A/N: Sorry it took so long to update. Life, y'know? But anyway, for those who have read Glow, this will look familiar - with a few edits. I should mention that it's not all going to be a repeat of what you've read, as there will be some changes and added chapters.

Chapter 1- Holding Your Own

or:

"Danger Zone"

November 1985

Sheila. Back then, her name was Sheila.

It was sad to say that she had been hiding under her brothers' beds or in a closet every now and then for the past eleven years of her life. Right now, Sheila was under her brother's bed counting from hundred, silently praying that this would all be over. The sound of bottles being smashed was unfortunately not an uncommon sound heard in the Go home. It had been happening as long as she could remember. Henry, her eldest brother by four years, did mention that he had vague memories of bottles being smashed when he was only a toddler.

The person that was doing the bottle smashing happened to be their father, and most often, they landed on their mother's head with a devastating blow. By the time their father passed out drunk, Henry took responsibility for patching her up, though there were some instances where she had to go to a hospital, which built up the bills significantly – and would leave them on some nights where they couldn't eat dinner.

They were dirt poor living in the worst part of the city known as Parkside. Sheila always wondered what possessed her parents to think they could afford feeding five mouths, but it wasn't until her second oldest brother by a mere year, Melvin, explained to her - in the most bitter way possible - that they had been accident children. This was said a few years ago, and now since they knew, their father never let them hear the end of it. After Sheila was born, birth control became a thing, until nine years later it didn't work. The twins were the final straw, really. Wesley and Wendell were only toddlers: two years old.

Another bottle was smashed. Sheila jumped up and hit her head. In an instant, she put her hand over her mouth. She couldn't make a sound, out of fear that her father would come find her, though it was unlikely since it would be covered by her mother's screams. Henry always knew what to do whenever days like this would happen – he had planned this since the day the twins were born. He usually grabbed the twins and hid with them, while Sheila and Melvin would hide together. However, today wasn't the case. She couldn't find Melvin, so she hid under his bed. She worried that her dad would be after him, since he was so lanky and didn't have muscle like Henry did. Sheila couldn't even imagine if Henry didn't have the twins... Luckily their father had never struck them, and they'd like to keep it that way.

The sound of their mother's screams echoed throughout the small home. It's likely he had started to knock her from room to room. It wouldn't be long until he would get bored with her and move onto one of his children. Sheila hugged her knees to her chest. She remembered last week when he had grabbed her with one hand and slammed her against the wall - she was incredibly light and malnourished - therefore her back was bruised. She doesn't understand why Henry just doesn't hurt him, he definitely has the muscle for it, but he more so defends himself against their father. Melvin, on the other hand, isn't so lucky due to his smaller stature. But he would argue that it was never his father's fists that hurt, but the words he used while doing so.

"Hey..." Sheila immediately gasped on instinct, her eyes tightly shut as she awaited the blows. But she recognized that voice a little more clearly now, opening her eyes to see not her father's eyes, but Melvin's, who had a small - yet sad - smile on his face. "Shelly, it's just me." Sheila crawled out from the bed and hugged her older brother. "It's okay... you're okay... I'm right here..."

Sheila sniffled, noticing now that she had let a few tears out. "I couldn't find you," she muttered. "I was so scared, Mel." She eyed under the bed. "Why did you leave your hiding spot?!"

"I didn't want you to be alone," Melvin said. "I wanted to protect you."

Sheila smiled.

He was her favorite.

To both of their surprise, Henry made his way through with the twins.

"Melo!" Wesley cried out.

"She-lah!" Wendell had also cried out.

Melvin wrapped his arms around Wes, like Sheila did for Wen. As the twins cried, the older siblings looked up at Henry, wanting an explanation. Alas, he explained: "I managed to sneak by with them... they kept crying for you two." It was a common occurrence.

"Why can't she just leave him?" Melvin gritted through angry teeth. "It's the same thing... over and over and over." Another pause, before flashing his eyes furiously at his older brother. Henry tried to give him a look and gesture to the twins, but Melvin didn't care. "And I'm the one that keeps paying for it!" He lifted up his right sleeve to reveal a dark purple and blue bruise, one that was given to him a week ago that still hadn't healed. Sheila's eyes darkened considerably; she had been there for that. She'd watched in horror as her father had twisted Melvin's arm for what seemed a lengthy period of time.

