Act of love

Chapter Ten

Anfisa:
The things I've heard in the past couple of minutes don't hit me yet.
This is the second time someone mentioned Zach's business, yet he never said anything to me about it. Doesn't he trust me? I stay long enough in the door opening to see the true side of Zachary Wixx.
A soft gasp leaves my body. In an instant Zach turns around, to look at my shocked face.

"You worthless fucking piece of shit!" I press my ear against the door trying to hear more of what he says. It's not necessary to put my ear against the door, my dad screams loud enough so I would be able to hear him on the other side of the whole neighborhood.
Why doesn't my mom just leave him already? A loud slap fills the silent and empty void. Empty, because no feelings are found in this house of horror. Not anymore, my dad doesn't love my mother if he does something like that. Why do I have to witness all this, mom just divorce dad already... I am just thirteen.
With the smallest steps, I've ever taken I walk through the hallway, to the living room. This is because the silence between the slaps is too long. It can never be good when that happens.
"Daddy?" His jaw tightens firmly when his eyes face me. The eyes of a killer, the same eyes as mine.
"An, please go to your room, please." My mothers pleading voice says.
My mom always put me in front of herself, doing everything in her power to protect me. Well, not everything... I guess love over wins all.
I fail to follow her order. She asks again, which I refuse... Again.
"No, she likes to watch while her mother gets the punishment she deserves. Anfisa if you don't listen to me, the same will happen to you."
My dad hits my mom once again. This time harder then ever before, blood streams down her face. It feels as if my feet are glued to the floor, I am frozen in shock. He hit her, he hit her and it's not the first time. There is nothing I can do, that is the most heartbreaking fact.
One of the many family paintings on the wall hangs slightly misplaced, with a bit of blood on the edge. I'm sure my dad pushed her into that painting. Why we even have family paintings is a mystery to me.
I can't help but think about my sister, my older sister, she ran away a few days back. She was the one facing this every night. My respect for her grows a lot.
The smug smirk on my father's eyes is familiar, he's drunk. I hold every emotion in me back, before he starts to hit me too.
"Oh Marian, you are just a stupid housewife who thinks she has something to say. But I earn the money here, you don't. If you don't like what I'm doing, fucking leave for all I care. You are too worthless to even find a job. You are worth nothing!"

The feeling of two steady hands around both arms rip me straight out of my intense flashback.
"Marian!" He says, with a familiar voice.
"D-dad?" I left them for good three years ago, how can he be here?!
"No, not your dad." His shallow blue eyes pierce right through my soul. My eyes.
"Dad!" Again my dad shakes his head heavily.
"Marian, I am not your dad."
"Get away from me!" He gives me a slow steady nod, his eyes softening. The soft eyes my dad never gave in an argument. The painful grip on my arms releases.
My dad let me go, he let go like he wouldn't let go of my mother when she was screaming like I currently am. The room is full of paintings, family paintings, the same damn family paintings.
"Mom?!" I yell at the top of my lungs, hoping she will hear me and come and save me from my own father. "Please dad, I did nothing wrong, you don't have to punish me."
Behind my dad, a woman suddenly appears. She's sitting on the floor, her hands in front of her face.
"Amory? Is that really you?" My dad looks straight at me lifting his eyebrows. He seems confused. "D-dad, it's Amory..."
Amory is my only sister, the one I love the most in my life.
She always had my back in tough times, it didn't matter how tough her times were she would always make the time to squeeze in a hug for me. I love her to death, but then she moved out and left me alone in the house hold when I was sixteen and she eighteen. My entire world collapsed beneath my feet. But at least she got to have the best life I could ever wish her.
"Amory answer me." She doesn't answer, she just lays there not moving. I slightly pull on her leather jacket, making her move a little bit. "Thank God Amory, I thought you were dead!" A small smile appears on her face, not the smile she usually has. "Is it really you?" I ask once again. Without answering me she turns her face in the slightest, making the other half of her face visible. Blood streams down her cheek. "Oh my God, what happened?! We have to take you to the hospital!" Panic rushes over me.
My eyes scan the room looking for something to keep pressure on the wound. Instead, I find pictures. Hundreds of pictures, all across the wall. Family pictures of me, my mom, my dad, and my sister, all pretending to be a happy family.
They are all the same. Every. Single. Picture.
"Anfisa?" I feel how someone is heavily staring at me. As I lift my head up from the pictures to look back at Amory, she's gone.
The place where my dad stood just five minutes ago, he's gone.
The walls where all the family pictures were hanging, they're gone.
It is all gone.
Although I am not alone in this room.
"Zach." I notice first. "Ryan." I notice second since he's sitting behind Zach. Holding his phone, scrolling through social media apps, unbothered by anything.
"What happened? Where is my dad? Where is Amory?" Without answering my questions Zach motions me to sit down next to him. So I do.
His hand touches mine reassuringly. It's the smallest, most tender move, but it makes my heart totally flip out of my body.
"They were never here." Annoyed I shake my head, I am really not in the mood for any more games right now. "Anfisa, they were never here, it was just me and Ryan in this room the whole time."
I bring a hand up to cover my mouth, and when I do, I start crying.
"It wasn't real." I mumble against Zach's shoulder, holding onto him tightly. Hoping he will protect me from any harm that will come.
Ryan's facial expression seems uncomfortable. Next to his eye is a cut, a cut over his cheek and jaw, the cut nearly went into his eye. He got lucky when he got that cut. When he got that cut. It's fresh.
Instantly I pull back from the hug I am giving Zach.
"You did that to him." I push myself off the bed and take slow steps backward. His expression is painful as if he hates seeing me scared.
Well, he did this himself.
"Please don't be scared I can explain. Just sit down and let me explain." A deep sigh rolls over my lips. Loud music sounds from downstairs, I am still at the party.
The chair across the room farthest away from Zach seems to be the safest option for now.
"I'm sorry Anfisa, you weren't supposed to see that. I didn't know how you would react." He's not sorry about hitting him, he's sorry that he got caught. Angry feelings boil up in me.
I give him a look of complete utter disbelief.