath right, I felt as if my lungs weren’t working proper, shrinking on me. I was fighting for air. Tears pouring out of my eyes more then I have ever cried tears before. The air was escaping my lungs. Goodbye life.
Ring. Ring. Ring. I heard in the distance. Ring. Ring.
“Go away!” I mumbled. I rolled over in my bed, rolling right into a puddle of wetness on my pillow. “Ugh. Water works stains.”
I looked at my alarm; it was two fifty eight am. This time, exactly 3 years and 67 days ago, I arrived here for my very first time. I still remember the day..
“Where are we going Eric?” I asked, trailing behind him. Night had fallen a hour ago, and we have been running as far as we could from home.
“To dad.” He answered.
“But we haven’t seen dad since I was five. I barely remember him. Can’t we go someplace else?”
Eric stopped and turned with an angry face. “Like where Clare? Where else do we have? Our mom just got killed! Grandma and grandpa live in the states, and all of our other family is dead. Dad is all we have left, unless you want to live on the streets.” Eric told me with harshness in his voice.
Tears came to my eyes, Eric had never been so mean to me.
We ran all night, trying to find our dads house. Once we finally found it, it was two fifty eight am.
“Who are you?” my dad asked when he first saw us. “Eric? Clare? Is that you?”
We both nodded.
“What are you doing here?”
“Mother got killed tonight. We have no where to go.” Eric answered.
“I'm so sorry. Come in. Come in.”
I use to cry myself to sleep every night for the first eight months. Missing my mom; her hugs, her kisses, her nagging me to do my homework. I still do. Always have, always will. No one could ever replace her. At least, I know that now. When I first came here, each day, my father tried to buy my love. Giving me anything I ever wanted.
I walked over to my window, looking at the pool, my dad got that for Eric's sixteenth birthday. I looked at my tree house; my dad built that for my twevleth birthday. I looked at the trampoline; my dad got that for us for christmas.
It wasn't until the abuse started, that I realized my dad was just buying us off. If my father had a bad day at work, he would come home and beat us. Eric tried to take more beatings then me, saying that he was older and was a guy, so he should take the beatings.
Whenever my father would beat Eric, I wouldnt know what to do, so I just ran to my room and punched my walls, or my bed, or anything I felt like punching. Then I would end up crying. Everytime I did, Eric would come to me when the beating was done with a new black eye or cuts. He would tell me not to worry about him, that once he turns eighteen, they are out of there.
Everyday since, I would count down the days to when we can get out of here. Right now; two hundred and twenty-four more days.
I think my father knew our plan, because he grew more 'protecting' of us. He always had to know everything that was going on between us, and when we asked why he wanted to know so much, he just said he was tring to keep us safe. Eric and I knew that was a big lie. Our father wouldn't even let us go to school without firing questions about what we are doing after.
Enough of the past. I thought. I walked over to my vanity, sitting in the pink puffy chair, looking into the mirror. A girl with ice blue eyes starred back at me. Her dark, curly, brown hair a mess on the top of her head. Her eye liner running down her face, from the tears. This girl didn't look like me. Where was the hint of a smile on my lips? Where was the sparkles in my eyes? Where was my rosy checks?
That's when I saw how much I looked like Eric. We had the same hair color and ice blue eyes, although, his were more pale.
Ring. Ring. Ring. The noise came back.
"What is that?" I wondered out loud.
I waited again, silent, waiting for the tapping to come. Two minutes passed and I almost gave up on waiting, when it came back.
Ring. Ring.
It was coming from my cell phone. Who would be calling at this time?
I looked at the number and dropped my phone. Not real. I backed away from the cell. Not real. Your still dreaming Clare, just wake up! Wake up, now!
But it wasn't a dream, this was real life. That phone call was real. But how? Was this all a prank?
The phone stopped ringing, and Clare was still in shock. A billion questions running threw her head, but she only was paying attention to one, the most importain.
How is Eric calling?
"The sooner I forget about it, the better." I picked up my City of Ashes book and started to read, time speeding. Next thing I knew it was ten. An approite time to be awake, not too early for a Saturday, not too late.
