Bad Blood ~Rewrite~

Twelve

Caitlyn sat in the garden, silently counting petals on a daisy as bumble bees buzzed softly around her. The young girl ignored the insects as she stared intently at her flower.

"Caity!" A sudden voice called, "What are you doing?" She looked up and smiled at her older brother as he stared cautiously at the bees that surrounded her. "You shouldn't be in the garden, you're allergic to bees!"

"They won't hurt me if I don't threaten them," she said softly. Sudden shouting sounded from inside the house, gaining her attention suddenly. "Why do Mommy and Daddy always fight?" She asked sadly. Dylan sighed and pushed through the flowers to sit beside her. "Why don't they love eachother anymore?"

"I don't know," he said, pulling his sister into a hug.

The scene changed suddenly and Caitlyn woke up in her childhood bedroom. She was a few years older now and her dark curls cascaded down her back. She could hear her mother shouting at her step-father and a shiver ran up her spine. Her door opened quickly and she looked up to see Dylan hurrying inside. He closed the door behind himself and turned to look at his sister.

"What's going on?" She asked quietly.

"Allen's pissed," he muttered softly. Suddenly, their mother's voice cut off, followed by a loud crash. Caitlyn stood up quickly and hurried toward the door, but Dylan quickly stopped her. Loud boots began ascending the stairs and they could hear their mother's soft sobs.

"Leave them alone!" She begged. "Please!" Dylan turned to his sister quickly before ushering her towards the closet. He pushed her inside and closed the door, turning quickly to face their stepfather as the bedroom door slammed open. Caitlyn stared intently out the slats of her closet, feeling her heart beating in her chest.

"Where are your sisters, boy?" Allen demanded.

"Julia took Caitlyn with her to the retreat," he lied, guarding the closet door.

"Don't lie to me, boy," he spat. "Where are you hiding them?"

"Leave my family alone." Allen stepped forward and grabbed Dylan by the hair, throwing him to the side. He reached forward to open the closet door, but Dylan jumped up quickly and tackled the man. The two men struggled for a moment before falling back towards the door. A sudden banging sounded through the house and Caitlyn hurried out of her hiding spot. She looked out and saw Dylan and Allen laying in a heap at the bottom of the stairs.

"Dylan!" Their mother shouted at him. "What did you do?" Dylan pulled himself off of the floor, watching as his step-father groaned in pain. Both of them were bruised and bleeding.

"What did I do? Mom! He hit you! He hits us! You need to leave him!"

"She's not going anywhere," Allen said, pulling himself up.

"Mom, if you don't leave him-"

"What are you going to do about it?" Allen snapped. Dylan turned and punched him in the face, dropping him to the floor.

"Dylan, stop! Please!" Their mother begged, falling beside her husband.

"How can you defend him?" He shouted. "After everything he's done to this family, how the fuck can you defend him?!"

"Dylan..." Caitlyn muttered softly.

"Dylan, please," their mother cried.

"Who would you rather leave, Mom? Him or me?" Their mother sat silently in her place, looking between her son and her husband. Dylan scoffed lightly and rolled his eyes. "Fine..." he muttered, turning and walking to the door.