Alexei is in the corner, passed out from the chair Daddy broke on his pale body. He's covered in marks from the wood and there are splinters stuck all in his back and thighs.
Daddy brought out the golf clubs for me since the chair obviously wouldn't hold together.
He heard Alexei getting emotional over me telling Cora.
"Daddy, please, stop! The police... they're not involved! No one is going to tell them anything!"
He heaves the golf club over his shoulder and the part that's supposed to hit the ball collides with my chest. The pain shocks me and I hear myself gasp. I can feel that one strike radiate through my whole body, and the first sad noise comes past my lips. "You," He slurs, pushing the club against my forehead. "Shut the hell up." I swallow and don't say anything. With each hit, I cry out a little louder. With each cry, he hits a lot harder. He did this to me the first time I told someone; I told Ben, my cousin, and he talked to my dad even though I begged him not to. Two of my ribs still stick out from being broken. The pain is making it impossible to breathe. I'm screaming and shaking and curled up as tight as my body will go. Everything stings and hurts and I'm trying so hard to get air in my lungs and it just won't go. Daddy unfolds me with his angry rough hands and pulls down his pants. I close my eyes and my pelvis takes each thrust obediently, but still tells me it wasn't made for this kind of treatment as it aches with each of his grunts. Daddy kisses me hard on the lips and I press my mouth into a thin line, refusing it. He bangs my head against the wall. My mouth falls open as I whimper, and he takes the opportunity to shove his tongue inside, kissing me again, with more force. I hear crying that is not mine, and I see through my own clouded eyes that Alexei is awake and trembling as he watches. I also see the three broken golf clubs on the floor and Daddy's face just above mine, glaring at me. "Tell your pathetic brother to shut the fuck up." I glance back at Alexei. "Please be quiet." I manage to choke out. My father laughs in my face drunkenly and his saliva drips on my neck. "That's not what I said. I told you to tell him to shut the fuck up." I squeeze my eyes closed. "Shut the fuck up, Alexei." He cries harder. Daddy wraps his hands around my neck. "He's not listening to you. You better make him
shut his stupid mouth." I really can't breathe now. "Alexei!" My voice is raspy and oxygen deprived. "Shut the fuck up!" I hear him gasp slightly, like he's hurt by my anger. Then he cries even more. Daddy's fingers squeeze. I struggle against him, trying to get him off. The room is spinning and I can't see, can't breathe, can't, can't, can't. "You're killing her!" "You're the one who was interrupting our moment." "Your moment! That wasn't her moment!" As Daddy gets up, I float. The room comes back and the air and the pain and I take in shaky breaths, the tears flowing again. Alexei is now the one with my father inside him. I can't even beg him to stop. "Are you enjoying our moment, Alexei?" My brother doesn't reply. I close my eyes until I hear the front door slam, then look at where a sad little skeleton of a boy is staring blankly at the wall.
"Alexei?"
He doesn't say anything. For a couple seconds, I wonder if he's alive.
"Are you alright?"
He takes a shaky breath and lets it out slowly. "You shouldn't have told."
I open my eyes and sit up as the door to my bedroom opens. I still can't get over how nice this whole house is, including my bedroom. I mean, Daddy's house was nice, but it's kind of hard to appreciate furniture and architecture and color schemes and such when you wish you were dead. Alexei is standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame. I smile, trying to keep my eyes open. "Hey." One side of his mouth lifts, possibly the biggest smile I've seen since Daddy started hurting him. "So you and Freta are getting along pretty well, hm?" I wink. He rolls his eyes, but his whole mouth spreads wider, revealing his teeth. "We're friends." "Okay, sure." He suddenly gets serious. "I'm glad you told." "I am too."
I stare at the body in front of me. Aunt Margo. The woman who saved me. She hated me at first, but she got me away from Daddy. She protected me and took care of me and believed in me. That's more than anyone else has ever done. And now I can never ever repay her. She's gone. And she's not coming back. I feel my lips start to move. My eyes well up. I start crying, silently at first, and then I'm sobbing loudly, the sound echoing. I couldn't save her. And I never told her I loved her.
