W.A.R.M.T.H: The Prologue

Dysfunction

                                                                                          AJ

"JJ!!" I hear as I step out of the red Mustang. I look towards the sound and see a 7-year-old little girl rushing down the walkway of my old, creaky house. I swoop her up in my arms, sending her into a fit of giggles.

"Hey, little monster, sorry I'm late. Where's Jay?"

cradled in my arms, she looks at me with her big, green eyes.

"He's playing video games."

She scrunches her little nose.

"I tried playing with him, but he told me to leave him alone." I put her down.

"Well, he's not very nice, is he?" she starts giggling again.

"Uh-uh"

she shakes her head at each "uh" for emphasis on the noise. I smile down at her,

"Well, you can come and help me. Let's go make some Mac N Cheese."

I turn back to wave at Ren and Raven, who is still in the car, and then guide Millie back inside. I notice that the yellow-beige paint on the entire left side of the house is peeling, the two wooden steps leading up to our door are all but broken, and the lawn needs some serious grooming. I'll deal with it tomorrow. Tonight, I need to wash the dishes and clean up the living room. And I need to stay up to make sure Millie doesn't have another nightmare. I still need to get ahold of that pediatrician.... When we get inside the house, there's yelling.

"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE, YOU BASTARD!!" "YOUR HOUSE, YOU OLD DRUNK?! THIS IS MY HOUSE, YOU UNGRATEFUL LITTLE"-

I cover Millie's ears and guide her into Jason's room, who has his ear pressed up against the door. I surprise him when I come in.

"AJ?"

he says. I close his bedroom door and uncover Millie's ears. "Hey," I say to him as I lightly push him away from the door

"Stop listening to that. Here, keep Millie in your room. I'll be right back."

I nudge Millie further into his room and move to walk out the door

"AJ, wait, don't go."

While pulling on the back of my shirt, Jason says I look back at him, and he pleads to me silently with his gray eyes. They're beginning to well with tears. In a whispering voice, he speaks,

"You'll get hurt again" I turn to face him.

"Jay," I begin soothingly,

"I'll be fine. I'm used to it."

I push his hair out of his eyes. He's trying to keep the tears from falling. I open the door.

"You shouldn't be."

Jason grumbles before I walk out. In the living room, it has gone from yelling to screaming and throwing glasses at the wall.

"STOP THROWING SHIT AT ME. YOU F****** A**HOLE!"

an empty glass of what was probably whiskey strikes the wall behind her, and she screams. She grabs the closest object, which happens to be a lamp, and throws it at my father, who ducks before it can hit him in the head. The porcelain shatters against the wall, and I have to shield my face from getting it in my eyes

"YOU BI-"

"Hey!"

I yell loud enough for them to hear. Their attention goes to me automatically. My dad is red in the face, his eyes filled with fury. And my mother looks disgusted that I interrupted them. I swear she gets off on these fights. It reeks of alcohol in here; something else I'm going to have to clean up tonight.