Seeing Double

A Break

"Addison!" Addi heard the grisly voice and curled deeper under her covers with her book. "Addison, get down here, NOW!" She didn't want to, but she knew not complying to the order would result in severe consequenses, if there weren't any already. She tucked her mother's diary under her covers for safekeeping and started slowly down the stairs. "ADDISON DIANA, I SAID NOW!" She picked up the pace. When she came to the kitchen, she gave her father a tentative, "Good morning, Dad." He replied gruffly, "Have some cereal and get out of my hair." She ducked her head down and ate. She was just heading up the stairs when she heard a click toward the front of the house. "Addison, get the mail." Her father commanded. "Alright." She answered. She stepped through the hall until she came to the front door. She picked up the letters that were on the doormat and sorted through them. Energy bill, child support bill (it was slightly early, as it was the 20th), and a letter adressed in green ink to a Miss Addison Diana Green, including her address, and, oddly enough, a description of her room. She slit open the seal (an oddly complicated one with four quadrants) and took out two thrice folded letters. She unfolded the first and read,

"HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,

Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Miss Green,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

Yours sincerely

Minerva McGonagall".

The second she supposed was the aforementioned booklist.

She put the letters on the table in astonishment. This must be one of those prank shows she'd seen before. Yes, that was it. This wasn't real, obviously. She'd just throw it in the garbage. Ridiculousness. But she couldn't help thinking how nice it would have been to have a break at last. 

  She walked into the kitchen and handed the bills to her father. Addi, glad to be able to retreat to her room, headed up the stairs. She hadn't made it halfway up the first flight when she heard her father's commanding voice for the third time that morning. "Addison, what the hell is this?"

"Coming, Dad." She called and started back down to the kitchen. As she arrived, her father demanded to know what a certain letter addressed in green ink was supposed to be.

She stuttered, "Oh, Dad, its— its just some spam mail. Teenagers, playing a prank. That's all." She waited for a response from her father signaling that she could leave, but instead, she heard,

"She doesn't have any idea. She has no idea of any of any of this." Addi's look of confusion deepened as she saw her father clutch his head and scream, "MELANIE! MELANIE, THEY KNOW. THEY KNOW, AND SHE DOESN'T. SHE CAN'T GO! MELINDA, SHE CAN'T! MY HEAD, MY HEAD!" He went on like this, arguing with himself and screaming Addi's mum's name.

Addi tried to get his attention saying, "Dad! Dad, what's wrong? What are you doing? Dad? DAD? WHAT'S GOING ON? DAD!" But his screams only increased in volume.

"I DON'T WANT HER TO GO, MELANIE! MELANIE, SHE CAN'T! WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME, MELANIE? MELANIE! I DON'T REMEMBER—" He stopped. Addison, tears streaming down her face, whispered,

"Dad? Dad— Dad, are you alright?" He looked up at her from his seat, and the broken pain in his eyes quickly turned to rage. He stood up. Addi backed away slowly. "YOU! THIS— THIS IS ALL— ALL OF IT! YOU! YOUR FAULT! SHE DIED BECAUSE OF YOU! WE WERE HAPPY! BEFORE YOU!" He took a step towards her and she began to sob.

"Please— Dad— no... No... Please! He took another step towards her and raised his arm. He slapped her cheek in the same place he had just a few days ago. She fell to the ground in a sobbing heap. From her broken mass on the ground, she heard her father's blood curdling scream. She had never heard anything so gutteral, animal-like. It could be heard over the desperate sobs of Addi. She looked up and saw her father's face beginning to redden. Fear clouded her mind, and finally, the man of much fear collapsed.

" Da— Dad—" Addi called to the distant realm of her father's mind. She wondered if he was alright, even though half of her wanted not to care. Addison's heavy, distraught sobs ceased, to be replaced with silent tears streaming down her cheeks. If she called the police, they'd ask what happened to her face; why were there many bruises lining her arms and across her face. Then he'd be taken away. That couldn't happen. He may be a horrid man, but he was still her father, and since her mother had died in childbirth, well, he was all she had left. The last remnant of the Green family. She felt her father's wrist. He had a pulse. She walked to the sink and wet a towel. She laid it across his forehead and went upstairs. As she reached her room, she thought, atlast, I'vemadeitupwithoutbeingdisturbed, and instantly felt guilty. She tried to push this out of her mind as she curled up under her covers and resumed reading the diary of the late Melanie Green.