Disillusioned

Twelve

Remi's POV

"Remi," a voice called out to me from the kitchen. I kept my eyes staring blankly at the show playing in front of me. I hadn't had any interest in what was playing, as long as the background noise played to serve its purpose of keeping me distracted.

The thoughts of the human mind are interesting. They could be really sweet and simple—letting you live in the moment. They could give you inspiration or feelings of love and adventure. They could pump excitement through your veins if you let them influence your imagination.

Unfortunately, there's a flip side to pretty much everything in life. Thoughts could provide you with false hope. They could make you see what you wanted to see instead of what was right in front of your face. They could taint your entire perspective, really. Reality takes up forms in the unknown and the unknown puts into question whether it exists or not in the first place.

Was I being fooled? Had I been wrong this entire time in thinking my own father could return to his loving role.

The issue with experiencing someone loving you is that you have something to think back on when you feel that love slipping away. You become desperate enough to lie to yourself in attempt to protect your mind and your heart.

I was done lying.

Dad saw disappointment when he looked at us. He demonstrated violence at our very presence. Gone was the man who vowed to protect me with his entire heart.

He was the one I now needed protecting from.

"Remi!" Logan's voice yanked me from my daze.

My blank stare met him from where he stood at the threshold of the living room. "What?"

"We've been calling you for dinner you didn't hear us?"

I sighed and got to my feet. I slumped down into the seat on the end of the kitchen island, using my forearms as barriers from the others. I didn't want them to see me defeated, especially because I was more angry than hurt.

I didn't deserve to feel this way.

Small talk broke out between Adrian and my brothers. I kept to myself though, taking small bites of the lasagna that Adrian had somehow cooked up from the little they had here. He was surprisingly a good cook but with a last name of Accardi I expected the Italian genes gave him such talent.

Logan asked about what we were gonna do now that we weren't living with Dad and I perked up. That was something I had been also very curious about. We couldn't stay here much longer, that much I knew considering how far it was from our school.

Christian cleared his throat as he made eye contact with Adrian; the two communicated something with their eyes.

"What?" Logan asked.

Chris swirled his fork around in his plate. "We're going to have to go back to Mom's until things are settled."

"So that's it then." Logan said. "She finds out about what a jackass Dad has been and how he's been treating us? We're just gonna give up. Do you realize what that will do to her?"

"Do you realize what it will do to her if she finds out he's been beating you all and you haven't come to her sooner?" Adrian joined in, raising his brow at Logan. "I said this to Christian too. You all have to stop trying to be the parent, you're just kids and abuse is not something to be taken lightly."