Princess Peach #6

"Hush!" It was a shout as much as a whisper, and I flung my arm behind me to quiet her sniffling. I heard her whimper, then quiet down, and I returned my focus to the room before me.

His voice was low and ominous, like storm clouds rolling in, and the air, too, was charged and thick, as though something explosive was on the horizon. He stood dark and looming in the center of the room, towering over Mother who huddled on the corner of the sagging, stained sofa. She wasn't even trembling anymore. It was almost as though she just vibrated terror and sent it in waves throughout the house. I'd never seen her eyes so big--glassy and bright, as though she were in some sort of a trance. I couldn't make out his words, but I saw the reaction they wrought in Mother. She cringed and winced occasionally, as his tones rose and fell. Leigh began to cry again, but muffled her face in the back of my nightgown, stifling the sound. Irritated, I shook her loose, and handed her a pillow. "Use this, and be quiet!" I hissed, conscious of his remarkable hearing and his hatred for tears. Still uncertain of what to do, I turned again to the scene unfolding in the next room.

He'd moved now. Perched on the edge of the coffee table, he leaned towards mother, causing her to burrow still further back into the cushions of the couch. Again I heard whimpering, but realized that this time it was coming from in front of me, not behind. A grin slid across his face, slowly and with menacing charm. Mother was silent instantly, but it was clear that it was too late. He rubbed his palms together, and absurdly, I heard the calluses on his hands scratch together, then his knuckles cracking as he clenched his fists. I didn't understand why his words would be beyond my hearing, but the threat of his hands so clear in my ears. I was puzzling over this when I heard the first crack. It was the same sound as when you walk on ice before it's fully frozen, but after it's hardened to a considerable thickness. It was a dull breaking noise, quiet but reverberating through my own flesh. Her hands were raised above her head in an attempt to shield her face, but that just seemed to amuse and enrage him further. He laughed harshly, a grating, sandpaper sound, and hauled her to her feet, easily snapping one of her delicate wrists.

When it was over, I looked at Leigh, and realized that at some point she had either passed out or fallen asleep. I knew I had done neither, though I couldn't recall all the details of what I'd just witnessed. I was shaking, I found. I felt brittle and empty, and was thankful for the warmth of Leigh's solid, unconscious form. I was just about to curl up next to her and attempt to rest when I heard my name being called, loud and clear. I scrambled to my feet and tried to swallow the bile that was rising in my throat.

"Ann, I said get in here!" he bellowed, patience waning. "Your mother's had an accident, and I don't feel like cleaning it up."

Glancing again at my sister, I felt her vulnerability, and some small measure of steel suffused up my spine. I braced myself against the wood paneling on the wall, and pushed forward.

"Coming Daddy, just a minute."