I wanna shout out to my international cyber buddy, brittpage21. Give her a clap, folks, she helped me spell check this chapter and has given me great ideas for future chapters.
Just to let you all know, some of the spelling might seem a bit off for the US readers. I'm used to UK spelling.
Chrissie is haunted by her trauma
Chrissie peered through the banister, focusing on her eldest brother with her inquisitive stare, her green eyes narrowed as she tilted her head to the side. Something wasn't right. She could hear sniffs drifting from the spot where her father and brother stood. The five year old was puzzled by the scene that was being played out in front of her.
"C'mon, kiddo," urged Sam, gentling nudging her in an attempt to steer her away from the banister. "Let's get back to bed."
Chrissie didn't budge, and she continued to gaze downstairs. Something wasn't right.
"Chrissie, c'mon," repeated her middle sibling. "There's nothing to see."
Chrissie, as stubborn as ever, once again refused to move. Her eyes widened as the sniffs and gulps from downstairs grew louder. Neither of the males were aware that their emotional confrontation had been observed.
"Look at me, son," pleaded John, holding the side of his eldest child's face, eyes etched in sorrow and guilt. The seventeen year old tried to look away, ashamed that he was weeping in front of his father. "Please."
The older teenager gazed miserably at his father, tears dripping from his eyes.
"It wasn't my fault" he uttered, as his father captured a tear drop with the pad of his thumb.
John hushed his son, hating himself over and over again for causing his children so much pain. Suddenly John was winded as a head, literally made of steel, came into contact with the sensitive area around his groin. Startled, John glanced down, regaining his stolen breathe and was taken aback to the sight that was confronting him.
Chrissie had ventured downstairs and had prized herself between the two males before head butting her father in the crotch. The five year old was guarding her elder sibling, resembling an annoyed Jack Russell puppy who was protecting their master from harm. Chrissie glowered up at her father, her large eyes firing deadly daggers, her dainty hands were curled into tight fists that trembled at her side.
"No!" she barked, her voice going squeaky. The child then clung onto her brother's legs, still glaring at her father. "You bad man! You make my Deanie sad. You no make my Deanie sad!"
The older teenager leveled himself with his younger sibling, clearing his face from any sign of tears.
"Chrissie, it's okay" assured the teen, placing comforting hands on the child's shoulders.
"Nuh uh," replied the little girl with a shake of the head, she pointed an accusing finger at her father. "He make you sad. I no like it when you sad. It make me sad."
The serious expression that his baby sister bore caused Dean to chuckle slightly. Her bottom lip was protruding into her famous pout, eyebrows arched into a frown. John glanced at his only daughter sadly as he too leveled himself with the tiny girl, only to be pushed away as he moved closer to her.
"Chrissie…please," implored John. "I didn't mean the things I said and did. Daddy was just being silly because he had too much beer. I would never hurt you or your brothers. You know that."
The five year old pondered the statement for a moment but remained true to her beliefs, and shook her head at her father in a persistent attitude, hands on hips. She pivoted on the heels of her bare feet and looked up at her brother.
"Bedtime now, Deanie," said Chrissie, taking a grip of the teenager's hand and steering him away from their father. "It late and you go to bed now." The teen paused and exchanged a glance with his dejected father, Chrissie continued to guide him away with various tugs, her tone sweet. "C'mon now."
The pair met with Sam once reaching the top of the stairs, and the thirteen year old also found himself being pulled along by his baby sister. Amused, the brothers followed the youngest into their sanctuary. Sam then climbed back into bed, but remained watching his other siblings from his bed sheets, smiling slightly at Chrissie's maternal behaviour.
"Lie down" commanded the five year old. The older teen was hesitant at first before obeying his sister's order.
She toddled over to his bedside and attempted to tuck him in, almost getting tangled in the bed sheets. The teens chortled at the child's frantic endeavour in making the eldest of the litter comfortable. On seeing her siblings secure in their beds, Chrissie realised she was alone and without security, worry flashed in her eyes. Luckily her brother detected this, before she got upset.
"C'mere," said Dean, patting the space beside him. "You can sleep beside me tonight."
