The Day After

CHAPTER ONE- THE BEGINNING

It was the middle of the night when it began, all I could hear was my mother's screams echoing down the hallway. It's felt like hours since the police got here and I'm still frozen unable to understand what's just happened. I don't know when or how I got here but as soon as I realised where I was I quickly put up a guarded face hiding any emotions, until they began talking. I was in the interview room with a cup of water in front of me, I couldn't feel anything, I didn't know how. I had all sorts of questions but I knew the answers I was looking for were not the ones I wanted to get. Finally, one of the investigators in my family's case came in the room and sat down. He was a fit, handsome and young officer, everything you would picture a perfect police officer to look like, he was just staring at me, almost apologetically as he sat down ready to force me to endure this night over and over again in hopes that he can uncover the truth of the worst night of my life all in a singular conversation. His youthful looks and undeniable attractiveness tore my guard down as I knew was their intention, they started the camera and began derailing my emotional state as if it were a curtain being pulled open only to reveal the storm of clouds that was my life.

It took him about five minutes to realise I wasn't going to talk any time soon so he introduced himself, "I'm officer Jones, I'm investigating your father's case, I know you've already made a statement but any further details may increase our knowledge of the events that occurred earlier this morning." I look up at him completely, observing and inferring his moves as if we we were on a chessboard and I could already see his moves before he makes them. I stare him in the eye for a complete minute before I look away and go back to playing with my fingers. This was my chance to tell my story, to ensure that whatever happens I get a say for the next hour and a half, and I was going to make sure I did nothing less than tell them exactly what they wanted to hear and in that moment I felt powerful, the bearer of the truth, I was solely responsible for what I say and do, I couldn't do anything then but I can do this, I can be in control of this!

"Okay officer Jones, I will tell you what you want to know, not because I have to but because I want to, because in order for me to get what I want this is what I have to do, and if living this night over is the price I have to pay to get my freedom then that's exactly what I'm going to do!" I say confidently, he must have taken what I said the wrong way because for a moment the cameras went off and the police officers guarding the door retired to sitting and occupying themselves in other ways, Officer jones was looking at me regretfully as he sucks in a long breath and holds it there looking taunted.
"Miss Whitmore" he says carefully as if not to add to the growing anxiousness in the room, He lets out his breath he's been holding in before he continues "you know there is no legal requirement binding you to this room, you are here at your own free will and although it may seem like an interrogation, all we are here to do is hear your side of the story on what happened last night as you were the main witness, but you hold no legal obligation to sit here and share the details no matter how strongly we may urge you to, let me make that clear to you." He says and now I realise what I said that made them all wince and tear away from there stances, I used the word 'freedom' as if saying that I was trapped in this room but what I meant when I said that was metaphorical, I was trapped in the walls of that memory not this room.

"Please Officer Jones, I understand that, you misunderstood what I said but know that I fully understand my rights and accept that I will be telling you my story without being forced or belittled into doing so. I will start if you would turn the camera back on and everyone can resume their positions as I'm sure you would all like to know what really happened on the night of January 25th 2010, in the home of me, my brothers and my parents and I'm sure the camera should be turned on as you will need this in the prosecution against my father, am I right?" I explain as they all nod their heads at me telling me to continue my story. "Well, I'll start at the beginning, I got home from work at the my mum's accounting agency around 8:30pm, when I arrived home I got out of my car, went inside and realised that no one was home. I went straight to the bathroom and took a shower, I heard my brothers arrive home once I had turned the shower off, they were playing throws outside like they always do when they get home, about two hours later at 11pm, while me and my brothers were playing a game of scrabble, my mother came home and ran straight to her bedroom, we could all hear her crying and then another car pulled up, my parents were out drinking all night like they usually were but this time it was different, they arrived in different cars. My mum was always crying since my dad wasn't the best husband, cheating and flirting with other women when mum was right there, she ignored it and pretended she didn't notice around him but when she was alone in the room we could always hear her sobbing, blaming herself. Me and my brothers were always there when she needed comforting so last night me and my brothers went into her room to comfort her and that's when we saw her face and her arms, she had a black eye, swollen shut, cuts and bruises all over face and a broken arm and ribs, it was the most horrible sight I had ever seen. Before we could even pick up the phone to call the ambulance my dad walks in with cuts on his knuckles and fury all over his face as he starts yelling at my mum. "How dare you walk away from me when I'm talking to you!"  He said over and over again. My brothers and I took a protective stance in front of her. My father noticed us all gathered around her as she cried and kept repeating "I'm sorry" to him, he tried to launch himself at her but my brothers threw him against the wall holding him back, my younger brother Edwin, let go leaving my older brother Caleb and I to hold him back as he picked up the phone and called the police, my father eventually pushed me and my brother of him and knocked Caleb unconscious, as my mother wriggled up into a little ball, frightened, me and my little brother Edwin held him off, not before me and my brother sustained various injuries, not serious although Edwin did get hit pretty hard but we managed to hold him off long enough before the ambulance and you guys arrived, after that my memory is a bit foggy until, well now."As I finished I was filled with mostly rage rather than sadness  but I remain impartial in order to maintain a certain amount of composure.

"Thank you for your honesty and cooperation miss Whitmore" He says shocked. I was surprised he would call me by my last name since he knows more about my family than I obviously do. The relief I felt once ridding that from my conscious was unparalleled, I could finally release myself from the insanity of this night, my father was in custody, my mother and brothers are in hospital but they will be fine, I'm starting university in a week or two and I can finally move on. I know that it was only 12 hours ago that I had the worst experience of my life but I feel like it's been days and it feels good to think I can put it in the deepest part of my mind and focus on what's really important and that is, my brothers, my education and my life beyond this time and it felt good knowing that I could and would move on from this.

"Please call me Melinda, no need for such technicalities" I say politely. He got up and left the room like I've just shown him a piece of the world he never knew existed. I walked out of the police station and headed to the hospital to see my brothers and mother, although she wasn't my biggest concern after what she left us all alone to do I was still concerned for her, after a quick visit to her, I saw my little brother, he was in better shape then my mother but I still felt for him, no one that young should ever be exposed to something like that, although I was only a year older than him at 18, he was still my little brother. I began to wonder what life was going to be like for him, will he ever be able to be just a regular teenager again? After speaking to Edwin I went to see Caleb, he suffered no permanent injuries just a concussion, we talked for a while and he decided he's moving and he's taking my little brother with him, I think it's a good idea to get Edwin out of this town so he can recover but I told him that I'm staying, I've already enrolled in classes at Belling University and I'm moving into my apartment on Tuesday, four days till school starts, I know I left it late but I wanted to spend as much time with my brothers as I could before I started because I knew that I wouldn't have much time for anything once I started. I left my brother with a hug after we discussed what happened, he bid me farewell as I left. This would be the last time I would see my brother for a while and we both knew it.