"Ivan! Daddy, no! Stop!" a girl yelled, running over to the boy laying the floor. She threw her arms around her brother's neck, her body separating the attacker and her brother. She cried softly into her brother's shoulder and squeezed her blue eyes shut, tears streaming down the sides of her cheeks.
"Katyusha, get out of the way," her father hissed. He grabbed her by the shirt collar and tossed her aside like a rag doll. She flew to the left. Her forehead collided with the coffee table. Her father froze and stomped over to her. He hoisted her up and examined the slight cut on her forehead. Her fingers drifted up to the wound, blood trickling down the side of her face. Her father cried out in anger and held her inches from his face. "What's the matter with you, hitting your face like that? How am I supposed to explain this, huh? HUH?" He shook her roughly. She cried out in worry, and her hands flew up to grasp his wrists.
"I'm sorry!" Katyusha screamed, rivers flowing from her cheeks. "I'm sorry! P-please, don't hur-hurt me!" He growled in frustration, dropped her five feet, and marched into the basement. Katyusha froze. her eyes followed him, and she knew he would get drunk out of his mind down there if he wasn't already. As soon as the door slammed shut behind him, the picture on the wall jumped off its hinges and crashed to the floor. She darted over to her brother and cradled him in her arms.
"Kat," he whispered and somehow found the strength to hug her back.
"I'm sorry, Ivan. I should've come home on time like a good girl," she replied, holding him in her lap. "Mattie would've understood. He always does. But I was having so much fun with him at the park, I lost track of the time."
Ivan smiled, enjoying his older sister's warmth. "Why does he hit us? What did we do?"
"I think he blames us for mommy," Katyusha replied. "He said we're being punished. It was all our fault for being born before they were married. I guess it's true since mommy died after Nattie came here."
"Natalia!" Ivan cried out and tried to push himself out of his sister's lap. Katyusha's eyes widened.
"Where is she?"
"She's hiding in the closet." Katyusha held her breath to hear soft sobs coming from the closet. She held Ivan's hand, walked over to it, and opened the door. The girl's red, puffy eyes rose up to look at her sister.
"Kat!" She cried, jumping out of the closet and clinging onto the only mother she had. "You did-didn't come ho-home like you-you prom-mised!"
"I know, I'm sorry," Katyusha replied. She pulled Ivan and Natalia into a hug and hummed a song she learned from a friend. Her soft voice was calmed her siblings down. The sound of breaking glass shattered her song and made the whole house hold its breath. "Ivan, Natalia, quick! Hide upstairs and don't come down."
"But," Ivan argued. Katyusha pushed him forward.
"Please, Ivan. I don't want you hurting anymore! I'll be okay."
Ivan looked at his sister and whimpered, "But I don't want you to be hurted either. I love you, sissy." There was another crash downstairs followed by a shout in Russian and the sound of footsteps pounding on the basement stairs.
Katyusha pushed Ivan softly with determination in her eyes. "Go, please Ivan." Ivan soon gave in and grabbed Natalia's hand, leading her up the stairs and out of harm's way. Katyusha smiled and knew she was a good sister by protecting her siblings, but her courage soon left her as she stared into her father's eyes. Never before had she seen such hatred in them.
Her father staggered over to her. Katyusha held her nose; the terrible smell of alcohol burned her nostrils. A swift kick to the stomach tossed her backwards. She held her stomach, gasping for breath. Her father continued to kick and punch her but not hart enough to break any bones. Katyusha felt like she were about to die. But she knew she had to stay strong. Who else would protect Ivan and Natalia if she was gone? She wouldn't make that mistake again. Her friends would just have to wait.
After her father got bored of torturing her, he walked upstairs and left Katyusha on the floor. She whimpered and curled up into a ball. Hours seemed to pass before the grandfather clock struck midnight. Katyusha finally sat up and staggered up the stairs. Her legs gave out beneath her every once and a while. She finally crawled into the bed she shared with her siblings.
Upon entering, Katyusha noticed a silent tear slip from Ivan's eyes. She smiled and wrapped her arms around him and Natalia. Subconsciously, he smiled and nuzzled into her, and Natalia hugged her back. Katyusha took in a shallow breath and released it. As long as her siblings were safe, she didn't care what her father did. She knew in the end, someone would come and help, even when her father told her no one cared. Katyusha knew that wasn't true. Her siblings always cared about her, and that was good enough for her.
