1 Prologue (Jeremiah’s POV)

Pressing my hand against my mouth, I held in my groans and cries of protest as my father continued beating me senseless. It was the price I had to pay for speaking back against him, I supposed.

At least it wasn't against my younger sister whom I had to protect.

As he slammed me into the wall behind my body, I gasped out of breath. Looking up and staring into my father's eyes, I could obviously see the disgust and hatred in his light hazel eyes. When he let go, I slid down to the ground beneath me.

Grunting in pain, I quickly glanced up as my father walked away. When I heard the front door slam shut, I laid my right hand against the wall. Leaning as I stood up gently, fearing I would hurt something.

Walking quietly up the stairs, I stopped by my younger sister's bedroom on the way to my room. I lightly tapped on her door, pausing to hear signs of life. I quietly opened her door to see her passed out on her bed with her phone in hand. Easing gently through the door, I maneuvered the phone out of her tight grasp. Placing it on the nightstand next to her bed, I plugged the phone into the charger noticing that it was on low battery. When I was done, I left the way I came. Gently closing the door behind me, leaving her to sleep peacefully.

Getting into the hallway, I walked towards my room at the end. I stopped abruptly outside the door of my room, a sudden thought hitting me. What if my father comes home later while I was asleep and tries to hurt my sister? An urge of protectiveness overwhelmed me. Opening my room door, I quickly grabbed the spare key of any door in the house and I went back to lock my sister's door. A sigh of relief passed over me as I stood once again outside my door, but this time I knew I could sleep somewhat peacefully knowing that she'd be okay tonight. Despite knowing that my father could come to my room later, urged me to hurry through my door and locked it. Leaning on the inside of my bedroom door, my head suddenly snapped down as drowsiness hit me. God, was I tired. After trying to get my shit together for my new school tomorrow, and the beating my father just gave me. I was exhausted.

Moving away from the door, I started to just strip my clothes off my body as I moved towards my bed. Bumping my toe against the bottom of my night, I gasped an 'shit that hurts' from my mouth. Falling onto my bed face forward, I flinched as I finally started to feel the bruises my father gave me as a gift. I was grateful of how soft my blankets and pillows were, they were like the soft embrace of a mother protecting her child from the danger of the world.

My mind reminding me of school tomorrow, I groaned in disgust. I didn't mind school, but it didn't help me with myself. With new classmates, meant new bullies to fight against and hide from. True I could fight if I had truly wanted to, but shit would get worse if I did that. Luckily this was my senior year, so it wouldn't be too bad; at least I hoped so.

I was sure that my sister couldn't wait to get to her new school, and meet new friends. Considering she was in middle school, she'd get lots of chances on making new friends. Since she's nice to basically everyone she meets. Once she graduates this year, she'll be in high school. Where people can and will turn on you, trust me I know that happens. I've been through that, I know how it feels. Luckily, by the end of tomorrow she'll have lots of friends and I'll be glad that she does. Because once she gets those friends, she'll start spending the night at their houses. Especially on school nights, so that she doesn't have to be here to deal with dad. That's exactly why I always say yes to her, I don't want her to know how bad father actually is; or to deal with him either.

I once may have loved my father, but that was long ago. Now I just hated the man, I'm sure though that there was still loving feelings deep in my heart for him. But, I choose to ignore them. What son would love his father after all the beating he has to go through, none of them would. Of course my sister loves our father, she doesn't know what he does since I've never said. I'd rather let her be oblivious to what he's doing, than to hate him like I do. Unlike most father's, my father didn't give a damn about us.

I'm quite lucky that he's only hurting me, I'd never let him hurt my sister. Unlike me, my sister looks just like our mother only more youthful and beautiful. I myself look like my father. Each time I look into the mirror, I see my father with the glint of disgust in his eyes and how he thinks of me as a failure.

School was no better than my father, considering everyone thought that I was a freak. Some gay-kid that they could pick on. If I ever did have friends, I wouldn't be able to trust them. Since everyone I knew would abandon me, to be left alone with all that pressure and weight upon my shoulders to bear alone. True, it would be nice to confide in someone I could actually trust and all that; but I couldn't do that. It sickened me that if I did make new friends, I would lose them to the rumors and the bullies. I also didn't want them to be scared off from what was going on at my home, or to tell someone that would tell someone else which would get back to my father. Then he'd have something waiting for me back home, another thing I wouldn't want either. It was either be alone, or let some new people leave me to fall back into the hole of darkness that I tried getting out of. I don't ever want that to happen to me again.

I'd rather be alone, to not let someone break down my walls. If they did, I don't know what would happen. Would I really be happy or just be stuck as I am right now? Right now I just know I'm destined as a loner for the rest of my life.