"Why can't we just call someone?" Sheila offered, ignoring the cold looks from Henry and Melvin. She had heard in assembly that if you know someone who's being hurt to call someone who could put you into safety away from harm. Maybe it would work in this case.

"I already told you we can't," Henry said sharply. "Because they'll split us up. Do you want us to be split up?"

Melvin and Sheila shook their heads.

"Exactly," stated Henry. Before he could continue on with some motivational speech, another scream broke out from their mother, followed by a loud thud. Sheila bit her lip, trying her best not to cry in front of her younger brothers, who were shaking like leaves in the wind. Melvin was hardly holding himself together - he would often start to have trouble breathing when their father was nearby - and Henry tried his best to look calm and collected, but was failing.

"Breathe, Melo…" Henry tried to reassure. He saw the pain on his younger siblings' faces. "It'll be over soon…"

"Will it?" Melvin managed to spit out, his breath growing more and more shallow.

"It will," Henry insisted.

"No, Gary! No, not the kids!" But it seems like God - if there even was one at this point, Sheila thought - wasn't on their side that day. Their father began to bang on their door, making the five of them flinch. Wen was about to scream but Sheila covered his mouth before it could escape. Although the door was locked, it wasn't very strong. It was only a matter of time before the door would break off its hinges.

"She-lah, make stop!" Wen pleaded, his voice barely above a whisper. The tears were about to start up again. "Make stop!"

"Shh, shh..." Sheila hushed, hoping to calm him down. "It's alright... it's alright..." A screech coming from their mother was heard at an alarming volume, followed by a lot of swearing from their father. On instinct, Melvin covered Wes's ears so he wouldn't have to hear anymore. Sheila did the same for Wen.

"Someone's going to end up in the hospital, or dead," Melvin muttered darkly, barely taking deep breaths. "And I swear, it… if it's her, then…" Melvin stopped himself from going further, his eyes watering said it all. Sheila's lips formed a thin line; their mother was a sensitive subject for him. She didn't know how she felt about that.

Henry let out a reluctant sigh. "Okay, here's what you're all going to do." He was mainly speaking to Sheila and Melvin, because the twins hardly understood, but he got a terrible feeling that they would eventually. He pointed to the closet: "All of you should fit in there, and you will hide in there, and…" His look became very stern. "...I don't care how much I yell or scream, you will not come out until I say it's okay."

Sheila's eyes widened. "You're going out there?! He'll try to kill you!"

"Better me than you four."

"He'll hurt you badly!" Melvin protested.

"Let him. I can hold my own." Melvin and Sheila exchanged looks of fright. It was probably true that Henry could hold his own, but the majority of the time he did sustain injuries from his father. He crossed his arms at his younger siblings and raised a brow. "Why are you still here? Go!"

"Open the door!" Their father screamed, the banging was persistent. Sheila noticed he was slurring his words a little and paled. She had the smallest bit of hope that he wasn't intoxicated, because he was less violent when that happened. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case. He would have no mercy when he'd strike Henry.

Henry saw that Melvin was frozen, therefore he turned to Sheila. "Shell..."

Sheila nodded, blinking back the tears. "Okay..." She held the twins' hands. "Come on guys... in here." Her eyes go to Melvin. "Mel... Mel!" Melvin snapped out of his thoughts and turned to his sister. "We're hiding now. Okay?" Melvin nodded, unable to speak. The four of them squeezed into the closet and shut the door behind them. They heard the sound of a door being broken, making the siblings flinch once more.

Sheila did not know what her father screamed – it was a mix of words and slurring of his voice, he was so intoxicated that it was hard to tell. But she did hear her mother's screaming, the way she kept shouting over and over to leave Henry alone and to get off him. Sheila could hear Henry wincing and letting out little grunts of pain which was terrifying – it was a lot more painful, she knew… he was just trying to make sure they didn't worry.

Thud.

"Snap out of it!" Henry shouted.

Then another thud was heard.

Then it became quiet.

