We Were Lightning (Landslide Book 3: Violet)

Chapter Two

Hi, so I couldn't help myself and I'm posting early. I have a decent amount written and this weekend is gonna be relatively busy. I won't have a regular schedule, but I'll probably be posting a lot faster than usual. 

If you'd rather I post only twice a week let me know, other wise it'll probably be a chapter or so every other day since the chapters are so short. 

This chapter is a bit heavy and I advise you to take whatever precautions you need to in order to take care of yourself. This is your trigger warning; if abuse is triggering to you please please please take care of yourself. 

Enjoy!

Chapter Two: Thirteen years ago

The first time it happened I was seven. My brother wasn't even a thought in my mom's mind at the time. She was young and so was my dad. They were high school sweethearts; fell in love when they were sixteen and never looked back. When she got pregnant with me he promised her a life of happiness; he became a mechanic and tried his best to give her everything she needed. They were happy; I was too. We didn't have much, but we had each other, and for a while that's all we needed.

I was drawing in the living room late one weekend. My mom didn't have the energy to try to get me to bed and was letting me tire myself out. She was exhausted. She worked all day and came home to have to take care of me, though she never complained. She sat on the couch behind me, red hair tied up in a messy bun, eyes glossy and tired as she watched TV. I could hear her sigh every now and then. My dad was supposed to be home by now. And as the hours ticked by she grew restless. I tried to ignore it; to distract her. I showed her all my drawings and told her the stories that were behind them. She would smile at me fondly and tuck my hair behind my ear.

"They're beautiful, Violet," She would say.

"Where's dad?" She shook her head.

"I don't know, honey." Her eyes moved to the door and back to me again. She forced a smile onto her face. "Go get ready for bed, Vi. He'll be home before you know it." I nodded not bothering to fight her on this again. I climbed up the stairs to brush my teeth and put on my pjs. I was about to come back down the stairs to ask her to tuck me in when the front door blew open. My father stumbled into the house, the smell of stale beer and cigarettes filled the house. It had been a common scent that lingered in the mornings. I wanted to run to him and show him my new drawings, but something kept me hidden on the stairs.

"Murphy," My mom said cautiously. She stood slowly from the couch but didn't move to him. "Where have you been?"

"Out." He grunted and stumbled through the living room.

"You've been out every night this week," She said. "We have a family, Murphy. You can't keep doing this."

"I'm just blowing off steam."

"You're blowing off your family!" My mom raised her voice. I felt myself shrink on the stairs, eyes glued to the screen unfolding before me. I remembered thinking they love each other, why are they fighting? People that love each other don't fight, do they? But here were my parents who have been, up until this point, nothing short of kind and gentle with each other. "Your daughter misses you! She asks where you are every night. She waits for you to come home to tell you about her day. But you come home so piss drunk every night, I'm not letting her see you like that!"

"I'm sorry, Josie," He said moving closer to her. "I just needed some time to have some fun." He wrapped his arms around her, but she tries to shove him off.

"You think I don't want to blow off steam too? Have some fun?" She yelled at him. He stepped back and looked at her. The air in the room fizzled with tension. "You don't get to come and go as you fucking please!"

The smack of his hand against her face was deafening.

"Don't tell me what I can and cannot do, understood?" He growled holding tight to my mom's wrist as she tried to scurry away. I saw her nod feverishly. He sighed and let her go before going to the kitchen. He returned after a few minutes with an ice pack in hand. She cried silently on the couch and flinched away from his touch. He sat next to her on the couch and gently placed the ice pack to her cheek. She didn't flinch away a second time. "I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me. I swear, I won't do it again. I promise, Josie."

I went to bed after that. He kept true to his promise to my mom. He didn't come home piss drunk for the rest of the week. He was kind, attentive. I told him about my days and showed him and my mom the pictures I drew that day. We had family dinners and laughed like we used to before all of this.

Little did I know then that a week later he would do it again and again. A pattern began to form until the time between incidents shortened. Until it wasn't just reserved for my mom later at night. Until he laid a hand on me.  

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Like I said at the top, let me know how you'd like the chapters to be released. 

Please let me know what you think! And, as always, if you have questions that you'd like answered, don't be shy! I will always reply! 

Have a good weekend!