Saving Ant and Sarha

The "Aunt" From Hell

To say that Ant was in hell would be an understatement. It was like he was living with his father again. Kathleen was mostly punishing him but he wouldn't complain. He would gladly put up with this torture if it meant his sister was safe.

It was night and the house was very quiet. Their bedroom, the basement, was very dark and dusty. It was packed with all the junk Kathleen had accumulated over the years.

There was a corner sectioned off for him and Sarha with a twin bed with no headboards. It had a single pillow and a thin, burlap-like blanket. There was an old lamp that flickered tediously upon a night table. Below it were a few rat traps.

"You wouldn't believe how much vermin could get into the basement this time of year." his "aunt" had commented.

Ant was sitting in his bed, hugging his knees to his chest. Sarha had fallen asleep a while ago but for some reason he couldn't. He heard the scampering of an animal's feet and quickly backed against the wall. He looked into his hand, which was clutching the cufflink Dec had given him and began to cry.

********

At around 1:30 in the morning, Ant heard Kathleen stumbling down the stairs. He buried himself as deep under the covers as possible pretending to be asleep when he heard the woman call his name.

"Ant!" he was surprised she didn't wake Sarha up with how loud she was.

A moment later the basement door swung open, hitting the wall. Kathleen grabbed the sheets on his bed and yanked them back forcibly. She pulled Ant up by the arms and grabbed his skinny face between her thumb and index finger.

"When I call you, you answer. Got it?" she hissed. Ant could smell the sickly sweet stench of booze on her breath.

Who drinks at 1:30 in the morning?

"Yes, ma'am." Kathleen let go of his arm and shoved him out of the room.

"Go make me something to eat!" she ordered, walking into her own bedroom. It felt like some sort of out-of-body experience. Ant didn't even know he was talking.

"Who are you? Are you really married to Derek Woodhall?" he found himself asking. Kathleen turned back around, looking at him with an evil smile.

"Oh no, I'm no wife. But I am a close friend of his." she replied, and continued walking back to her room. Sarha was right. That was why they haven't seen their uncle Derek. Ant was so upset with himself. He should have listened to her.

He walked into the kitchen and pulled out pots, a box of pasta, and a jar of sauce. When he was finished cooking, he brought it to Kathleen who was waiting expectantly in her room on her bed. She took it without a word.

"You're welcome..." muttered Ant.

SMACK!

Kathleen backhanded Ant so hard that he fell to the ground.

"Don't you EVER talk back to me AGAIN. Do you understand me?" Kathleen roared, her cold bloodshot eyes looking into An't's. Ant nodded, tears burning the back of his eyes,

"Yes, ma'am." He scurried out of the room, thankful she didn't come after him.

********

One Month Later...

It had been a month, thirty days, since Ant and Sarha left. Since then, Anne realized, Dec had changed for the worse. He stayed in his room all day, barely even coming down for food. He didn't pay attention in class, wasn't doing his homework nor his classwork, and he closed himself off from everybody. It's not like he talked to that many people before but he was even shutting out Stephen.