Once I was done all my morning routine, I decided I would go for a swim. Who knows, maybe I'll drown and my life of torture will be over...
I walked over to the diving board, stepped onto it, and looked into the pool. The water looked deep and inviting. I looked up, the sky looks glomy but still bright. The air was warm. A perfect dying day. I jumped on the diving board, once, twice, and then tried to stop myself, I don't want to die. I'll just run. I'll run like a bunch of evil is following me, because one evil person will be. Before I could steady myself, my foot slipped, doing a front flip into the pool, my chin banging the diving board, breaking my jaw. I inhaled my last breath.
The smell of lavendar filled my nose. Where am I? I thought. Who am I?
"I think she is awake!" I heard a familar voice call. Who is that?
"Clare? Clare? You awake?" the voice asked. Who is Clare?"Clare! I need you to wake up for me!" The voice called out, it sounded like he was in tears. Poor boy. This Clare girl should wake up.
That's when I remembered everything.
My name is Clare Flynn. The boy asking for me to wake up is Eric Flynn. My brother. My mom is dead. My dad is an abuser. Wait, I should be dead? I drowned! I hit my head off my diving board! Why am I alive?
Pain shoot all through me. I felt as if someone was chopping my legs off, and someone else was drilling a nail through my jaw.
I wanted to scream, but I didnt have enough air in my lungs.
"Clare?" a different voice asked. One I didn't know.
I opened my eyes, very slowly.
I saw two faces with mask on and my brother all leaning over me.
"Clare! I'm so glad your awake! Don't you ever try to kill your self EVER again!" Eric told me.
"I'm sorry." I spoke, my voice dry and cracked. It hurt to talk. "I didn't mean to...well, at first I did, but then I tried to stop myself and my foot slip and my jaw hit the board and next thing I know, I'm here. Enough about me, what happened to you? Dad said you got killed! What happened to dad? Why arent you answering any of my questions?"
"Well, maybe if you stopped and took a breath, I could. That wasn't me dad threw out the window, I don't know who it was, but it wasn't me! Dad is in jail, I called the police to get over there while I was in the cap on my way over there to get you. Long story short, they came in as dad had a knife to my throat."
"Oh my god! Your neck !" I said, just noticing the bandage.
"It's nothing compared to you. You have a broken jaw, your left leg is broken and you broke a couple of ribs."
"It hurts." I mumbled.
"Well, I'd be very worried if you thought otherwise."
"I don't mean my broken bones. I mean having no parents to love you, to be there for you, to hug you when you need it..." I drifted off.
There was a long pause, I could hear the clock ticking.
"I know..." Eric mumbled.
There was a long pause.
"What are we going to do now?" I asked.
"I have to finish high school to get my diploma so I can get a good job. For now, I can afford a small apartment. I'm going to need your help for money once your all heeled."
"Where can I work?"
"I don't know. We'll figure something out..."
But the memories of the dread filled night filled her head. I remember it as if it was yesterday.
There was banging on the front door. A manly voice yelling to let him in.
“KIDS! Go hide! Eric, take care of your sister, Clare! Hide and don’t come out!” my mother yelled to us.
“But where are you going to go?” Eric asked my mom.
“Don’t worry about me! Go and hide! NOW!”
“I love you mommy.” I whispered just loud enough for her to hear.
Eric grabbed my hand and tugged me out of the living room, threw the back door and into the shed. He left the shed door open just enough to see the living room window, where my mom stood, back to us.
A man walked into the room, the curtains covering him. I heard yells and shouts for what felt like ever but really was only two minutes. The man kept punching, and hitting my mother. Tears came to my eyes. I didn’t want to watch anymore but I couldn’t look away. More shouts, more punches, more yells, more hits and even more tears.
“Eric? What’s happening?” I asked in a whisper.
No answer. Just muteness.
The silence was broken by what sounded like several gunshots.
My mother fell to her death.
“Mommy?” I whispered to myself. Tears pouring from my face. “MO-!” Eric’s hand covered my mouth in mid-scream. I looked up into his eyes, tears filling his face.
“We have to stay hidden here. We can’t be caught. Tonight, we well run. Don’t draw attention to the shed.” He told me.
I nodded, not trusting my voice.
