Gethrod

Chapter 2

Chris's p.o.v

Screaming. A woman with beautiful, silky chestnut coloured hair. She would've been flawless if it wasn't for the look of absolute terror on her face.
More images flashed.
This time it was the same woman, running from a burning house, coughing and spluttering, but still running with two little kids in her arms, crying, the flames rising endlessly behind them into the night sky.
The image changed again, and this time it was of the two little kids, huddled into the corner of a room- no, a shed. The beautiful woman crouched in front of them. She ran her fingers softly through the little girl's hair. She whispered to the little boy. “Take good care of your sister. No matter what happens stay in here. Don’t move. Mommy will be back for you as soon as I can.”
Loud voices rang from outside. Familiar voices. Then screaming, a man and a woman.
The little girl whimpered and whispered so softly, it was barely audible, "Mama... Papa..." and she dug her head into the boy's shoulder, clutching his shirt in her tiny fist, both silently crying.

He woke up with a start. He breathed heavily, his duvet a mess and covered in sweat. He's had dreams before, vivid dreams, but never once like this. It felt so real. Like it actually happened and he was there. Looking down he noticed his hands were shaking. He ran them through his wet hair, and tried to get a grip on his breathing.

He heard loud footsteps heading up the stairs and head towards his room. The door slammed open and his mother stepped in. She looked absolutely worn out. She had dark circles under her eyes, and her once beautiful blonde hair looked drab and lost it's shine as if they hadn't been washed for weeks.

"Get up." She stated spitefully. "What? Did you just think that it was sleep in day? That you'd stay at home and I'd look after you? Some of us have things to do with our life. I let you off the hook yesterday when I heard you skived off school, but you better be there today."

He ignored her little morning speech, rolling his eyes. He was sick of her constant drunken insults. She had made no secret of the idea that she couldn't stand to look at him. He got off the bed, and walked past her, out of his bedroom into the hallway. He had his hand on the bathroom door handle, when she grabbed his arm and spun him around.

"You're just like him!" She spat. "You take me for granted, you little piece of trash." Her hand tightened on his arm, her nails digging in, but he was too stunned by the sudden attack to say anything.

"I never wanted you! He forced me to foster you, to keep you. And look. He's not even here. As soon as he got a better family he left." She yelled at him with a crazed look on her face.
For so long he'd yearned for her to talk to him. To give him more than a one-word reply, but at this point he wanted nothing more than for her to ignore his existence. "He replaced me with that, that thing, and as soon as the other two devils came along, he replaced you with them!" She hissed.

He looked away and pried her hand off him. He retreated two steps and turned away. He called to her, “Mom-".

"Don't call me that!" She screamed, her hands flailing wildly. She stumbled past him, down the stairs. He followed her, worried she might do something she'd regret. He walked behind her into the kitchen, where she went straight to the fridge. She opened it and zeroed in on a beer bottle, opening it and guzzling it down straight from the bottle. He guessed that she only had a matter of minutes until she passed out, seeing the dazed look on her face.

He walked out the kitchen, went up the stairs, taking them two at a time. Walking into his bedroom, he got his clothes; a simple navy t-shirt and black trousers. Taking them into the toilet, he took the quickest shower of his life and got ready for school, wanting to be away from the chaos that was ensured to follow when she woke up.