Ring of Fire (Completed) Book 1 Vanelzing Series

Alexis Journal Entry 6

"Shawn," I said pointing to the empty nursery.

Shawn threw his books to the floor and took off to the kitchen with me right behind him. Shawn stopped at the end of the hallway. He put out his arm across my chest and nudged me behind him.

If his parents were fighting as bad as they usually are, he didn't want me to get hurt. That was the last thing he wanted. He would never be able to forgive himself if I were to ever get hurt.

We both watched Mr. Watts storm out of kitchen and out the front door, the screen door revealing how angry he is by the amount of force it slams back. My body cringes at the sound. Shawn lets out a deep breathe. I knew that he was relieved that his father was gone yet again.

Shawn peeks around the corner to see if his mother is still in the kitchen. Glass and various eating utensils cover the kitchen floor from the fist fight that had just taken place.

I casually glided over to Angel being careful not to step on the broken glass. Angel sat screaming in her high chair. Her little fragile arms reaching up to me begging her to take her away from that place.

I slowly picked her up and whispered soothing words to her. i kissed her on the forehead and rocked her in my arms. I patted her back, anything to make her calm down.

Mrs. Watts stood over the sink. She wiped blood from the corner of her mouth and spat some into the sink. She often tried to play helpless victim, but in reality she was just as bad as her husband.

"Shawn, get some money out my purse. Ya'll get sumin' for supper. I ain't cookin' tonight."

Shawn left the room to get her money. She looked at me and pointed at Angel.

"Take er' with you," she whispered.

I looked at Angel then back at Mrs. Watts. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what to say so I said what I always said in these types of situations.

"Yes ma'am."

I pulled the slipping Angel up. Angel laid her head on my shoulder. I smiled at her and kissed her again. I stuck my her tongue out at her making little Angel laugh.

Mrs. Watts didn't say anything. For her to just say that much to me was amazing in itself. A majority of the time she just ignored me. Sometimes she was too high or drunk to notice.

I did feel for her though. My heart ached whenI saw how she was throwing her and her children's lives away. I didn't understand how Mrs. Watts could live like that. To her, alcohol and drugs would always come before her children and that was the saddest thing.

I waited for Shawn to return. Angel in my arms still trying to get her to calm down. Mrs. Watts placed her hands over her ears.

"Shut up!" Mrs. Watts yelled leaning over the sink.

Mrs. Watts began to cry. "Shut her up. Please shut her up."

I knew that Shawn had better hurry. Mrs. Watts was having one of her episodes and I did not want to be there when she snapped. Shawn came rushing into the kitchen with the money in his hand. He took me by the arm and practically pushed me out of the door.

Shawn knew as well as I did that his mother was about to lose her temper again. No one wanted to be there when that happened. Once out the door,we hurried to get away from the house.

"Shawn, where we gonna go? We ain't got no driver's license." I said. My bare feet kicking up the dust as we walked. I had forgotten my shoes in his room. In the rush to get out I had left everything behind.

Shawn stopped in his tracks. It was obvious that he had forgotten that little fact, but he was not going to go back to that house at least not for a couple of hours.

"We'll think of sumin'"he said looking at me.

I prayed for Shawn and Angel that night. It was the first time I had seen something like this in real life. I'm sad to say that it was not to be the last.