Hello everyone! Here's the revised prolouge!
Guest: that's right, I'm back, baby!
It's dark outside, so dark I can't see across the street. The clouds press down like my forehead pressed to the glass, encasing the neighborhood in a dreary gray dusk. The lone streetlight burned out months ago, leaving the roads in chilly darkness. Even in the few weeks of bustling energy before Christmas, there are no cars, no people. They're hiding from the world that put them here.
But I guess that's how it is in a place like this.,
Let me tell you, a place like this is not somewhere you want to be.
I watch a green car slide down the street and park in my driveway. I duck under the covers as the door slam open and the laughter of my stepfather and his friends fills the formerly quiet house. Footsteps clamber up to my room and I cringe, tears filling my eyes. Don't come in, don't come in!
And of course he comes in, standing for a moment in the threshold before moving forward. He grabs the comforter and peels it back, grinning at me kneeling against the edge of the bed. "Hey, Addie. Why don't you be a dear and get your ol' dad a little something to drink?"
I grip the covers and give him a tiny shake of the head. His face falls and he whips the covers off the end of the bed. "Get me and my friends a beer, Addie."
Not wanting to start a fight, I get up, walking slowly behind him into the kitchen. "Good girl. Now, make something for us, yeah?" His friends snicker and knock the drinks I hand them out of my hands, shattering the glass against the tile with a soft chink.
"Oh, Adelynn." My stepfather sighs. "Clean it up." One of the guys hands me a washcloth and smiles with blood I can almost see dripping down his fangs. I take it and delicately slide the pieces onto the cloth. Thankfully, the men leave to watch the game starting in the other room and I am left alone. Tossing the glass into the waiting trash can, I lean against the counter and blow a rush of air out of my cheeks. I listen to the shouting a few feet away and start gathering food, rushing through the process of making food so that I can retreat to my room. A few minutes later I hear a man- Josh, I think- yell at my stepfather, "Oy! Rob! Tell your kid to hurry it up!" As I turn to dump salsa into a bowl he appears next to me and surveys my work. I glance at him out of the corner of my eye and he nods, going back into the living room.
Thank God! I think, and take the food into the dark room, setting it on the table in front of them.
Right as my fingers leave the last plate Josh turns his gaze to me and smiles again. "Why don't you come sit with me, kid?" I recoil and glance at my step dad, who nods without looking away from the television. Sweat sliding down my back, I sit on the edge of the cushion, poised to run if I have to. Josh's thigh presses against mine and he leans forward to wrap his arm around my shoulders, pulling me back into him.
As the uncomfortable seconds drag on, my eyes riveted to the screen without taking anything in, sweat slicking my forehead and my lip bleeding from where I've bitten it to keep from crying, his hand slides down and rests against my hip.
My eyes widen of their own accord and I shiver, panic rising in my head. He unwraps his arm and I almost stand up when he places his hot fingers through a tear in my jeans. No. I blink rapidly and try to clamp down the terror in my skull. No, no, no! My breath quickens, and his fingers seem to burn into my skin, a single tear slips down and splashes my arm resting in my lap, and that one tear sets off the waiting explosion teetering in my brain.
Suddenly I can't see anything and there's a sharp ringing in my ears and my limbs go numb and hurt at the same time and I'm shaking as I stand up and leave, stumbling into a banister in my dazed rush.
When the shouting dies down and their favorite team has won, the guys leave and footsteps again head up to my room.
The doors open and I clutch the pillow closer to my chest, knuckles turning white.
"Why'd you leave so soon, Addie?"
"I'm sorry," I whisper.
"Sorry? Sorry doesn't cut it, sweetheart. You disrespected my buddy Josh here," He steps to the side and lets the man in question in. They both stare at me and then my step dad moves forward, grabbing my hair. "Are you sorry?" He yanks me to the side and asks again. "Are you sorry?"
"Yes!" I choke out, wincing. "I'm sorry!"
Apparently this isn't good enough, as he pulls me up to his eye level and whispers to me with a glare, "Be glad he's here, or this would be a lot worse." I nod, eyes wide, wait for them to leave so I can cry in peace.
But they don't leave.
Josh taps his chin and smiles his wry smile at me. "I wonder if there's any way I could forgive her, don't you, Rob?"
Rob- my step dad- smiles too. "Yes, I do. I mean, wouldn't it be just a crime if you had such a blow to your honour, with hardly a glance back?"
I flicked my gaze from one man to the other, wanting to cry.
Josh sighed. "I suppose there's only one way to fix this, isn't there?" He leaned down and ran his grimy hand over my cheek. I closed my eyes and let a drop of water squeeze its way down said cheek, preparing for the worst. Both men grinned at each other and my step father wrenched the pillow from my clenched hands.
"I'll let the two of you get acquainted," He says. As soon as he finishes speaking, the doorbell rings and Josh rolls his eyes. "That's probably Angel. Gotta go." He kisses my cheek, chuckling, and heads downstairs with Rob.
When the door closes again, I let the tears fall.
I'm sorry this is so bad oh man /)-(\
Anyways, I posted the author's note yesterday and I've gotten a thousand hits and a review already? I love you guys so so much, getting all of these interactions really keeps me going. Love you!
Red, over and out