Life as I Knew It
Chapter 1
Damon Salvatore looked out the window of his multimillion dollar corporation and smiled. They said he couldn't do it. They said he would never make it, but they were wrong. When he thought of what he had done to get here he smiled. It was some story and he was more than willing to tell it. It had started one cold September morning when he was eight. He had a dream in his heart and an ambition in his mind and despite his many downfalls he would never give up home. This is a story about how one little boys dream made him into a millionaire.
19 years ago
It had all started when he was five. It was a time when he was truly oblivious about the things that were going on around him. He never knew the things that his mother had gone through. It wasn't until he was much older than he knew the real reason why his mother kidnapped him in the middle of the night. He could remember a huge piece of it as if it were yesterday. If he knew what his father was up to back then he would have made sure that he hadn't been a problem. His mother took care of that. She always had such grace to her even in the midst of his father's behavior.
One night when all he wanted was just a glass of water, he climbed out of his bed and made his way to the kitchen. His tiny feet dragged him along when he reached the kitchen something caught his eye. His mother was cooing a fussy Stefan as she paced the kitchen floor. Stefan usually had trouble sleeping and Damon couldn't blame him. Sometimes he had nightmares around this place too.
Before Damon could get a word in or get closer to his mother his father came in the kitchen. Damon could smell the stench of beer from where he stood and assumed that his father had a heavy night of drinking and he was just barely getting started. When his dad got like this it made Damon fear for his families lives. Especially Stefan. He was so young and innocent that he didn't want anything to happen to him. And here he was now in the crossfires of what their dad had planned next.
Damon froze in place as his father made his way to his mother and shoved her to the ground with very little effort. He had been abusing their mother for years now, but this was the first time Damon had fully witnessed it. His mother hit the ground with a thud as Damon heard the tattle tale sign of Stefan's cries. He wasn't in his mother's arms anymore. Damon's heart dropped as he saw Stefan's arms frailing around. He was injured. Damon could just tell. It all happened so fast that Damon hadn't had time to register all of it. It felt as if time had stood still in that moment and all he could feel was anger and hatred for the man who called himself their father.
The disoriented feeling continued as Damon made a beeline run towards Stefan. From the corner of his eye he saw his father creeping towards his mother, but he had to make sure that Stefan was safe first. He gave his mom one last painful look as he raced out of the kitchen with a crying Stefan in his arms. He placed Stefan in his crib as he watched his mother do several times and headed back towards the kitchen where his mother was now in a fetal position while his father kept on punching different parts of his body. His mother begged and pleaded for his father to stop, but he just wasn't having it. He kicked her in the stomach as she let out a cry of pain igniting Damon's anger.
Normally Damon wouldn't rush head first into an unwinnable situation, but seeing his mother there bleeding and helpless ignitated an anger in Damon he never knew before. With that in mind he made a running charge towards his dad and leapt on his shoulders in an attempt to restrain him from hitting his mother again. Damon would always want to protect her no matter what, but unfortunetly for Damon his dad tossed him to the floor as it was nothing. Damon winced as his head connected with the cabinet and all he saw was stars. He hated himself for being so weak when his family needed him.
"Damon!" his mother shouted in the distance as she crawled towards him taking her in his arms even though she was badly injured herself.
Damon wished in that moment to stay in the safeness and warmth of his mother's arms forever. Together they carefully got up and turned towards his dad. Damon burrowed himself at his mother's side as he listened to his parents conversation.
"This is the last straw giuseppe. You will not ever touch us ever again."
"Are you threatening to take my children away from me Lillian?"
"It's not a threat it's a promise."
Damon flinched as he felt his mother flinch. His father must have either punched or slapped her. Damon was still proud that his mother had stood her ground. She kneeled towards Damon looking into his eyes that were like her own.
"Damon. Go make sure Stefan is alright I have to talk with your father. Lock the doors and don't come out until I tell you to understand me?"
Damon nodded and before his father could catch him ran to Stefan's room leaving his mother behind to face her own demons.