That morning, Katyusha dressed her siblings and got them ready to go to daycare. They tiptoed past her father and climbed down the stairs. Opening the door, they walked down the street and around a few corners to reach the daycare Ivan and Natalia stayed at. The daycare director gave Katyusha cookies and told her she was a good big sister for taking care of her siblings when her dad slept in. Katyusha was too big to go to daycare anymore, but she trusted the teachers alone with her brother and sister. She waved goodbye to the director and walked back outside to head to school. Before she stepped onto the sidewalk, two arms wrapped around her. Her body tensed, blaring for her to run. She tried to pull away, but the arms wouldn't let go. The bruises on her ribs screamed in pain and weakened her struggle as the grip tightened.
"Good morning, Kat," a gentle voice called out.
Katyusha stopped and sighed. "Matthew, you scared me!"
Matthew giggled, his purple eyes glowed, and his blond hair tickled her cheeks. He was two years older than her, but they were still close friends. He used to be her next door neighbor, until he, his brother and his father moved out of the house. Katyusha still played with Matthew every day at recess, but she couldn't find his brother. Matthew hugged her close and said, "I'm sorry. I'm just so happy to see you."
Katyusha moaned, "Mattie that hurts!"
Matthew released her, his eyes wide. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to. Are you okay? I'm sorry."
"No, it's not your fault," she replied, shaking her head.
There was a pause before Matthew spoke. "He hurt you again, didn't he?"
"I didn't want him to hurt Ivan or Nattie. So I protected them."
"Again? Kat, why don't you tell someone?"
"No one would believe me. He told me so." Tears came to her eyes. She bowed her head in shame. "I don't know what else to do."
"I believe you," Matthew's gentle voice reminded.
Katyusha smiled. "You're my friend, Mattie. You're supposed to believe me."
Matthew sighed. "Please, Kat. Please tell someone. There's only so much I can do to help you."
"I'll try," she replied and took in a deep breath. Katyusha looked up the steps to her school and bid Matthew goodbye. She opened the doors to the classroom and took her seat.
"Good morning, Katyusha. I was afraid you weren't going to show up today," the teacher cooed.
"Good morning, Miss S.," Katyusha chirped and pulled her pencil out of her bag. Her teacher's name was really long and hard to remember, so she told all her students to just call her "Miss S.".
Miss S. turned to the chalkboard and began the lesson for the day.
"Okay, class. Time for lunch," Miss S. announced. The class erupted into cheers and scrambled for their lunches. Without making a sound, she pushed her chair out, walked over and placed a note on Katyusha's desk. Katyusha looked up at her, opened the note, and smiled.
Kat,
Would you like to have lunch with me outside today? :)
Miss S.
Katyusha folded the note back up, stuck it in her desk, and walked out of the room with her class. They all chose different blankets to sit on and ate their lunches, chattering in their group of friends.
Miss S. smiled and patted the ground next to her. She tucked a rouge strand of brown hair behind her ear and adjusted her glasses. Katyusha walked over and sat next to her, careful not to wrinkle her teacher's blue and yellow flowered skirt.
"How are you today, Kat?" Miss S. asked and handed Katyusha a chocolate pudding cup from her bag.
Katyusha took the pudding and smiled. "I'm good. Ivan didn't want to get up this morning, so he accidentally kicked me in the chest, but I'm okay."
Miss S. frowned. "I see." Her eyes couldn't help but drift up to the cut above Katyusha's eyebrow. She played absentmindedly with the ring on her finger.
"Miss S… are you married?" Katyusha asked and stared at the ring.
"No," she replied and sighed. Katyusha bowed her head and muttered an 'oh' in response. "But I was going to be."
"Really?" Katyusha gaped. "Was he nice? Did he hit you? Were you in love? Did you have kids? Was he-"
"Whoa, hold on there," Miss S. chuckled, putting her hand down and picking up a water bottle. After taking a drink, she nodded her head. "Yes, we were in love. He never hit me, or raised his voice. He was a complete gentleman. He had two kids of his own, both adopted. He and his wife got into a fight, and she left him one night, leaving him alone to raise two kids. He met me the first day I ever started working at the school and asked me a lot of questions about raising kids. Of course, I couldn't answer all of them, but I tried my best. We got to know each other and fell in love."
Katyusha's smile disappeared when the story stopped there. "What happened? Didn't he ask you to marry you?"
