I want to beat the shit out of her stepdad. I don’t give a shit if I go to jail. I have been taking classes, only so someday I can kick my dad’s ass. With hardly any food, none of us in this room are strong enough or big enough to take on the challenge of standing up for ourselves.
Thorn looks at his sister, and I can see the sadness in his eyes. For someone so young, he’s seen a lot. Briar does a lot for him, takes his beatings, albeit they’re shitty reasons for beating someone. The other day, it was because Thorn opened the door. Something as simple as that is cause for a beating in their parents’ eyes. I fucking hate that for them.
My life isn’t any better. My dad is their stepdad’s drinking buddy. I think their mom fucks my dad on a daily basis, and her husband allows her. The only time I ever stepped in was when I came over here to find that her mom was going to let some old dude deflower my little Rose. I got beat so badly for saying something that I couldn’t walk for a week.
We’re only fourteen, but someday, we will all get out of here. I’ll make sure to give her the world and help Thorn with his dream. I know that he feels like shit because she’s protecting him, but that’s what real family does. They look out for each other. Briar doesn’t have a mean bone in her body. I hate that she has to go through this. She deserves to be treated like a princess, and one day, she will be. I just gotta get out of here to do that.
“I have a new book,” I say, and her eyes light up.
She loves to read, albeit slowly. Neither of them have gone to school, so I’ve taught them what I know. She’s smart and has progressed to larger books, though she loves when I read to her. Thorn is smart as well, and I’m sure that he would be top of his class if he was in school. Nothing gets by him.
“Will you read it to us?” Thorn asks.
This is our tradition, I sneak food over, really I steal it, but after we eat, I read to them.
Thorn pulls the threadbare pillows that have no fill in them anymore, and the one blanket they share onto the floor and they get comfortable. I make a note to get them another blanket and a decent pillow.
“All right. Here we go. Once upon a time…”