Silent Care

"Care! Will you please answer the question?" Mr. Morrison insists from the white board. I lift my head to where my eye's are just above my arms. Every time the blinds are open I put my head down on my desk to resist the urge to look out of it. I don't talk much any more. My eyes blur in and out of focus. "Care!" He bellows to me. I shrug not caring. I'm smarter than everyone else here so why cant he just give me the homework and leave me alone. He just sighs. "Does anyone else care to answer question five?" He asks the class hoping the blank faces would come to life. When no one does he slams the dry erase marker down on the tray. "What is the matter with you! This is my Algebra-2 class, not my Intensive. Care stand up." He says approaching me. I freeze, what is this? What is he doing. The way he was approaching me, with his cross face and strong stride, it gave me the image of -- He's hovering over me now. "I told you to stand." He says. His voice sounds like--, "Stand!" He shouts. I fall out of my chair. The eyes of everyone are intence on me. Light from out side bring me to a squint. I swallow. "Ca- can you close the blinds?" I ask in a small voice. He's not giving in to my scared face. "What do you need the--" He begins but I cut him off. "Why are you getting all worked up over it, it's just a question." Now he's the one with the surprised face and nods to Aden in the corner closest to the window. Slowly the room starts to darken and I can see better. I look at the board and see a function of numbers and variables. "25x simplified to 5x." I say. He nods and the bell rings. Everyone gets up to leave and as I get out the door I hear Mr. Morrison call after me that he's calling my house. I spin around to tell him no, but the door closes and schools over.

I pull my hoody over my honey brown hair, stick ear buds in my ears, and begin to walk home. Orchestra music ring in my ears bringing me at ease. I stare down at my feet walking to the beat of the music. I put my hands in my hoody pockets and try not to look back. Turning the corner I could see my house, and I pause when I get to the door. I could hear my parents talking back and forth in a none fighting tone but one that is taught yet leveled. Then with a shaking hand open my door. There they stood waiting for me to walk in, Mom with a cigarette between her fingers and my father with his beer bottle. Mom knows. She always has, but she will never say anything. If she were, she knows she would be at stake to. Slowly Dad turns to me with an anger-crossed face. With strong strides he approaches me, I know not to back up or that would result in an added beating. I could tell he already got the call from school and bends down to get in my face. "Get in the room." He says in a very low voice. I do as he says and go into the basement spare room striping off my clothes one by one untill I'm lying there naked waiting.

Things like this have been happining for a year. I don't know why, he just one day stoped in the middle of hitting me and told me to get in the basement. Then it was just me and him in the spare room with the dim light. He got in my face and told me to take my close off... and it's been happening ever since.

He's finished with me, leaving me to cry on the floor. He turns off the light and I'm still there. Nights like this I don't get out untill it's late, very late. I don't eat dinner, I don't take a shower, I don't make any sudden movements. I just lay there. I look around again surveying my surroundings. I cant see but I know it's no different. A bare safe room with concrete walls and one metal door. It's almost suffercating with the small space, but twice as suffercating with no windows to look out of... or escape, all but a concrete vent built in to outside. I close my eyes and listen to the sounds of the upstairs. The strong feet of my father and the soft rythmic feet of my mother. Then I hear a creak, but its from the basement. I scoot to the back corner scared of whats out there. I dont breath as I hear unrecognizable footsteps approach the Safe room. The safe room door opens and a dark tall figure stands before me. "Please dont hurt me." I wisper. I figure it was one of my fathers friends come to help him with me. The figure opens what looks like a tarp. He was kidnaping me. Tears burn in my eyes as he approaches me. I squeeze my eyes shut and after a moment when nothing happened I opened them to see this person is kneeling down infront of my face. I release my held breath and he strokes my hair behind my ear putting a blanket around my shoulders. I was about to say thank you when he suddenly stood up and bolted out of the door and closed it quietly behind him. Soon the steps are fading away and all is quiet.