"Oh, he did," she replied and took in a deep breath. "We were going to get married on Halloween, since it was one of our favorite holidays. I was waiting for him to come home after he took the boys to an amusement park. They were coming home early because of bad weather in the area." She paused and took in a deep breath. "The storm was so bad, and he… he couldn't see the road." Miss S.'s eyes filled up with tears. Katyusha began to think maybe wanting to know what happened wasn't the best idea. "The car hydroplaned on the road and they tumbled over the guardrail. I was in a meeting that day, and I didn't know what happened until I heard the message from his mother on my answering machine at home. I rushed as quickly to the hospital as I could but… I was two minutes too late."
Katyusha felt tears drip down her cheeks. Was this truly what love was? "So… did you keep his kids?"
"No. His oldest son was killed not soon after the crash while trying to shield his brother from the broken glass. The youngest was hospitalized in critical condition. He didn't make it through the night."
"I'm sorry," Katyusha sobbed. "I-If y-you're lonely, I'll ma-marry you, Miss S."
Miss S. laughed and ran her fingers through Katyusha's hair. She pulled her into a light hug as tears began running freely down her cheeks. "Thank you, Katyusha. That means a lot to me. But no thanks."
Katyusha looked up. "But I don't want you to be sad. I want you to be happy."
"I am happy," Miss S. replied. "I couldn't be happier than I am right now, talking to you. I want to be there, when a child is sad and make their life better. I want to give them somewhere they feel they can be safe and free. I want them to feel confident that there is a better future, no matter what happens. And I want to let them know that someone will always be there when they need support, guidance, and love. I care for each and every one of my students, like they were my own child. Everyone deserves to be heard and loved by someone else. That's why I became a teacher."
"Oh," Katyusha smiled and finished the rest of the pudding Miss S. gave her. The bell rang again, and the students began to file back into the classroom. Miss S. stood up and wiped her eyes.
"Well, Katyusha, let's go inside," she smiled.
"Okay," Katyusha agreed, standing up and holding her teacher's hand inside.
"You didn't tell her?" Matthew questioned.
"She was sad. I don't want to make her more sad," Katyusha replied and bowed her head. "I'm sorry, Mattie. I guess I'm just not as strong as I thinked I was."
Mattie looked up at the clouds. "I think she noticed."
"Noticed what?"
"The cut on your forehead. I think she saw it on your head. I know she's worried about you and wants to help you. But you need to tell her your dad hits you. She can't help until you're honest with her."
"I know. I just don't want to bother her."
"She's a teacher. It's what she does. She's there to try and make your life better. It's you who cause the mental roadblocks."
Katyusha watched her feet. "Mattie… you think daddy loves me like she says she loved her fi… fia… her boyfriend?"
"I…" Matthew sighed. "I don't know."
"I want a family like that." Katyusha hugged her bag. "I want to get as far away from daddy as I can. And then Ivan, Nattie, and me can be happy all the time. I want to fly far away and never ever come back."
"Then tell someone. Not all secrets are good."
"Okay… I'll tell her tomorrow."
"Pinky swears?"
Katyusha laced her pinky with Matthew's. "Pinky swears."
Katyusha opened the door to her house, leaving Matthew on the front porch. The house was surprisingly quiet. Katyusha figured her dad still wasn't home yet. She walked up into the kitchen to see him slumped over the table and holding a picture of her mother and him together. A silent tear slid down his cheek. Katyusha tiptoed over to the fridge and poured herself a glass of water. Placing the glass on the counter to wash later, she tiptoed out of the room.
"Where are you going?" a groggy voice growled. Katyusha froze and turned to look at her father. He wiped his face with his hand and glared down at her. "When did you get home? Shouldn't you be at school or something?"
"No… school is over," Katyusha replied and shifted her feet.
Her father rose from his chair and made his way over to her. Katyusha stared in horror and took a subconscious step backward. His figure towered over her, blocking out the light from the window and shading in his facial features. His eyes burned like fire, and he clenched his fists. "Give her back."
"W-what?" Katyusha whimpered. She tripped over the step up into the living room and landed on her backside. "Give who back?"
"HER!" her father screamed and threw the picture frame at Katyusha's face. The frame corner collided with her right eye and clattered to the floor. Katyusha howled in pain and held her hands up to cover the tender area. "I'd take her over any of you bastards any day! Give her back!"
"I'm sorry!" Katyusha wailed and used her feet to slide backward. "I didn't mean to, daddy! I'm sorry! Don't hurt me anymore!"
Her father picked her up by the hair and dragged her into the kitchen, ignoring her cries. He threw her onto the floor. Katyusha pushed herself up to try and run, but her father stomped his foot on her back and pinned her to the floor. Katyusha felt one of her ribs crack under the pressure, and pain shot up her body.
