I lay in bed, my finger tracing the patterns across the wallpaper half listening to the argument going on behind the door. Lucas fought with mum most days, it was normally if she had slapped me, wasted all our money on cigarettes or something like that. I used to hide under my bed when they fought scared she would do something horrible to him but I was too big now, at the age of eleven I no longer fit under the rickety camp bed that was prone to collapsing in the middle of the night. The last thing I remember before falling asleep was Lucas coming in and getting his rucksack out and filling it with stuff.
***
When I woke up the next morning I saw the mattress on the floor where Lucas slept was empty I didn't think it was weird he was normally up way before me. I walked into the living room and looked around but he wasn't there either I decided he'd gone shopping because when I looked at the bread last night I remember it looking kinda moldy. As usual mum was still in bed, it was rare if she got up before noon. So I went over to the kitchen area and looked for something to eat that wasn't too far past it's use by date and ended up having dry corn flakes. I waited for Lucas to get back so we could walk to school but he obviously decided he wasn't going today so I went alone.
***
I expected Lucas to be home when I got back from school but he was still missing this is when I started to get worried Mum was sat on the sofa smoking and gazing into space and didn't even look up when I walked in.
" You seen Lucas?" I asked her a lump growing my throat. Her head snapped around her eyes are such a dark brown that from a distance they look black.
"Has the lazy bastard taken the day off?" She snarled. A shiver ran down my back the way it did whenever she spoke me. I wanted to shout at her tell her how unfair that was she's the lazy one sitting on sofa all day after sleeping in till noon while he cooked, cleaned and shopped for her. But her black eyes stated at me daring me to say it but I knew what I'd get if I did I'm constantly bruised from her slaps and objects that have been thrown at me if she couldn't be bothered to move. So I just shrugged and went to my room.
***
I hid in my room all evening but at about 7 I got hungry and went into the kitchen Mum was still sat on the sofa but this time the tv was on. I opened a tin of beans and put them in the microwave.
"When will Lucas get back?" I asked Mum hoping she'd know the answer. Instead of a reassuring hug and her telling me not to worry she laughed cruelly.
"He's not coming back stupid he's gone."
"Gone?" I stared at her in disbelief it couldn't be, he wouldn't abandon me but I was wrong he did.
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Genç Kurgu"I waited a year for him to come back, he never did." My brother Lucas brought me up because my mum wouldn't, he protect me from her harsh words and sharp slaps but that meant he got the worst of it. When I was 11 Lucas ran away and left me behind h...
