The Evolution of Dakota Graves

Early Morning

I open my eyes to see Hannah still asleep. There was several biters getting caught in the fence, I stand up, then I walk into the small kitchen which was connected to this room. I open the fridge to see ice cream, oven bake pizza and expired milk.

"Morning." Hannah yawns.

"Morning, I can't believe I'm saying this but we're having ice cream for breakfast." I said.

We sit cross legged on the ground, Hannah uses her plastic spoon, she'd love all types of ice cream. We didn't have a lot of money to buy much, only the small cups. Hannah beams.

"Will things go back to the way they used to be?" Hannah asks sadly, her lazy eyes boring into mine.

"And I can't take any more lies....please." Hannah says, hugging her knees.

"I don't know Hannah, if they did...what would you have done?" I ask.

"Oh-well I'd go anywhere you'd go.....because we're a team." Hannah says.

"Hey, what was the funniest thing you've done?" Hannah asks.

"I pissed on a bum by an accident." I said casually.

"Ew." Hannah says, scrunching up her face.

"Your turn." I said, Hannah takes a deep breath.

"I knew you'd say that." Hannah groans.

"I hugged someone who looked like you....it was hella scary because he looked like he wanted to kill me." Hannah says with a giggle.

"Until his mon gave him the evil eye. His face went from serious to completely embarrassed." Hannah says.

"His balls had vanished, you're right, that is funny." I said with a laugh.

"What was the wildest thing you ever done?" Hannah asks.

"I had unprotected sex." I said bluntly.

"You're hilarious." Hannah says wryly with a smirk.

"Really though." Hannah says.

"Mom caught me jacking my skin with a magazine when I was sixteen, I admitted bluntly after I put my package away." I said, raising my eyebrows. She knew what I meant.

"You....with a magazine? Hard to believe." Hannah says.

"Dad used to have those all the time, they were all in the floor while Mom was at work, so you couldn't blame me for being curious." I said, Hannah shook her head.

"I can't believe I'm saying this....but I'm glad he left." Hannah says.

"If he was standing here now...I'd beat him to a pulp." I mutter.

"Dakota!" Hannah groans.

"No, no man breathing should ever lay their hand on you Hannah." I snap, she bites her lip then nods.

"Keep your head high, you look better doing that." I said.

"Hey...do you think Dad made it?" Hannah asks.

My thoughts flicker to the day Dad got so drunk he couldn't walk a straight line.

It was raining, Mom left in the middle of the night with some perfume on. I knew already what she's doing...she was a stripper, but I'd have to say that she didn't have any other jobs available during that time.

"At least you get paid woman." My Dad would say, Hannah was different, she was jumpy, she shivered a lot when Dad forced her to sit on his lap and watch football with him, she even had the bruise from where he grabbed her. She cried way too easily, she locked the door in her room and only opened it when she had to.

It was worse for me, it always was. Dad would beat me if he caught a empty can of pudding or Hannah's doll, he made me wish I was dead. That day I walked around with a black eye.

Sometimes Dad would say that it made me a man, that the beatings make me "tougher" it only made me colder, and he smiled shamelessly while he told me that.

That night when he was drunk, I was doing homework while eating a sandwich, then a loud scream made me wince. It followed with a thud....a hard one, then again. I walked down the hallway to see Dad hovering over Hannnah, her hand was on her cheek.

"What the fuck did you do to my beer?" Dad practically yelled.

"Dad calm down-" I said, as I avoided the urge to fight him.

"Don't tell me to calm down boy!" Dad interrupted, he staggered to the side.

"I'm sorry!" Hannah shouted, tears streamed down her bruised cheeks, her nose was bloody, her lip was busted, the bruises were fresh...

"Stop crying!" Dad yells.

Hannah tried to stop crying but it only broke into hacking cries, when Hannah cried, she cried like a toddler. A toddler that was beaten like a defenseless puppy.

"STOO  FUCKING CRYING!" Dad roared, he grabbed Hannah by the collar of her shirt then shoved her into the bookshelf causing some of the old books to fall on her head, before he could grab her I punched him in the face, one punch led to another, making sure he had the bruises that matched hers.

He tried to push me away but I shoved him hard enough for him to stagger away, he regained his balance, his sunken in eyes boring into mine.

"Now you're a tough shit? Fighting your old man??" Dad asks with a smirk on his face.

"Fight me Dakota, give me a reason why your whore of a mother didn't abort you when she found out she was pregnant!" Dad says.

"Fight me! Be a man!" He howled, I charge towards him, he punched me in the face, my cheek felt tight, I roar.

"Guys stop!!!" Hannah screamed.

He threw a storm of punches, but he was so drunk. He sloppily threw them to my face, I couldn't stop. I threw more punches as if I was fending for my life, I punch him in his nose, he grabs my arm but I rip it away, Hannah tried to pull me off of him but I shoved her away.

"You're a fuckin' mistake." Dad mumbled, I threw another blow to his face, I was sure his face was worse than mine, bruises began to form on his face, his lips had streaks of dark blood running down his chin, his lips tremble.

Hannah softly shakes me.

"You were thinking of it again.....weren't you?" Hannah asks.

"I can't help it." I admit.

Hannah goes silent. But she still absent-mindedly plays in my hair, I look up at her.

"Look Hannah, I promise to protect you....nobody will ever lay a hand on you-not while I'm living and breathing." I reassure her.

"I believe in you." Hannah says.

It got quiet, again, the sun was blanketed with clouds. The euphoric smile grew on Hannah's face as she kept reminiscing about our times together.