_PROLOGUE_
It was Christmas. I was sitting down in front of the Christmas tree with my slightly dysfunctional family. First let me tell you a bit about myself. I'm Matilda Hunter but everyone calls me Mattie and I'm a 16 year old schoolgirl. My father went to jail when I was 13. Don't feel sorry or me because I'm not sorry. My father was abusive.
I have four siblings. Scott, the eldest, is 25 and currently lives in France with his wife Hayley and their 5 year old son Noah. Next comes 22 year old Kit. She is living in the city with her boyfriend Kim and their son Archie. After my father's imprisonment she began to fall to pieces, she turned into an alcoholic. She's recovered now and no-one talks about those dreadful years. I have a twin brother called Henry, but he has gone back to boarding school after tap dancing. We talk on the phone lots but it's not the same. We've definitely grown apart this past year.
Oh yeah, there's Robbie. He's 19 and if I had to choose, probably my favourite sibling. He's the only biological sibling I have left in the bay. He went to America for a year with his wife Tasha and his daughter Ella. He finished high school in the states but then they came back as they missed the bay too much. We've been through a lot together. You see my father didn't like Robbie or I. He abused us.
One year, Mum, Scott, Kit and Henry went to see Mum's family. We were going to go but we were really ill and my Dad had to stay behind with us. He started to get really angry and shouted at us. Robbie started to shout back, then out of the blue, Dad slapped Robbie across the face. He fell back shocked and I just stared at this monster I was forced to call 'Dad'. I know I probably brought this next bit on myself but what was I supposed to do? Dad was just kneeling down staring into space with a smirk on his face and I just felt such hatred that I mustered all my strength and slapped my own father in the face. I realise now that wasn't the best idea in the world but at the time it seemed like the one thing I could do to help my brother. I also realise that I am not very strong so I didn't really do much damage apart from a slightly pink cheek. Robbie was in far more pain. Then my Dad just lost it with me. He punched me in the face causing me to fall down and hit my head against the corner of the kitchen table, the world was spinning. I remember him stamping on my ankle which sent a searing pain up my leg so I screamed. Robbie seemed to stand in front of me, almost shielding me from this manic person. I vaguely remember him dragging Robbie off before I fell unconscious with the pain. Next thing I remembered, I was being thrown over someone's shoulder and being shoved into a room with a click behind me. I'd sat up properly, trying to ignore the searing pain in my ankle, and noticed I was in Robbie's bedroom and he was slumped against his bed. He had cuts and bruises all over his face and there seemed to be a slash on his arm. I crawled over to him and sat beside him.
"Robbie" I whispered. "What happened?" He didn't move. I tried again knowing I had to be strong. "Rob, is there a medical kit in your room." I was scared but I couldn't let Robbie see I was. He didn't need to protect me.
"No." he murmured. God, he was scaring me. Then suddenly something seemed to click in him. He stood up tenderly and looked in the mirror. He examined his cuts and bruises. Then he turned to look at me, crouching on the floor, one leg out, unable to move my ankle. I put one hand up to my head and felt sticky stuff. I was bleeding, that was why I had passed out and felt so dizzy. Robbie looked at my ankle and attempted to bandage it up. For the first time I really looked at my ankle, it was bruised, cut and swollen. I looked at Robbie and he looked at me. Then I felt his strong arms around me. Holding me, keeping me safe. And from that moment on, I knew we were in this together and our troubles had only just begun.
We suffered so much that year. We were bruised and battered but we didn't tell a soul. We knew that it would be much worse for us if we did. I never wore a bikini and Robbie never only wore his board shorts. We never went swimming in case we got our cuts infected. I never wore shorts, short skirts, or even vest or crop tops.