And that’s what we did, we hide until night fall. Then we ran.
Clare came back to reality when she heard thumping foot steps increasing.
“Who’s there?” a strong voice called out.
“It’s only me Dad.” I called back.
“Mhmm.”
I walked up the stairs and paused.
“What was that shattering glass?” I asked.
There was a long pause, for a moment I didn’t think he was going to answer. I was getting ready to go to my room when finally I heard him.
“Someone tried to kill me, but I made sure they were not able to, I threw them out the window.” He finally answered.
“Mhm.” I said, not sure what to say.
“Oh, and I have a feeling that Eric wont be coming home tonight.” He told me.
My stomach swelled up. Eric. My brother. The only family I have that actually loves me. Dead. My father killed him. I wanted to charge at my dad. Stab him. Kill him. But I couldn’t. I had to stay and pretend I loved him, so he wouldn’t kill me. I couldn’t run. He’d find me.
“What’s wrong?” my father asked from the bottom of the stairs. I hadn’t realized I didn’t move.
“Nothing. I’m going to my room.” I said, trying for my voice not to crack and show how upset I was.
Once my door was shut to my room I went to my alarm (four thirty-seven pm) and turn the music on, just in case my father was listening outside my door for tears. I walked over towards my bed and just collapsed, tears swelling up in my eyes. I couldn’t breath right, I felt as if my lungs weren’t working proper, shrinking on me. I was fighting for air. Tears pouring out of my eyes more then I have ever cried tears before. The air was escaping my lungs. Goodbye life.
Ring. Ring. Ring. I heard in the distance. Ring. Ring.
“Go away!” I mumbled. I rolled over in my bed, rolling right into a puddle of wetness on my pillow. “Ugh. Water works stains.”
I looked at my alarm; it was two fifty eight am. This time, exactly 3 years and 67 days ago, I arrived here for my very first time. I still remember the day..
“Where are we going Eric?” I asked, trailing behind him. Night had fallen a hour ago, and we have been running as far as we could from home.
“To dad.” He answered.
“But we haven’t seen dad since I was five. I barely remember him. Can’t we go someplace else?”
Eric stopped and turned with an angry face. “Like where Clare? Where else do we have? Our mom just got killed! Grandma and grandpa live in the states, and all of our other family is dead. Dad is all we have left, unless you want to live on the streets.” Eric told me with harshness in his voice.
Tears came to my eyes, Eric had never been so mean to me.
We ran all night, trying to find our dads house. Once we finally found it, it was two fifty eight am.
“Who are you?” my dad asked when he first saw us. “Eric? Clare? Is that you?”
We both nodded.
“What are you doing here?”
“Mother got killed tonight. We have no where to go.” Eric answered.
“I'm so sorry. Come in. Come in.”
I use to cry myself to sleep every night for the first eight months. Missing my mom; her hugs, her kisses, her nagging me to do my homework. I still do. Always have, always will. No one could ever replace her. At least, I know that now. When I first came here, each day, my father tried to buy my love. Giving me anything I ever wanted.
I walked over to my window, looking at the pool, my dad got that for Eric's sixteenth birthday. I looked at my tree house; my dad built that for my twevleth birthday. I looked at the trampoline; my dad got that for us for christmas.
It wasn't until the abuse started, that I realized my dad was just buying us off. If my father had a bad day at work, he would come home and beat us. Eric tried to take more beatings then me, saying that he was older and was a guy, so he should take the beatings.
Whenever my father would beat Eric, I wouldnt know what to do, so I just ran to my room and punched my walls, or my bed, or anything I felt like punching. Then I would end up crying. Everytime I did, Eric would come to me when the beating was done with a new black eye or cuts. He would tell me not to worry about him, that once he turns eighteen, they are out of there.
Everyday since, I would count down the days to when we can get out of here. Right now; two hundred and twenty-four more days.
I think my father knew our plan, because he grew more 'protecting' of us. He always had to know everything that was going on between us, and when we asked why he wanted to know so much, he just said he was tring to keep us safe. Eric and I knew that was a big lie. Our father wouldn't even let us go to school without firing questions about what we are doing after.
