Dancaholic

13. In My Room

I was only eight when I found out. I can’t believe I was so blind, I should have known. But I didn’t. Not that it mattered anyway; there was nothing I could have done. That's what everyone tells me.

"Did you like your dinner, Ambs?" My mum asked, taking the plate away from its place on the table in front of me.

"Yeah! Chicken nuggets are the best!" I exclaim, grinning. "Thanks, mummy."

Mum bent down, brushing my hair away from my face before giving me a kiss on my forehead. "You're welcome, sweetie."

I turn my head to the right and look up my mum. I watch as she pushes the scraps into the bin before walking over to the dishwasher and putting the dish in it.

"Come on. We're off to watch a movie. What do you want to watch?"

"The Little Mermaid," I say, smiling sweetly.

Mum lets out a little chuckle. "Sure. The Little Mermaid it is."

I bounce off my seat and begin walking into the lounge. I come to an abrupt stop in the doorway.

"What is it, sweetie?" Mum asks worried.

I tilt my head to the side and look at her. "Aren't you eating?"

"I'll eat later."

"With daddy?"

She smiles. "Yes, with daddy."

"Okay," I nod. "Let's go watch!"

I watched The Little Mermaid with my mum. Josh didn't show up, I wondered where he was but I didn't think much into it. Now that I think of it, mum kept looking at the clock and seemed a bit uneasy. I was asleep when mum took me to my room. She had tucked me in with the blankets nice and tight, wrapping me up in a cacoon. I smile now, thinking of this. Mum has always been there for me, which I'm very greatful for. Even when she was breaking inside, she didn't show it. She always hid it from Dawn and I; we hadn't suspected a thing.

Until that same night when I woke up in the middle of the night.

A loud thud against the wall that connects my room to my parent's room made me wake up. Startled, I sit up and grip my sheets closer to me like they were my shield. I can hear muffled voices and in a matter of seconds, another thud. My heart began racing a mile a minute but I was persistant. I threw the covers off and stepped onto the cold wooden floor. When I go to open the door, I hear screaming and shouting. Hesitantly, I walk out into the chilly hallway and slowly make my way over to my parent's room. I reach out to touch the handle but quickly jerk back when I hear more shouting. This sounded a lot more intense. I quickly build up the courage to turn the handle and open the door. I was horrified by what I saw.

"Would you stop shrieking, bitch?!" I hear my father say.

My father's holding my mum by her hair and in a flash, she was thrown to the floor. I cringe as I hear her body smack onto the floor.

"Daddy?" I ask, in disbelief.

He turns around to face me. When his eyes lock onto mine, I see how surprised he is to see me. He wasn't expecting me. He thought I was in bed.

"Oh my... Uh... You shouldn't be here. Go to your room!" He says, walk over trying to shoo me out of the room.

"Daddy, what are you doing to Mummy?" I ask, feeling water form in my eyes. 

"Nothing, go to your room," He remarks.

It obviously wasn't nothing. I walk into the room and look down at my mum crumpled on the floor. She turns her head and looks up at me.