"I'm sorry daddy! I'll be good! I'll be good!" Katyusha howled out, tears streaming down her cheeks. She looked up at the window hovering above the sink. Familiar purple eyes gazed in at her and her father. Katyusha's lips tightened and she yelled, "Mattie! Mattie help me!"
Her father looked up from his daughter to the window, confused at who she was talking to. "You told someone?" he hissed, a new type of malice in his voice. Katyusha lowered her head, knowing she just made things a lot worse. "I can't believe you would do this to me!" Her father lifted up his foot and kicked the side of her ribs; the blow tossed her like a rag doll into the parallel wall. Katyusha yelped again and whipped her head up to look at the window. Matthew was gone.
"I'm sorry daddy! I won't tell anyone next time!" Katyusha wailed, pushing herself up to look into the hateful eyes of her father. Her father grabbed the large wooden ruler from the table and stormed over to her, smacking it in his hand.
"There won't be a next time," her father replied and raised the ruler high above him. Katyusha's hands flew up to protect her face.
The doorbell rang. Her father froze in his place and looked behind him. Katyusha lowered her hands, beads of sweat sliding down her face and camouflaging themselves amongst her tears. The doorbell rang again. Katyusha's father picked her up and tossed her into the storage closet, locking the door.
"You better keep quiet in there," her father threatened, "or I'll make sure you won't be able to talk for a week." Katyusha jiggled the door handle of the closet to reveal it was locked and whimpered to herself. Last time he locked her in here, he forgot about her, and it took him a long time to remember she was there. She pressed her ear to the door. Her father's voice called out, "Who are you?"
"Oh, hello Mr. Braginski." Katyusha held her breath, recognizing the voice. "I was on my way over here to talk to you about your daughter, Katyusha, when I noticed these two little ones walking home by themselves. They said they were Katyusha's siblings. May I come in?"
"What business do you have with my daughter?" her father growled.
"I'm her teacher, Miss S." she replied.
"I see. I'm sorry, but this isn't the best time right now," her father replied.
"Kat," Ivan called out, his footsteps getting closer to the kitchen. "Kat, are you home? Why didn't you come to get us?"
Katyusha held her breath and tried to decide what to do. If she called out, her father would beat her more for giving away her secret, but if she stayed quiet, he might not hit her anymore. She leaned against the coats inside the closet and decided to remain silent.
"I see," Miss S.'s voice replied. "Is Katyusha home right now?"
"I'm sorry, but she isn't," her father replied. "She's at ballet lessons."
"Oh. I just wanted to see how her bruise was. She said her brother accidently kicked her when he woke up this morning."
"Did she now?" he replied. Now Katyusha knew he was going to hurt her when he opened the closet door. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried not to cry. "She never told me that Ivan kicked her. I hope she'll be okay at her ballet lessons. Maybe I should go over and check up on her."
"Katyusha seems the type to try and keep everyone from worrying about her. You should tell her to be more open with others. It's for her own good."
"I'll make sure to talk to her when she gets back."
"What are you waiting for?" Matthew's voice called out. "This is your chance."
"Mattie?" Katyusha questioned, looking around.
"Kat, Miss S. is right outside the door. There's no better time to tell her than now. He has nowhere to hide. Please, Kat, tell her now!"
Katyusha held her breath and tried to decide what to do.
"Oh well," Miss S. said. "I guess I'll just have to wait and see how she is tomorrow at school."
"No," Katyusha mumbled under her breath. "IVAN! Ivan, I'm in here!" She pounded on the door as hard as she could. Ivan's footsteps closed in on the closet door.
"Kat, are you in here? Kat!"
"Katyusha?" Miss S.'s voice called.
"Miss S., I'm in here! Ivan, get Miss S.!"
Ivan hesitated before running out of the kitchen. "Miss S.! Daddy! Katyusha's stuck in the closet!"
"What?" her father seemed confused. "But she told me she was going to ballet lessons an hour ago. I think you're hearing things, Ivan. I'm sorry, Miss S.; Ivan's schizophrenic."
"NOOO!" Katyusha howled, pounding on the door. "Miss S., don't believe him! I'm in here! Help!"
Footsteps entered into the kitchen. "Ivan was right. I can hear her." The door handle began to jiggle. "Katyusha, are you in there?"
"Miss S., please open the door!" Katyusha looked up as light began to stream through the crack. She fell forward and hugged her teacher's legs.
