Running From Lions

I was sat in my room when I heard a bang on the wall and sighed, I knew what was going on without even looking. I heard footsteps running upstairs, before I as even told I walked out my room and downstairs.

I heard shouting upstairs as I grabbed a jacket and went outside, it’s happened so many times I know what to do now.

It was freezing outside but it was better than being in there, I saw lights on next door and wanted to go round but I couldn’t, that would allow them to know there was a problem and well that’s not allowed in the Zanda household.

I went and sat on the floor at the bottom of the yard watching my house for signs of when to go in.

I always wondered when I was little why people hated their siblings; I loved my big brother more than anything. He always looked after me and I rarely ever left his side but all that changed about a year ago.

My lovely big brother Jonah turned evil, he hated everyone and everything for no reason other than they didn’t give him what he wanted.

What my big brother wanted was to drink, take drugs and sleep with any girl going. I tried to help him but he went into one of his rages and he hit me.

Jonah Zanda was clever despite everything that he did, at school he could ace any test, he was great at sport but he didn’t care anymore.

He was 17 years old and something told me that he’d never make 20.

"Rory!” I heard my mom shout worried out the window and I waved at her and she nodded closing it.

There was no use in reasoning with Jonah anymore you just had to let him go crazy and he’d calm down eventually but mom hated me being in the house when he did it, I was only 15 and he was a lot bigger than me, if he wanted to he could really hurt me.

It scared me that the brother I’d always loved might one day really want to hurt me but I tried to tell myself he’d never do it.

At school I was popular but more because everyone was scared of Jonah than them actually liking me, I’d never use my brother to get friends but people knew I was his sister and thought making me happy would keep them on his good side.

I didn’t have many real friends and nobody was allowed to know about Jonah’s ‘problems’, there was only one person I really wanted to be friends with and he lived next door.

Our parents got on but he refused to have anything to do with me, I saw him walk past the window downstairs and heard shouting coming from there.

Tonight apparently we weren’t the only family who were shouting, the Gaskarth household were having an argument too.