Two. (Phan)

7. Dan

warning: Abuse

Ten.

Ten years old.

Ten days, and his parents had finally come home.

This was the first his parents had left him all alone for more than a week.

Ten. Dan was ten.

He remembered the door bell. The one that sounded like chimes and church bells. He always loved them because his mom had once told him those are what their wedding bells sounded like.

Ya. His family wasn't always so fucked up.

They were actually once good parents, up until Dan was ten.

His hands stopped drumming on the couch and he turned off the cartoon on the television.

Mama and Daddy are home! He's not alone anymore!

They stumbled through the door and little Dan smiled, his dimples standing out on his cheeks.

They were both tan from wherever tropical place they vacationed, unlike him, but differences stop there.

He had his mom's smile, and they way she laughed. Although her hair was black, he had her natural soft waves.

His mom was beautiful and everyone told him so.

And she was always nice.

He didn't realize later that 'nice' wasn't the right word. Try fake. or two faced.

His dad, well, he had his dad's eyes, and his general quiet behaviour. He would later get his height.

His dad was tall, and it made it harder for him to fit through the door when he was completely hammered.

Dan's small bare feet stopped at the end of the hallway and his grin faded, as he watched his mom struggle to support the weight of a full grown man, struggling to escape.

She looked at him and through gritted teeth, she grunted.

" Dan go to your room."

"Mama what's going on."

"Dan, go to your room now."

"Daddy?"

His dad has ripped himself away from his wife's grips and was stumbling toward Dan, who stood there, torn between hugging him or shrinking back.

His dad took Dan's face between his hand and squeezed tightly, making Dan whine with pain.

"Get offa me! Dad stop it!"

"Shut up, brat." He laughed, shaking Dans face roughly.

He heard his mom from down the hall. She was just a blur now.

"James...."

"Shut up, Melissa."

"James stop! You're hurting him!"

"Melissa shut the fUCK UP!"

He rounded on her, roughly shoving Dan away, hitting the floor lightly, but he thought it best to stay down. His body was paralyzed with shock anyway.

His mom had her hands up and was backing away.

"James please......you're drunk...don't hurt him!"

"He's a right piece of shit and you're the mutt that made him, fucking bitch."

Smack.

Suddenly his mom had hit the wall, her hand cupping her face, the bright red mark spreading across her cheek but Dan still thought she never looked as pretty.