I open the door to my house quietly. He shouldn't be home yet but I don't wanna run the risk of being too loud. As I walk in I close the grey door silently, looking around our small home. As I walk in I lay my small grey bag on the hook located to the right of the door. It's small and brass colored, next to it lies another hook thought it hasn't been used for nearly a year. The other hook belong to my brother, Tobias.

I walk into our small kitchen I see a small not laying on the counter. Other than that our counters are bare. The dishes have all been washed and put away. The food is all located in the fridge in small amounts. I walk forward and my shoes make a small squeak on the tiled floor. The sound echo's around the small and empty house. I pick up the note and read silently, reading everything Marcus has left for me to do.

Amaria;

Your chores are as follows;

~Dust the counters

~Clean the living room

~Scrub down the bathroom

~Tidy up my bedroom

~Sort and do the laundry

~Polish my shoes

~Make sure your bedroom is neatly

I expect dinner to be ready by the time I get home from my meeting.

~Marcus

He signs it with his first name, not father, just Marcus. I sigh as I read through the list a second time. Of course nothing is new. My weekly chores consist of these but we must have company coming over because he almost never tells me to make sure my room is tidy.

I begin work on my chores, starting from the top and working my way down. It is 4:30 right now, which means I have around 3 1/2 hours before Marcus will return from his meeting. I want to make sure everything is done because I know if something isn't up to his expectations my back will be sore for a week.

I sing quietly to myself as I sit down in the living room and begin polishing Marcus's shoes. In the quite house my voice echo's across the walls but I make sure to keep my voice down. Should the neighbors here me they'll tell father and I'll be beat for being self indulgent. It's 6:30 which means I have half an hour before Marcus will come in, presumably with company.

I finishing polishing his shoes quickly and start dinner. I peel the potatoes quickly and start boiling the rice. Once those two things are set I start a small basket of greens. Of course I'm preparing food for only one person. Marcus hasn't let me eat at the table with him recently, telling me that I take too much and show selfishness in the way I eat. I've had to rely on the lunches provided at school.

I'm just setting the food on the table when the door opens. I quickly stand up straight and make sure everything is set in place. As he opens the door my heart sinks, I left his freshly polished shoes laying on the living room floor. I try to hurry forward but before can make my way into the room he opens the door.

As he enters he hangs up his coat and his eyes flicker to the shoes laying on the floor and his head shakes in disappointment. "Amaria why are my shoes laying on the floor?" he asks, fixing me with a small glare.

He look down on the ground. I try to look shameful but my eyes are blazing with anger. Of course I will be punished, for the fact that I simply left a pair of shoes on the floor.

He walks toward me swiftly and slaps me across my face with the back of his hand. "I asked you a question." he growled tilting my head up so I stare into his cold grey and blue eyes.

"I'm sorry." I tell him, trying to force my voice to stay calm. " I was caught up with finishing my other chores and I forgot to take them back up to your room." I tell him, trying to keep my voice steady but it comes out shaking with anger.

He sighs and lets my head fall. He walks past me and sits down at the table, eating the dinner I worked to prepare. "Take my shoes up to my room." he orders.

I nod and head into the living room. Grabbing the pairs of shoes and carrying them into Marcus's bedroom. I shudder as I enter, memories fight to the surface of my mind and I suppress them, well most of them. One comes to mind though, the first time I came up here and was violated by my father.

I'm rocking back and forth in my room. My hands are wrapped around my knees, I'm sitting on the floor, and I'm rocking more and more. I hear a groan of pain and then muffled words.

Marcus had gotten into arguments at his meeting today. He came home fuming and I was in the way of his rage. He tried to strike me but Tobias, being my older brother, stopped him and told Marcus to punish him not me.

I muffle a small scream of fear as I hear Tobias screech again. I hear the loud snap of Marcus's belt flying through the air, followed by the scream of my brother.

I try to block it out, covering my ears with my hand. However it doesn't work. I still hear Tobias's screams and I suddenly stand up. I can't take any more of it.

As I run downstairs and I see a sickening sight. Tobias is slung over the back of the couch, his shirt is clinging to his bloody back in shreds. Cuts intersect along his back, blood seeping out of them. I swallow back bile and look away from Tobias's bloody back.

Marcus turns to me, his eyes are burning with fire. "Amaria get back upstairs right now." he growls, glaring at me.

I swallow back my fear and stand up straight. "No." I say fiercely. "You've done enough to him!" I tell Marcus, taking a step forward.

Marcus takes his time responding, his tone is deadly calm which startles me the most. "Amaria I'm going to give you one chance to rethink what your saying." he tells me, looking at me.

I don't back down, I look him in his cold eyes. "He's had enough." I tell him, "You've punished him enough tonight." I say.

Marcus seems to process what I said. Tobias lets out a small groan but Marcus pays him no attention. He suddenly reaches out and grabs my collar and begins walking upstairs, dragging me with him. I struggle in his grip but it's no use.

He reaches his bedroom and throws the door open angrily. He throws me down onto the ground and locks the door. As I crouch on the ground and I cower before him, knowing full well how his wrath can be merciless.

That was the first time Marcus ever violated me. I was 10, going on 11.

I shake myself back to reality. I set my shoes down in his closet, making sure to arrange them perfectly. As I make my way back downstairs I see that Marcus is done eating and is sitting in the living room, flipping through a newspaper.

As I walk forward quietly he looks up from his paper. "You will spend the night in your room." he tells me, not bothering to look at me as he goes back to his paper. "Some council members are coming over and I don't want to see you until tomorrow morning." he tells me, daring me to argue.

I nod, "Yes Marcus." I tell him which earns me a glare. "Yes father." I amend my statement, looking at him.

He rolls his eyes and flicks his hand, sending me away. I gladly escape upstairs and lock myself in my bedroom. I lay on my bed and 20 minutes later I hear the door to our apartment open. I recognize the voice of Andrew Prior, as he and my father are good friends.

I lay on my bed that night, tossing and turning, wondering if I can ever escape Marcus. Wondering if I can ever be free from the grip he has on me.

I wonder if Tobias did it. If he escaped out father and is living happily among the black clad Dauntless.

As the moon rises and casts a silvery glow across my bedroom I can't help but wonder if I could ever join my brother, every live among the Dauntless.

I wonder if I am brave enough to ever live among them. The Dauntless fear nothing and they take orders from nobody. They are sea of black, facing their fears, and banding together to make themselves better. To make themselves braver.

Heyyyy

So thank you for reading the first chapter of my first fanfic!

I hope you enjoyed and feedback is much appreciated. I'll try to update Wednesday or Tuesday... I'm not certain which.

~Ciao

S-K-B-H