Spoiled Love

Chapter 1: Welcome Home

I fall onto my bed, exhausted and stressed. I've spent my day taking care of my sister and brother. Not to mention that I have school tomorrow, and it's my first day in the middle of the first semester, no less. I still have to cook dinner before Father gets home or he'll be angry. Not to mention, I have to make sure my mother gets her medicine.

"Waaaaaaaaah! Wah-Wah-waaaaaaaaah!!!!"

"Cody, shut up!" Screamed Lynn. I groaned, "Not again. Just two minutes, please." But no, he was on max volume in the kitchen. I was willing to bet Lynn took whatever he was occupying himself with, incapable of seeing him satisfied when she was bored.

I went downstairs to a mortifying scene. Lynn was sitting on the counter with dirty clothes, playing on my phone, whilst Cody was whining on the ground with applesauce everywhere.

'I am so done for if Father sees this mess!'I panicked. "What the hell, Lynn!? Father will be home in twenty minutes and I've still got to cook dinner! Why is he on the floor in applesauce!?"

"He's there because I thought he was hungry, but I didn't know how to put him in the stupid high chair. So I just gave him a jar of applesauce." She retorted just when Father walked through the door.

'Shit, shit, shit!' I thought, as I turned to greet my father after his early arrival. "What the hell happened?!" He yelled as he walked up to me and slapped me right across the cheek. "I'm sorry, Father. Cody made a mess while I was in the bathroom," I said, taking care not to have Lynn in trouble as well.

"Well, don't just sit there! Clean the god-damned kitchen up! Did you make dinner like you're supposed to?"

"No, sir." I readied myself for the hit.

Smack!

My cheek was throbbing, but it was to be expected. Father did not take disobedience lightly. He made sure we knew our mistakes had consequences. Consequences led to failure, disappointment, and death.

I looked up at my father with tears stinging my eyes. "I'm sorry, father. I will go start it now." I did not cry. I would not cry. He'd only hit me again. "I want this mess cleaned up before I have to roast all of your asses red! Do I make myself clear?!" He yelled. "Yes, sir!" I answered back, hoping he won't notice Lynn and hit her, too. He seemed to accept my answer with a grunt and disdain in his eyes as he headed upstairs.

'Oh my god, we are all going to die.' I thought then looked at my half-scared-to-death sister and was glad I kept the hit from her once again. "Come on, Lynn, help me clean up, please?" She nodded, getting up for paper towels and starting to clean the farthest from Cody. I picked him up from the mess on the floor and took him to the bathroom to wash him up. After I took the rag and wiped him down a bit, I replaced the dirty applesauce-covered clothes and put them in the wash. After taking Cody and placing him in his playpen in the living room, I returned to the kitchen to help clean up the mess and start dinner.

Grabbing the mop out of the closet in the hall, I got as much of the stickiness up as I could. Lynn was already close to finishing with the wad of paper towels she had. "Ave's?" Said Lynn looking at me with concern. "Yes, Lynn?"

"Why do you let him do this?"

"I... I don't know. I can't control him. I just want you and Cody to be alright." I hesitated as I wrung out the mop and finished with the mess. "Then take us and run. You have a car and a license. We have cash. You could get a job, and we could all be safe from Daddy." She choked with tears welling in her eyes. "Lynn," I said painfully. "It's not that easy. He would find us. He'd punish us all. We wouldn't have a chance." I hung my head and looked away. It wasn't a bad idea. It's too flawed, though. It's not worth the risk. I sighed as I shut the mop away and set to work on making dinner.