Starry Nights City Lights
I Think We Have An Emergency
At 7 AM Joey and Matthew shook Hallie awake. “What? What do you want?” she mumbled.
“Are you okay?” asked Matt. He sounded very concerned.
Hallie thought for a second. Why wouldn’t she be okay? Yesterday, what happened yesterday? The fight, Matthew broke his nose, her arm. It all came rushing back. But she was okay, wasn’t she? Nothing happened to her, right? “Of course I’m okay. Why wouldn’t I be, silly?” Hallie asked Matt.
“You hit your head pretty hard. Wait- you don’t remember that? Dad was beating on you pretty good. Mom pulled him off. Remember?!?!” Matthew was worried.
Hallie didn’t remember. She didn’t want to worry the boys, though. “Oh, yeah, I remember. I’m just tired. Go back to sleep. I’m fine, really,” she reassured the boys and rolled back over, waiting until she heard them leave to sit up. Shit, a head injury is serious. Think, think. Damn I don’t remember anything. Not good, not good at all. Maybe they were joking. Why would they joke about that? Ugh. I’ll just look in the mirror if there are no bumps or bruises then I’m probably fine. Holy piss!
Hallie turned a ghostly white. Her thin blonde hair was stuck to her face with blood. Maybe I just had a bloody nose that went all over and just happened to get in my hair… Unlikely. Hallie reached up to touch the back of her head. She felt dried blood. It was then she thought to look at her pillow case. She sighed; her favorite Kerplunk pillow case was covered in blood. Her left arm was sore. It was probably sprained. Now fully awake, she examined the rest of her injuries and then went to check on her brothers.
They seemed alright. Thankfully their mom brought Matt to the hospital about his nose. Hallie briefly wondered why no one thought to get her head checked out. She knew the reason. They didn’t care about her. Her father beats her and her mother is too cowardly to do anything about it. Hallie quietly walked past her parent’s room to the bathroom. She needed a shower and some coffee. Most importantly she needed a plan. She can’t keep living like this.
Away. She needed to get away. Sure, there was nowhere for her to go, but nowhere was better than where she was. She hated the thought of leaving the boys, but she couldn’t take them. They needed to stay in school. They needed a place to sleep at night. She could live without the comforts of a home. Tonight she would leave. No need to worry Matt and Joey with good- byes. As soon as her parents go to bed she’ll leave. It’s a fool-proof plan, right?
“Are you okay?” asked Matt. He sounded very concerned.
Hallie thought for a second. Why wouldn’t she be okay? Yesterday, what happened yesterday? The fight, Matthew broke his nose, her arm. It all came rushing back. But she was okay, wasn’t she? Nothing happened to her, right? “Of course I’m okay. Why wouldn’t I be, silly?” Hallie asked Matt.
“You hit your head pretty hard. Wait- you don’t remember that? Dad was beating on you pretty good. Mom pulled him off. Remember?!?!” Matthew was worried.
Hallie didn’t remember. She didn’t want to worry the boys, though. “Oh, yeah, I remember. I’m just tired. Go back to sleep. I’m fine, really,” she reassured the boys and rolled back over, waiting until she heard them leave to sit up. Shit, a head injury is serious. Think, think. Damn I don’t remember anything. Not good, not good at all. Maybe they were joking. Why would they joke about that? Ugh. I’ll just look in the mirror if there are no bumps or bruises then I’m probably fine. Holy piss!
Hallie turned a ghostly white. Her thin blonde hair was stuck to her face with blood. Maybe I just had a bloody nose that went all over and just happened to get in my hair… Unlikely. Hallie reached up to touch the back of her head. She felt dried blood. It was then she thought to look at her pillow case. She sighed; her favorite Kerplunk pillow case was covered in blood. Her left arm was sore. It was probably sprained. Now fully awake, she examined the rest of her injuries and then went to check on her brothers.
They seemed alright. Thankfully their mom brought Matt to the hospital about his nose. Hallie briefly wondered why no one thought to get her head checked out. She knew the reason. They didn’t care about her. Her father beats her and her mother is too cowardly to do anything about it. Hallie quietly walked past her parent’s room to the bathroom. She needed a shower and some coffee. Most importantly she needed a plan. She can’t keep living like this.
Away. She needed to get away. Sure, there was nowhere for her to go, but nowhere was better than where she was. She hated the thought of leaving the boys, but she couldn’t take them. They needed to stay in school. They needed a place to sleep at night. She could live without the comforts of a home. Tonight she would leave. No need to worry Matt and Joey with good- byes. As soon as her parents go to bed she’ll leave. It’s a fool-proof plan, right?
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AN: Much love to all who read and commented. =D