**What is up, my readers? This is a continuation of "Standing Alone" called "Still Standing". Hopefully it will be as good as my friends at school say it is. But that's up to all of you and the reviews I get. Anyway, I'm bored, so let's get on with this. There's going to be major Taiora and Takari for those of you who want to know, by the way.**
Still Standing
Prologue
~TK~
It's been five years since my brother died. Five bitter years of sadness and anger for me and my mother. I miss seeing his face, standing beside him. I long to hear his voice speak to me, to hear it sing proudly with his band. I want him back, I want my mother back. She's not the same woman I knew as an eleven year old. I'm sixteen years old now, and I can't leave my house without her quizzing me about where I'm going and who I'm going with. She's over protective of me, and I can understand why. It's my dad, the man who killed my brother and ran away from it. The guy they never caught, the one who remained free after murdering his own son.
Matt. He'd be turning nineteen this year. He'd be in college with Tai, the way they had always planned it. They'd live in the dorms together, and Sora would visit them often. But that's never going to happen, because Matt's dead. He can't come back and do anything with his friends. He never got to drive a car or go to the prom. He never got to graduate. He never had a chance, all because of my stupid father and his abuse.
Maybe I should explain why I'm so angry from the very beginning. Matt died all those years ago because my dad was an alcoholic and an abusive parent. My mom tried to get Matt back, and she did, but my dad undid the courts and retained custody. But Matt got sick, and had to stay in bed for three weeks. The courts said one of us had to go with my dad, and since I was well, I had to go. It was three weeks of pain I'll never forget. Every day I was beat on until I was bruised and bloody. I had bruises on top of bruises! It was pure hell, and I felt horrible that my brother had to go through it every day for eight years. He came back one afternoon, and walked in while I was getting a particularly bad beating. He was so angry, I remember the look in his eyes as he grabbed the gun off the counter. My stomach dropped to the floor as they fought over the weapon. Then it happened. The gun went off. For a split second, I thought Matt had shot my dad. But when my father backed away, and I saw the blood seep from Matt, I knew I was wrong. He died right there in my arms as my dad ran away. The doctors said there was nothing that could have saved him, the bullet hit exactly the right place within Matt's body.
The funeral, and the weeks after it were a blur. I remember my girlfriend trying to comfort me as we stayed up all night trying to forget the horror we had both witnessed, along with Tai and Sora. Life soon went back to what seemed to be normal, and I adjusted to being an only child.
There is a threat that my dad could come back for me. I don't know why he would, but everyone has been telling me to be careful. I honestly don't think he'd come back for me, but you never know. . .
**Will Mr. Ishida come back? What's going to happen? This is only the beginning of something big. . . **
Still Standing
Prologue
~TK~
It's been five years since my brother died. Five bitter years of sadness and anger for me and my mother. I miss seeing his face, standing beside him. I long to hear his voice speak to me, to hear it sing proudly with his band. I want him back, I want my mother back. She's not the same woman I knew as an eleven year old. I'm sixteen years old now, and I can't leave my house without her quizzing me about where I'm going and who I'm going with. She's over protective of me, and I can understand why. It's my dad, the man who killed my brother and ran away from it. The guy they never caught, the one who remained free after murdering his own son.
Matt. He'd be turning nineteen this year. He'd be in college with Tai, the way they had always planned it. They'd live in the dorms together, and Sora would visit them often. But that's never going to happen, because Matt's dead. He can't come back and do anything with his friends. He never got to drive a car or go to the prom. He never got to graduate. He never had a chance, all because of my stupid father and his abuse.
Maybe I should explain why I'm so angry from the very beginning. Matt died all those years ago because my dad was an alcoholic and an abusive parent. My mom tried to get Matt back, and she did, but my dad undid the courts and retained custody. But Matt got sick, and had to stay in bed for three weeks. The courts said one of us had to go with my dad, and since I was well, I had to go. It was three weeks of pain I'll never forget. Every day I was beat on until I was bruised and bloody. I had bruises on top of bruises! It was pure hell, and I felt horrible that my brother had to go through it every day for eight years. He came back one afternoon, and walked in while I was getting a particularly bad beating. He was so angry, I remember the look in his eyes as he grabbed the gun off the counter. My stomach dropped to the floor as they fought over the weapon. Then it happened. The gun went off. For a split second, I thought Matt had shot my dad. But when my father backed away, and I saw the blood seep from Matt, I knew I was wrong. He died right there in my arms as my dad ran away. The doctors said there was nothing that could have saved him, the bullet hit exactly the right place within Matt's body.
The funeral, and the weeks after it were a blur. I remember my girlfriend trying to comfort me as we stayed up all night trying to forget the horror we had both witnessed, along with Tai and Sora. Life soon went back to what seemed to be normal, and I adjusted to being an only child.
There is a threat that my dad could come back for me. I don't know why he would, but everyone has been telling me to be careful. I honestly don't think he'd come back for me, but you never know. . .
**Will Mr. Ishida come back? What's going to happen? This is only the beginning of something big. . . **