Blue-eyed tears

Chapter 1

"No, stop! I didn't mean it!"

"Yes you did, you little brat!" "Don't lie!" he said, furious and tugging the roots of my hair.

"I won't do it again!" I said in broken sobs,

"I'll make sure you won't do it again!" he said, as he dragged me down, into the basement.

"I'm sorry!" I said, but he was not in the mood for apologies,"I don't care if you say sorry!", "You're staying here until I say to come out, that'll teach you a lesson!" he shouted, kicking me, as I lay there helplessly.

Another hard kick to the leg and he went upstairs. To drink. I lay there for hours, my legs still aching from the kicks...

"I hope you're still alright, Louisa," I say, tears sliding down my cheeks. I go down on my knees, praying that Louisa would be alright. "Please be alright," I whisper over and over again... "please".

I sit down on the floor, my head leaning on my knees and I go to sleep.

It's morning, ... Louisa?

"Louisa come here! Dad locked me in here!" I shout,

still remembering not to be too loud in case dad wakes up.

"I'm coming Hettie!" she comes and unlock the door, she runs to me and hugs me, her head leaning on my chest,

"I heard dad shouting at you, I was so scared..." she says, with tears.

"Don't worry, dad didn't hurt me that much, he just bruised me that's all," I say, reassuring her that I was okay; I didn't want her worrying.

"Come on! Let's get some breakfast before dad wakes up,"

"Yes, let's" she says, then we tiptoe up the stairs and into the kitchen, I open the wooden cuboard and find an open packet of crisps, mostly full and it looks like it was only opened yesterday, we then, me and Louisa, start to eat them..

"It's finished," "Should we go and find something else to eat?" Louisa asks.

"Yes," I reply, I forage for food in the cuboard and find some tea biscuits still in date. "Let's eat these," We eat three biscuits each, saving some for tomorrow, and close the cupboard. "I think that's enough food for now,"A split second passes, we could hear dad upstairs, "Oh no..." "Get back in the basement before dad comes, Hettie", we rush downstairs to the basement and Louisa locks me up again.

We hear Dad again and Louisa rushes up the stairs and runs to our bedroom. Dad thunders into the basement and shouts "Hettie, you want me to come in and let you out?"

"Yes!" I say.

"Okay then," he comes in and kicks me, and his fists punch my arm. But he's not done yet, he gets his belt out and whips me on head.

I lay there. Weak. "Have you learnt you're lesson then?" he shouts.

"Yes" I reply, still laying on the ground.

"What for?"

I gulp. "For breaking your wine bottle".

"That's right," "NOW GO!" I rush out into mine and Louisa's bedroom and weep.

The bedroom is more like a cupboard. But we make do with it. We don't even have beds. We have sleeping bags. But it's a bit like camping, I expect. We're used to it, so it's not really a problem.

We used to have a bigger bedroom but Dad wanted somewhere bigger to store his drinks and relax. Mine and Louisa's bedroom used to be his relaxing place but it

got too small for him, so now it's our old bedroom where he 'relaxes'.

Dad. Why was he my Dad? Why? Why did Mum have to die? My head is filled with all these thoughts, spinning round and round until it makes me dizzy.

Why couldn't I go to school, then I'd be safe, I blink and tears drip down my cheeks. My eyes are as red as lipstick and my face is as white as chalk. Make it stop, I say to myself, "Make it stop...".