Shadow

Monster

Scott looked at his reflection in the mirror. There's no way he could say his split lip and bloody swollen eye was from 'falling down the stairs' again. Scotts teachers were beginning to catch on, which only seemed to enrage his father more. He knew he needed a good lie, and his father would make him practice the lie until it was believable. Scott has become a very good liar over the years because of this. His older brother, Isaac, is lucky enough to be 18 and live away at college. He promised Scott that once he has enough money saved, he would rent a small apartment for the two of them.
Scott tossed his wavy light brown hair in front of his face, which is only long enough to cover half his bruise. He applied some alcohol to the parts of his eye that were cut to prevent getting an infection, and then sat on his bed in silence, thinking of a good lie.

Scotts door whipped open and is father came stumbling in, drunk as usual.

"How'd you get the black eye?" His father slurred.

"Uh, I got into a fight when i was um visiting my brother at college," Scott replied.

"How'd you get into a fight?"

"There was just, um, some drunk college boys coming back from a uh, party."

"Uh, I um, uh," his father scoffed mockingly. "You honestly think people will buy that?" Scott knew better than to
answer him as if he actually wanted to know.

"I'll keep practicing," Scott told him.

"Not good enough," his father said. "I'll be right back."

Scott knew he left to go get his belt, so he put on three shirts to soften the blow, even just a little bit.
His father came back in, half marching, half stumbling with a belt in his hand. "On your knees," he commanded.
Even drunk, his father was strong, so Scott knew he couldn't fight back and win. He got on his knees facing his bed as if he were praying, which he silently was, hoping it would be quick.

Scott grabbed his sheets with both hands, and bit down on it to silence his screams. In their small apartment, the neighbors would be able to hear him scream and would catch on, which would only anger his father. His father got two lashes in, when he heard their front door open.

"Hello?" A voice called out. It was Isaac.

His father ignored him, and hit whipped him three more times with his belt, and then Isaac came in.

"Dad!" Isaac yelled.

His father turned and faced him with cold, hard eyes, "problem?"

"What the bloody hell is going on?" Isaac yelled. Scott was to scared to turn and face them, in case his father would hit him in the face with the belt. Now that would be hard to explain.

"Mind your business," his father said, swaying a little.

Scott decided to turn and face them to see what was happening. Isaac looked at his face and immediately pushed his
father. "What did you do to him?" He screamed, face beating red.

When Isaac still lived there, he'd get hit and a black eye, and once in awhile hit by the belt, but never in the back. And his lip was never cut open, and his eye was never sealed shut. It was bad, but mainly verbal abuse with a couple of hits divided between them. Now that Scott was all alone, Isaac realized he had to take double for the two of them.

"Pack your things you're coming with me," Isaac said to Scott in a low voice.

"He's not going anywhere," his father said. "He's still 16, I have legal authority over him."

"Yeah, well I'll have legal authority once they see what you did to him. He's coming with me."

Scott saw as his father's hand tightened around the belt. "Standing up to your old man now, are you? What, you're no longer afraid of me?" He said with a wicked grin.