Molly breathes shakily with stale sobs as tears trickle down her face. She hugs her knees, rocking back and forth quietly as her arms ache terribly. Her small ten-year-old body trembles in fear within the tiny, dark confines of the hall closet as her mother drunkenly stumbles around the house screaming her name. Molly knows that if her mother finds her, she'll get yet another beating for God only knows what reason this time. It has become daily, her mother's favorite activity when she is off her rocker drunk, or even worse, drunk, and high on prescription pills, to numb whatever emotional and mental pain she has raging within her.

Ever since Molly's father had left on deployment for the army eight years ago, she's been like this, with the exception of her dad's brief hiatus nearly four-ish years ago; hence, the three-year-old existence of her little brother Matthew. Her mother couldn't handle the stressors of being alone and becoming pretty much a single mother at the young age of twenty-four. She had never realized what it would truly be like to be alone and trying to balance everything until her husband left for years on end. Things were then made more difficult when she became a mother of two while he was still deployed. She had quickly turned her attention towards numbing her frustrations with alcohol, which only made her angrier, and her children targets for that anger.

Her Dad, Mark Hooper, had yet to meet her baby brother, but Molly knows that he will love him just as much as he loves her. He's a very good Dad when he's home. He doesn't hate her, like her Mum.

Molly squeezes her eyes shut and prays over and over that she doesn't open the closet. She stays curled up for hours and hours, unbeknownst to her, until she finds that the screaming and stomping around has stopped. A clear signal that her mom has finally passed out, most likely on the sofa.

Opening the closet door a crack, she listens intently for any sign that her mother is still awake but hears nothing. Before she can open the closet, it opens first. Molly gasps and slinks as far back as she can, squeezing her eyes shut. That's when she hears a little voice.

"Mo-wee!"

Opening her eyes, she sees her baby brother grinning cutely at her and holding out his grubby hands for her. Molly smiles and opens her arms for him. Matty cuddles and looks up at her. "Watah?"

"You want some water?", she whispers. "Okay, but we have to be quiet, okay? Shh."

He nods and grins cutely as Molly leads them out of the closet and very slowly upstairs to their bedrooms. She goes into the bathroom and gets him a small cup of water. "There you go. I'm sorry dinner wasn't very good tonight. I'm still learning", she sighs and strokes his wispy brown hair. "I love you. I'll keep you safe, okay? I hope Daddy comes home soon", she tears up and sniffles. Matty looks up at her sadly.

"Mo-wee sad?"

She leans down and kisses his cheeks. "I'm okay, I just miss Daddy. He loves you so much you know, Matty. He can't wait to meet you."

"Daddy!", he squeals happily.

Molly nods. "C'mon. Go potty and then I'll read you a bedtime story, okay?"

"Otay!"

She helps him wash his hands when he is finished and brings him to his bed, picking out one of his favorite books and climbing under the blankets with him. "You like this book, right?"

He nods and claps cutely, cuddling close as she begins to read for him. When she's finished reading, she looks down at him and finds him fast asleep. Molly kisses his temple and sighs softly. "I'm sorry she's not a very good mommy...or that I'm not a very good substitute...but I'm trying my best and I won't let her hurt you the way she hurts me. I promise. I love you. I really hope that daddy comes back soon."

Slipping out of Matthew's room, she makes her way to her own, shutting the door. As she changes into pajama's she tears up, looking at all of her bruises in the mirror from where her mother grabs her or hits her. The ones forming on her upper arms are already yellowed. Slipping her pajamas on, she climbs into bed and curls up, crying again quietly and shutting her light off as he stomach growls beneath her.