The Crow's guide to the key to victory

Chap 2: The sudden Twist

     "The past was merely a dream that could never be replicated, whereas the present would always be an everlasting nightmare."

     A chilly wind blew through my open window, lighting striking a sound. I rubbed my eyes, waking from a dream that was full of joy. As I tried remembering the dream, it made me realize it was just a recollection from the past. There was a storm the day we were supposed to go to the beach. Winds were spiraling, violently shaking the car. Leaves were blown everywhere, to our front car glass and some to the glass window close to us. My brother and I panicked while my mom tried to calm us down in the front seat even though she was also panicking and scared like us, while my dad tried to drive to a safer place. My mom called 911 early, but we still didn't see them coming. It was too foggy for my father to see, with specks of dirt, water, and dust mixed making it way harder for my father to see his way. A sudden loud sound occurred, and we witnessed a car accident. 

     My mother was concerned for the people who might be in the car, so she asked my dad to go check it out. I heard whispers telling me to not go out and keep going I told my brother. We're so scared and trying to stop my father from going out, but who would listen to a kid? He stopped our car to investigate ignoring our cries to stop him, but then a giant tree suddenly flew right at us. The tree smashed the front of the car with a big shake, I and my brother were knocked down.

     I opened my eyes and saw my brother's arm trying to cover me with blood dripping from my head. I passed out. All I can remember after that is ambulance sirens and my dad sobbing the sound of water dipping to the floor but not yet clear my ear was full of sirens; my head ached so much. The tree hit the front seat... It smashed my mother's blood splashed everywhere my dad saw it happen and he's going insane. My father was able to survive by going out to check for the car accident. My brother and I were able to survive by sitting in the back seat. He shouted as the tree ran to us but it was too late, nothing could be done. He cried his cry was so sorrowful that I can't erase it from my memories he crawled to us bringing us out the rain struck hard. It might all be my fault why should we go out. We checked the weather and everything, is this a punishment is this meant to be?

     My mom died that day, leaving my dad to care for Crawford and me. My dad can't accept that my mom died... He has gone insane as we both expected. He started to act weird but sometimes his emotions and anger issues grew bigger. He still goes to work and meets my aunt she looks like my mother but also nothing like her. My dad made himself believe that my mother was still alive and he replaced her with our aunt. My dad asked to marry my aunt and she agreed. How and why would she...We know nothing about her. I used to hear the neighbors worry over us continuously about the accident, but seeing us safe reassured them their kindness turned into nothing as the day passed. Rumors spread unknowingly where it came from. The rummage was about my mom, talking about how lunatic she was to carry us on a dangerous trip and she deserves to die we are lucky to survive. We go to school as we heal all of the kids look at us weirdly.

They laughed at us and enjoyed watching us suffer like they were watching a show as our bodies were full of bruises. Our friends stopped visiting us and started to call us orphans as time passed we carried a disease that would pass to everyone. My dad would always get angry and start to beat us often with my stepmom trying to make us suffer more. Sometimes it was just because he saw us, since our eyes were identical to our biological mother's, it reminded him of her. Thinking that my mom left him on purpose, and blamed her for everything so that he could feel better. All because of rumors their love was like a paper easy to break down. As a by-product of their love, I and my brother suffered even though we did nothing wrong.

     After the accident, the doctor handed me a gift from my mom, it's a four-leaf clover necklace with a letter on it:
         "Happy birthday, Clover, you're now 7 years old. This is my gift for you I hope you like it. I don't think I would stay any longer but you need to know we are always here for you whenever you need us, this necklace will guide you to your way and lead you to solve difficulties "
                                                                            -love mom

I hid the gift my mother gave me under my bed because I was afraid my father would find it and get it away from me. Hunger struck us, which was because we hadn't eaten in days. My brother and I lived like we were in hell. Just like other days, my brother received a beating from our father to defend me, my brother would always be in his bed attempting to rest. I would sometimes fetch medicine to treat his wound and sit beside him trying to ease his pain and feel better. We used to go to school before and ask for snacks from our classmates.

     At first, they would help us but as the day passed, they started to be mean to us or not talk to us. As the days passed by, life just got harder due to our family circumstances, we were beginning to miss school. I look younger than 7 years old due to malnutrition just like my brother; he was just 12 but looked younger than a 10-year-old. They used to starve us as punishment; we had tried to fight back, but nothing worked. Such as begging and stealing food from the fridge, but nothing worked. For all the suffering, my brother shines a light on me, he was what I ever got. He always protects me when danger strikes I loved him more than anything. But then one night, loud noises came from the kitchen when a storm struck. I knew something bad was happening when I didn't see my brother in the room and so I went down. Just to find my stepmom dragging him away violently.

     "You are just like your mother, trying to get attention with crazy things! Oh my, you're trying to leave your father and escape just like your mother?", She shouted her expression was excited mixed with madness mostly like prey getting to take revenge on the hunter, her face looked wicked. They spotted me standing at the staircase, my face was full of fear and trembling at what I saw, but that didn't stop them from throwing me from the stairs into the kitchen. I felt my bones break as I crashed to the ground, and the pain echoed all over my body soon dizziness hit me. My dad became even more enraged than he already was when my brother talked back at him when they threw me to the floor and began to hit my brother while shouting hysterically. My dad used to hit us but not as hard as this time, my dad was out of control. Every land of my dad's hand goes with a sound, even though I'm not the one getting hit I could still feel the pain when the hand landed on my brother's skin. Crawford used to have clean skin, but his skin had turned to a weak paper full of violet and blue bruises after my dad punched my brother for the first time.

     When my father first hit Crawford, when a guest came she got darker yellow hair with a black eye wearing a black dress she looked half like my mother. Normally, we kept our distance from my aunt, or should I call it my stepmom, who made an unexpected appearance at my mother's funeral and went to our house just a month later. We recognized her, she was our aunt and soon became our stepmom. We welcomed her and ate the dinner prepared at the table.

     My dad started to introduce our aunt as our stepmom drove my brother mad " Only a month has passed and you're gonna betray our mom for a woman that's LITERALLY OUR MOM'S SISTER! YOU'RE DISGUSTING, OUR MOM WILL BE SO..." A slap landed on my brother's face, my brother hadn't even finished his words. I was shocked and ran in front of my brother trying to protect him. While this all happened, our aunt or exactly our stepmom remained calm and ate dinner" Your mom isn't my sister. She doesn't like me same as I don't like her and the same goes for you kids.".My dad acted like he heard nothing like he was controlled. After that, our life got worse. Talking about my stepmom, who had a deep hatred towards my mom, thought that my mom was responsible for her life's difficulties and put her anger on us. She always says crazy words when she starts to hit us more than our dad often does. The pain brings me back to the present.  

     My brother tried to defend himself by dodging attacks from my dad. After they threw me on the ground. My stepmom then put her bare feet on top of my head, attempting to step on my head. My brother quickly came over and shoved her feet off my head. The comforting embrace he gave me was fleeting, however, as my father pulled him away from me. A big thunderstruck when my dad and brother fought, and my brother's head got slammed on the edge of our kitchen table, causing it to start bleeding. Everyone was startled, but their fear was only momentary, leaving me the only one in fear. My stepmom dragged me upstairs to my room. I struggled to follow along since my whole body was in so much pain, just as I was thinking about what would happen to my brother.  After that day, my brother vanished.