resolve // 5SOS

35

tw/ mentions abuse
Ashton

"What would you say the average day in the house looked like for you, Axel?"

"Erm, Ally and I would go to school, then come home and go to our rooms and wait for food. Sometimes Martin let me watch drum videos on his phone,"

"How would you say you felt when you were at the house?"

"I'm not sure. I mainly focused on Ally, she was really depressed. She would just lay there and stare at the ceiling so I was worried most of the time, about her,"

"Did any of the adults ever help you, or help Ally, to feel less worried?"

"No,"

"Okay. Did you ever get into trouble, Axel?"

"Yeah,"

"What did you get in trouble for?"

"Everything. We both did, not just if we were bad. We got in trouble for existing,"

"That's quite different to what Alyssa suggested. Can you think why?"

"Ally doesn't remember half the stuff that happened. She wasn't there, mentally, she was in survival mode. She still thinks they are saints for giving us a roof over our head, even though they threatened to kick us out over and over again,"

"I see. How did you get punished when you got in trouble?"

"We got shouted at," he said, getting fidgety, "And smacked. Sometimes we got smacked when we didn't even do anything. Ally never did but I got hit with things too,"

"What kinds of things, Axel?"

"Whatever they could find,"

"Okay. Are you alright to carry on answering questions?"

"Yes," he said, his voice cracking. Gently, I rubbed his back and he tried to recompose himself.

I didn't know any of this.

"Did you ever get kicked out?"

"No,"

"When you got in trouble did you still get food and water?"

"Yeah. At home we got food, not at school. We had clothes on our backs and food on the table but that was it. We got what we needed to stay alive, but Ally really downplays how awful they were," he said, wiping his tears, "They hurt us physically and emotionally and I am never going to forgive them, ever, ever, ever,"

"Thank you for telling us this, Axel. Do you have any more information that might be useful that you would like to share? It is okay if not,"

"They never took us to the doctors, they never took us to school, they never said any kind words to us. They hurt us so much. One time Ally didn't speak for a month because they slapped her so hard after she said the wrong thing she was too scared to talk. Please don't let them near me ever again,"

"Okay. Thank you for the information, Axel,"

He had to answer a few questions from the other side, but honestly there wasn't a way to spin this in any different light, so then we got to leave. Axel walked away from us all when we left and sat in the corner, but he obviously wanted to be alone so we kept an eye on him and let him be.

Sierra had got Ally a smoothie and seemed to have calmed her down, but I sat with her away from everyone and cuddled her, watching Axel.

"Cal, can you go and sit with him please?"

"Will do,"

"Thank you,"

"You did so well up there," Crystal said, crouching infront of Ally, "We have all got your back. I could only dream of being as brave as you, you are incredible,"