5 Years Ago
“Dear Diary, this year isn’t compared like any other years. Mother began with stronger drugs than usual and began to yell us apart; she drinks more daily and passes out on the couch every afternoon for about four hours. I can hear her screams running through the house every day and night, her screams once followed me into my dreams. I feel unsafe, haunted at this moment. Father is too busy with work every day and doesn’t know about mothers’ wrong doings, the way she beats Jacob and Caleb up, how she burns them with cigarettes and forces them to wear hoodies or pullovers to cover up the scars. She watches them like a hawk making sure they don’t tell, father, in ten minutes from now mother is going to scream to be at dinner, Caleb doesn’t eat after mother taunted him over his weight, and Jacob he just sits there observing in silence waiting for the next blow to come. Mother does nothing to me which isn’t something to brag about, I can feel their pain and what they sit through. Father doesn’t know about mothers’ addictions nor her lack of watching her own children, father also doesn’t care about our wellbeing, the business is more important than his two children being abused and using me as his model child.”
A loud shout comes from the dining room,” Dinner is ready!”
“Mother just called, this is where I am going to sign off, hopefully this dinner will go better than the last.”
Britney closes her diary takes it, crouches and places the diary out of sight under the bed. She stands up and walks out of her room, smelling the food wasn’t the only thing that was in the air there was a touch of food, liquor, smoke and disgust flowing in the air. Every creak on the wooden floor feels different and sounds different each passing day. She enters the open floorplan of the dining and living room with the kitchen in the background.
Britney takes a seat and notice her brothers comes to sit, Jacob next to Britney and Caleb across from her, mother slams the food on the table and sits next to Caleb. Teagan walks into the room and sits at the end of the table closer to Mia and Jacob. An awkward silence fills the room making the environment stale. “Let’s say grace.” Teagan notes.
The family takes hands and says grace together, in prayer Britney thought, “We pray like a family, but we don’t act like one.” Mia started to plate her dish full of the cooked food, as so did Britney and Teagan. Caleb didn’t bother and Jacob just observed in silence.
“Caleb you are going to eat.” Teagan demands
“No.” Caleb snaps
“Caleb please you will become ill if you do not eat.”
“I said- “just before he went on, he felt Britney kicking him he looks at her shacking her head as indication not to say anything further. Caleb sighs and plates a minimum of food into his plate.
“So, I have spoken to the board of directors, and we are going to have a meeting when we go back to Los Angeles.” Teagan notes
“Teagan I’ve told you no business talk when we are around the table.” Mia responds
Britney lost her apatite after stopping Caleb from begging a war he cannot end. Teagan looks at Britney then asks, “So what were you three up to?”
None of the three children responded nor looked at the two parents, until Mia repeated,” Your father asked you three what were you up to.”
Britney looks at Caleb she didn’t want to look at Jacob because it would look like she looked at her father instead, the room was silence waiting for an answer until a whisper from Jacob broke the silence.
“What did you say Jacob?” Mia asks
Jacob didn’t look at her and said, “I told Britney that you guys are now so interested in our lives.”
“Look at me when you are speaking to me.” Mia demands
Nothing happened then Teagan steps in by saying, "Your our mother spoke to you so look at her please.”
Britney knows that he wouldn’t look at her after what she has done to him. Mia on the other hand begins to clench her utensils and demands once more, “Jacob look at me. Now.”
“No.” he replies
“Excuse me?” Mia asks
“You don’t talk- “But then Teagan was interrupted by Caleb saying,” No father you stay out of this fucking mess, you are now so interested what we have done today but not yesterday or the day before, you think you can rule.”
Mia grabs Caleb’s writs and says,” Don’t you ever talk to your father that way ever again.”
“Or what.” Caleb begins, “you’re going to beat me, scold on me or punish me, well guess what mother, I am fucking done. Done of your addictions bullshit, done with the fact that me and Jacob are being hurt.”
Teagan looks at Britney and Jacob on his left side, then back at Mia and Caleb. Mia leaves Caleb’s wrists and puts her utensils down on the plate. She tries to breathe but then a twist of events occurred, she pushed Caleb out of the blue of his chair making him fall on the floor, “Is that what you want Caleb, to be treated differently. Well then, I will treat you differently, I will treat you like an adult.”
Caleb stands up from the floor and sees Mia standing up from her chair ready to slap him. She walks towards him, but Caleb stood his ground, Mia raises her hand and a loud slap sound echoes through the cabin.
It all goes slow for Britney as if she is the one going too fast, hearing her mother breathing heavily, seeing blood flying from Caleb’s face falling towards the ground and her father and Jacob standing up from their chairs. Britney feels nauseous, sick now. She notices the drop of blood splashing on the wooden floors and time goes back to normal, Teagan takes Mia away from Caleb and Jacob goes to him.
“You wanted to be treated differently… you want to be a fucking adult then take a punch like one!” Mia exclaimed.
Britney stays silent and looks at Caleb behind Jacob, his nose bleeding and the blood dripping on the floor. “Come on Caleb you wanted this.” Mia yelled
“Ok everyone calms down.” Teagan suggests but for Mia that was no option.
“No This fucked up child wanted this, so I am going to give it to him.”
Jacob looks at Britney then back at his mother,“Father doesn’t know does he?”
“About what?”
“You, taking the drugs he buys for you.”
Mia looks at Teagan standing behind him and notice that he begins to walk backwards to avoid her, Mia becomes furious and walks towards Jacob grabs him by the throat. Her eyes looking dead at Jacob she had enough, and she wanted to end the nightmare which is Jacob. Chocking him so that he doesn’t get any air, Britney shouts from back, “Leave him alone.”
Mia responds, “or what.” She turns around and notice Britney hold her last bottle full of pills and a full bottle of Screaming Eagle Wine. “If you drop that bottle you are dead, that bottle is wroth more than your life.”
Britney trembles, feeling the fear her mothers’ stares into her soul. She had no other choice. She would sacrifice her own life to make sure her brothers will not be harmed again.
Mia’s eyes go wide leaving Jacob and storms off towards Britney who let go of the bottle, the red liquor on the floor full of glass pieces on the floor. Britney knew she would run but instead she opens the bottle of pills before her mother reached her and threw the bottle in the air away from her, making the several pills fly in the air and fall on the ground, some of the pills reaching the living room. She sees her mother raises her hand and swings towards her.
YOU ARE READING
The Teagan Universe
Science Fiction"He was special to me, but I took our time for granted." Britney said *** Stress is nothing compared to the disease that's devouring Teagan's nervous system. But is it life making Teagan confess his sins, in a abnormal way by punishing him? His sin...
