Ella heard the familiar rattle of engine and listened as it turned the corner down the street. Within seconds she was out of her chair and the light of her bedroom was out. All the lights in the house went out and Ella sat on her bed looking out the window hoping beyond hoping that tonight there would be no problems. She watched the headlights dance across her walls. She then heard the dead silence as she knew what might await her that night. She jumped when she heard the car door slam and then the crunch of the boots hitting the gravel below. She pulled her teddy bears into her arms as the keys jingled outside.
Ella took a deep breath as the harsh male voice rang up, “ELLA!” Ella kept silent hoping beyond hoping that he would think of her sound asleep in her bed like she was suppose to. Her eyes glanced at her bag on the floor knowing that tonight her homework might not be done for class the next day. “ELLA ARNIA!” Ella held her breath trying to stay silent as possible knowing that if she doesn’t answer soon it will be worse when he found her. But then again it will give her more time without the pain and the tears. She heard his heavy boots hit the wooden stairs below knowing that he was coming near to her.
The clunk of each step sent a chill down her spine knowing that he was getting closer to her. Ella looked at her door hoping that for once he would just leave her alone. For once he wouldn’t do anything to hurt her. For once he will think of how much her brothers loved her and how much he loved her. Ella watched the door handle turn on the door and soon the door opened to his blood shot eyes looking at her. His hair looked like it wasn’t combed for months and Ella wasn’t even sure if she ever saw him comb it. His pants had stains and all kind of holes that Ella wondered how in the world his job wasn’t complaining of the mess. She wasn’t even sure if he was working anymore. She saw in his hand that he already had a beer bottle knowing once again tomorrow she would have to clean up his mess downstairs. The look on his face sent the pure terror through her heart through it also gave her strength to stand up against him. Ella sat there looking at him in the eye hoping beyond hoping that he would just turn around and leave.
“Dad?” Ella spoke quietly. He stood there looking into her room as if he had no idea what he was doing in her room. Slowly a smile went across his face and he then walked to where she sat. Ella slowly backed up against the wall behind her but not quick enough as soon he had her hair wrapped around his hand in a strong gripe. “Where were you,” he said through clenched teeth. Ella looked at him trying to wonder if she should stand her ground or back down. Slowly he kept winding her hair more and more around his hand finally after feeling like her head was about to be whipped off she said, “I was up here in my room.”
“No…” He then grabbed her arm to yank her off the bed which Ella felt like her arm was about to be pulled out of the socket. She stood next to him when he unwindded her hair and she stood there trying not to show any tears of the pain. He then repeated, “Where were you?”
“Dad, I was right here in my room the whole time.” He then slammed her in the door of the bedroom which Ella felt like shards of wood went into her back. She looked up at him as he walked closer towards her, “Stand up, Bitch.”
Ella sat there trying not to cry out in pain. He walked towards her and repeated, “Stand up, Bitch.” When he grabbed her hair to pull her to standing position which Ella knew from the pain that he was pulling out a clump of hair out of her head. Then with one hand he held her by her hair and with the other he slammed his fist into her stomach and said, “Who were you with?”
“Noo…one.”
“Don’t lie to me.” He then punched her again where Ella felt the air knocked out of her. He then slammed her against the door again which she heard a loud crack and she wasn’t positive if it was the door or even her spine breaking. He then grabbed her hand in both hands and banged it against the wall next to her hard. Ella felt the pain shoot up and knew that she might not be going to school tomorrow.
He then looked at her in the eye and Ella was positive she saw the man who once was the loving father of triplets. The man that held her in his arms and wiped her tears away from her face telling her that her brothers will leave her alone some day. Now, he was the one who was creating the bruises on her body and slowly making her spirit fall apart. He then said slowly, “I want to kill you slowly and painfully.” Ella closed her eyes as the tears started to fill her eyes. She then said, “Please do it now.” He then let her go and opened the door behind her and left the room.
Ella slide down the wall knowing that he would be back later after he had time to gather his thoughts. She knew the next room he was going into would be her brothers room to sit there and build his anger against her again. She glanced at the picture on her wall facing her which was a picture of her and her brothers. She then muttered, “It’s all your fault you know.”
Ella awoke when the light touched her face from the windows to her bedroom. She slowly realized that the pain in her body was worse then it had been for awhile. She slowly tried to raise herself from the ground and realized that her hands were covered in blood as well as the floor around her. She looked around trying to remember if anything else happened that she might have forgot. She remembered when her father came home but she couldn’t remember anything else. Slowly she stood up and literally had to hold on to the wall for support as she felt her legs were held on only by a stitch. As she made her way to her bathroom, her eyes hit the full length mirror.
Her hair was drenched in blood that Ella could only think of it as her own. She then took notice that her face was swollen that there was no way that she would be showing her face at school. Too many questions that would be needed to answered. She slowly raised her blood soaked t-shirt to find that her body was shown in purple spots. Ella slowly glanced around the room behind her to see if there was anything that might have been used to find two metal baseball bats that were covered in blood. One was Joshua and the other was her brothers Jonathan. Ella closed her eyes to block out the pain she was feeling and the terror. Her father has never used a weapon and never had made her blackout from the pain. She couldn’t remember what happened and she shook her head. She slowly went into the bathroom and slowly peeled her clothes off of her trying to ignore the pain. She then grabbed the pain medicine and took three of the pills without water knowing that it was going to take forever to take even a smidge of pain away. She then slowly used the wall for help on the balance as she stood in the tub. She then pulled the curtain closed and yelled her breath when the cold water hit her skin. Ella felt like her skin was on fire as the water seared her skin.
Slowly the water that hit the tub went from red to pink and Ella took notice of the damage. She realized that half the pain was because her arm was out of it’s socket, most likely because her father held her so he could hit her more quickly. She slowly realized that her chest was swollen which Ella had a feeling a couple of the ribs are broken or crack.
Ella turned off the water and slowly walked into her room and realized that she would have to call her school so her father had no idea about her not going. She realized as she looked at her past bruises which were littered her body in blues and greens she knew soon bright purple ones will litter her body. She slowly pulled sweats on her body and pulled her hair up as she worked her arm into it’s socket.
She then made her way to her desk to look up what to look for certain injuries. To make sure for one that she didn’t have a eternal bleeding. As she sat there waiting for her computer to boot up she glanced at the picture. She saw the huge smile on her brothers faces each with their hands on her shoulders. They were the famous trio in their school, she was the head cheerleader as a junior. Jonathan was the star football quarterback on varsity as a junior and Joshua was the star pitcher which surprised everyone. The three of them were marked for destiny and a good college even though all three of them. She noticed that even now that night was the last night they were triplets. It was the night that Joshua was killed in the car accident.
Ella opened up the top drawer and saw the news article laying there about Jonathans suscide and how her family was hurting once again. She then realized that all the kings men and kings horses couldn’t put her brother back again as his best friend died. No one was worried about her and what she was going through without her older brothers. No one thought once that it would be hard for the youngest of the triplets. She glanced up at the pictures and then said, “They still don’t care.”
