Blind Fate

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

    When we turn around, I'm taken back yet again.

    "Please won't help you. No one is going to help you." And I knew he was right. Even when people had come to the house, they wouldn't help us. We were the definition of helpless. No matter how many people I told, or tried to tell, there was no fix. The only way out of this would be to turn 18 and get the hell out. Then I would have to go to the police and get Max out, too. Just thinking of her living here by herself pained me. I winced as he moved to hit me again.

    A knock at the door stopped him. He looked at me with angry eyes, probably assuming that I had something to do with it and CPS was here. Little did he know that I gave up on that a long time ago.

    We travelled slowly downstairs and I knew I'd get in trouble for it later but I sat on the stairs, waiting to see who had come to our door. My dad hesitated before grabbing the doorknob, twisting it, and pulling the door back. Standing in our doorway was an older woman with a clipboard in her hand. My mom came up behind my dad, wearing her signature sickly sweet smile as she wiped her hands on a dish towel.

    "May we help you?" My mom always took care of it when there were people here. Her sweet Southern charm would give them no shadow of a doubt that we were a loving family. So my dad stepped aside, letting my mom take over. My dad glanced at me on the stairs, a warning look in his eyes.

    "Yes, actually, I'm with the county federal office and I was just doing a routine checkup on the property and I saw that you guys actually have a violation of overgrowth in the back. I am required to file this and you will have 14 days to trim it or a fine will be issued. You guys seem like sweet people though so I'm sure we won't be having a problem."

    "Oh, of course not. We'll get that taken care of right away," my mom answers as my dad gives me a look and I curse to myself, knowing he's going to make me take care of it. He's too lazy of a motherfucker to actually do anything on his own.

    After exchanging goodbyes, my mom shuts the door. My dad stalks up to me. "Looks like you've got a job to do." He starts walking past me but stops, turns, and grabs my face. "Oh yeah and if that was another person here to check up on you, we would've had an issue and I want you to keep that in mind." His voice is low, his face directly in front of mine.

    The next day, I was laying on my bed when he came in with a pair of cutters, tossing them on my bed. "We don't have a saw?" I ask and he shakes his head. I knew we had a saw, he was just being a dick. He wanted me to cut back the bushes and trees all by hand.

    "I want it done by dinner time." And with that, he leaves. I glance at the clock, its 9:44 AM. The temperature is listed right beneath it. 84 degrees. I groan in frustration before moving to change. I change into a tank top and a pair of shorts, usually what I wear to football practice.

    When I get outside, my nightmare gets even worse as I gawk at the manifestation that is the bushes, the sun beaming down on me. I gulp. Where do I even start? With a shake of my head, I begin cutting at the bushes. Not even 10 minutes later I was dripping sweat and had pulled my shirt off so I could breathe. The lady said 14 days why is he making me do it in one? Though, I already know the answer.

    He simply loves to torture me.

When dinnertime reached, I had gotten mostly done but I knew he wouldn't be satisfied. In fact, he would never be satisfied. As I cut the last of the bushes, I began to concoct a plan in my head to get out of this. How could I report them without being caught? Just then, my dad came out.  Without saying a word, he inspected the bushes. His eyes lit with fury and he came over to me, grabbing my arm. He pulled me into the house and all the way to the front door. Then he opened it, pushing me outside. His shove was so intense, knocking me onto my bum.