Sheila's stomach dropped considerably. She stared directly at Melvin, who was staring at her with eyes wide as saucers at the sudden silence. The twins, though they were scared, did not say anything (thankfully).

They waited.

And waited.

Then Sheila heard Henry groan and let out the slightest sigh of relief. She could hear Henry breathing heavily despite the next thud that followed. Henry let out a few coughs, while their mother was weeping. Minutes felt like hours.

"Guys..." Henry groaned. "It's okay now." That was their cue. Sheila and Melvin – though it was very hesitant – tiptoed out of the closet. Once they saw that their father had finally passed out, they ran over to Henry – who was clutching his stomach very tightly. "I managed… to pin him… against…" It hurt to talk, but it was important, Sheila knew: "...but he came back, and… punched…" He gestured to himself, and Sheila connected the dots.

Melvin was the first to react. "Pain on the scale between one to ten?" He was still a little shaken up, Henry could tell.

They had levels of pain depicted on a scale Henry came up with. One on the scale was just scratches - for example, from their cat. Two meant a small headache or a runny nose - which was for common colds. Three was reserved for bee stings or slightly stronger headaches. Moving up on the moderate side of the scale with a Four would be for a toothache, a harsh slap across the face, or accidentally stubbing your toe really hard. Five is for migraines - Sheila would get them often. Six was referred for getting punched in the face with a bloody nose, getting kicked, or being knocked from room to room. From then on, it depends on how severe the pain was by how frequently you were hit. There were a few times when they had gotten a nine or a ten - mainly with Melvin and their mother - when they had to go to a hospital.

But whenever they did, Henry had instructed his siblings well on how to speak to the staff, because if they were too specific with their injuries, he insinuated the dangers again on how they could be taken away and split up.

"...Seven," Henry finally muttered. "There's... no blood... just tired..."

"Don't sleep yet," Melvin ordered.

"My babies..." Their mother cried out, hugging each and everyone of them. "I'm so sorry..." While Melvin happily leaned to her touch in an instant, Sheila shrugged her mother off. "Mom..." she started off, seeing a bruise beginning to form on her left shoulder. "We need to get you and Henry patched up." She looked over to see that Melvin went to get the first aid kit and two ice packs. Their mother winced as Melvin placed the ice pack on her shoulder, biting her lip so she didn't cry out. The rest of them just watched, unsure of what to say. Henry put the ice pack on his stomach, panting heavily.

"You can't let him treat you this way," Melvin told her softly after a few minutes. "Why can't we just leave him? You've spoken about it before..." Sheila rolled her eyes at that. Melvin sent a glare in her direction, but she merely glared back.

Their mother sighed. "We need the money," she answered regretfully. "Our jobs alone aren't enough, you know this. And we have to put the babies in daycare..." At a frighteningly young age, Sheila knew they had little to nothing. Their house – if she could even call it that – only had one floor. There was one living room, a kitchen, a bathroom, and two bedrooms. One bedroom was for their parents. The second bedroom was for all four brothers to share - which sucked when the twins would start crying in the middle of the night - and Sheila took the couch in the living room to sleep in. It was far from ideal.

"I'm getting a job," insisted Henry.

"You have school."

"I don't care," Henry said, determined. "I'm getting a job. I can balance it out." Sheila looked at him doubtfully. It was very unlikely that anyone would hire him at fifteen - unless it was a paper route, but that was risky because of their neighborhood.

But damn it, she was hungry! There were some days where Henry would sacrifice his meals for his siblings, something he didn't have to do. But the twins were only babies and she and Melvin were already petite enough. Henry had always been on the larger side - muscle wise, thanks to his position on the school's wrestling team - but she didn't like the fact that someone would end up not eating a meal. Last time they went to the doctor's – after some coaching from Henry on how to dodge questions that could warrant a phone call home – Wes and Wen were bordering on being underweight. She and Melvin already reached that point.

"...So," Sheila started off, staring at her father's body on the ground. "When are we moving him?"

Melvin snorted and crossed his arms. "I say let him rot."

