Golden Hour

Hell Home

The doorknob had rattled as someone on the other side tried to open it. Then there was a knock at the old, wooden door. "Jocelyn, you have to leave your room," Axel's voice spoke softly from the other side of the door.

"Fine," Jocelyn answered with a sleepy, grogginess in her voice. She sat up and rubbed her eyes in attempt to wake up. She could smell the pleasant scent of food, as she walked towards the door. She unlocked it and exited into the hall. The floorboards seemed to have russets streaks stuck in the small cracks and scratches on the wood. As she stumbled down the hall she saw the pancakes on the coffee table, Axel had already begun eating his. She wondered how long he had been She waiting for her to wake up.

"You know your hair would look cute if it was a pink pastel color," Axel mumbled with his mouth full while he played with a strand of her strawberry brown hair. "It'd bring out your eyes."

"Maybe after next week I can try it," she mumbled.

"How long do you intend to stay here?" He asked, she has never really thought much of it. She thought of Axel as one of her friends even though it had been such a short time. Though she knew she'd have to return home to her brothers eventually she couldn't leave them in that hell hole. They'd probably been beaten senseless already. Even worse was expected when she returned home.

"This place feels more like home then home ever was," she mumbled, feeling hot tears form in her eyes.

Axel wrapped her in his arms, "It's alright," he spoke softly into her ear, "you can stay as long as you like, you may want to go home to get some stuff though," he released her and motioned toward the baggy clothes she was wearing.

"Sounds good," she said, she was still uncertain, she loved her brothers, and they were so young, 10 and 14.

"Who do you have at home?" He asked her as he got up and brought his plate to the sink.

"My mom, my dad, and my little brothers," she answered.

"What is your brothers' names?"

"Alex is the youngest, and then the middle child's name is Jeremy," she felt pain in her throat as she spoke about them.

"How sweet," Axel said with a faint bitterness in his tone that sounded unintentional. She wondered what had ticked him off. "I have to go somewhere for a couple of hours, I would recommend making your trip home during that time."

"Okay, thank you for informing me," she said uncertain of how to answer him. He washed the dishes and took a small black satchel that was laying by door. He waved his goodbye and the door shut behind him. The condo was empty, and she felt suddenly frightened. She remembered the russet streaks in the hall. She slowly got up and walked toward the hallway. The russet streaks were still there, she took her fingernail and tried to get some of it out of the wood. It was flakey and weird, more red than brown, and had the faint smell of metal. Blood. It was blood. She quickly washed off her hands and looked at the back of the hallway toward the locked door. It seemed a little different than the rest of the doors. She changed into her school uniform and left the house with one of the spare keys she found lying around. Toward hell, toward home.

• • •
She stood in front of tall double doors of a house you'd expect would house spoiled children. She was about to knock but hesitated. Did she really want to see them? She could just buy new stuff. She knocked on the door and rang the doorbell she stood outside for about ten minutes to no answer. She opened the front door.

"I'm selfish? I'm a coward? The only selfish bastard who should be cowering in the corner is you!" Screamed a shaky voice from inside the building. It sounded like Jeremy. She stepped inside the house and silently shut the door. "Dad? What the hell are you doing?" She heard loud footsteps as she heard her brother speak. She'd never heard her brother talk back to their parents much less yell at them. Then a scream of pure agony rang throughout the house, followed by crying and hurried footsteps.

"That's what you deserve, Jeremy Christopher Golden, think about this next time you decide to mouth off to me." Her dad's voice steady, and intimidating, loud but not yelling followed the sounds of pain and sorrow.

Jocelyn walked quietly to the stair case leading the the second floor where their bedrooms were located. She softly knocked on Jeremy's door before opening it. He was sitting on his bed holding a bloody towel to his face. "Jeremy.." her voice started shaking as she ran toward her brother and held him close to her. She then pulled away, after remembering the bloody towel. "Let me see it," she spoke softly to her brother who was doing his best at stifling his sobs. He lowered his hand to reveal a long red gash across the bridge of his nose and a bit of his cheeks. Some cartilage was definitely damaged it may be stronger than skin but it can still get cut. "Pack your stuff we are leaving, where's Alex?"

"He's in his room, hiding in his closet," his voice was shaky still and it lead to more tears staining his face and carrying the blood from his face down to wherever the tears landed. He looked like he was gonna say something else but said nothing. Jocelyn left the room and entered Alex's room and shut the door behind her.

"Alex, pack your stuff we are leaving," she said toward the closet with the same softness in her tone that she spoke to Jeremy with.

"Okay.." his voice came from behind the closet door, sounding like he was using lots of force to be able to speak.

"Go to Jeremy's room with your stuff when your done," Jocelyn said as she walked back out of the room and toward Jeremy's room. She opened the door and saw her brother packing with one hand to his face with the towel, the other hurriedly shoving things into an empty backpack. She closed the door and went off to her own room to get her stuff. Her room was painted a icy blue, and decorated with white furniture. None of it was her choice to have, but it was pleasant to look at if she hadn't spent so many nights contemplating suicide or holding an icepack to her newest bruise or cut. She grabbed everything she'd need, clothes, toiletries, and anything else she could fit into an empty duffle bag. Along with the small pocket knife she kept in her drawer when she couldn't have it on her. She hauled the strap of the bag onto her shoulder and went back to her brother's room. "Ready?" She asked her brothers that were standing in the room.

"Yeah," Alex mumbled and Jeremy nodded. They turned and left the room with no intent or want to ever go back. They snuck down the staircase, and she let her brothers go out the door first.

"Nice to see you home, Jocelyn," that familiar voice rang out from behind her as she was about to leave. She flinches and turned around. "Why don't you stay awhile? You've been gone for quite some time."

She turned back around toward the door, ignoring his words. "Run," she shouted at her brothers who weren't too far away as they had no clue where they were going. She herself took off at a sprint, one hand on the duffle bag, the other slamming the door behind her. She ran ahead of her brothers to lead them back to Axel's. He'd be in for a surprise when he got home if he wasn't already. She heard her father shouting at them, but they were already too far away to hear what he was saying, they wouldn't care if they could hear him. She threw up her middle finger back at him, followed by more indistinguishable yelling. She heard a faint giggle at her act as they turned the corner of the street, and began walking.

"Where are we going?" Alex asked between breaths.

"Axel's," she answered almost too quietly, "You'll like him."

"Ooooo you got a boyfriend?" Alex teased her as they walked toward what she wanted to call home.

"Aww cut it out, he's just a friend!" She pushed him a little bit in a teasing matter. She felt like she lied just a little bit, but didn't know why. That was the truth, wasn't it?