"And Goober?" inquired Chrissie, hoping her teddy bear wouldn't be left alone.
"And Goober" assured the seventeen year old.
Chrissie shuffled over and grabbed her faithful stuffed companion before travelling back to her brother. The little girl climbed onto the bed and crawled over to her idol, nestling into his side. The youth wrapped an arm around her vulnerable frame and kissed the top of her wild mane of brown hair as he pulled her into a protective embrace. He smirked at the sight of the bizarre patchwork teddy bear with the stitched face, that was near enough fused into the crook of his baby sister's arm.
"I sing you song," whispered the little girl. "It make you go to sleep. Like you did when I was baby."
A forlorn smile was tugged at the corners of the youth's mouth as the child began muttering a random tune, her endearing voice fluttered around the silent room, a song only her brothers could hear.
Mr Moon say bedtime
Mr Moon say night-night
Time for bed
Time for bed
Go sleep
Mr Stars say bedtime
Mr Stars say night-night
Time for bed
Time for bed
Go sleep
The brothers smiled, closing their eyes and pretending to have fallen asleep, hoping Chrissie would succumb to slumber within seconds. The little girl was exhausted and wrinkled her nose and her eyes became heavy with fatigue. Eventually after a minute or so, Chrissie drifted off to sleep.
Daddy was really angry. His face purple with rage and his voice rippled like thunder. Chrissie was frozen on the spot as she witnessed her father inflict pain upon her beloved brother. She winced as her brother grunted with the impact of the punches that were being delivered by their father.
Blood began pooling from his mouth and nose. He yowled as he was kicked in the ribcage repeatedly.
Chrissie grimaced as she twitched in her sleep, a barely audible whimper escaped her lips.
"Stop it Daddy," cried Chrissie. "Stop hitting, Deanie. Why you hitting , Deanie?"
Her father didn't answer, he only cackled with laughter. The laughter caused her to quake in fear.
Another whimper, this time slightly louder wavered from her throat. Her hands clenched into fists, her feet began to jerk, almost resembling a running motion. A squeak caused the teens to wake up.
Chrissie found herself dashing outside and charging down the jetty at the lakeside. The wooden creaked with pressure as her tiny feet trampled across the aging structure. Suddenly she tripped up and went flying into the water with a loud splash.
Petrified yelps caused Sam and Dean to panic as they could only watch in despair as their baby sister was in the grip of a horrible night terror. Her skinny limbs began to flay about.
"It's okay, baby," soothed Dean, trying to wake the child up by shaking her gently by the shoulders. "It's just a dream. Wake up."
Regardless, nothing was working.
Submerged under water. Completely surrounded by weeds that weighed her down, trapping her in her underwater dungeon. It was cold. It was dark. Chrissie was alone. Nobody was coming to rescue her this time.
A heart wrenching wail erupted from her larynx, shattering the silence and her brothers' hearts. Her back arched as her limbs continued to lash out in distress. Chrissie began to cry, her face flushing scarlet as she howled, tears spurting from her scrunched up eyes. Sam was frozen with sheer shock and horror. He also noted the large wet patch spreading across the oversized flannel t-shirt she was wearing. The poor thing had wet herself again.
The eldest was now cradling her, ignoring the obvious urine stain.
"Chrissie," beseeched Dean, tapping the five year old's face gently, an action that did not ease her hysterical sobs. "Wake up. Please wake up."
Chrissie's eyes snapped open, meeting her brothers' concerned faces. Her bottom lip trembled as she burst into fresh tears, winding her limbs around her eldest brother's torso.
"I peed myself " wept Chrissie into her brother's collar bone.
The brothers' exchanged sorrowful expressions, both wishing that they could shield their baby sister from everything and anything. Sam felt like crying himself.
"Sssssh, your safe now, sweetheart," hushed Dean, rocking her back and forth in his arms. "I've got you. I've got you."
The little girl rammed her thumb into her mouth, another new method of seeking comfort besides her bear and brothers, hiccupping as she did so. Tears continued to stream down her freckled cheeks. This was going to be their longest night.
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