The Forgotten Tragedy

Chapter One

Amber heard her mother beg from down the hall. Pacing back and forth nibbling on her bottom lip with anxiety.

"Please! No, why? Just stop Please Bryan; honey?"

"Shut up! Oh you think you can run? Come here!" Her so-called father spat at her mother.

She could barely hear her mother's sobs, over her father's harsh language. Shaking her head with disbelief she peaked out of her bedroom door. Tiptoeing her way slowly she stood watching. She clinged to the wall staying in the shadows. Amber looked in horror as she witnessed her mother, desperately slammed up against the wall. Fresh new tears ran down her mother's abused cheeks as she cried and begged. Amber's mother's once lovely chocolate brown hair was knotted as Bryan gripped a handful, in rage. The purple and yellow bruises that covered her mother's pale white skin brought tears to Amber's eyes.

Ever since the miscarriage of their son, Bryan had been slowly beating his wife to death. He would blame her for what had happened; that his wife had intentionally killed his son. Amber's mother had always tried to keep her out of the fights, telling her to go to bed and stay in her room. But she couldn't let her father do this to her mother anymore. She wasn't a child anymore. She has to do something.

"Why do you have to be such a bitch?" He would slur his words, sighing loudly, clearly annoyed. "This is all your fault! If it weren't for you and that little brat I wouldn't have lost my job." Amber's father shouted at her mother, towering over her shaking body, his fist clenched so tight his knuckles were turning white. Without giving it any thought whatsoever; Amber stood, marching towards her father. She puffed her chest out as she stood in the dim-lit living room, facing her father.

"Stop! Leave my mother alone! Maybe if you didn't go to the bar every night and go to work with a hangover every day you would still have your job?" The rage from inside took over as she glared at her father.

"You are beating mother to death! Can't you see what you are doing?" Slowly Amber exhaled, her forest-green eyes shifted over to her mother as she calmed the storm within herself. Her mother instantly shook her head, her eyes filled with terror. Amber snaked her bottom lip in between her teeth chewing on it fearful as her father smirked and stumbled towards her. Backing away the young girl stuttered in terror,

"D-D-Don't you c-come any, any closer!"

He smirked down at her placing his hand on her cheek and leaned in so close Amber could get a disgusting whiff of the alcohol on his breath.

"You are sticking up for this bitch? Do you know she killed your baby brother? Why are you not mad?!" He whispered loudly in her ear.

Amber shook her head unable to speak.

The stinging sensation of a harsh slap, Amber found herself on her knees, crying her eyes out. Her father chuckled to himself as he knelt looking at her with a non-emotion, stern face.

"You are just like your mother. You two have no hearts. You two are just disgusting." He said softly as he jabbed his stubby finger on Amber's forehead between each word. The sound of a loud bang caught their attention, wiping her burly tear-filled eyes Amber saw her father standing, blocking any sort of view. Bryan turned to stare back at his daughter with an angered face. Leaning to the side she tried to catch a glimpse of where the source of the noise had come from. After a moment of confusion, she noticed something. Her mother... she was nowhere in sight.