Chapter 3

I can honestly say I remembered this story quite well, I remembered this day quite well actually. Every detail of this night was pretty much engraved into my skull. It was the first time I'd ever actually seen with my own eyes what my brother was actually doing to his daughters.

But let me get to the story.

"...so Mojo flew into the air. Diving out of his giant robot monkey, he shot lasers at them from his wrist guns, one of them making contact with Bubbles."

"Ow ow ow." Bubbles giggled, trying to act like she always did when I told my stories. She fell to the floor, landing her back with a little grunt. I smiled and watched her roll from side to side, a huge smile across her face.

Blossom and Buttercup were both laying next to each other on Blossom's bed right next to me. They both were looking at Bubbles, Blossom was smiling and laughing. She rolled on her side. Buttercup however, was just laying there with a straight face, looking at me and waiting for the next part of the story.

Sometimes it occurred to me that to her, these may be more than stories. That in her own little world, she was really there. She was really a super hero in her imagination, flying around with her sisters and saving the world from bad guys like Mojo Jojo.

So I went to continue the story. "Bubbles fell to the ground, creating a crater from the impact. Buttercup continued, flying straight at Mojo and threw a punch. She made contact with his helmet, sending him flying to the ground."

Buttercup wiggled in her place, her feet patting the bed one after the other. If you knew her as well as I did, you could see the little smirk on her face.

A door slammed in the hallway. Feet thudded on the floor. Simultaneously, almost in unison, the smiles disappeared on all the girl's faces. Bubbles was still on the ground, but she stopped moving. She just laid there in place, her eyes wide. I stood up on the bed and walked over to the girl's door slowly. I cracked open the door and peered through.

I immediately saw my brother walking down the hallway, his eyes glazed over with booze and drunken-ness. I shut the door quickly, my eyes unknowing wide. I spun around and told the girls to hide under their beds.

Blossom looked at me, "But Uncle Tommy why would we..."

"Just do it." I said quickly, with a bit of a commanding tone in my voice. Bubbles and Buttercup both ran under Bubbles' bed. Choosing to hide together, which I at the time believed to be a good idea. Blossom however, was still holding her ground.

"No..." she said sternly. "Not until you tell me why."

I was getting a little frustrated now. I knew she was young and naive, but this was not the time for such childish things. "Just please sweetie, get under the-"

I was cut off. The door was kicked open, slamming into the back of my head and throwing me to the side. I fell to the floor with a thud, and slid into the wall immediately to my right. Everything was blurry, and the world was ringing. The world was bobbing and weaving from side to side, and I couldn't quite get my bearings. I attempted to stand up, but got dizzy and fell back to the floor.

I looked up and tried to make out what was happening. Through the blur I could make out a fuzzy picture. I squinted, trying to see clearly, but there was no change. The throbbing on the back of my head wasn't helping either. I felt blood trickling down the back of my neck, but that was of no concern to me right now. I could see the figure lifting its hands and bringing them down in quick succession, a smaller figure laying on a surface, legs kicking and arms flailing. But then I saw a color, i peered again, trying to make it out.

Red hair.

I forced myself up again, the ringing in my ears starting to die out. But i fell to my knee, landing hard and feeling a slight pain in my knee. I looked down to find a baby toy under it. I slid it to my side. I was starting to make out a screaming now, high pitched, and I recognized it to be Blossom. My rage growing as the ringing faded only to be filled with such a heart breaking sound.

I planted my leg as firmly as I could, and pushed up again. I took a step slowly, and could hear my brother breathing heavy. Slurring over his profanity and drunken rage.

"You stupid little bitch," he slurred. "...quit your crying and lay still." I saw his hand pull at her pajamas, and heard them tear as he clawed at them.

Suddenly the thought clicked in my head, what he was actually doing to them. A tear rolled down my cheek as the horror of what I'd been to stupid to realize clicked in my brain. All the times I'd simply walked over.

"No..." I whispered to myself. And took a few quick steps over to my brother, grabbing a lamp off of their dresser as I strode over. I swung, making contact with this side of head, the light bulb shattering. The room was cast into darkness, the only only light coming in from the open door which hung from its hinges in the doorway. My brother fell to the floor with a thud, his head bouncing off of the floor.

Blossom pushed off of the bed with her legs, pushing herself against the head board of her bed. Tears rolled down her face, her breathing fast and uncontrolled, only broken up by sobs. I reached out to her, holding my arms out.

"Come here love, it's okay." I said. She ran over to me and I caught her, her arms wrapped around my neck, my shoulder immediately becoming damp. I closed my eyes and held her. Soon after I felt the other girls run into my legs, hugging them tightly. We all stayed there for a little while, unmoving.

I whispered, to myself more than them, "He can't and won't hurt you anymore girls. I won't let him."