9-1-1: The Family We Chose

911, Whats Your Emergency?

Living in Austin Texas, Talia Becker had quite the life. When she was just 10, her parents always drank, but she always had her sister to protect her. That was until she didn't. February 9, 2001, was the year everything changed.

*

"I-I'm sorry mom. I-I didn't mean to drop t-the bowl."

"Next time be careful, you bitch!"

She goes to hit me, but Hailey stops her.

"Mom! Cut it out! It was an accident!"

"What did you say? Are you second guessing me?!"

"I, no. I'm not."

Hailey steps in front of me and pushes me behind the kitchen doorway by the stairs.

"You know, your father and I heard about you and your boyfriend. Care to explain?"

"No." She scoffs.

"Excuse me? Don't you scoff at me."

Mom takes her fist and hits Hailey in the eye.

"Hailey!"

"N-no. Lia stay back."

I go to run to her, but an arm pulls me to the ground.

"Listen to your sister, and stay back." Dad hisses at me.

He pushes me farther behind the wall, and I scoot myself to the edge of the stairs.

"Hey! Don't you treat your mother like that, you bitch!"

I hear the punches landing, and Hailey's groans. It seemed like hours had passed, but I no longer heard her cries. I peaked over the wall and saw her lying there, lifeless.

"No. No! Hailey!"

I scrambled to her side and shook her shoulders as hard as I could.

"Please! Wake up! Hailey!"

I turned to my parents with tears spilling out of my eyes.

"Y-you, you killed her! You killed her! You killed your own daughter!" I scream on the top of my lungs. "You killed my sister! My best friend!"

"Shut up! Shut up!"

Dad throws me across the floor, and my head slams against the cabinet. He walks over to me and grabs my shirt.

"You don't speak of any of this. Understood?"

"Y-yes." I whisper.

*

After Hailey died, my parents got worse. They drank whatever alcohol they had, and used drugs at some point. Every time I'd come home from school, they'd be drunk or high. Some days they would abuse me, some days they wouldn't.

But it wasn't only my parents who got worse. It was me too. Hailey was like my lifeline, so without her, my life fell apart. I started doing bad in school, I lost all of my friends, and I was lonely all the time.

The more I stayed at home instead of going out to hangout with friends, the more my parents would hit me. They'd cut me with beer bottles, or beat me until I couldn't stand up anymore.

Everyday I'd would walk into school with bruises and cuts all over my body. Hoodies and sweats covered the ones on my body, but the ones on my face were noticeable. No one bothered to ask if there was anything wrong, but truthfully, I
didn't mind the silence. My parents barely saw me other than a punching bag, so I knew how it felt to be invincible.