Brax POV
I wake up at 5:30 to start of the day , there is a lot I have to do in the morning because I am the only one who supports my family , my mum and dad are a waste of space , they are either out drinking and gambling or committing crimes. I slowly get out of bed and creep past the living room where mum is passed out and probably trying to recover from a hangover. I go into our small kitchen and make Casey , Heath and I's lunches for the day. After i have done that , I make our breakfasts with the few things we have in our cabinet and go wake up Vick and the boys. While they get ready I hop in the shower and get my work uniform. I work for a building company part time and at a bar serving alcohol part time at night even though I'm under age they don't seem to care in Mangrove river. Mangrove river is where my family and I live , we live in a small house with three bedrooms that looks like it will fall down at any second. Heath and Casey share a room and I share a room with my baby sister Vicky. While my dad has his own room and my mum passes out on the couch.
After the boys and I get ready , I eat with Heath , Case and Vick. Just before 7:30 I go drop off Vick at our neighbours house where a kind , old woman looks after her . " Bwax don't leave me" Vick cries out " baby , I need to go to work " I say as Vick starts to cling to my leg " we go surf , have fun , dad no find me " Vick begs. My heart almost breaks when I see the fear on Vicks face. " He won't find you I promise" i say as I quickly hug Vick and s does Heath and Casey. Then I drop off the boys at Mangrove primary and start work at 8. I work hard at my job cuz i do twice the amount off work the others do because i have my family to look after. I get a call from the principal at the boys school and go to pick up Heath cuz he has started another fight. I get off at 4 and meet the Casey at the beach with Heath for a quick surf. Then we pick up Vick , make dinner for everyone with Vick, help the boys with hw and look after Vick. Then late at night when i hear the loud footsteps of my dad coming up the driveway , I hurriedly grab Vick and the boys follow where I put them in Heath and Case's room. I go back to the living room and sit with mum , to wait for the inevitable to happen.
I hear the loud booming footsteps of my dad coming up the steps. I hear the door smack against the wall. " Get here you piece of trash " he says. He yanks me off the couch and I smack straight into the corner of the wall. I then get lots of kicks to the ribs and punches to the face , when I hear Heath running towards us. " Stop hurting him " heath says as he charges at Dad. Dad easily shoves him aside and starts beating him up but decides he has enough and walks to his room. I scurry to Heath's side and tried to comfort him but he wriggles out of my grasp covering his face while he cries. The bedroom doors opens and Vick comes running out on her little legs with Casey right behind her. " Weathie " Vick says trying to say his name but failing. She goes rushing into Heath's chest where he opens up his arms and hugs her against him. Whenever Heath copped a beating he would never let anyone near him except for Vick. Vick and Heath always have had always had a connection. While I look at their little interaction I swear that I will do a better job at looking after my family.
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4 YEARS LATER
Brax 18 , Heath 14 , Casey 10, Vicky 6
The past three years have been spent with beatings and Brax has started a gang called the River Boys. Vick has grown so much and is just a bundle of joy. She loves to draw and swing on the tire swing in the backyard. She started hockey , boxing , hip hop and gymnastics and Brax and Heath are teaching her and Casey to surf. Heath has started a lot of fights in school and casey is just being his quiet self.
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6 YEARS LATER
Bras 24 , Heath 20 , Casey 16 , Vicky 12
A lot of years ago the boys got really involved with the River boys , partying , drugs and drinking. It is affecting Vick because she is becoming less innocent and she is hiding a secret. Vick has been getting into tones of fights and got expelled. I didn't know what to do until 2 nights ago. It started when the boys and I were at Wilsons around a fire , sitting in the sand and drinking. I saw Vick hanging with some of the river boys a few metres from me. I abruptly stand up and shove past the boys " oi what do you think your doing here , get your ass back to the house and are you DRINKING!" I shove her backwards and she stomps off and chucks the beer onto the sand. Heath , Case and I stay at the beach until 11ish and we start walking back to the house when we hear a scream and the front door slamming of our house. We start running to our house and screaming for Vick. " Vick, Vick, Vick " Heath screams on the verge of tears as he zooms past Brax and Casey into the house. We ran into the living room to see Vick unconscious with bruises all over her body and her jaw set at a odd angle. " Vick , please stay with me" Heath sobs shaking Vicks body. " Call an ambulance" I scream at Casey. I shove off a crying Heath off of Vick and start doing CPR. Heath stays by her side and holds her hand desperately trying to stop crying. As I'm just about to give up , Vicks eyes shoot open and she starts to breath. She lazily tries to look at me but is stopped when Heath pretty much tackles her in the most gentle way possible for a buff 20 year old man. Heath lifts Vick up into his lap , rocking her back and fourth saying soothing words to her as Vick struggles to breath. I move over to Heath as the paramedics come in. They take Vick from Heath's arms and lift her into a stretcher. Vick screams out and Heath screams " GET OFF HER , STOP IT YOUR HURTING HER!" as he tries to shove his way through to Vick. I hold him back as they take Vicks away and Heath collapses and my arms crying. " Heath get up we need to get into the ambulance" i say as I hurl up Heath onto his feet and drag him to the ambulance.
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