A Cry for Help!

I walked up to what is now my prison. I stuck my key into the door and twisted the knob. I trudged into the dark place that was cold and damp. I could feel the hairs on my arm raise. I hated coming home. It wasn't always like this, though. Once I felt safe and happy, like everyone should feel when they come home. This all changed, when my mom remarried after my fathers death (Stark). My father died in a car accident 2 summers ago. A couple months later my mom remarried to Joe. He was very nice in the beginning, until one day I yelled at him. I never had anyone hit me. I remember staring wide eyed at the angry, raged man. That one slap to the face increased over the next year. It was like he fed off of my weakness, like it gave him some sick power (Stark.) He made me feel little and useless (Hopper).I wasn't sure how to deal with being hit, So when someone saw a bruise I told them I fell. It was simple. I ignored all the pain he caused me. (Hopper) I began to withdraw away from my friends, and family. ("Child") I also became afraid to come home. ("Child") I started entering all kinds of after school activities to delay going home, but eventually I had to. I switched on the oven and began cooking dinner for when he came home.

At six PM my mom and the devil were home. I sat on the couch quietly and watched as he scrutinized the house. He expected everything to be perfect. If something was out of place he would freak. The thing was it didn't matter, he would always find something . It could be something as simple as my looks. One day my long, brown hair was to long for him. Another day it was because my bed was unmade. Simple little things would cause him to hit me. Back in the 16th hundreds men were aloud to beat there kids and wife (Stark). A man was aloud to use a stick to beat them as long as it was no bigger round than his thumb (Stark.) Even Today, The law doesn't look after children being abused like they should. A lot is overlooked and forgot about (Christensen.)

He approached me with pleased eyes. Maybe... Just Maybe I wasn't going to get hit today. I smiled up at him. I watched as different emotions played across in his eyes. His once pleased eyes turned to anger. I could see his hand start to raise. I squeezed my eyes shut as I felt his hand hit my left cheek. My head flew back and my eyes started to water. I kept my eyes closed waiting for another blow. Luckily, it never came. I raised my hand up to my cheek and started rubbing. I opened my eyes to see my mom holding his hand back. It was clenched into a fist.

"Joe, Please don't do this. Please stop. Let us get you help." My mom was pleading with him .

"I don't need help!" He said jerking his wrist out of her grasp. He turned his anger towards her and shoved her to the ground.

" I don't need anyone's help. Not yours or hers." He said pointing his finger at me. " What I need is for this house to be in tip top shape!"

He turned back to me with the anger still in his eyes.

"Please." I said pushing my back further into the couch, hoping some how it would absorb me and keep me safe from him.

He tangled his hand into my hair and pulled me up from the couch. I screamed. I screamed like I always did. It just made him more mad. He dragged me from the living room to the hallway. Before he took me into the kitchen, he turned around and smiled at my mom.

"Stay."

That one word sent chills down my spine. He was going to beat me for our outburst. He was going to beat me like never before. I screamed and kept screaming.

"HELP ME MOM!" I started to try to pull his hand out of my hair but it was no use. I was weak.

He pulled at my hair and dragged me into the kitchen. I kicked my legs into the air, trying to wiggle loose. He kept his grip on my hair tight. Once in the kitchen he dropped me hard onto the ground. I sat up pushing myself back until I hit the fridge. I stared up wide eyed at him as he began to take off his belt. I watched helplessly as he pulled it out from his pants and snapped it. I started to shake. Fear was beginning to take over me. I couldn't move or speak. I closed my eyes once again waiting for the blow. This time it came. He smacked the belt across my legs. I cried out in pain and he just kept going. No matter how loud or long I cried he wouldn't stop. I took hits to the face. I threw my arms up over my head, so that I was cradling it in someway. I was protecting it from the belt that just kept snapping away at me. I became numb. I slipped into a state of nothingness. I blocked out all of my thoughts and just let him hit me. There was nothing I could do.