One day Robbie picked me up from school and dragged me to the police. We had received a lecture that day from the NSPCA and how we should report child abuse. I was absolutely terrified, what if Dad found out. The constable was really nice and drove straight over to our house and arrested him. As he was dragged out of the house, he swore that he would get us for this and we'd never be completely free from him. Mum, Scott and Henry were scared. At first mum hated me and Robbie and claimed we were lying about all this just to ruin our happiness. Then we showed her our scars and wounds. She said no more. Kit started drinking loads then she took off. Not long after we moved to Summer Bay. At first I hated it but now I've grown to love it. It's the one place I can call home. I suppose Robbie and I have never really recovered. It isn't the sort of thing you can just walk away from. We are scarred for life and will never truly be the same again. One thing, it brought us closer together. All the times we protected each other and took hits for each other. We're really close now. When he left for America I took the blow the hardest. Even worse than Mum! I missed him every single day and you should have seen the day he came back.
Eurgh, I hate early morning wake ups. It was 7:30 on a holiday! I got up and changed into shorts and a vest top. I felt slightly more comfortable in these kinds of clothes now. I put on some gladiator sandals that I loved and applied some make-up. All I put on was eyeliner and foundation. I didn't need mascara as I was lucky enough to have very long eyelashes.
I walked out of my bedroom into the kitchen and got out a cereal bar when I felt someone covering up my eyes. "Guess who?" said a familiar voice. I literally screamed, turned around and gave him the biggest hug you could imagine. It was slightly strange as it seemed as though Robbie had grown at least 6 inches since the last time I saw him. I thought I was taller, growing a couple of inches into my 5ft4 frame. I pulled away, "Woah Rob, you're what 6ft?" He laughed, "6ft½ actually little sis!" Then I saw Tasha and gave her a big hug. She was like my big sister, and a great friend. I had missed her a lot too. Then I saw little Ella, a toddler now. She was so sweet.
Most people laugh at the strange relationship I have with Robbie. I suppose it is quite strange. Robbie likes to think that he is quite the inventor but to be honest he is not exactly the best in the world. Once, he electrocuted me with his mosquito catcher and I had to spend a week in hospital. I also wouldn't trust Robbie in a car. I was going through a bit of a rebellious stage and I went out at 2 o'clock in the morning for a midnight walk on the beach. I didn't leave a note or anything. Robbie, Tasha, Jack, and Martha were coming back from a concert. Mum had rang them and told them that I was missing and that if they would, could they stay out longer to look for me. Robbie was driving, well speeding slightly, and some random person pushed me onto the road. He ran me over but I was feeling okay as I didn't want to get them into trouble. That was until I fainted the next day at school. Yet another couple of weeks in hospital, just because of Robbie. However, I did not mind. It was my own fault and he apologised way too much.
I like to think that I'm his third favourite girl in the world. I appreciate that Tasha and Ella come first of course. But to be honest, I really don't care.
Right then, on to more of my dysfunctional family. My ex-step dad, Rhys Sutherland, had three daughters: Dani, who went out with Scott, and her sisters Kirsty and Jade. He also had a son my age called Max who was best friends with Henry. Then Mum and Rhys got divorced.
A short while later, a new family moved in next door: Tony and his two sons Jack and Lucas. By this time, the only people living in our house were me, Robbie and Mum. Tony and mum took an instant liking to each other, Robbie and Jack became firm friends despite the fact that Jack was quite a few years older than him. I liked Lucas and we went out for a while. I loved him and I still do but after a year and a half we decided to call it off. The feeling was mutual and we knew we would always would love each other but not in the same way. Lucas is still one of my best friends today. Besides, Mum and Tony got together and decided to get married shortly after Luke and I called it off. The boys moved in and I found myself surrounded by boys, particularly when mum worked full time again. So I was now living with my ex-boyfriend who also happened to be my step brother, my other stepbrother, Jack who is a cop and my second step dad Tony. Oh and we also have a disgrace in the family. Amanda Vale was Scott's boyfriend. She pretended to be pregnant just so he would stay with her. Then she married my grandfather, who is twice her age, so she is my step-grandmother! I hate her.
Not complicated at all really!