𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐫 ||𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐠𝐨 𝐏𝐝 (𝐔𝐩𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝)

Chapter 4

Sneaking out of my room and softly shutting my bedroom door behind me, I position my feet on the specific areas of the wooden floor which I knew wouldnt creak under pressure.

After years of experience, I had grown pretty good at it and despite the soreness which would devour my threshold of pain, I didn't let it hold me back.

The bathroom was only across the hallway from my door, but this house was old and therefore meant that any sound made would bounce through the walls, creating an echo deemed for destruction.

I knew that my dad would be sober at this time of the morning, but that wasn't what worried me, it was the side effects which would take toll as soon as he wakes. And god forbid the consequences that would occur to whoever was unlucky enough to snatch away his slumber.

Of course, I'd rather it be me then my brother, but I was the only person with any chance of making noise right now...

After finally reaching my destination, I bolted the bathroom door and began to run the shower - making sure to reduce the water pressure before turning it on.

This was my routine every school day, I had to make sure the shower was quiet enough so no one could hear, although this was pretty much impossible considering how thin our walls were.

Deciding not to further consider the extra damage which could be done to me if I awoke my father, I gently removed my clothes and silently stepped into the flow of steaming water. My teeth gritted together, and my muscles tensed as the stinging reminder of my father's hatred towards me seared through the gashes on my stomach.

This was a regular occurrence, but it didnt mean the pain got any better, all it meant was I knew what to expect.

Not gaining the courage to look at the damage, I softly shut my eyes as I began to wash my hair hoping for any kind of route away from the burning sensation in which I could feel over each layer of my skin.

I enjoyed this time of the day, the time where the clock stops, and you get swept away in the peace that consumes you. The time where your tears hide and blend in with the streams of warmth rushing down your face, and during these moments of time absolutely nothing can take away the desperation you face as you search your occupied mind for reasons that will help you through the day; reasons that will help you survive.

Despite my wishes of staying hidden and being locked away from this cruel world, reality soon came to life. The peace had vanished, and all that was left was a crumb of hope, hope of a new life... a better life.

That tiny fragment was something I cherished. I held on to it with everything I could muster and soon enough it was the only reasoning in why I hadn't given up yet. There must be something out there, something better than this.

Due to the short shower, there was no need to clean or hide any indications of my early activities. The mirror was still translucent and luckily no condensation had been dumped or disposed of on any of the bathrooms surfaces.

Much to my disapproval, the temperature plummeted and drastically decreased as I carefully stepped, tiptoeing cautiously out of the shower and towards were my towel lay.

My eyes averted elsewhere as I hurriedly covered my exposed skin and wrapped the thin material around my frozen figure. I hated the view I had in this room, everything was too light and clear to see, but it was almost a fake sense of security, a trick designed by him to make us forgive something that can't be forgiven and to show and prove to us that what we looked like was indeed normal.

In front of where I stood was the mirror, it covered the majority of the bathroom wall and was relatively large - much to my fathers choice and approval. Unsurprisingly, everything in this house was chosen by him and there was nobody who could change his mind and certainly wouldnt dare to challenge his authority.