Run-Away Little Sister: Hurting

Chapter Seven: Regret

Two Years Later - June/July 2015 - With The Smith Brothers

THIRD PERSON POV:

Regret.

A feeling of sadness, repentance, or disappointment over something that has happened or been done.

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The Smith Brothers lived in regret for their actions, each of the five brothers who were living at home, lived in complete regret and guilt over what had happened. There were so many things that could have gone differently. There were so many other things they could have done to change the past, but now the past was the past, and their parents, Michael, and Anastasia was gone. There was no changing that now. 

The Smith Brothers: James, Matthew, Jackson, Mason, and Nathan, all lived in regret and guilt for different reasons.

James because he was the one to start all of Ana's pain and suffering, he was the one to bring the first hit down on Ana each and every time. Matthew because he wasn't strong enough to take the blame. He was the one who called his parents, whether or not it was a drunk driver who killed his parents. Jackson and Mason were regretful because they treated their little sister as if she was trash on the ground, dirt underneath their shoes. And Nathan because even though he was a child, he knew that Ana was lying to protect Matthew and he didn't do a single thing to try and help her, he just watched her suffer in silence.

Sure Nathan never put a hand on Ana, but what good does that do if he watched everyone else do it? He was just as bad as them in his eyes.

From the moment the fourth oldest brother, Jackson, found the letter left for them by Anastasia their lives had changed forever. Jackson had come down early that morning, having not been able to sleep well the night before. When he grabbed the note, quickly skimming it, he had never been in so much shock.

Flashback - 2012

Jackson had shouted in surprise, not realizing that they truly could have killed her the night before if she wouldn't have stopped the bleeding when she did.

They left her to die on the cold, harsh basement floor.

And that was something they would all have to live with for the rest of their lives.

Soon after the sudden yell that had come out of Jackson's mouth, the rest of the brothers piled into the kitchen, to see what was wrong. Jackson never screamed in pain or desperation, something had to be wrong, he had to be hurt. That was the only thing James could figure out in that exact moment as he ran down the stairs towards the kitchen.

And when he decided to pull the note away from his younger brother, reading it for himself, James couldn't believe the words written on the page below.

Anastasia Marie Smith had really left.

It didn't come as a surprise, seeing how they all treated her, but James couldn't seem to stop the shock his body was in. He knew how he treated his little sister was wrong and that there was a chance she would leave, but he never once thought it would actually happen. It was more of a worst case scenario inside of the man's head.

Mason had no words, he was utterly speechless. He had caused this, he knew it was partially his fault, after all nobody can make you do anything you don't want to. And with those thoughts, Mason realized one thing-

He was a monster.

Matthew and Nathan on the other hand only exchanged looks with the other, both holding guilty expressions, though they were for two completely different reasons.