Her Truth

Was it okay?

Was it the right thing to do? Sure I was 18, and they didn't really care. But Francine? She needed me, and I left her.

I had to turn back, I knew it. My sister was too young, too naive to know what was going on. From the day they were born, I had protected her, and now, without a word, I had left them alone.

The problem was, I had sworn to never return, and if I did, I would probably never escape. I decided that for now, I had to stay. It was too dark to turn back, and too dangerous. I found a stairwell that lead to an apartment building in an alleyway, and I lay underneath it. It was cold and damp, but I had no other option. I had no money or possessions, the only thing of importance that I had brought with me being a picture of Francine and I.

I thought about the possibilities of what was happening to Francine. I normally kept Mary and Frank, our parents, away, but sometimes, they would force their way in.

I tossed and turned through the night, unable to sleep. When the sun rose, I decided it was time to return home. Maybe one day, I would take the my sister and run, but now was not the right time.

As I got up, I heard the scuffling of shoes, and then the laughing of men. As I turned around, I could immediately smell the alcohol, and I knew what that meant. I hid behind the stairs to the best of my ability, but if they looked for even a second too long, I knew they would find me.

I held my breath, but I could feel my chest rising up and down in fear. As I watched them, I felt my hands slipping to the small pepper spray I always carried, but it wasn't there anymore. The men got closer and closer, and I drew myself in, trying to make myself as small as possible. One of the men glanced in my direction, and I thought that I was gone for.

Thankfully, they continued their drunken walk. I breathed a sigh of relief and began my journey home. I was not far, maybe a 5 mile walk, and thankfully, the streets were crowded and loud. The sound kept me from my thoughts and it was wonderful.

As I walked, I saw all types of people. There was a mom pushing her stroller as she ran. There was a very loud man on the phone who kept bumping into people. There was even a man holding a bouquet of flowers, practicing an apology.

It was the perfect cover, because no one really seemed to take notice of me. I was wearing dingy clothes, and I probably smelled disgusting, but it was as if I was invisible.

Around 3 hours later, I arrived home. It was the only house on the block with withered grass, overgrown weeds and dry soil. The house itself was in tatters, the windows broken, the shingles falling from the roof.

I entered the building, terrified of what was to come. Oddly enough, no one was home. Maybe Francine had gone to school? Maybe Frank and Mary were trying to find me?

That was unlikely as Mary tended to barricade the Francine and I in our room. It was horrible, but at least we were together.

All of a sudden, I hear police sirens right in front of my house. What was going on?

I hear the door slam open, and an officer grabs me, saying, " You have the right to remain silent...".

A While Later...

The police looked at me, telling me that they would be sending a lawyer soon. I was so lost. What had I done to be treated like this? My entire life was spent protecting my sister, and this is what I get.

I heard someone laughing manically, and it took a while before I realized it was me. I couldn't stop myself, and as I laughed I began to cry.

All of a sudden, the officer came back, and said, "You have visitors."

Visitors? Who could it be?

As soon as I got to the room, I saw them.

Frank and Mary.

"Why are you here?!", I yelled. I couldn't believe it. They were evil, cruel people who had pushed me to the state I was in. I wanted to destroy them.

Mary had tears running down her face, and Frank was hugging her as if it was the only thing they could do. I couldn't believe them, acting as if they were the victims.

"What do you want?", I questioned.

Mary looked at me, and stretched her hand out, "Oh, darling, please calm down. We won't press charges, but we need time to sort things out. As soon as we move, we'll have you released and hopefully, we can all put this behind us."

"Move? Why are you moving? Where is she? Francine! Francine!"

"Sweetheart, I'm sorry! We didn't want anymore incidents, and that's why we finally decided to move on. You'll get the help you need and everyone can learn to be happy again."

And that is when I remembered.

The blood, the broken lamp, Francine on the ground. "Is Francine okay?", I asked. "After what you did, I can't believe that you still think they're safer with you."

"What I did?", Mary asked. She looked at Frank for answers, and she understood as soon as she saw his face. "Oh, honey. Please remember! You know the truth! I know its there somewhere!"

"What do you mean the truth?!", I screamed. "You two were the most evil, people in the world. Just give Francine to me, and I'll leave you alone for the rest of your lives!"

"No! That is enough! I have had enough of your mental torture!", Frank yelled back.

And that was when the memory hit. The night I had left, Mary and Frank hit me with the truth. Francine was gone.

Mary hadn't barricaded the door, I had. I had kept away from our parents, but it hadn't been for the reason I had believed. In fact, Mary and Frank had been the best parents for years.

What had gone wrong?

It had been a normal Saturday night, and we had a very exciting day. We had just watched a horror movie, and I think that was the reason I was so spooked. Mary had turned the light off, and Francine and I went to sleep.

But all of a sudden, I heard a knocking in the room, and I couldn't see. The lights were too far away and I was terrified. I knew something was wrong. I grabbed the lamp, ready to defend myself. And then I heard a noise from next to me and I slammed the lamp hard.

I heard a scream, and then everything was a blur. After that, all I could remember were my parents screams, and then the crying. There were so many sobs and tears, and for the life of me, I couldn't understand what happened.

Francine sat with me the whole time, and we watched our parents fall apart. There was a funeral, but I didn't know whose.

I asked my parents over and over again what was wrong, and they finally screamed, "You killed her! You killed her! SHE IS GONE! Francine is dead!"

All I could say was, "But she's right here."

I grabbed Francine and we ran to our room. Our parents knocked and yelled and cried, trying to coax us out, but I wouldn't have it.

To protect myself, I had started to believe that Mary had hit Francine, not me. I began to create horror stories about my own parents, my mind warping the truth.

I stayed in my room, only coming out for food and water when I knew no one would find me. I had yelled and cried and put my parents through more misery.

"I'm a murderer", I whispered in a broken voice.

"NO!", Frank told me in a firm voice. "It was an accident and we all accept that. It is time to move on."

Only I couldn't, because even as I tried to, my body began to shut down. After all these years of hiding the truth, my mind was unable to accept it. The only thing I managed to say was Francine, and that was all I could remember before I closed my eyes.

I guess I had never understood the phrase, "The truth may hurt a little, but a lie hurts forever."