A/N: I know, I'm awful for not posting, but my interwebs kinda exploded and didn't work for a while, but hey! New chapter! Love me again?
P.S. Threw in a plot twist for you...you might like it, you might not, either way, I'm happy with it.
P.S.S. FLASHBACK AGAIN! XD
The world around me was dark, except for the faint shapes I could make out, and I had no idea of my surroundings, other than the sound of two men yelling. "Teddy?" I ventured, in my little girl voice, my heart pounding as I edged towards a door with a small crack of light shining underneath. I opened it, blinded slightly by the brightness, and after I got used to it, I saw what lay before me.
My dad and brother were arguing heatedly while my momma stared into space at the kitchen table, her mind on a different time and place that I hoped was happier.
"I'm taking her out of here!" my brother shouted, sparking flying from his eyes as he stood up to our dad, who was obviously drunk.
"Over my dead body! You'll have to kill my ass to get her!" my dad screamed, spit flying from his mouth.
"Whass goin' on?" I drawled sleepily, rubbing my eyes, and both of them froze. "Why you fightin'?" Teddy took advantage of my dad's surprise, and shoved him to the ground, running over and taking my hand.
"YOU GET BACK HERE!" my dad roared as we took off, heading towards the crevasses of the house. My brother opened a closet and quickly pushed we gently inside, kneeling in front of me as he pulled something out of his jacket and handing it to me.
It was a gun.
"Theresa, this will keep you safe. If you get scared...squeeze the trigger there, don't pull squeeze. I'll be back soon."
He closed the door as I slid to the wood floor of the closet, tears coating my cheeks as footsteps pounded closer and yelling started again.
"Where the hell is she?" my father thundered, his words almost inaudible they were so slurred. I edged close to the closet door, peeking through the little shutters at my poppa and my brother.
"She's gone! She's never coming back you ignorant fuck!" My dad tackled Teddy to the ground, and they started fighting, swearing and throwing punches all the way. Poppa rolled on top of Teddy and started to choke him, screaming horrible things at him. My brother's face turned red as he lost air and couldn't breathe. I closed my eyes tightly against the flood of tears...and squeezed the trigger. The sound was deafening and I thought that I had died, that everything was gone...
My hearing returned as the closet door opened, and when I opened my eyes Teddy stood there, coughing harshly as air returned to his lungs, but in that moment, with the light shining all around him, he looked like an angel.. He picked me up and held me tight as I started sobbing, the only sound in the air, until I heard the faint sound of my momma crying too.
"Close your eyes, Theresa." my big brother whispered, and I did, but not before I caught a glimpse of my poppa's outstretched legs, and the small puddle of red stuff that was spreading. He carried me into the kitchen before taking away the gun and stashing it away again and went over to momma.
"Shh momma. It's okay. Just a car backfiring so don't cry, it's okay." He hushed her, and made her drink her tea before returning to me with another cup that seemed to materialize from nowhere, but this one was filled with hot chocolate. He gathered me in his lap and rocked me back and forth, smoothing my hair and letting me cry, my mind still numb except for the part that controlled the tidal wave of tears.
I don't know how long we sat there, but I somehow drank all of the hot chocolate and calmed down enough to wait there while he put my momma to bed, and returned just in time to grab the phone.
"Yeah? Yeah, everything is good. We just had a...problem. She's fine, Jack. We'll be there later." He hung up and dialed a number, all the while stroking my hair. He talked to the person about care for a mentally ill woman, and gave our address before hanging up again.
He kneeled in front of me and tucked the hair behind my ears, a sad look on his face. "Theresa, we need to leave. I got some clothes for you over at my house, and we'll get you away from school for a while, okay?" I nodded, my mind empty and my eyes tired. He kissed my forehead softly before picking me up easily and carrying me out the door, into the night, and set me down in the passenger seat of his car before crouching down in front of me again.
"Theresa...I want you to know something. What happened in there was my fault. I did that."
"But..you didn't." I whispered quietly.
"I did. That's what happened and nothing else. And this...what happened here tonight is our secret. You can't tell no one about this, understand?"
"But why?"
"Cause this is between us. And no one is going to know what happened but the two of us, Theresa. And we will never talk about what happened here tonight again, okay?"
"Okay, Teddy." He gave that sad, sad smile of his again before he gave me a blanket and a pillow form the back, and leaned my seat back for me. The sunroof opened above me as he started the car, and the stars shone above me, along with a fat white moon. My brother held my hand as I finally closed my eyes...and was able to sleep with no dreams for the first time in years.