"Mom's screaming Kathleen..." It was Aanika whispering to me in the darkness of our shared bedroom. From the shake in her six-year old voice, I could tell that it was one of those nights.
The creak of the door opening alerted me, and I instantly bolted upright in bed and found myself looking into Tanner's shivering blue eyes. At four-years old, he is child innocence incarnated, but his ocean eyes show an old soul, trapped beneath the waves.
Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes as he gently closed the door and ran for my awaiting embrace. He calmed when he fell into my arms, and by then mom and dad were both screaming at each other. The argument ended an hour later in five deafening sounds:
A vase shattering against a wall,
the door slamming shut,
the truck engine starting,
tires screaming as the truck sped from the driveway,
and mom's sobs coming from the base of the stairs.
Just like in the song 'When Did This Storm Begin' by Shiny Toy Guns, this is the first day of the rest of our lives; dad was gone and mom collapsed under the weight of her emotions, leaving eighteen-year old me in charge of two small, scared children.
Perfect.
"Welcome to our shattered lives." I whispered, gently stroking the top of Tanner's head as Aanika curled up against my side.
YOU ARE READING
Shatterd
Teen FictionKathleen Michaels is your typical high school senior trying to maintain her facade just to get though a typical day. Only Kathleen's life isn't so typical. After her estranged father left, Kathleen is left to care for her two younger siblings and em...
