I run into the room with oceans rushing down my cheeks, this is a feeling I have never felt before. Slamming my door behind my siblings and I with nothing but the sound of crashing and yelling on the other side, I feel hopeless. As I look into the eyes of each and every one of my precious babies I have taken care of since birth, it tears me to see such fear taking over them. I was used to dad coming home drunk, but they weren’t. I gather them all up on the bed and wrap them within a giant blanket as if I can somehow shield them from the is happening. “No matter what anyone tells you, do not leave this room.” With their faces bright red, they look up at me and nod. But before I have the chance to turn away they grabbed me with their shaky hands and pull me in for a hug. “Sissy will be back soon, don’t worry.” I am strong for them. I wipe my tears as if they were never there to begin with. But as I walk to the door hesitantly I am terrified. I have no idea what could happen when I step out of that door. But with a quick movement I rush out the down and close it swiftly behind me. 

A hole in the wall next to me; broken glass spread across the floor; and doors slamming left and right. Our once humble home is now thrashed to pieces.The sound of crying from kitchen to the yelling in the bedroom faints out to just a screeching in my ears. I take a deep breath and make my way around these shards scattered across the floor. Until I see him. My once known father who now is just someone who I’ve never met before. A stranger if you will. I scream at the top of my lungs as he attempts to make his way to my mom. And he looks back at me with a belt in his hand. For some reason I have no fear to this man anymore. I stand my ground and don’t a muscle. I will not let him hurt me. But before I have the courage to say something, my mother, who is in the worst kind of pain I have ever seen her, soothes her voice and says two simple words. “Get out.” He drops the belt coming to the realization of everything he has down and storms down the stairs to the front of the house. I look at mom with tears beginning to show once more. No words being spoken and a slam at the door. She opens her arms to me and I walk over with pain sifting from the bottom of my feet. The glass had seeped through my heels slicing every which way but I felt okay. I felt safe.