First Blood

Chapter 1

She stared as the thick, red liquid slid down her arm and dripped into the sink. The emotionless look on her face was still, the only sound you could hear was the dripping of blood onto  a ceramic surface. For others, it would be a traumatic experience. For her, it was a normal Sunday evening.

As she turned the tap slowly, it ran down the drain along with her endless promises to her therapist that this would end. She knew from the second she said those words: "I promise," that it wouldn't last a day. And it didn't. She didn't know why it was so satisfying; it gave her a feeling of freedom. That precious line between pain and pleasure.

"Claudia!" her anxious Mum called her daughter down for dinner. Claudia practised her fake smile in the mirror. She was a happy girl around others, but behind closed doors, out came her razor.

Her feet dragged along the stairs, one by one, but soon turned into a delightful bounce as soon as she was within her Mum's eyeline. She couldn't let her know how often she still does it. Though there was no fooling her Mum. Parents know everything. All parents apart from Claudia's Dad. He suffered from bipolar disorder, causing him to unexpectedly lash out on his family at the most random times.

As Claudia came into the kitchen, her Mum, Lisa, tutted as she could clearly see the dark lines soaking through her daughter's grey sleeve. "Honey, I've told you. You can't get better if you don't try. If you ever feel down, talk to Dr Vincent,"

"I'll try, but it's hard when the feeling never leaves," Claudia could feel her eyes watering ever-so-slightly. "Please can we not talk about this now- Okay, okay, shush!" She quickly scrambled as her older sister, Mia thumped down the stairs.

Mia was 20 years old with a nose stud and a belly button piercing. Her wavy hair cascaded down her black t-shirt. Mia had dyed streaks in her hair. She wafted her blue and black fringe out of her face as she smiled at her sister. "Hey, Pipsqueak," she remarked, sitting down at the table.

"I'm about half and inch shorter than you but ok..." Claudia said jokingly. The three sat at the dinner table, awaiting her Dad's arrival. 2 hours ago, her dad Liam had worn out his lungs from yelling so loudly. It used to be terrifying, but maybe what's scarier is that the girls have gotten used to it. He knew with all his heart that he loved his family, but suffered greatly from his condition.

Mia started a conversation: "Damn, I've got homework to do. I have a presentation on Tuesday on sexual harassment law,"

"Sounds interesting!" Her Mum replied, trying to relieve the tension. "You two are such incredible girls, I-"

Poor Lisa had been cut off by her husband stumbling through the doorway, barely being able to navigate his way to the dining room. When he eventually made his way to his family, they immediately knew that he was drunk out of his mind. "He... ani...bfran... ga," his slurs made no sense whatsoever. He had bloodshot eyes and ruffled hair from being out drinking for ages. This was the norm in their house.

Lisa had had enough. "You never make an effort in this family anymore!" she shrieked.

"Well- what... mfuckk," Liam was getting there.

"Listen to you! Drunk out of your mind on Sunday evening? We have kids, Liam! Liam! Look at me! Liam!" she had tears in her eyes.

"You...bitch," he spat back.

Lisa gasped. The girls snuck out, trying to escape the situation. At the top of the stairs, Mia hugged Claudia and smiled. "Stay strong, yeah?" All Claudia could do was smile. Mia went to her room, quietly closing the door whilst the argument continued downstairs. Claudia crept into her room, slumped on the floor and sighed.

She reached over to her right towards her bookshelf and brought out her razor for the second time that night.

Just a normal Sunday evening.