𝔹𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝔹𝕒𝕣𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕣𝕤

𝕖𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥

(TW: mention of abuse, mention of blood/injuries.)

It's been a few weeks since my mom passed away. The treatment from my dad has gotten worse than I could ever imagine. I've had to miss so many days of school because I couldn't move. I ended up having to drop out so that I could satisfy my dad's needs. Luckily, I've been able to teach myself using youtube and books from the library. The library has become my safe place, which is weird because reading has never been a strong suit. It's not that I don't like it, I love to read. It allows you to travel to different worlds while staying exactly where you are. I just can never pay attention to the words on the page. It's annoying, I just want to be able to read without going over the same page five times. I love the library though. It's always calm and it was an endless supply of stories. I've become good friends with the librarian as well. She's a sweet lady, always checking in on me and recommending new books every time I come in. She's the first real friend I've had. Of course, I can only go to the library when my dad is out drinking or gambling. Thankfully for me, he's been doing that a lot more recently.

        But one night, he came home unexpectedly early while I was still at the library. I'm sure you all know where this is going. I don't want to get into detail here, but let's just say I ended up with a shit ton of blood on me, a nice shiner, a dislocated shoulder, and a sprained wrist. That was the worst beating of my goddamn life, and there was no one to help me...

     ...or so I thought.

      At around 10 pm I hear a knock on the front door. My dad was passed out in an armchair so I had to answer it. To my surprise and fear, I was faced by three police officers. I never called the police, and my dad certainly wouldn't call the police on himself, so why are they here? The tallest officer kneels down in front of me.

      "Hey, kid. My name is Officer Harbringer, and these are Officer Bennet and Officer Gonzalez." The three officers flash their badges. "Where's your father?" I point a shaky finger over to the armchair where my dad is. "Thanks, kid. Don't worry, you're in good hands." He nods towards the other officers. Harbinger and Gonzalez walk into the living rooms while Bennet leads me outside, sitting me down on the front steps. She smiles at me before pulling out a notebook.
     "Officer Bennet. You're Sofia Higgins, correct?"

     "I prefer Antonio..." I croak out, and she nods.

     "Antonio. Got it." She shifts in her seat. "Now, Antonio, do you know why we were called here?" I shake my head. "I'm sure you do. Do you mind telling me about your father? How has he been treating you?" I don't know what to say. "No one else is going to know this information except for you and me." I know that's a lie, but I muster up the courage to answer.

   "W-well...he likes to yell. A lot. And he has a really short temper..." I spill my guts to the officer, and she scribbles down everything I say. She soon nods, thanking me, and goes back inside the house. She told me to stay out here, so I do. A few minutes pass and I soon see my dad being escorted out of my house in handcuffs. I run over to the cop car that he's being shoved in. Officer Gonzalez tells me to pack my things and come with him, so I do.

    I'm fucking terrified.