"Katyusha!" her father sighed and pulled her away. He hugged her and kissed her on the cheeks. "I thought you went to dance class. How on earth did you get locked in there?"
Katyusha tried to squirm out of his grasp. "No! Let go of me! Don't touch me!"
Her father looked down at her, a fake emotion on his face. "What's wrong, Katyusha?"
"Katyusha, what happened to your eye?" Miss S. leaned down and examined her face. Katyusha succeeded getting away from her father and flung her arms around Miss S.
"Miss S, please, don't let my father hurt me anymore! Please don't let him! Take me away! Please, Miss S.!"
Miss S. looked into the man's eyes, a mix of shock and anger etched on her face. "Mr. Braginski, did you cause your daughter's black eye?"
"That's absurd! I'd never-"
"LAIR!" Katyusha cried. "You're lying! Every day we come home, you hurt Ivan or Natalia or me! You tell us to be quiet and we're stupid and worthless. I don't like it, daddy!"
"That's enough!" her father hissed and stood up.
Miss S. stood up along with him, not backing down. "Mr. Braginski, I have no choice but to report you for child abuse. I'm taking Katyusha, Ivan, and Natalia with me until all charges are cleared."
"You can't do that!" he roared. "I'll sue you for kidn-"
"On the contrary, I am a mandated reporter. I have diplomatic immunity in all court rooms across the United States. You can't sue me for the gum under your shoe."
Mr. Braginski roared out in anger and lashed out to punch Miss. S. She ducked under his swing and swept the floor with her foot, knocking him to the ground. He took a few seconds to get back on his feet. He swung out to strike again, but she grabbed his wrist. Using all her strength, she spun around on her heel and pulled Mr. Braginski over her shoulder and onto his back. He felt the air forced out of his lungs and his vision grew fuzzy. Finally, he slipped out of consciousness.
Miss S. looked down at Mr. Braginski and tried to stop her arms from wobbling. "No one messes with my students."
Katyusha felt a mix of emotions swell in her stomach. Miss S. picked up Natalia and took Ivan by the hand. Katyusha clung onto Miss S.'s dress and looked up at her.
"Miss S., are you going to marry me now?"
Miss S. laughed. "No, but if you want me to I will."
"No, thank you," Katyusha replied. "I just don't want to go home anymore."
"Don't worry, Katyusha. You won't ever have to go to that place again."
Katyusha's eyes lit up. For the first time in her life, she actually felt that she was important.
My father was found guilty of child abuse. He lost custody me and my siblings and was sent to prison. I don't know when his sentence will be over, but I hope it's forever and I never have to see him again.
Miss S., or as I now call her, "mom", gained legal guardianship over me and my three siblings after we were put up for adoption. She still continues to support us to this day.
Natalia currently fears having any type of commitment to any man but her brother. She has difficulty showing her emotions, and often uses actions instead of words to solve her problems. She successfully graduated high school this year.
Ivan began homeschooling at the age of ten and now receives therapy for anger issues. He's very protective of me and continues to scare off any boy I try to date.
I work as a pre-school teacher. I'm slightly afraid of my brother and adult males around me, even if I know they aren't a threat. Every day for the past two years, I've sat on a bench in the park under an old oak tree and wrote about my childhood experience of abuse.
Today, I actually finished my story. I wiped the sweat off my brow and smiled at my work. Tucking a lock of my stray hair behind my ear, I stood up and walked over to the base of the old oak tree I sat under, the same one that killed my two step-brothers and my would-be foster father. I folded my hands together, and I paid my respects like I always do.
"Thank you for releasing me from my father. Thank you for leading mom to my house to save me. And thank you for being my guardian angel." I stood up and brushed my fingers over my stepbrother's name. I smiled and reread the encryption to myself.
Matthew Williams
July 1, 1986 – August 3rd, 1992
The closest thing to an Angel on Earth
I kissed the rock, thanking my friend. I never saw his spirit again after the day mom saved us from my father. I guess there were tons of other kids who needed an angel. But he can't help everyone. That's why I'm writing this story. I was one of the lucky ones. I found help, but there are still millions of kids all over the world who are mistreated on purpose. I'm hoping everyone who reads this story takes a part in preventing child abuse. As Karen Adams once said, "Child abuse does not go away, but 90 percent of child abuse is preventable."
As a childcare worker, I must say that the abuse scenes were a bit hard to write. This story is dedicated to "Pumpkin Hat" (you know who you are!) and I'm sorry I couldn't help you sooner. I love you sweetie! =D
I hope you enjoyed my spur of the moment story. ^-^