Enough of the past. I thought. I walked over to my vanity, sitting in the pink puffy chair, looking into the mirror. A girl with ice blue eyes starred back at me. Her dark, curly, brown hair a mess on the top of her head. Her eye liner running down her face, from the tears. This girl didn't look like me. Where was the hint of a smile on my lips? Where was the sparkles in my eyes? Where was my rosy checks?
That's when I saw how much I looked like Eric. We had the same hair color and ice blue eyes, although, his were more pale.
Ring. Ring. Ring. The noise came back.
"What is that?" I wondered out loud.
I waited again, silent, waiting for the tapping to come. Two minutes passed and I almost gave up on waiting, when it came back.
Ring. Ring.
It was coming from my cell phone. Who would be calling at this time?
I looked at the number and dropped my phone. Not real. I backed away from the cell. Not real. Your still dreaming Clare, just wake up! Wake up, now!
But it wasn't a dream, this was real life. That phone call was real. But how? Was this all a prank?
The phone stopped ringing, and Clare was still in shock. A billion questions running threw her head, but she only was paying attention to one, the most importain.
How is Eric calling?
"The sooner I forget about it, the better." I picked up my City of Ashes book and started to read, time speeding. Next thing I knew it was ten. An approite time to be awake, not too early for a Saturday, not too late.
Once I was done all my morning routine, I decided I would go for a swim. Who knows, maybe I'll drown and my life of torture will be over...
I walked over to the diving board, stepped onto it, and looked into the pool. The water looked deep and inviting. I looked up, the sky looks glomy but still bright. The air was warm. A perfect dying day. I jumped on the diving board, once, twice, and then tried to stop myself, I don't want to die. I'll just run. I'll run like a bunch of evil is following me, because one evil person will be. Before I could steady myself, my foot slipped, doing a front flip into the pool, my chin banging the diving board, breaking my jaw. I inhaled my last breath.
The smell of lavendar filled my nose. Where am I? I thought. Who am I?
"I think she is awake!" I heard a familar voice call. Who is that?
"Clare? Clare? You awake?" the voice asked. Who is Clare?"Clare! I need you to wake up for me!" The voice called out, it sounded like he was in tears. Poor boy. This Clare girl should wake up.
That's when I remembered everything.
My name is Clare Flynn. The boy asking for me to wake up is Eric Flynn. My brother. My mom is dead. My dad is an abuser. Wait, I should be dead? I drowned! I hit my head off my diving board! Why am I alive?
Pain shoot all through me. I felt as if someone was chopping my legs off, and someone else was drilling a nail through my jaw.
I wanted to scream, but I didnt have enough air in my lungs.
"Clare?" a different voice asked. One I didn't know.
I opened my eyes, very slowly.
I saw two faces with mask on and my brother all leaning over me.
"Clare! I'm so glad your awake! Don't you ever try to kill your self EVER again!" Eric told me.
"I'm sorry." I spoke, my voice dry and cracked. It hurt to talk. "I didn't mean to...well, at first I did, but then I tried to stop myself and my foot slip and my jaw hit the board and next thing I know, I'm here. Enough about me, what happened to you? Dad said you got killed! What happened to dad? Why arent you answering any of my questions?"
"Well, maybe if you stopped and took a breath, I could. That wasn't me dad threw out the window, I don't know who it was, but it wasn't me! Dad is in jail, I called the police to get over there while I was in the cap on my way over there to get you. Long story short, they came in as dad had a knife to my throat."
"Oh my god! Your neck !" I said, just noticing the bandage.
"It's nothing compared to you. You have a broken jaw, your left leg is broken and you broke a couple of ribs."
"It hurts." I mumbled.
"Well, I'd be very worried if you thought otherwise."
"I don't mean my broken bones. I mean having no parents to love you, to be there for you, to hug you when you need it..." I drifted off.
There was a long pause, I could hear the clock ticking.
"I know..." Eric mumbled.
There was a long pause.
"What are we going to do now?" I asked.
"I have to finish high school to get my diploma so I can get a good job. For now, I can afford a small apartment. I'm going to need your help for money once your all heeled."
"Where can I work?"
"I don't know. We'll figure something out..."