I wrote this Jatie story a few years ago. I never finished it or posted it.
You're the Reason
Chapter 1
(Katie's Pov)
I was sitting at the table coloring a picture, as my upset mother walked over to the sink. Her face was coated in tears, nose runny, eyes puffy and irritated. One of the things I learned about my mother was that when she was unhappy she would clean. That was her way of calming herself down, and taking her mind off of the problem.
My mother and father fought all the time, it was almost natural to me. But still to see my mother cry hurt me.
"Are you okay, Mommy?" I got off the chair I was sitting on and went over to my crying mother. "Mommy, why are you crying?"
As I tugged at her pants trying to get her attention, she turned, wiped her tears away and put a fake smile on her face. "Baby girl, I'm fine. Okay? Why don't you color mommy a beautiful picture?" she grabbed my tiny six year old hand and walked me back to the table. "Look baby girl, it's snowing." She pointed out the window. "Let's draw us playing in the snow. We can even have daddy and Kendall in the picture too."
"Kenny said he would make a snowman with me. He said I could put on the nose." I said with a toothy smile.
"Okay sweet heart." She nodded as she made her way back to the sink to deal with the pile of dirty dishes.
I sat at the table watching her, wondering what the reason my parents argued was. My brother Kendall said they only stood together because of us. "They never really loved each other." He told me "Mom just refuses to leave him because of you and me."
It made me unhappy to think I was the reason my mom and dad fought. I looked out of our kitchen window and concentrated on the falling snow. Usually winter weather made me happy, I would think about all the amazing things I could do. Like make snowmen, or snow angels have snowball fights and make hot chocolate while eating gingerbread men. Winter was my favorite season, but this cold December afternoon was filled with more sorrow than happiness.
"Mama" My brothers' voice broke my train of thought "Why were you and dad fighting?" he sat down next to me and grabbed his favorite spider-man coloring book. As he spoke he began shading in the words 'The Amazing Spider-Man' with a dark blue crayon.
My mother stopped what she was doing and walked over to the table. She pulled out a chair to sit and looked Kendall in the eyes. "Kendall your father and I just had a disagreement. It's nothing to bad, okay? Your father and I love each other and we love you guys. We'll do anything in our power to stay together. We want you to have a mom and dad." She kissed Kendall on the cheek, and then kissed me. "I Love you" She whispered to us as she pulled away.
That night after dinner my mother put me to sleep. She sat at the edge of my pink twin sized bed and tucked me in. Then she began to read me my favorite story book 'Watch Out Ariel'
"Arista" My mother said in her silly King Triton voice "I'm putting you in charge of the food. Alana, you'll be responsible for the invitations. Aquata" she paused then read on in her regular narrator voice "The princess listened- all except Arial. Arial was daydreaming about the kind of parties humans had. Scuttle the seagull had told her they had something called dancing." She stopped and looked at me then kept reading. "Dancing!" she said in an excited voice "What would it be like to spin around on legs? Arial imagined herself twirling around and around and-"
"Mommy" I cut her off
"Yes Katie" She smiled
"Arial dances with a prince" I said pointing to the picture in the book.
"Yeah she is Katie" My mother said with a smile. This time I could tell it was real.
"When I grow up I want to be like you mommy, I want to be a princess."
"Oh baby girl! You already are a princess. You're my princess." She hugged me
"But will I have a prince to dance with, just like Arial?"
"Of course you will. You'll find a prince, one that loves you, and will care for you and will make you happy."
"Like you and daddy?" I looked up at her.
Her eyes began to water "Yes princess, but even better." I hugged her and could feel her tears running down my arm "Sweet heart, mommy isn't feeling good can we finish reading the story tomorrow?"
I smiled and hugged her "Okay" I laid down in my bed as she tucked me in once again. "Good Night mommy, I love you" I told her as she turned my light off and closed my bedroom door.
"I Love you too Katie"
I woke in the middle of the night to my mother and father yelling. My mother was trying to calm him down but it didn't work.
"He's just a boy!" she said
"Well he should know better! No son of mine is going to throw his life away! An F Jennifer! An F! He's smarter than that!" I kept listening to my father "He's being lazy, lazy that's all! No son of mine is going to get away with being lazy!"
"Kendall is a 13 year old boy. He's scared, and feels alone! You're pushing him way to hard! He isn't sleeping right, he isn't eating right and he's not doing well in school! It's because you're not a father to him!"
