Deep Red

27

I was pressing my body against the corner. Maybe, if I tried hard enough, I'd actually be able to escape through the wall. (Of course I wouldn't be able to, but it was nice to imagine that maybe I could.)

He was towering over me, his eyes were glazed from drinking way too much. Again. I wasn't even sure what this was about. I had a few ideas, but I was never sure. I never understood why he would get so angry about some things. I thought about just doing what he told me to, I tried, I had really tried for a while, but... I just couldn't. I couldn't help what my heart longed for.

"You little fucking bitch. Did you really think I wouldn't find out about what you pulled, huh? Thought I wouldn't find the letter?" he slurred. I could feel every thought falling apart inside of me, as I was overtaken by some blind panic.

Outwardly, I didn't react, though. I fixed my eyes on my dad's forehead and tried to blank out the panic as much as I could. I tried to keep my breathing regular, because I knew things would go to shit much faster if I started panicking or crying. I needed to focus. Focus on the wrinkles on my dad's forehead. Block out everything else that was happening around me. It would hurt much more otherwise.

"You gonna ignore me, huh? Fucking coward!" he shouted at me and before I even realized it, he had slapped my face, hard. I felt the burning and the stinging and I could feel tears welling up in my eyes, but I did my best to suppress them. I could do this. I could take this. A few more beatings and maybe... maybe I'd be out of here soon. If I managed to do well in the entrance exam, I could leave home.

"You're useless! Useless and stupid! A fucking idiot like you would never make it to any school with a good reputation. How the fuck do you believe you can get into U.A., huh?" he shouted at me again. I stared at the corner of the room behind him. It was almost as if I could look through him, as if he wasn't there.

Except he was. And I was brutally made aware of that with a punch to my guts. It took me by surprise, because he'd normally go for my back, my arms or my legs, sometimes my face, but he rarely went for my gut.

I felt the air being knocked out of me and made a surprised sound as I instinctively brought my arms down around my stomach to protect it. I knew I had my head right in front of him and was vulnerable, but I couldn't bring myself to get up or protect my head in any way right now.

I didn't need to. He grabbed my hair and yanked me upwards, forcing me to look into his eyes. He got closer and closer until I couldn't focus on anything that was not his face. I could smell him - the breath stinking of alcohol, the sweat, the fatty food he was eating all day. It was disgusting.

"Fucking pathetic. Wants to become a hero and can't even take a beating." he slurred again and pulled me down by my hair until I tripped over my own feet and fell to the ground. I tried getting up again quickly, but I didn't get the chance before getting another kick to the gut. This time I was smart enough to protect my head with my arms. It meant leaving my stomach and my organs unprotected, but my head was more important right now. Maybe he'd get tired of it soon.

"Akane."

He hit further up this time and it felt like something had cracked. There was a piercing pain in my chest. Breathing was painful. Shit. Shit, shit, shit, what if he was going to kill me? I didn't wanna die, not like this. Not now. Not when I finally had something I could look forward to. Please, no.

"Akane!"

He was still kicking me all over, but I couldn't feel it over the pain in my chest. I focussed on breathing and blocking out the pain associated with it. It wasn't easy, but I needed to breathe. I needed to breathe, no matter how painful it was. The tears started streaming down my face, as I couldn't hold them in anymore.