Two broken souls in the midst of a crazy world. Two souls running away from their past. There was no light at the end of the tunnel. The tunnel was cracking, slowly closing in.
When these two connect, as if they were set on the same path, light cre...
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TW: Mentions of Abuse.
"I'm sorry mama." I cry impossibly harder into my mother's shoulder, hugging her tighter. "I didn't mean it." Daddy's mad I knocked over the decades-old lamp in the living room. I don't know why Mama brought us upstairs when he started yelling, either.
"It's okay sweetpea, deep breaths." Her slim hand smooths down my wild hair as the yells of my father cut the silence in the room. He used to never get mad like this, I don't know what changed. "Am I in trouble?" another sob leaves my cracking lips as she rocks us back and forth. "Of course not honey, your dad just needs some time to cool off."
Little did I know I'd be hearing that a lot more often. "Does he yell at you too?" Her body stiffens at my question, digging my regret deeper. "Of course not, honey." Her shaky voice tells me she's lying, but Mama is strong. She would never let him speak to her like that. Or so I hoped.
His pounding footsteps are heard as he seems to be rushing up the stairs. She pulls me closer to her chest, tucking my head down into her body. The doorknob jiggles relentlessly, but no words are spoken. I hold my sobs in as the jingling stops, trying my absolute best to make him think we aren't here, but I have a feeling he knows.
"Let me take care of this, okay honey?" I shake my head back and forth, "No mama, let me apologize. He'll understand, right?" My pleading eyes bore into her dull ones. "This is for the grown-ups sweetie." I'm a grown-up, I do just fine on my own when they leave me with the babysitter. Before she has time to protest more, I wiggle my way out of her arms, beelining for the door. "Vivian LeBlanc stop right there!" She barrels behind me as I frantically unlock the door, rushing out to find Daddy.
A hang wraps around my arm at the speed of light, pulling me towards them. At first, I thought it was Mama, so I tried to get out of her grasp, but the hand was too strong to be my mom. "There you are! I wanna apologize, I really didn't mean to Daddy, I'm sorry." I peek up at the man in front of me. The anger in his eyes is not what my dad resembles, and for the first time, I'm scared of him. "You're hurting me, daddy." I squeak out as his grip gets tighter on my arm, making the skin turn white.
"Let her go, Tom. We can talk about this." I shake my head violently, I don't want Mama to get in trouble too. His free hand grasps my chin, stopping my movements. He forces my head up to look at him, and all I want to do is shrivel back. In the blink of an eye, my head snaps to the side, and as his grip releases me, I fall right onto the floor.
My mother's scream fills the air as I stare down at the ground, my hand coming up to cup my red hot cheek. "You're a worthless child, Vivian. That will teach you how to behave." I'm no longer crying, I'm frozen in fear of my own dad.
Little did I know, that wouldn't be the last time he hit me.
My body jolts up from the bed, sweat coating my flushed skin. I haven't had such a vivid dream in quite some time now, I almost thought they stopped for good. My skin crawls from the tension that seems to float around me. Something is wrong, I know it is.
