The Girl Next Door

~39~

"I'm friends with the monsters that's under my bed... get along with the voices inside of my head..."

Robyn Fenty

1:37 a.m.

"Daddy!" I turn around, opening my eyes to view my room back at the bungalow in the Barbados.

I watch as a little girl is tossed into the bed by my father and is bombarded by tickles to her rib cage and stomach.

"Mons satisfer!" My father says in a deep, monster-like voice.

"Kite 'm ale!" The little girl screams, squirming about the bed.

By the voice and the heavy accent, I can tell this is me. My stomach twists at the sight and my heart jumps as a feeling of homesickness hits it.

On instinct, I turn my head and see a small, slightly older and darker girl tiptoeing into the room with a pillow. There's no doubt that this is Mel. I watch as she goes up to my oblivious father and brings the pillow back with a high pitched squeal. As soon as it hits him, I feel a pain explode in my eye.

I cry out and open my eyes to see my father sneering down at me with tears sliding down his cheeks. I'm underneath him, struggling and screaming out at him.

This all too familiar scene sends my heart racing and my body shaking as I scream out for my mother.

"Shut up!" He yells, slapping me across my face.

"Stop!" I scream at him," kite 'm ale!" But my screams don't faze him as he chokes me with his huge right hand and slaps me across my face once again with his left.

"Please," I beg,"stop!"

"Stop!" I scream, shooting up in my bed.

My whole body is shaking and it's a struggle for me to breathe. I place my hand on my chest and look at the time on my alarm clock.

2:24. I've been asleep for almost a whole hour. But this time, I actually had a dream...

"Daddy!"

I close my eyes as my scream echoes in my head.

"Shut up!"

I squeeze my eyes shut as too many voice begin rushing through my head. The voices are too overpowering and before I can register what I'm doing, I'm out of bed. I open my eyes in time to see lightning flash across the room. I jump and cover my ears as thunder rumbles loudly and the rain begins pouring harder.

"Kite 'm ale!" My voice screams in my head again and the voices return louder than ever.

"You're a fucking liar." Onikas voice sneers.

"Ya disrectful bitch! Ya a disgrace on da family name!" My fathers voice rings through my ears.

I open the front door and look at the pouring rain. I don't know where I'm going, but hopefully it's away from the voices, away from everything, away from life.

And that's when I begin walking.

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