Save Me || A Short Story

Save Me

"Alexis Alexandra Pennings?" the teacher called, looking around the room.

Alex slumped into her seat, always hating the substitutes when they called out attendance. Just another reminder that she was related to her older brother. Not to mention its an embarrassing name.

Her brother was your typical popular pretty boy, who everyone in every grade knew. He was the boy who had that charming smile that allowed him to get away with late assignments and coming home past curfew. Like her brother, she had long blonde hair, blue eyes, and pale skin. But looks was as far as their similarities went.

Alex was the outcast. More interested in music than anything else, shying away from parties and anyone who her brother was friends with. "Alexandra?" the teacher called again. Thankfully one of Alex's best friends, Jasmine, let out a small "She's here." and Alex let out a breath of air she didn't know she had been holding.

You see, the thing about Alex is, she's mute. Her friends Jasmine and Joseph always did the talking for her anyways. That's why she hated being the sister of Alan Pennings, she's expected to live up to this expectation to be as perfect as her brother. Well, the perfect image he has at school. little did everyone know, that at home, her brother showed his true colors.

He was diagnosed with Chronic Anger. He's good at controlling it at school, but at home, its scary. She has to lock her self in her room to keep from his raging fists. He scared her, and that's why she hated that he was her brother. She could never really get away from him.

The teacher frowned than moved on, calling everyone else's names. Alex went on in her robot-like state for the rest of the day. That sub had gotten her into a bad funk. And once she was in a bad mood, she was like that for the rest of the day. When the final bell rang, she headed to her locker and grabbed her stuff. She turned around to leave when she bumped into her brother. She signed "Sorry" in ASL.

He signed back to her, "Its okay." That was weird, she thought to herself. he never signed back to her unless he was saying something he didn't want others to hear. Not if it was something as simple as "Its okay." No, something was wrong, and she had a feeling that something horrible was going to happen tonight.

She walked home and opened the door. Her brother's car was in the driveway, So she knew to be quiet. She smelled chicken and gravy as she walked in. She didn't understand. Her brother hated chicken and gravy, and would never allow her parents to cook it. But it WAS her favorite meal. She shook her head. She had no idea what was going on, but ignored it, maybe he isn't eating here tonight, she thought.

~.~

knock knock knock. The door to her room creaked open, and her brother stood there, looming in the doorway. She cringed, hoping he wasn't mad at her for bumping into him earlier in the day. "Alex, its time for dinner." he says, then leaves, closing the door behind him. No yelling? No clenched teeth and threatening fists? This was turning into one of the most bizarre days she had ever had.

Alex put on a pair of fluffy socks and padded down the steps to the kitchen. What she saw made her skid to a stop, there in the entry to the kitchen. Her mom, slumped over in her chair, tied to it. And her dad, also tied, struggling against the restraints. With his hand he signed "Leave now!" Alex ran over to her mother and began to undo her ropes.

"I don't think so." came the all too familiar voice from behind her. "We are sitting and eating as a family." he said, taking her by the shoulders roughly and almost throwing her into her seat. She could already tell that where his hands had grabbed her there would be bruises.

He slumped into his seat and began to serve all of them. he undid the bandannas around her parents mouths so he could feed them like little babies. Alex didn't touch her food, just rolled it around wondering what was going on and why he was being so scary this time. He never ever acted so... crazy. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. She tried not to be nosy, but that's how she's always been.