Open Minds || Book 1 || Golix [OLD]

Chapter 5: Nice...? Or is it a hoax?

{Phoenix's POV}

     No. I don't want to go home.  I don't want to be hit, beaten, burned.  I don't want to feel like glass, able to shatter at any minute.  I don't want to go home, but I will have to either way.

"Phoenix, sweety. It's time to go home. Come on," my father speaks to me in that sweetened, sugary voice he uses around others.  The manipulative tongue trick is what I call it.  But others usually call it something like a silver tongue.   The judges bought his story, even though I could tell it was a cover up.
 
     I have no choice but to obey the hidden command.  If I don't, the punishments at home will be much worse than usual.

   Still feeling pretty sluggish, I uncurl myself from my ball of protection.  Swinging my legs over the side of the cot, I try to stand up.  And...that doesn't work out at all.  My legs give out for the third time today and gravity begins to claim me.  But after a moment's hesitation, my father moves with inhuman speed and catches me before I hit the floor.

   He hoists me onto his back and carries me out to the parking lot.  I weakly wave goodbye to Jeremy as he and his father got into their car and pulled away.  My father gets us to our car and throws me unceremoniously into the passenger seat, and quickly buckled me in.  Going around to his side of his car, he gets in and starts it.

  Shutting the door and shifting gears, my father pulls out of the parking lot and onto the main road, flipping off people that wouldn't let him pass.  After several minutes of silence, my father speaks.

"So," my father begins. "What's this I hear about a fight? Did you win?"

"Yeah, I won," I tell him, giving him a nervous smile. He smiles back, and it makes shivers down my spine.  The smile of a killer...Even if I didn't win, I wouldn't tell him so, because I would probably get...hurt.

"Who was it with?"

     I gag, partially because I'm feeling nauseous, partially because I hate those kids, and then the memories that the smile brings with it.

"It was that idiot, Mike, and his grape of a brother, Vincent. Fritz and Scott were there, too."

     My father's face hardens. "Those two Schmidt boys aren't worthy of Afton blood," he states. I nod in agreement. We actually agreed on something for once! (Other than I'm a useless little shit that is a mistake in this world- but don't say anyone I said that!)

   We pull into our driveway. Shutting off the car, dad gets out, comes over to my side, and picks me up. He carries me up the front steps and into the house, then up two more flights of stairs, into my room. Placing me in my bed, my father tucks me in and kisses me on the forehead.

"Rest well, my little phoenix," he tells me, shutting the door behind him.
As I slip into dreamland, I think, "Why can't he be this nice all the time?" 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  Sorry for the half assed editing.  Usually the chapters will be longer than this.  Closer to 1000 words. This one was closer to 550 words.  Hope you enjoyed!

💜❤0w0❤💜

~Amy

(December 5, 2018)