Sheila quirked an eyebrow. "You want him to wake up in your room and possibly murder you in your sleep?" Melvin didn't say anything. Sheila smirked. That's how she knew she had a point. She grabbed his left leg. "Grab a leg." Melvin nodded and grabbed the right leg and dragged him out of the room and into the living room. They both silently prayed that he wouldn't wake up. Thankfully, their prayers had been answered. Sheila turned to her mother. "Go get some rest. The bruise should heal soon." Like all the others, Sheila added mentally. Their mother, not knowing what to say, merely nodded and went to her bedroom. Sheila's eyes go to Henry to see that he looked slightly better, his breathing easier. She heard his stomach growl. "Henry, there's some leftover spaghetti..."

"That's for you," Henry refused.

Sheila looked at him as if she wasn't giving him any room to argue. "Take it. I don't care. I'll live." Yes, she was hungry, but she would be okay. Again, it wouldn't be the first time she missed a meal, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. Melvin looked on with worry, while Sheila glared at him. "What? I'll be fine!" She felt two small tugs on her sleeve. She looked down to see that the twins were smiling at her. She picked up Wes. "Mel, take Wen." He did so, and carried him back to their crib.

Once they were set in, Sheila was about to leave until Melvin stopped her. "Shell, wait!" She turned around with an inquisitive look on her face. She watched curiously as Melvin went to his bed and lifted up his pillow. Her eyes widened with glee as she saw two granola bars. He tossed one to her. She caught it, but she looked at him, waiting for an explanation. "Someone left them in the cafeteria." Sheila opened up the granola bar and took a bite, savoring the taste. Both of them sat on the bed.

"How the hell do they waste food like this?" Sheila said, with a roll of her eyes. "If they don't want it, I'd gladly take them off their rich manicured hands!"

"Hey, I wish I could get my nails done like that. It's so pretty."

"I know," agreed Sheila. She couldn't help but laugh. "Maybe if we get enough money we can do your nails."

Melvin bit his lip. "Uh... don't you think I get picked on enough?"

And there was the root of the problem.

Sheila rolled her eyes again. "Ugh, I hate them so much. One day I'm gonna punch them in the face, and I mean hard."

Melvin looked at her like she were insane. "The last time you did something like that you got suspended and mom was not happy about it. She had to leave work early, y'know."

"It's not like she does anything about it," Sheila said with a shrug, finishing the granola bar. "Oh, don't look at me like that, Mel, you know it's true." Melvin sighed and finished his granola bar as well. Sheila looked straight ahead, fiddling with her fingers. "I just wish one day we could actually do something. Like, I don't know, like a normal family? I feel like everyday... it's an ongoing war." She looked to Melvin, who looked just as troubled as she did. "Do you think we'll get out of this shithole?"

"Hey..." Melvin warned. "Watch your mouth." Sheila scowled at him in response, smirking. Nonetheless, Melvin had to think about the answer for a minute. "I think it's possible," he managed to say. "If Henry gets a job, then we'd have more food on the table."

Sheila nodded. "And if I keep stealing food from the cafeteria..."

"Which I think is wrong," Melvin chastised lightly. "You think I didn't know that? Your backpack is filled with milk cartons, bananas, and apples everyday."

"Then why didn't you say anything?" Sheila said with a smirk.

Melvin sighed in defeat. "Because times are hard."

"Right," Sheila pointed out. "Besides, do you know where that leftover food goes? They waste it all... At least the food is going to people who need it." At that moment, Henry had walked in, stumbling in the room a bit. His younger siblings immediately stood up, ready to help their brother. "Henry, do-"

Henry waved it off. "I'm fine." He collapsed on the bed in relief. He looked over at the two. "What's up with you guys?"

"Thinking," Sheila said. Thinking about the fact that with even two of her parents working - though their jobs were below minimum wage - they were barely getting by. Thinking about the fact that their father was a piece of shit scumbag that she was waiting to drink himself to death. Thinking about the fact that her mother barely had time for her children. Sheila knew her mother wasn't telling the complete truth. It just wasn't about the money, it's the fact that she loved her husband to the point where she didn't care about her children's safety. Sheila didn't want that lifestyle for the twins.

"I don't know about you guys, but I want to get out of here as soon as possible," said Sheila.

"Where would you go?" Melvin asked.

"I don't know, somewhere!" Sheila exclaimed frustratedly. "Jesus, guys! We have to do something."

