Evanescent

The Eighth Chapter

I lay with Reid. Quiet, not moving. Barely breathing. His breath was steady. My head on his chest. We were breaking the rules. But we didn't care. He was lost. And I was losing it.

We fit well together. Puzzle pieces. Broken. I shifted to look up at him. Reid was asleep, eyelashes fluttering slightly. He looked at peace. Happy. Curiosity grew. I wanted to know. Needed to know. But why? He shifted and gripped me closer. Something sparked in me. Something new.

"You're staring."

I froze. He was awake. My chance-- my only chance. Deep breath. Don't hate me.

"I... I killed my father."

His eyes shot open and he looked at me.

"You what?"

Deep breath.

"Little brother!" I whispered urgently at Jamie.

His quaking form appeared in front of the dresser he was hiding behind. He crawled over to me.

"I need you to go upstairs into the attic and do not come out until you hear me call. Stay hidden."

He nodded his tiny head and bolted. With a large, shaky inhale, I made my way to the living room. My father was there, towering over my mother. She was curled on the floor in a ball, trying to protect what she could from her husband's brutal hits.

"Father!"

He turned, his intoxicated body swaying.

"Get out."

"No, you get the hell away from her."

"Excuse me?"

He lumbered towards me, gripping me by the throat. I kicked my legs and clawed at his fingers, trying to get lose. His grip only tightened. I couldn't breath. Heard my mother's pleas and screams. Were they for me or for him? Black dots began to dance in my eyesight. I clawed harder. Reaching out, my fingers brushed against something hard. Picking it up, I swung down hard and struck the side of my father's head. The death hold on my throat loosened and I choked down as much air as I possibly could. My lungs burned from the lack of oxygen and my head swam. With a scream, I hit him again. Then again. Looking to where his body had fallen, I saw blood... Too much blood.

I was sat against the cold wall. Couldn't look at him. Disgust... A finger wiped at my tears.

"Oh, Lapis," his voice soft, "You had to. It was your life or his. If you hadn't struck him, he would have killed you, your mother, and Jamie."

He took me into his arms and I sobbed.