I have started this new story which has been sitting on my laptop for a few months now, I decided I would post it even although it is very different from what I normally write. I don't have any more of this story written at the moment so if you have any suggestions they will be much appreciated. I hope you enjoy xxx
Amanda walked over to her wrestles sister and looked at her through the bars in the crib.
"Hey baby girl" Amanda whispered as a few tears rolled down her face and landing on her lap. Amanda had been up since dawn cleaning the house from top to bottom; she washed the dishes, cleaned the floor, hung out the washing and scrubbed the windows. Amanda knew that if she didn't do the housework she would only be punished and only made to do them later anyway. It's not that she minded doing the chores, it was relaxing and it gave her time to herself, the only thing was that it was time consuming and normally tiered her out before she had to go to school. Amanda had made the mistake enough times now to know that if for any reason she didn't do what was expected of her then she would end up with a black eye, or worse.
Amanda had quickly became a mum to Kim when her mothers drug habits had resurfaced leaving her in a non functional state and unable to look after her newly born daughter and eighteen year old teenager. Amanda was the first one to hear her laugh and was the only one there when she started teething or when she came down with a bad cold a needed constant supervision, however she wouldn't of had it any other way, Amanda knew that her mum was incapable of raising a child especially since she became hooked on drugs again. Amanda is grateful that at least her dad had been sober when she was born, or she may not have been here to look after Kim.
Kim started to stir in her bed and Amanda quickly took a hold of her and lifter her out and into her arms. Kim started to cry loudly as Amanda gently rocked her back and forth in her arms. The rocking motion didn't seem to ease Kim's cries however Amanda herself found the steady rocking motion oddly calming
"Shhh, it's alright. I'm here." Amanda spoke softly.
"Lets not wake our father up, ok?" Amanda cooed whilst running her hand through the small toughs of Kim's hair which stood up in every direction. Kim only cried louder and with more urgency. Amanda quickly placed her back in her crib and ran downstairs to fetch the bottle of milk she had made for Kim earlier in the day. She opened the nearly empty fridge and grabbed the nearest bottle before running back up stairs, her converses squeaking on the linoleum flooring.
When Amanda made it to the top of the stairs she noticed the large silhouette of her father at the door way of Kim's room. 'Shit' Amanda thought, worried that her father had already hurt Kim. She quickly ran the rest of the distance and put herself between her father and Kim's bed. Kim's cries became more desperate as she was left waiting for her bottle.
Amanda looked up into her father's face and noticed the rage which was seeping from his every feature. As Amanda opened her mouth to speak she felt the hard slap of a hand smack against her cheek. The unexpected force of the blow made her topple over to her side and land on the floor with a thud and the milk from the bottle flying in every direction. The harsh movement jostled her already sore ribs, sending pain down her rib cage
"How dare you wake me up! You incompetent bitch. You have one simple job and you can't even do that right!" her father roared in her face.
He pushed past her and stormed over to the crib making a grab for Kim. Amanda shot up from the ground and lunged over to her father and pushed him to the side with all the strength she had.
"You keep your filthy hands off of her, I don't want you anywhere near her!" Amanda screamed back at him however the hitch in her voice betrayed her anxiety. Amanda would do anything to protect her 6 month old sister but that didn't change the fact that she was absolutely petrified of her father and what he would do to her if she disobeyed his rules. Amanda tried not to show her anxiety towards him as she didn't want him to think he had any sort of control over her.
Her father grabbed a hold of her hair and sent her flying into the shelves on the wall with a loud clatter. Amanda felt the wind being thrown out of her as she was slammed into the shelves and a blinding pain was sent shooting through her stomach.
"Don't even think that you are a loud to talk back to me." he growled at her before giving her one final slap across her face which made her eyes prickle with tears before he straightened his jacket and stormed out of the room.
Amanda sunk to the floor and started to sob, her face still stinging from the harsh blows. She was all too familiar with the scene she found herself in; Kim's cries drowning out her sobs. Amanda's back heaved with every gasp of air that rattled through her body. She knew that if she didn't get up and see to Kim then her father would be back filled with a new rage and vengeance.
Holding onto her side she slowly picked herself up and limped over to Kim, picking her up and cradling her against her chest. Amanda knew that there was no more milk left in the house and no way of feeding Kim who was now screaming louder than before, so she grabbed her jacket from the back of the chair and made her way down the stairs with Kim, strapping her into the pram, which was once Amanda's, and making her way out of the house, finding solace in the cool air which washed over her body.
Nobody stopped to question her about the fresh bruises marring her skin or her red rimmed eyes, which Amanda was grateful for, the last thing she needed was someone trying to help and make the situation worse. Amanda quickly made her way around the shop, only picking up a baby formula and a few essentials before making her way to the check-out.
After leaving the shop Amanda started on the fairly long walk back to the house, grateful for the excuse to spend more time away from the house. Amanda had already decided she was skipping school today, she knew that neither her mother or father was in the right state of mind to leave a baby with. Amanda had been lucky enough to find a local coffee shop who would employ her and who were also happy that she bring Kim along who would nap in the staff room whilst she did her shift from 5-10 pm every week day after school. She knew it was important that she find a job as it was the only stable income in the house, she still didn't know where her father got the money to gamble, but Amanda knew it was sometimes best to not ask questions.
