A Touch Of Insanity

Prolouge

*click* he tries again. *click* a flame sprung from the lighter. He tillts the cigarette to the small flame. My almond shaped hazel eyes follow the dancing flame. "Want one?" He pulled another cigarette out of the pack and extended his arm. "No thanks. I'm good, dad" he rolls his eyes and turns in his seat. "Whatever" he tosses the unlit cigarette in the trash. My eyes go back to the book I had in my lap. Reading helped me get away and feel free. The book i was reading was from the library, I only had a moment to read before my mother came into the room.
"Riley, we need to have a conversation in the kitchen." I hesitantly look up at her from my book.
"why?"
"Now."
My dad doesn't even notice he just looks out the window, his mind in a fog.
"Fine"
I stand up and place my ring finger in the book so I cant loose my place. My dad is still watching the oak trees from the window.
When i get to the kitchen my mother speakes,
"I have gotten another call from the principal."
My eyes wonder away from her face so I could keep pretending the disappointment wasn't there. I knew why I was in this mess. I was with Charlie.
"Riley..."
"She said this is the eighth day you missed school this month."
"Im sorry"
I whispered the words, I thought, if they were more quite they may seem more sincere. But I didn't mean it.
"If you're father finds out..." My mom realized that she had spoken those words to loud. She lifted her head, like a dear hearing a gun go off. She peaked into the living room hoping he hadn't heard.

I can her loud footsteps coming from the other room.
My dad's tall body came into view as he turned into the kitchen.
"If I find out what, Alissa?"
"Nothing" it is now my mothers eyes that are darting around the room avoiding the glare of my dad.
"Alissa." His teeth were gritted.
"It was just a call from school."
His anger moved swiftly from my mother to me, a ten year old girl who only wanted a happy family.
"Riley, if you skipped school to see that boy..." He was talking about him, Charlie who was hoping from home to home sometimes living outside orin the forest and had no family since he was put into foster care when his mom got involved with some drug dealers from Chicago but, he was one of my only friends. I snuck out of school almost every week to go see him and bring him food from the cafeteria.
My dad said nothing but instead walked away I knew whate he was going. To the closet whare he will pull out a belt. My heart beat twenty times faster and my breath became more rapid. I looked at my mom but all she did was shed a tear.
"Mom..."
She looked away. She was leaving me to the monster.
My dad came back to the kitchen. With a bottle of beer and the belt in his hand. Neither of there things scared me as much as the rage in his eyes. No... No no no. Things were fine a moment ago, why was this all happening so fast?!
"You know we send you to school to learn, and you never show up. So disrespectful, you have no idea what I don for you." Tears streamed down my face.
"School is to help you learn, when you don't do that... then I have to help you learn you could have avoided this, Riley." My terrified Mom had backed up against the kitchen wall. My little brother, Eric looked in the room, but only for a second when he saw what was going to happen, then he turned and he ran back to his bedroom. No one was going to help me. I was all alone. All I could do was cry.
"STOP CRYING!" He yelled and lifted up the belt. It came down across my face. My mind was scrambled I knew if I stayed still he might only hit me only once again. The pain was scrapping on my brain and I couldn't think, panick does somthing to your mind.

I ran.

I pushed past him and sprinted trough the living room. Faster then I have ever gone. I  slamed open the first door I saw. I rammed my whole body into the door, closing it. *click* the locked turned. Safe... I backed away from the door. And then my dad's booming voice....
"OPEN THIS GOD DAMNED DOOR MELANIE!!!"
The panick struck again. *BAM* his sholder hit the door with so much force that my father dropped his beer. Wait, this was my father's room... My eyes instantly went to the gap under the matress, where my dad kept his gun. I saw my dad load and unlaod it millions of times. I even saw him shoot it. I just need to remember exactly how. I tried to push the dresser infront of the door, but I was to weak.
He had never let me use the gun, he didn't even want me touching it. My head told me to call the police but, he would still be there. Haunting me. I am going to do somthing that I wished happend along time ago. And a little bit of happiness swelled at the idea of killing him.

"OPEN THIS DOOR NOW!" He slamed against it again.
I walked to the side of the bed and lifted the matress. Sure enough it was there. I loaded it, just like my dad used to and held it in my shaking handes. I closed my eyes and exhaled. I didn't realize I was holding my breath.

"OPEN THE DOOR RILEY!!!"
I moved the dresser back and unlocked the door.
"I WILL BEAT YOU TO DEATH YOU LITTLE BITCH!"
I said nothing all I did was lift the gun. He stopped screaming. For a moment I thought he was sorry. But he started to laugh.

"You stupid pice of shit, you can't use that gun, you don't know how! Now, put it back so I can hit you so hard you can't breathe!"

But, instead I raised the gun to his head And I, Riley Anne Human at age ten, shot my father. His powerless body fell to the ground and all I could do was stand there and watch the life leave my abusive, arragent, terrifying father's eyes. And for the first time in a very long while I smiled.