Rescue ▶▶A Hunter Hayes Faniction◀◀

THREE

Ever since Haley was old enough to hold a camera, she’s has a knack for photography. Even for a ten year old, she’s pretty good at it. She takes pictures all the time with the expensive camera I bought her for her ninth birthday. Dad says that it’s a waste of time and money and wouldn’t get her one, so I decided to purchase one with my own money. Even though I used every penny I had at the time, it was so worth it. Haley uses it everyday, and just the sight of her so happy makes me happy.

    Since Dad is having a dinner party at the house, he ordered Haley and I to leave for a while. Of course, we had to prepare everything first; make dinner, set the table, and clean the house. It took us a record time to get it all done before five since we had school until two, but we got it done efficiently.

    Now, Haley and I are out wandering around the woods, Haley snapping pictures every now and then, sometimes deleting them. She snaps different pictures of anything and everything at every angle possible. She looks like a professional.

    Haley climbs up a tree like a monkey, determined to get the perfect shot. When I start to move out of the way, she stops me.

    “Wait, hold on!” she squeals. “Move back to where you were.” I oblige. She adjusts the camera, holding it up to her right eye. “Good, now act natural.”

    “Natural? How do I do that?” I ask, genuinely stumped.

    Haley rolls her eyes. “Just stand there, don’t look at me, and pretend that you are alone in the middle of the woods just because.”

    I nod, then try to do as she said. After a few seconds of positioning myself, I hear clicks. I stay completely still as she captures the moment, but then she shouts at me to start making small natural movements. I run my hand through my hair, lift my nose to smell the air, and then start slowly turning around in a circle. There are more clicks.

    The phone in my pocket buzzes, and I immediately know who it is. When Haley sees me answer my phone, she knows too and starts climbing back down to earth.

    There’s a single text from Dad.

    Dad: Come home now. Clean dishes and house.

    Ah, can’t you just feel the love?

    Haley walks up behind me and reads the text. She sighs. “I hate washing dishes.”

    I give her a small smile. “Then I’ll wash them. You just have to do the toilets.”

    Her nose wrinkles. “Yuck. Fine, I’ll do the dishes.”

-

    Haley and I get home just as the last car is pulling out of the parking lot. Dad is standing in the open doorway, drunkenly waving to the car as it drives away. When his eyes find Haley and I, his face twists in disgust.

    “You two useless mutts, get inside and clean up.” He staggers back inside the house. I silently grasp Haley’s hand in mine as we walk after Dad, seeing him sit down on the light-colored couch that now has a wine stain on it. I lightly push Haley into the kitchen to do the dishes as I take out the stain remover and paper towels.

    As I dab the stain on the couch, Dad narrows his eyes. “Why are you cleaning in here? I’m already here, out!” He takes his foot and shoves me away with it, making me fall onto the wooden floor. My elbow stings a little as it makes contact.

    I sit up. “Sorry,” I tell him, “but I wanted to get the stain out of the couch soon so it would come out eas-”

    He kicks me roughly again. “I said out!”

    Tucking my hair behind my ear so it’s out of my face, I stand and walk out if the room without protest. I hear Dad grunt and turn on the TV, a football game resuming.

    As soon as I enter the kitchen, Haley turns and looks me over. “I heard him,” she says quietly so Dad doesn’t hear. “Did he hit you again?”

    I give her a soft smile. “No, I’m fine. Now, come on, let’s get this house clean again.”

    Haley and I get to work; she does the dishes and throws out the trash while I clean the toilets (which smell way worse than they did before the party) and scrub the floors. Haley gets done before me and wipes down the counters and dining table. Once we’re finished, I kiss Haley on the top of her head and tell her to go to bed. She does, and once she’s in our room, I peek my head into the living room where Dad fell asleep. He’s slouched against the couch with his mouth agape and a half-empty bottle of wine in his right hand. The TV is still loud and the crowd on the screen roars when there is a touchdown.

    I gingerly tiptoe back into the living room and start to remove the stain on the front of the couch so Dad doesn’t get mad later. Just as I’m finishing up, the crowd on the TV roars again, waking Dad up from his drunken slumber.

    He turns his head, eyes squinted. “D-didn’t… I tell you to… go?!” he slurs.

    “Sorry.” I stand and head towards the kitchen, about to put the cleaning supplies away, but Dad grabs my wrist in his sweaty hand.

    “Don’t talk to me with that attitude young lady, I am your father!” He shoves me against the wall, my head banging against the hard surface painfully. “You will respect me and do what I tell you to do! When I say you don’t come in here and clean while I’m watching the game, then you don’t!”

    I nod, tears of pain pricking the back of my eyes. His nails around my wrist digs into my skin painfully.

    He gives me another shove before backing away, collapsing onto the couch. He takes a swig of the bottle and motions me out of the room with his hand.

    “Leave.”

    I quickly walk back upstairs to my room. Haley’s lying down on top of her covers, texting away on her phone. She shuts it off when I walk in. “Did-”

    “No,” I tell her, cutting her off. “He didn’t hit me. Calm down.”

    I quickly change out of my day clothes into my pajamas. Before I can crawl under the covers on my bed, Haley walks over to me and takes my arm, looking at my wrist that is starting to bruise. I take my wrist away from her, and she sighs.

    “I don’t like it when he hurts you.”

    “I told you, I’m fine. And he didn’t,” the lie slips through my lips easily.

    Haley raises her brow. “I may only be ten years old, but I know when my older sister is lying.”

    I give her a look. “Just go to bed, we have school tomorrow.”

    She nods, combing her fingers through her long hair. “Goodnight, Em. Love you.”

    I flick the lights off and climb into bed. “Night. Love you too.”