Flutter of Wings

Writing Prompt #1 Freedom of @JonicaBradley

I have made the courage and leave my old account for personal reasons one because of invasion of privacy. Now I'm in a mission to write short stories everyday to drive out my anxiety.

Flutter of Wings.

"Rose? I'm so...hungry. When will we eat?" I cried out, my little body shaking in fear.

"Hush it! Becky, I am hungry too but we need to be really strong..." Big sister said. She grabbed my clammy hand, she smiled big and wide to reassure me. She was always the tough one-- I guess all big sisters are.

"But...but, I don't want to be strong. I want to eat." I cried even with her warning. I wailed loudly for all ears to hear. "I'm so hungry Rose!" My tears run down my face. Despite my crying big sister didn't get mad at me, instead, she rubbed my back and kissed my forehead. "Rose..."

Rose hugged me closer, "It will be over soon and we will eat, okay?" She patted my back rhythmically with a silent humming of a favorite song in our heads. "I will cook you the biggest bowl of spaghetti and meatballs, we will eat until our bellies burst. I promise you that..."

I moved my head and looked at big sister in the eyes, "You really promise?" I knew that was never going to happen. I had never seen actual spaghetti, it was only a magical food we see on the telly. We would pretend to eat it with our salt crackers, we do it with all sorts of food but spaghetti was our favorite.

"Of course, I do. Did I ever lie to you?"

I swayed my head from left to right then smiled, "Nope."

" So hush it now Becky, we need to be really quiet ... quiet as a mouse, okay?"

I nodded in response to big sister and held her closely.

Consequently, loud footsteps echoed in our small ears. The same foul smell of liquor floated in the air. The same smell of dread strangled us.

The monster arrived.

Our hearts started beating so fast that I swear we could almost hear each other's thumping chests. We were so afraid that even if it was snowing outside, our clothes were getting drenched with sweat.

"Where are you rascals?" shouted the man we hated the most in our short lives. "Where the hell are you two? Answer me!" The man kept on shouting and banging on the walls of our darkened room.

Big sister covered my mouth with her hand as an incoming cry was about to escape me. "Sshh... he'd be gone soon Becky..." whispered big sister in my ears.

"You don't wanna come out? Fine! Don't come out but make sure I don't find you!" he spurted angrily. "I will surely kill you both! I will stab you both and crush your little bones in my bare hands!" The man started pacing, and the sound of his huge feet thundered through the floorboards. "Come out...come out now! come out wherever you are!"

"I'm scared, Rose..." I whimpered.

Big sister and I cannot see him from our hiding spot but I knew both of us were imagining the horrors he would do once he finds us.

A bottle is connected to the wall. "Damn it!" The wooden bed flew in the air. A cold hand grabbed my right leg. "There you two are!"

"Rose! Rose! Rosie! Help me!" I shouted closing my eyes as fear hugged me. I felt my body hang in the air.

"Why you fuckin' rat, you cannot hide from me!" the shouted in my ear, his rancid breath almost choking me but I kept my eyes closed. "You pretend to sleep eh? Here's to that!"

I flew slamming my body into the concrete wall. "Ah!" I cried, even more, there was wetness in my head.

"Don't you dare hurt my sister!" I see Rose behind the monster with the baseball bat he used to hit us. "Ah!" shouted Rose hitting the monster. "Run. Run, Becky! Run!" urged my sister and I do as she told me.

I rose to my feet and run. The snow felt nothing under my bare skin. I kept running without looking behind my back. I had no idea how long it was when I bumped into someone.

"Hey kid, where are you going?" asked the strange man.

"Rosie...Rosie...Rosie..." I kept repeating, the frigid air finally seeping into my skin.

"What are you saying? Who's Rosie? Damn, are you bleeding?"

I palmed where the man was pointing. I put my hand over my face and I saw red. My body trembled in fear. My eyes became blurry and I dropped to the ground.

"Poor child. She's malnourished! Have you seen her? She's almost boned. And the sister have seen--"

The strangers stopped talking seeing me. I have woken up in a white room with beeping machines and tubes connected to my arm.

"What are you doing here child?" panickly asked one of the strangers. "What have you done?" she grabbed my arm pulling me back to the room where I came.

"No!" I shouted. "Get away from me!" I fought with all my strength. "Where is my sister! Where is Rosie?" I pulled her hair. "Let me go!"

"Hey kid. Hey..." She grabbed my arm to the back and held it firmly. I continued to kick with my legs.

There was a sting in my arm before I finally calmed down. I was put back to the white room. My arms and legs were strapped to the bed.

Whenever I awake I would shout. The scene before I ran away kept repeating in my head.

"Why are you doing this to me? Where is my sister? Give me my sister! Rosie!"

One day a lady came to visit me.

"Take her straps. She's a child for goodness sake. Take it!" she holleredd to a white man.

The guy removed the straps in my hands and arms leaving red marks.

"Who are you?" I asked in a hoarse voice.

"Me? I am Linda..." Linda and I talked about lots of things mainly about my sister and the monster. She would visit me everyday and would often ask what I am feeling. I learned to calm down until the straps in my arms and legs weren't needed anymore. "You would be sent to a foster home soon. You'd have a room of your own and a nice dog. Wouldn't that be lovely?"

"I think so," I said looking down the big window. "But I'm scared..."

"Why are you scared? You are free now...your dad can't hurt you anymore."

"How did you know?" I asked in a small voice.

Linda approached me putting her hand on my lap. "Because he's not here anymore."

I shook my head. "That's not true. It doesn't mean you're not seeing him he's not here. It doesn't mean your not seeing him I am free because he is here..." I pointed to my head, "and here," and to my chest. "I can feel his hands on my skin everyday."