Henry sat up so he could directly look her in the eyes. "Shelly," he started off. "This is the best we can do right now. I'm going to be applying for jobs. We'll get more food on the table." He glared at his little sister. "So you can stop stealing food. Oh what? Was I supposed to be surprised, Shell? Your backpack smelled like fruit, what else was I supposed to think?" Sheila crossed her arms while Melvin chuckled. "So we'll be fine eventually. We just have to hold out a little longer..."

"Hold out a little longer…" Sheila spat out in disdain. "Look where that's got us… I'm talking about a safe place for all of us. Somewhere we can all hide in case our dad decides to take out his anger on all of us."

"I told you, we cannot go to the police-"

"That's not what I said, now let me finish..." Sheila seethed. Melvin and Henry exchanged looks. She tapped her fingernails on her knee. "Did you know that Amber Carmichael has a treehouse that her dad built for her?" Melvin and Henry knew where she was getting at, but the idea sounded so... out of reach. "That would be perfect for us. We'd actually feel safe there with no one there to bother us and hurt us. It would be wicked!"

"Okay, but do you know how long it takes to build one? Do you know how expensive it is?" Henry said cryptically.

Sheila nodded, demure. "She told me it cost her three hundred and fifty dollars for supplies."

Melvin's eyes went wide. "Three hundred and fifty!? I've barely seen a hundred dollars in my life!"

"So? That's why there's this thing called saving money," Sheila argued. She went on to explain. "Our Christmas and birthday money can go to this."

"Okay, but even with three of us, we're still three hundred and five dollars short," Melvin said.

Sheila looked over to Henry. "You're applying for a job right? There's money right there." She also had another idea, but she was almost positive that her brothers would detest it with a passion. "I think... I think the neighborhood needs kids to do some paper routes. I can do that."

Just as she expected, they protested against the idea immediately. "Paper routes? In this neighborhood?" Henry exclaimed in shock. He shook his head. "Absolutely not! You know about the crime at night, there's a reason you and Melvin have a six o'clock curfew."

"I can take care of myself," Sheila spat. "Even if I do get hurt, at least I'll get hurt knowing that I'm saving money to protect our family!"

"It's too risky, Shell," Melvin said with a sigh. "Look... I like the idea of a tree house. We can talk to mom about it. But how the heck are we going to explain that to dad?"

Sheila snorted. "Simple, we don't."

Henry pressed his lips together as if trying to keep his temper inside. "It's not that easy."

"We'll make it happen," Sheila said determinedly. She turned to Melvin. "Are you in or not?" Hesitant at first, Melvin did nod at the idea. She turned to Henry. "Think about it. If our money is combined for the rest of the year along with your job, then Amber's dad can build us this tree house within a year. I'd be willing to deal with this for another year as long as my brothers are safe. The twins haven't been hit by him yet, and by having this tree house, they might never have to experience what we experienced. Because I don't want them to get hurt by that monster!"

Sheila knew exactly what he was thinking about: food on the table. They couldn't bite off more than they could chew. But, at the same time, this sacrifice might protect them.

"I was going to say no, but I'm going to say yes, do you know why?" Sheila didn't answer, so Henry explained further: "You brought up the twins. That is the only reason I am agreeing with this, do you understand me? As long as we do this, you're going to keep up your grades in school." He turned to face Melvin. "That goes for you too." Melvin and Sheila nodded, but they knew there was more to it. "We'll talk to Amber's dad about the deal to pay them little by little, that is if he even accepts it. But..." And he looked at Sheila sternly when saying this: "You are not getting a job where you run all over the streets, do you understand?"

Sheila felt her face go red in frustration, but nodded at the idea of finally getting a treehouse. "Okay," she said, willing to compromise. She ran up to her older brother and hugged him by the neck. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! You're the best!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah..." Henry waved it off, but he was highly amused. "I'm great when you want something."

She let go of his neck and showed mock surprise. "What? Never!" All of a sudden, they heard cooing noises from the twins. Melvin and Sheila went over to the crib to see them standing, with their arms held up. Sheila couldn't help but smile upon the sight of them. Perhaps there was a chance for them after all.