Sister They Now Know

Chapter Six - A Family Dinner

Unedited

"We should have never taken her to begin with!" A ferocious bellow echoed down the hallway. "Our daughter is being raised by other people all because we were chosen to raise this- this useless thing."

"I know, it's not fair! I don't understand why they didn't just kill the bloody thing-."

"It's been five years, Shannon. Five years we have wasted resources on that little beast, while our baby girl has grown away from us."

Large, pickled coloured orbs peeked through the gap of her bedroom door, a hand over her mouth to quiet the sharp breaths that were leaving her mouth. Her short matted hair was up in two lopsided pigtails with string holding them together. An oversized holey black shirt and shorts that acted like trousers adorned the child.

Trembles rumbled through her forms as she listened to the shouting, the smashing, the screaming. All the scary noises kept her awake at night, leaving her with purple marks under her eyes in the morning, not that they differed from the purple marks across the rest of her body.

"She's not even going to remember us. We spent two years with her before she was taken away from us. Two short bloody years!"

The little girl had no idea who her parents were talking about. She had never seen another girl living in this house, and no pictures were around the house. Not that there were any of her anyway.

"I miss her so much. If I could just hold her in my arms, just for a minute. Just to let her know we love her."

Tears sprang to her eyes, hearing how they spoke of this mystery girl. How her parents spoke of loving this other child, while she sat here, stomach rumbling and body aching, wanting, with every fiber of her small body, to be loved. Just to be held in her mothers arms, a kiss to the head, her father smiling proudly at her.

"It's all for the cause. We need to remember this."

If only to have them love her. She could make them proud, show them that she was worth loving. That the food they threw away, that the money spent on other things, could all be for her. That she was worth having money spent on her.

"How much longer though? Why must we go through this?"

A single tear slipped down the girl's face, curling her legs up to her chest. She wrapped her arms around her legs, the only form of hugging she had known.

She wished with all her might that one day her parents would love her as much as this mystery girl. That she, who tried her best to make them proud, would know warmth and loving human contact. Just a single hug, that would make her feel like she was protected from the world.

"The Willows know what they are doing; we just have to remain strong."

A hiccup escaped the girl, shoulders jumping with the noise. She let out a quiet gasp, then held her breath. All the shouting had gone. They must have heard her.

Springing from the door, she dived to her bed. It creaked as she bounced on the thin mattress. Heart pounding, eyes glistening, body shaking. They would know she was awake now. Stupid old bed. Stupid noisy mattress. Stupid her-

"What have I told you about earwigging!?"

The door slammed open, the noise deafening to her small ears. She cowered under the raggedy patchy blanket that laid on the mattress. Why didn't she stay in bed? Why did she have to get up?

Tears spilled down her cheeks, creating new wet lines down her face. She should have known better. She should have stayed quiet. She knew what was going to happen next.