Us

37-

Hunter Davis

"Hey dad! Look what my teacher gave me!" I am holding up my picture with an A scribbled on it in red pen. "It looks like shit; why can't you do better like your brother?" he says, patting my brother on the back. "It's all your fault," he says under his breath, but I still managed to hear.

I ran up to my room as tears filled my eyes. When I was 6, me and my sister Ella were playing by the river behind our house. It was our favourite spot; we'd come here every day after school and catch frogs or make little houses for creatures. We were doing our usual thing, catching frogs, when I saw the coolest frog ever. It had red spots and yellow lines across its back, while the rest of its body was black with a hint of green. I asked Ella to catch it for me since she did the catching while I did the looking. She was walking into the river, making her way to the frog slowly, when she suddenly tripped over a rock as her head lagged straight onto a rock. I was in shock; I could not move for the next 5 minutes before I ran back home to tell my mom and dad. Ella was the golden child; she was beautiful, smart, and loved by my parents, especially my dad. When they saw her, my mom had an instant heart attack while my dad rushed her to the hospital. A few days later, we were informed she didn't make it. Guilt filled me, and instead tears flooded my face. My dad immediately blamed me, while my brother agreed, and they both started their abuse. My mom couldn't take it anymore and tried to get custody of me, but failed and moved away on her own. That day, I was responsible for almost two deaths: my mom and my sister.

My dad has turned to drugs and alcohol since, but alcohol and his raging temper don't mix; they never will. Since I was the reason my sister died, I was the punching bag, the thing that did nothing but cry in hopes that they would hear and feel bad. I knew the abuse wasn't okay, but I was just a kid who wanted to be loved.

"You're useless; we should have gotten rid of you a long time ago, then maybe she would still be alive." He says this as he whips my back.

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I sit up, my breathing heavier than usual and my body covered in cold sweats. I get out of bed and glance at the clock on my nightstand: 4:33. I walk into the bathroom and turn the shower on. I step in, trying to forget the recent flashbacks. Once I'm done, I get out and splash cold water on my face. "Grow up, you're fine," I say to myself in the mirror. I change into another pair of sweats, and I lay back down in bed with Madison.

"Hey,are you okay?" Her voice was soft but filled with concern.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine," I say, lying through my teeth.

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The night was filled with tosses and turns until I finally slept. It was only two hours, but considering what happened, I was lucky I even closed my eyes.

I get up, walk down the staircase, and enter the kitchen.

Hey," Grace says, sitting on the kitchen counter, eating pancakes. I assume Madison was making

I grab a plate, then a pancake, and sit at the counter with Grace. I don't bother talking since nobody needs to hear me mope about my feelings. After I'm done, I wash my dish and set it down by the sink.

I walk back upstairs and lay back down on the bed. Here it goes again.

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word count- 643