∞CHAPTER ONE∞
Let me tell you a story. It involves the truth about
Who I used to be and about whom I now seem to be.
Let me read you a book about a child who's only
Fear was her own father. He would scream and yell,
But it didn't seem to be directed at her. It merely
Scared her because she was hiding in the closet in
The hallway. She wasn't spying, not necessarily. No,
She had only wanted a glass of water. But the
Screaming had stopped her in her tracks. And made
Her scream inside instead.
"Shut up!"
"Stop screaming."
"I said shut up!"
There was a crash.
Then the whole air in the darkness was silent . . . like before a storm.
The front door burst open.
Then a woman screamed: again.
I stared out from the crack in the door and found myself trapped.
I couldn't look away.
Daddy had only his boxers on.
And the lady was in a silky white dress.
Her hair was blonde and everywhere around her face.
She screamed at him again then all was silent.
I changed position to see what was going on, only to hear my own screaming.
BANG!
The door opened and Daddy grabbed me by my hair.
As he dragged me out, I saw the woman on the hard wooden floors, her face tilted up at an unusual angle.
Her mouth was open in a silent scream.
Blood pooled around her body in waves.
My eyes widened as Daddy wiped his mouth with the back of his hand that held a gun.
"See what you made me do?"
"I didn't—"
He cut me off. "Say you're sorry!"
"I can't," I began to cry.
"Say, 'I promise not to hurt anyone again.'"
"I promise . . ." by then I was sobbing.
"Say it!"
He had never yelled at me before.
To hear him yelling at me for the first time was heartbreaking.
"I promise not to hurt anyone again!" I screamed out, still crying.
"Grow up," he said dropping me.
I scrambled up against the hallway wall and took the care to pull my hair up.
It hurt.
My scalp was on fire where he had grabbed me.
"Daddy?"
He stood in the doorway to the bedroom, just behind the dead lady.
His back was slumped up against the doorframe, his hand still clasping the gun.
He was looking into the bedroom, almost like he was scared to walk inside.
I crept closer, trying to see what he was staring at.
"Leave me alone!" he shouted out suddenly.
I jumped back, my eyes wide with fear.
"I didn't kill her," he said in a broken tone.
"This child you left me with," he paused.
There was a small moment of silence.
Then . . . I heard him weeping.
"She made me do it, Eve."
His shoulders began to shake and he grasped the frame of the door.
"I didn't kill her!" he screamed.
"Daddy, you're scaring me," I whispered.
His crying stopped when he heard my voice.
Body rigid, he turned, as if seeing me for the first time.
"You killed her."
He stepped towards me, but by then I was too scared to think.
I ran.
He chased me.
The wooden staircase creaked as I bolted down the stairs.
I ran to the living room and into a small hall.
I stood on tip-toe to open the door that lead to the garage.
There was a door that led outside in front of me.
I never made it.
"Where are you?" Daddy called in a singing voice.
The light flicked on then off, then on.
A hand snaked out and grabbed the back of my nightgown.
I couldn't struggle out of its grasp.
When the light came on again, I saw my Daddy's eyes, red and big as can be.
"I found you," he said in a scary voice.
"Let me go," I said whispering.
"Why?"
"I want to go to sleep."
"Then go to sleep," he held the gun up and I felt a cold, small thing touch my temple.
"Can I go back to my bed?"
"Yes darling, you can."
BANG!