"NOT A FATHER!" My father's voice stopped "I'm not a father to him? Fine Jennifer! What am I?" I heard a loud thump as if something was thrown into a wall "Tell me! Tell me!" I heard my mother yell out in pain. I got so scared, so I pushed my blankets aside and ran to Kendall's room.
"Kenneth don't you dare hurt my baby!" I heard my mother scream
"Kenny." I shook my brother to wake him up, but he was already awake. "Kenny, mommy and daddy are fighting and I'm scared."
My brother picked me up and put me on his bed. "It's okay Katie. Come on Katie you can sleep in my bed tonight."
I got under the blanket with Kendall and snuggled up beside him. "Thank you Kenny, I love you." I fell asleep in Kendall's arms, but the last thing I heard was Kendall yawn and say "I Love you too Katie."
Everything was fine, until my father burst into the room. "Kendall Francis Knight!" The sound of my father's voice made me and Kendall jump up.
"Yes dad" Kendall yawned as he rubbed his eyes
"An F, You got an F! You're falling asleep in class! Kendall this is unacceptable!"
I hated it when my father yelled at my brother. So I hide under the blanket.
"I'm sorry dad; I'm just not getting enough sleep. I'll try harder, and go to bed earlier."
"No! No, Kendall that's not good enough!" My father yanked my brother off of his bed. "You're acting stupid!" My father slapped my brother across the face. "Do you hear me?" He yelled as he slammed my brother into the wall.
"Stop! Stop! You're hurting him!" I yelled at my father
"Shut-up girl!" He yelled back
I ran off of Kendall's bed to Kendall who was now lying on the floor. "Kendall. Kendall, are you okay? Please answer me Kenny." I shook my brother until I heard a groan. "You hurt Kenny! You're a mean daddy!" I stood up as I could possible stand. My father was now angrier than I had ever seen him. He grabbed me by the arm and through me on the bed.
"A mean daddy! Really?! A mean daddy?!" I heard him take his belt off and jumped as he pulled it out the loops in his jeans. "You're just like your mother! You're just as pathetic as she is!" He yelled at me then he struck me with the belt, over and over, and over again. I tried to be strong and not to cry, but I couldn't help it.
"Stop, Stop, I'm sorry daddy, you're not mean, stop" I cried
"Leave her alone!" My brother said trying to be strong, trying to stand up.
"Kendall, she needs a good beating. It could teach her a thing or two." He said before striking me again.
"Stop!" My brother yelled as he pushed my father "You have no right to treat her that way!"
"Kenny" I whimpered
Kendall ran over to me and picked me up, as he rocked back and forth still dizzy from being thrown into a wall. "Come on Katie, let's find mommy."
"Boy you better put her down!" My father yelled as he grabbed Kendall by the arm.
"No! Get away from us!" he said as he tried to pull away, but my father was too strong. My father pulled Kendall which made him drop me on the floor. When I got up my father had grabbed him by the hair and began punching him in the stomach, and the face, and anywhere possible. My father through him to the floor and began kicking him. And I saw the whole thing. "Run! Katie!" My brother yelled at me. By now my 13 year old brother was bruised up and covered in blood.
I ran off to my mother's room; I found her in a fetal position crying "I'm a horrible mother. I can't protect my babies. He's hurting my babies."
I crawled closer to her. "Mommy" I cried "Mommy, mommy, please daddy is hurting Kenny. He is hurting us." I shook her.
My father walked into the room, apparently done with Kendall's beating. "What are you doing in here girl?! Go to bed!"
I ran out of their bedroom to Kendall's. He was on the floor in his room crying. I remember seeing how my mother would clean off the cuts we had. Since we got hurt so often it was a routine. So I helped Kendall to his bed; which was really difficult since I was so small. Found a washcloth, got a bowl, filled it with water and began cleaning his cuts. After I cleaned him off I went to the bathroom and found the bandages, gnaws and medical tape. I went back to his bedroom and found my brother standing there staring into a mirror.
"Kenny, I need to clean your cuts and put on your bandages."
"Why? What's the point? He'll keep beating us no matter what! And mom can't defend us because she's too scared. Just let me bleed to death." He said with tears running down his face as he turned to me.
"You can't die, if you do I'll be all alone." Even in all the pain Kendall was in he still hugged me.
"I'll never leave you."
After getting Kendall fixed up, we laid in bed. I tried to go to sleep but just couldn't.
Is Kendall right? He'll just keep beating us. Is there a point?
It's kinda sad, but it's only the beginning. It explains part of Katie's past. SO tell me what you think!
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-Miss-Kristie-15