Two

 

Chapter two

‘I’m home’ I say.

I place the keys on the table and go to the kitchen to fetch the first-aid kit. I have a cut lip and several bleeding spots on my arms. I have a black eye and a bloody nose; apart from that I’m the normal skinny, ash blonde hair girl who lives in section 8. With a mother who doesn’t care and a father who is doesn’t love me. But no one knows the last part, only that I’m the weak link of this family; a great target.
I hear a squeak and I turn round, my mother is there.  She walks into the room and takes the first-aid kit out of the bottom cupboard. 

‘Sit’ I smile and do as I am told.

She pulls out a wipe and cleans the blood up from my face and arms then plasters the cuts. She goes to the freezer and pulls out the icepack; the icepack that I prepare every day before I go to school. Because I know, I will get kicked in. I know I will need it.
She comes back and places it over my eye. It is days like this when I wish I didn’t hate my mother, but one good deed won’t make up for turning a blind eye on my beatings, both at home and school.

‘Is father home?’ I ask.

She nods as she dabs the pack on my eye. 

‘How was your day?’ I always hope if I show 
politeness or kindness, my mother wouldn’t pretend I’m fine. 

‘It was okay’ she simply says.

She never asks me about my day, she never attends any school events nor gives me food to eat at lunch. So every morning I wake up at the crack of dawn and gather any food that they won’t notice is missing. If they did find out, my father would kill me. Literally. 

‘What did you do?’ she pulls the icepack away and puts it back in the freezer. 
‘Don’t talk to me, I’m not in the mood’ I feel a hundred tears approach my eyes. 

‘I’m-I’m sorry’ I look down to my hands. 

‘Arthur, she is home’

I stare at her, hoping she would protect me. But she doesn’t look back, because she doesn’t care and that hurts more than a punch.