It was never meant to be this way.
He was supposed to have a family who loved him.
His Mom was supposed to hug him tight when he was afraid, not spout broken words about her son whilst she shook him by the shoulders and gazed upon him with unblinking green eyes. His Dad was meant to soothe his worries, take away his pain with a kind smile.
But that never happened. Luke found his life spiralling out of control. His anger intensified as he would hide behind doorways and listen to his Mom stagger about, often shouting for the son she scared away. The bitterness soon crept in, making its place known.
Luke would often dream of curing his Mother of her insanity, he would often beg and plead the woman to forget the burnt cookies and beanbag monsters, forget everything and just hold him like she used to. But above all the disappointment and anguish, Luke craved the affection of the one man he knew would never love him back.
Luke was often silently grateful that he didn't share this miserable life with any sibling. When he was younger he always imagined what it would have been like if he had a younger brother or sister, someone to play hide and seek with, someone to talk to when the loneliness grew suffocating. But Luke had hardened against the thought, how dare he wish for another child to live through such a pathetic life?
Luke only ever wanted a family.
His Mother's fits gradually grew worse, each time the woman would be lost for longer, her throat often raw from screaming at her son, her hands bruised from maintaining her grip on her son's slender arms. Luke grew more afraid with each passing day. It was only after a particularly bad episode did Luke grab a rucksack and leave.
The burden of guilt, anger and resentment wrapped its self around Luke as his hand splayed against the front door. Blocking out his Mother's frantic screams, he lowered his hand to the door handle and it swung open with a click. Squashing the thoughts that he was abandoning his Mom just as his Dad had, Luke stepped from the threshold. He walked at a slow, disoriented pace until his heart beat quicker in his chest and his legs urged him further away from his old life.
Luke never looked back.