Sweet Penelope

Bloody and Resolute

I carried Penelope to our room and tucked her into her bed. I kissed her forehead and a smile spread across her face. "I love you, Mason." I smiled. "I love you, Penny. Sweet dreams."

I heard Thomas and Daniel arguing in the living room. Penelope was fast asleep and I was laying in my bed, trying to go to sleep. Daniel was begging to stay the night and sleep on the couch and Thomas was telling him no every time. Eventually, I heard Thomas give in. I rolled my eyes at the thought of someone being so rude all of the time. Then, I fell asleep.

I heard a slight creaking on the stairs, which faintly woke me up, but I decided to ignore it because Penelope and I had finally felt the relief of having a comfy home, and the house was old. The door, I'll never forget the door. Slowly, more and more light peered through. Penelope raised up from her pillow and called out "Mom?" Cheryl was probably coming to check up on us. There was no answer though, and I closed my eyes for the last time.
As soon as my consciousness started to slip, I heard the last thing I ever wanted to hear. "Mason, please help me, he is hurting me!" My eyes shot open and I sprung out of my bed. Daniel was smiling at me, as he was on top of Penelope, holding his dirty hand over her mouth. I ran towards him but he knew it was coming. He grabbed my hair and slammed my head into the dresser. I groaned and I felt warm blood trickle down my forehead. "Penny!" I made eye contact with her as a tear ran down her little red cheek. Daniel kicked me in the face, and I fell back. Everything went black. I wanted to get up, I needed to. But my body wouldn't let me. I was trapped and I didn't know how to get out.

The window was left open and a slight breeze blew through. I regained consciousness and I slowly opened my eyes. My brain felt like it was on fire, and my nose was definitely broken. But none of that mattered to me, I got up as quickly as I could. Penelope was laying in her bed and she was bleeding. I climbed into the bed with her and held her, I took the blanket and tried to apply pressure to her bleeding wound. I noticed more than one bleeding wound, and I tried to apply pressure on the others too. She was in pain and she was trying to cry but she couldn't get the breaths out. I looked into her eyes which no longer twinkled and shined, they no longer showed happiness and satisfaction or contentment. They were wide, blurry, and they looked glassy. "Penny..." A soft tear rolled down my cheek as I knew what the outcome was. Penelope was bleeding out, I couldn't stop it. She had been stabbed at least four different times. I held her head and I started to cry harder and harder. "Penelope please, no no, you have to stay with me. You can't leave me here alone, I'm so sorry. I should've saved you, I should've got off of my ass sooner, I'm so sorry beautiful. Fuck, I'm so sorry!" She reach up and softly touched my face. Her hands were cold and she was pale. I put my hand on top of hers, she tried to wipe away one of my tears but there were too many and she couldn't. She wanted to speak, she had something to say but she couldn't form the words. "Don't close your eyes, don't let go. You're strong Penny, and you know it. Don't let go, life needs you. I need you. Please!" I knew begging her to stay couldn't do anything, and I know she couldn't comprehend what I was saying. She knew her fate as well as me, and I didn't know how to change it. She stopped blinking, her glazed eyes stared up at the ceiling and her small chest stopped moving up and down. I almost felt her heart stopped beating, a pain shot through my chest. I picked up her limp body and squeezed her. I put her head on my shoulder and I cried into her neck. Cheryl ran up the stairs. "Oh my god!" I didn't look at her, I didn't care. My life was in my arms, and my soul had already left my body. Cheryl touched my shoulder and she put her hand over her mouth. She started to cry as well. "I'm so sorry, I thought she was having a bad dream. I had no idea, Mason. Oh my lord, who did this?" Thomas came up after her and he began to cry too. He dialed emergency services. I could not describe my pain, even if I really tried. I sworn my entire life to protect her. To give her the best life that I could and I couldn't even save her when she needed me. Her last thought was, "Why didn't Mason help me?" Oh, Penelope, I tried. I tried so hard, I would do anything for her sweet soul and she knew that. I had kept my promise for all of these years and when it finally meant something, I couldn't act on it. I felt guilt, hatred, depression, and loneliness. All at once. It was Daniel, he did this to my baby sister. He took her innocence before he took her life, she had bruises where little girls should never have bruises. Her shirt was ripped, and everything below her waist was bare. She had no idea what he was doing to her, or what it meant, but it hurt and she wanted it to stop. Her instinct was to call out my name but I wasn't there. I got my ass kicked. And I was meant to save her. And I didn't. I rubbed her soft hair, and I gently shut her eyes for her. I was covered in her blood and it dripped down the bed posts. I made a new promise to myself, as I held Penelope's body. He would bleed as she bled. He would scream and he would bleed more. And I would smile, just as he smiled at me.