Shackles on the heart (Book #1)

1. The beginning

(Third person POV)
RaeAnna's earliest memories weren't the greatest. Above all though, she tried to remain a happy little girl. She tried her hardest to keep intact that glow she had instilled. She had to, for her reality was anything but beautiful. She grew up with two siblings. An older sister named Callie who was 16. A younger brother named Dakota who was 4. She was the middle child. She was 9. Even though she was young, she had an old soul.

Her siblings always had a close bond with her. They had their arguments, but what siblings didn't? They always came back from it. They never strayed too far from the love they felt for one another. Although Callie was close with them, Dakota and RaeAnna were the closest. Their bond was undeniable, unbroken.

RaeAnna was a pretty young girl, also very intelligent for her age. She had wavy, curly golden brown hair. A cute button nose. Her eyes looked like planet earth, deep blue, light green with a touch of deep brown. She had pale skin. She always had a glow around her that reflected from the inside. She had a golden aura, beautiful but bright, evident.

Her brother looked similar to her, except his eyes were a deep brown, with a touch of green inside. He had the same pale skin tone as her. He looked up to RaeAnna. She always fought hard to shield him from harm. She was his everything, just as he was everything to her.

Her older sister had dark brown hair with forest green eyes that you could get lost in. Her skin tone was a bit darker than her younger siblings, but she was beautiful nonetheless.

Her brother had the same parents as she did, while their sister grew up with a different father. His name was Roy. He had always been involved in Carrie's life. Much different from her father, if she could even call him that. He didn't deserve that title. RaeAnna and Dakota's parents, Carine and William were still married, but they often had fights that would become physical.

RaeAnna became very protective over Dakota, with him being the youngest she felt it was her job to protect him and she did. She took care of him to the best of her abilities. She would always guard him as best as she could. Her sister Callie wasn't around much lately. She couldn't be around the fighting. She spent most of her time at friends houses or would go out to party. She went to school, but still had the time to hang out with her friends. She spent most nights at her fathers. He wasn't very strict so he let her be a teenager. Most of the time it would just be RaeAnna and Dakota.

Her and her brother spent most of their time in RaeAnna's room playing with the little toys they had. They didn't have a lot of money to get extra stuff, but they made it work. They had some blocks and a few stuffed animals that their mom had gotten them for Christmas last year. They also had a few books; dakota would love when his sister read to him. They loved to read together.

They lived in a small trailer in west Texas. The town they lived in didnt have much to do, not much scenery to look at. In their trailer there were 3 compact bedrooms, with one cramped bathroom. The bedrooms weren't very big, but Dakota and RaeAnna did get their own room. They have asked their mom if they could decorate their rooms, but they never had any extra cash left over to be able to do so. Their mom got a limited amount of money from her mom every few months. Their dad worked, but never brought any cash home to help. They never had enough money to fix the place up any. The walls were painted a dark tan color, popcorn ceilings that would leak when it rained, chipped paint throughout the home, dull wood flooring, holes throughout the walls from the numerous altercations of their parents fighting.

All of a sudden there was a loud bang coming from the living room in their small single wide trailer, along with a few mumbled curses. RaeAnna knew exactly what this meant. She rushed to Dakota's side.

"Hide in the closet, okay? Don't come out until I come and get you!"

"W-why Rae?" He stammered. "What was that noise?"

"Go Kota, NOW!" she said a little more loudly than she meant to. "I'm sorry. Please, Just trust me." She spoke softer. "O-kay." he slowly backed up to the corner of the small closet.

She closed the closet door, then went to peek out of the crack in the door of her bedroom to see what was happening. Her father had her mother pinned against the door, with a deadly, sinister look in his eyes. "YOU ARE SUCH A NASTY WHORE. I SHOULD KILL YOU RIGHT NOW!"

"Will-" Her mother tried to speak, but her father stopped her words with a hard backhand to her face. He hit her so hard her neck looked as if it would break at any moment, she cowered. "I CAN'T BELIEVE I MARRIED SUCH A DISGUSTING SLUT. CAN'T JUST KEEP YOUR LEGS CLOSED, CAN YOU? YOU ARE SUCH A DISGRACE TO THIS FAMILY!" He sent a knockout blow to her head. She went back hitting her head on the floor, with a loud thud, she lay unconscious. "NO!" she yelled. She had seen enough of this.

RaeAnna might have been young, but she was fierce. Especially when it came to her brother and her mom, always the protective one.

She sprinted to her mom's side and put her head in her lap to find her mom's head had started bleeding profusely. Her hands covered in the red substance. Her hands began to grow sticky from all of the blood pouring out.

She didn't cry, didn't weep. instead she looked her father straight in the eyes, without fear. "RAEANNA GO BAC-"
She cut him off quickly. "STOP! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO YOUR OWN WIFE? TO THE MOTHER OF YOUR KIDS? DO YOU FEEL NO REMORSE? YOU ARE A MONSTER. YOU MAKE ME SICK! I HATE YOU!" she yelled, with her temper flaring.

Her father came close, stalking her like she was his prey. His eyes were bloodshot, he had been drinking. He was always drunk. He pushed her with force to the ground roughly, making her mom's head hit the floor once again, his eyes glossed over. "YOU ARE JUST LIKE YOUR MOTHER!" He spat.
"WORTHLESS AND DISGUSTING!"

"Rae." a soft voice called out then came the pitter patter of her brothers feet coming closer and closer. "A-are you okay?" He said with tears in his eyes. "Kota, I told you to stay in the closet!"

"STUPID LITTLE SHIT! SHOULD LISTEN TO YOUR WORTHLESS SISTER IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOU! YOU'RE WEAK. ALWAYS CRYING. STOP WITH THOSE PATHETIC TEARS AND BE A MAN!"

Dakota started crying harder. William's voice terrified him. Tears were flowing down his small, rosie cheeks. That's when RaeAnna lost it again; she couldn't stand to see her brothers tears. "YOU LEAVE HIM ALONE! LEAVE US ALONE! YOU AREN'T A FATHER! NEVER HAVE BEEN!" She screamed so loud her throat hurt. "JUST GO, LIKE YOU ALWAYS DO! GO BACK TO THE BAR TO YOUR PRECIOUS DRINKS! LEAVE US ALONE!"

Her father then proceeded to break every single item he came across in the trailer, glass shattering all around them. She held her brother, shielding his body with hers, hands over his ears. She tried to at least dim the noise a little for him. Once William was satisfied with the mess he had created, he stormed out of the trailer, breaking the screen door off of the hinges while leaving.

Dakota couldn't stop crying and shaking, RaeAnna had to make this right. "It's okay baby. I've got you." RaeAnna spoke tenderly, uncovering her brothers ears. She kept him close until his breathing began to slow. Suddenly she heard her mom groaning on the floor. "Ughh. Ahh."

"MAMA!" Dakota and RaeAnna said in unison.
RaeAnna held her mom tight as she began to stir from the blow she faced, finally opening her eyes. "Oh my babies, I'm so sorry!" She began crying profusely, tears blocking her sight. She had a swollen, bloodied lip and a black eye already forming. "Kota, go get me a warm washcloth please."

Dakota ran and did as his sister said, he came back in a flash, handing the damp cloth to RaeAnna as she began to slowly clean the blood off her mothers face, as well as the back of her head. She did it as softly as possible to avoid hurting her anymore than she already was.

She hated her father, but was determined to get her brother and mom away from him, no matter what she had to do. She would make it her life's mission to stop the monster she once called dad.