Velkin Winters flopped down on his bed and looked out the broken window of his room. The cold rain from outside blew in, making puddles on his wood floor. He groaned. What could he do about it? His father wouldn't let him get a job, so how could he fix it? Sighing heavily, he turned over and looked out his bedroom door, down the hallway and at his father's room. Oh, how he despised his father. At times, his hate was strong enough to make him want to kill him, but he knew he couldn't do that. Where would he and his little sister Myra go if he did? Who would feed them and provide shelter? Maybe he could have, if he got a job. No, that was out of the question. His father wouldn't let either of his children out of the house –except to school – so fewer people would see their scars and bruises.
I'd be willing to bet Mom wouldn't have let this asshole treat us this way if she were around, thought the livid nineteen-year-old boy. He had never known his mother, or anything about her. But he looked nothing like his father so he had to of looked like her. He had blood red hair with beautiful baby blue eyes and a smile that knocked women from their seats. He was oddly tall; he towered over Myra, and his classmates. His sixteen-year-old sister, on the other hand, had their father's lime green eyes, possibly their mother's red hair and was small and petite, very quiet, too. They looked so much alike, you would have thought they were twins.
"Velkin! Get your fucking ass in here!" Velkin jumped. His father's voice always scared him, even if he was standing right next to him. Apathetically, Velkin got up and shuffled to his father's room, staying at the door.
"Yes?" He asked, and his father shot him a dirty look from his chair before throwing one of the many beer cans in the room at him. He dodged it with an admirable skill – he was used to having to dodge things being thrown at him.
"Boy, what did I say to address me as?"
"Sorry sir. What is it that you wanted, sir?"
"That's better," Vaughn Winters grunted to his son and turned back to his blaring television set, "Go get me another beer, and a sandwich. Then bring in your no-good sister. I need to talk to her, too."
"Yes, sir," Velkin said through gritted teeth and went to the kitchen. Thanks to Myra, the house was actually clean – excluding Vaughn Winters' room – but that was only because Vaughn was sexist. He thought the female had to clean the house and often beat her if she didn't.
Myra sat at the kitchen table, her long red hair tied back into a careless bun. Her entire being was focused on a page of homework in front of her. Probably Algebra, she was always struggling with that math class. Velkin put a gentle hand on her shoulder, making her flinch.
"I-I'm sorry! I was just-"
"Myra, relax, it's me," Her brother comforted her. She sighed and turned her head around to him.
"You can't do that, Velkin," she scolded and turned back to her work," I get scared so easily, you know that." He nodded and opened the fridge to get his father's wanted beer. Velkin made a face. How could he drink that? When Velkin had tried it, it burned his throat and left a nasty taste in his mouth. Then Vaughn found out and… Let's just say he wasn't happy.
"Vaughn wants to see you, Myra," Velkin told his sister after he had made a sandwich. She turned to him with her eyes wide. You could tell she was scared, she shook like a leaf.
"H-he does…?" Her voice was trembling. Had he figured out she was failing half of her classes, or was it… that? She nodded to her brother as he gave her a concerned look. "Don't worry, Velkin, I'll be fine." She gave him a smile, but they both knew that her statement and smile were false. Their father was going to end up yelling, no matter what he wanted to talk to her about. They both swallowed hard, and Myra hesitantly followed her brother up to Vaughn's room.
"Finally!" Vaughn huffed, snatching the beer and sandwich from Velkin and shooing him out of the room. "Close the door on your way out." His son slowly closed the door, keeping his eyes on his sister, who was wobbly, barely able to stand. Myra kept her eyes on her father. He didn't look angry, maybe he didn't want Velkin to see…? Once the door was closed, Vaughn stood and turned to his daughter.
"Myra, I got a call from our neighbor, Mrs. Ford yesterday. Do you have any idea what it was about?" Myra knew she had to keep her eyes on her father's but she couldn't and she awkwardly looked around the room. Vaughn Winters wore a scowl on his rough face. "She said you snuck away with Kobe last night and didn't get back until four this morning. Is that true?" Myra just stood there. Kobe was her boyfriend, though Myra was quick to deny it because of her shyness. Her father repeated his question and again, she was silent. Of course it was true. Neither adult would let the couple see each other, so they had to sneak out every night to see each other. A third time Vaughn asked the question, already losing his temper.
