A/N: Thanks for all the great feedback! I fixed the point of view issue in chapter two-I really shouldn't type these chapters up late at night… Sorry it's been so long since an update, I knew what I wanted to happen in this chapter, it just wasn't arranging itself correctly, feedback would be wonderful (nudge nudge!!!).

The italics are present day. Enjoy!

Chapter 4: The Wicked Witch of the West

"My first memory was when I was two years old. It is my only complete memory of my family. I remember sitting in the living room of our tiny town-house. My parents were on the couch and I was snuggled safely between them. We were watching "The Wizard of Oz." I loved that movie, but I was absolutely terrified of the wicked witch. Whenever she came on screen I would bury my face in my Daddy's shoulder. He would pull me close until she was gone. Nothing could hurt me as long as my Daddy was there. He would always protect me.

I remember clips of what our family was back then, splashing in the rain, being swung in the air – happy times. By the time I was three, though, my father started coming home later and later, picking fights with me and my mother. I remember him always having the worst breath. Later I realized he was an alcoholic. The night he left my mother and I were watching "The Wizard of Oz" and they were just about to enter the witch's castle…"

The door slammed open and close. I could hear my father clomping around the kitchen shouting words that Mommy told me I should never repeat. Daddy scared me when he acted like this. I wanted my sweet Daddy who held me close and sang me to sleep. Not this big scary man who smelled and threw things and hit Mommy.

"Lisa!" he shouted, "Lisa where the fuck are you?"

Mommy looked at me, "Stay here sweetheart; I'll be right back, keep watching the movie, okay?"

"But Mommy the witch is soon!"

"I'll be back before then, I promise."

She walked out of the room closing the door behind her. Even so I could hear what she and Daddy were saying in the kitchen.

"Erik, I've told you not to come into my house drunk and cursing – we have a child."

"I'll come and go wherever the fuck I want and if I wanna drink, then I'll drink, and if I wanna fuckin curse, I'll fucking curse all the fuckin hell I want to – bitch!"

"Erik, sit, let me make you some coffee, your not making any sense."

I don't know what happened next, but I heard a slap and Mommy scream. Then she and Daddy started yelling at each other. I turned up the volume on the television to block them out. It didn't work; I could still hear the yelling and the fighting.

Turning the volume up as high as it would go I turned my complete attention to the movie. I hated when my parents fought, it always ended with Daddy storming out of the house and Mommy locking herself in her room, and both of them yelling at me.

I focused in on the movie, ignoring the fight that continued in the next room. The witch was on screen now, her green face filling the screen. I was terrified, but it was either watch the witch or listen to my parents fight – I chose the witch, the lesser of two evils. I stared at the screen, watching for the first time with no one to protect me and I realized that the witch wasn't actually that scary. For the first time it wasn't my parents protecting me from her, it was her protecting me from them.

The movie credits were rolling by the time Mommy finally came back.

"Oh, it's over sweetheart?"

"Yes… But Mommy I watched-ed the witch and guess what?!" I didn't wait for her respond, "I'm not at all scared of her at all anymore!"

"That's nice." Mommy patted my head like I was a dog. She turned and walked upstairs, slowly, like she was sleepwalking. I followed. At the top of the stairs she turned to me, "Maureen honey, Mommy needs some time alone right now, why don't you go play in your room for a little bit, okay?"

I nodded slowly. Mommy's eye looked funny, it was turning weird colors and her wrist was hanging at an odd angle.

I played in my room all afternoon and evening. Mommy never came in, not even after I was asleep, for when I woke up the next morning, I was on the floor in the clothes I had worn the day before.

Things changed quickly after that. Mommy's sister, Vanessa, came to stay with us. Aunt Vanessa scared me; she was always glaring at me and yelling at me that I was being bad. Mommy and I rarely played anymore, and Daddy never came home.

It had been two weeks since Aunt Vanessa came and Daddy stopped coming home. Mommy's eye was normal again, but she had this thing on her arm – she called it a cast. I got to draw pictures on it. I drew a picture of me, Mommy, and Daddy. She started to cry when I finished and Aunt Vanessa yelled at me for being inconsiderate. I also drew a cow. Cows were Mommy's and my favorite animal. She used to tell me a bedtime story about a cow that jumped over the moon, I thought it was silly, cows couldn't fly, but Mommy loved it.

I spent most of my time hiding from Aunt Vanessa. My favorite hiding spot was Daddy's closet. I would hide in his suits and play with his ties. Sometimes I pretended I was a princess trapped in a tower, waiting for a prince to save me. Other times, I was a witch, brewing potions and casting spells.

One day, I was downstairs eating lunch when I heard the front door open. Mommy and Aunt Vanessa were at the table, the realization hit me,

"Daddy! Daddy's back!" I squealed, jumping from the table and running towards the door. I saw Aunt Vanessa and Mommy exchange a look.

I threw my arms around Daddy, hugging him tightly. He pushed me away, "Not now Maureen."

I followed him upstairs. He started throwing his clothes haphazardly into a suitcase.

"Daddy, what are you doing? Is there a trip? Are we gonna see Mickey Mouse?" He didn't respond. As he walked down the stairs, I saw my mother standing at the bottom.

"Erik…" she said.

"Forget it Lisa, I'm leaving," he interrupted her. With that, he walked out the door – never once looking back.