Life was not good. Nah, not good at all. Well, at least, not for James Atticus Reska. A seventeen year old male, white, green eyes, dirty blond hair, no money to his name, and not a damn place to live but at his mothers place.
Which, by the way, was a small apartment, flooded with cockroaches and beer bottles, broken locks and stained carpets and floors.
"Here baby girl, come here." James said softly, calling his kid sister, Leibi, over onto his lap on the couch. The younger child slowly walked over to James, and when he held his hands out, she ran over, and jumped into his lap, clinging to him as she started to cry. James held his sister tightly, and shushed her softly, rocking her in a soothing way while he ran his hands threw her hair.
In the other room, there was screaming and yelling, banging and thumping. Leibi cried harder, and James started to hum to her, trying to block out the yells and screams.
Lei was upset, skinny and frail like James was…but, James didn't let the hunger get to him as much as it should have. Any food he could bare to give, he gave to his sick sister, who, needed it more then he did. Hell, James was more of a parent then his actual parents where…their mother was stupid, had a low paying job because she dropped out of school, and their father, well, was just some drunk who flattered their mom into getting into bed.
The rest, was history.
James was the first to come out, then Amy, who, died when she was only three when their father 'accidentally' ran her over when intoxicated. Then, came sweet, precious Lei…who, James loved to death.
"Ich werde Sie töten, Hure!" Leibi flinched and held onto her brother harder, when suddenly, the door for their mother's small door was thrown opened, and their mother, was literally thrown to the ground, her cries now louder then ever. Their mom was weak…James couldn't stand and idly watch her get treated like this.
James put Lei on the couch, then pulled the filthy baby blanket over her head pulling together a smile just for her, before he kissed her forehead, and pulled the blanket over her face.
She was scared, James could tell…his mom pleaded with their drunken trailer trash dad to stop, and she screamed dramatically when he backhanded her, sending her to the floor again. "Hey! You get your fucking hands off my mother!" James yelled, glaring in a threatening way at their father.
It was always like this…their father would come home, drunk as always, then first go for their mother…
If James kept quiet, then, him and Lei would be kept out of it, and their mother would have to cover up her bruises with her trashy make up. Lately, though, its gotten worse, and James couldn't take it anymore!
No matter how many times he got his ass beat trying to keep his father away from his mother…no matter how many spits of blood, broken rips, and bloody faces he had, no matter how many times he had to look over at his little sister, and see her horrified, frightened innocent face…
This was his fucked up world, and, he had to make it right somehow…by saving his mother a hit or two, she would be able to get up and work tomorrow…Leibi wouldn't go hungry.
"I said, get your fucking hands off my God damn mother, you German bastard!" James yelled louder, seeing his father smirk, and rub his chin, stumbling a little as he completely ignored his wife's pleases to leave the kids alone. "Get them off!" James continued, his face reddening a little with his anger.
The dad laughed bitterly, and took an unsure step forward. James stepped back, but still kept his anger up. "Heh…lil punk…otta smack de shhht ota yo…" He said softly, slurring his already bad English, littered in his German accent. James sneered, taking daring punch at his father, who, simply whipped the blood off his lips and returned the punch, also kicking the teen to his knees, then eventually the floor.
"Atticus!" Leibi squealed, watching from her blanket in terror. James looked over at her with a small wince, mouthing the word, 'go' for his sister to hide.
It was, though, a little to late. "Was that, bloody bich…you wanna gt smacked too?!" The dad barked, now storming across the room to 'take care of' Leibi. The mom screamed for him to stop, and sobbed pathetically, while Leibi cried, feeling her father grab her hair and pull her off the couch roughly.
James's expression swelled, before he got up, and pushed his father into the wall, grabbing him by his shirt and thus slamming him down against the table. "Leibi, get out of here!" James yelled, trying to hold his dad back. "Baby, run!" He continued, being thrown back as his father broke free.
Little Lei froze, then started to cry more, running into her room to slam the door shut and lock it. There father tried to get in, and started to bang, kick and throw things at the little girl's door, causing Leibi to hide under her bed, scared out of her little mind.
James slowly got back up, then grabbed one of their dad's many alcohol bottles, building up all the anger and hate he possible could, before the beautiful, deadly shimmering glass bottle came crashing onto a deserving head, now littered in shattered glass and blood. The blood of an abuser, with, tainted such shimmering beauty as broken glass.
James could hear his mother scream in horror, before she slapped James, and pushed him away from her husband, crying over the unconscious drunk. It all happened, so fast…
James just stood there, and watched his mother in shock as she screamed and cursed him out, holding her tormentor as if he where an innocent, frail little child. Did she not remember what he had just done to her, to James? What he could have done to little Leibi?!
Did she not care about what James fought so hard to keep in place?!
Frustrated, confused, hurt and still shaken up, James gently knocked on Leibi's door, speaking as calmly as he could to the frightened little girl. "Leibi? Baby…open the door, okay? Daddy's not going to hurt you, Lei." He said to her threw the door, hearing her slowly shuffle out from under her bed, and slowly unlock the door.
James looked down at the girl, seeing the swelling already, from when their dad hit her for laughing to loudly earlier today. Bastard. James knelt down, and gestured for her to come over to him.
Leibi seemed a bit suspicious at first, but, slowly came over to him, and curled up him his arms as he stood to leave. Their mom was still grieving over her husband, and screamed something incoherent, something that caused James to glare. The teen looked down at their pathetic mother, and then sighed.
"Mom…im taking Leibi with me, and, you wont see her again. Mom, your going to die if you stay here, and, if you wont do anything to protect your child, if you wont care for her, then, you don't deserve her." He spoke bitterly to his mother, and she cried harder, shaking her head and trying to laugh it over.
He grimaces as she started to speak. "You, don't, understand, Atticus, James, your father, loves me and you kids, he, just, doesn't know-" James cut her off, shaking his head.
"Don't you get it, ma?" He asked calmly, putting little emotion into his words for the sake of little Lei. The girl sniffed and clung to her brother, whimpering softly as his mother went off on her own sad responded, causing James to quickly loose his cool, and shake his head. "No, mom…apparently, you either are to stupid to get it, or, you just don't care." He spat, taking Leibi and walking out the door in quite a huff.
Leibi clung to James as he walked out into the world, uncaring world, gently shutting the door behind him. though he, like his dead beat father, had anger problems…James, he would always keep his control around Leibi.
He loved her to much, to scare her away with his anger, of all things…he wouldn't be able to forgive himself if he did.
"Atticus…" she whimpered, seeing that he kept looking ahead, so deep in thought that he didn't even hear her. "Atticus, im tired…" She said, a bit louder this time, catching his attention.
James sighed, and held her closer, trying to think of what he could do. He had a job, but no place to live…and all that money he had earned from the job, ha been spent on food for himself and Leibi…broke, homeless…what was he going to do? What could he do? His world was crumbling down around him…and Lei, she was crying now, hungry, tired, and scared still…
James would have to think of something, and quickly.