"Y-yes, sir…" She nodded as she noticed him fuming, and was rewarded with a slap to her face. A hard slap.
"Do you know how long that bitch yelled at me because of something YOU did?" He shouted, punching her in the stomach this time. She gasped, spitting up a little blood. When she bent over holding her stomach, her father lifted her head up so she was looking at him. "What the hell where you thinking? Huh? What if someone had seen your bruises?" He slapped her again, knocking her to the ground. Through all the abuse she went through, Myra Winters had promised she would never cry. And she didn't. She licked the blood from her lips as she looked up at her father. The taste of blood was unbearable, she hated the metallic flavor. But she tasted it often, so she was used to it.
"I-I'm sorry, Father," she forced out, not bothering to get up. He kicked her in the ribs, and flipped her over. Leaning over her, Vaughn wrapped a hand around her throat, squeezing, but not enough to choke her.
"Does sorry fix this? No, it doesn't." That's when he started to squeeze harder, being consumed by his anger. "What if that asshole got you pregnant? Huh? Then I'd have to pay the fucking bill to get it aborted!" Myra coughed, or tried to. Vaughn was shaking her now, both hands wrapped tightly around her throat. She couldn't breathe. She screamed out to her brother, who heard his father's screams and burst through the door.
"What the fuck are you doing to her?" Velkin screeched, kicking his father off his little sister. He grabbed her before Vaughn could, keeping her tightly in his arms. He looked at her. Good, she's breathing, Velkin breathed a breath of relief then looked back at their father, "What the hell, man?"
"She needs her punishment, don't get in the way, boy!" Vaughn snarled, reaching out to snatch his daughter. Velkin jumped back. There was no way in hell he was going to get his hands on her again. "I've had enough of you getting in my way, Velkin," his father smiled nastily, only one other time had he seen that smile. He saw it years ago, though he desperately fought to forget the reason why. And now, he couldn't think of it.
"What the hell are you smiling at?" Velkin barked, only making his father's wicked smile grow.
"I'm sending you to military school. Maybe you'll learn some discipline there, and respect me." Vaughn Winters laughed at his son's expression, his horrified expression. That would mean he'd have to leave Myra, in his father's hands. She'd probably be dead before he got back! He couldn't let him send him away from her, not when she needed him so badly. Velkin glared at his abusive father then at his sister in his arms.
"D-don't… leave me," Her voice was so quiet, so soft. He had to see her like this; she was always getting beat more than him, because Velkin could actually fight back. Vaughn Winters was huge, built like a football player. Myra wasn't.
"I won't, sis," he replied as softly as she, "Never in a thousand years."
"Stop that damn whispering!" Their father barked, making Velkin flinch and almost drop Myra. "Now get your lazy, good-for-nothing asses to bed. You have school tomorrow," He smiled cruelly at his son. It took every ounce of Velkin's energy not to attack his father, but he didn't, knowing he would do something to Myra if he did anything.
"Don't worry, Myra," Velkin whispered to his sister, setting her down on his bed, "He's never going to separate us." Myra groaned and rubbed her throat. No matter what she did, Father never choked her. That was new. Kobe was going to be pissed when she told him.
"What do we do, Big Brother?" She asked as he covered her up. He didn't know. He didn't know how to tell her that, either. But he knew he'd figure out something.
"Everything will be okay, I promise." He kissed her forehead and sat on the floor. "Goodnight, Myra. I love you."
"I love you too, Big Brother," Myra replied in a sleepy voice and was soon asleep. But Velkin stayed up. He had to figure out what they were going to do. They couldn't stay there, not any longer. Then, it hit him. They were going to run. Just run. They would go to school so Myra could see Kobe one more time, then they would leave. That was his plan. But the question was would it go as he planned? No, of course not. If it did, we wouldn't have a story, now would we? But DesTiny would let things fall in their favor… for now.
