INTRUDER

24 DAYS BEFORE THE INTRUSION

We all sit at the table together. Garred, Maggie, Ellie and I all are eating the delicious mac-and-cheese my mom prepared for us and I am really happy. I can feel that my mom is becoming happy everyday and it's really making me worry less. Maybe I can relax since I don't have to worry about her being depressed all the time. It's saddening to watch her sad and crying all the time, I am grateful for this change. We eat in silence and pass each other the bowl so we can serve each other some more mac-and-cheese. 
"Mom, thank you so much for the dinner but I am not that hungry anymore."
"You eat that mac-and-cheese or I will shove it into your mouth and make you eat it. You need to learn to eat what you get and not complain," Garred glares at me.
"I wasn't asking you," I have officially lost my temper with Garred.
"Excuse me? Did you talk back to me? You stupid fu—" He slaps me straight across my cheek, making it sting with a burning sensation. 
"Yes, I talked back to you! So what?" I glare at him, trying to ignore the persistent sting that is blaring on my cheek. 
"Claire, go to your room," Maggie simply says.
Garred grabs the glass cup with beer in it and throws it at the wall, shattering glass all over the kitchen and splattering beer all over the walls. 
"Garred! What are you doing!" Maggie yells. 
"All of you go to hell." 
He grabs his coat and and walks outside, slamming the door behind him. I hear his loud car start and he drives away really fast. Garred is gone. Finally. I sort of smile, under all of the pain that has now spread over my entire face. 
Maggie drops down on the floor and picks up the glass and cleans the beer that is drizzling down the walls. She puts the glass into some cup and then disposes then into the trashcan. 
"Mom, I am really sorry. Please, I didn't mean for him to scream and have an outburst like that. I am truly sorry."


"It's O.K, sweetie. You never know with him."
I look over and see Ellie on the verge of crying. I go over to her and give her a gigantic hug. 
I help Maggie pick everything up and then I go to my bed. Sitting there, I replay the events that have happened in the past month. I think Garred was the one that had the gun. Maybe Garred planned to kill us. Realizing this sends a cold shiver down my spine. What if Garred was planning to kills us? That was really too scary to think about so I shake the thought out of my head.

Ellie walks into my room and comes to cuddle with me and then the asks me the question that I have always feared she would ask because I do not have the answer that question. 
"Claire, are we going to be fine? Is everything going to be O.K?" 


"Yes, Ellie, I will protect both of you," I say with a slight confidence because have so much faith that I will keep Ellie and Maggie safe. 

They are my loves and I will do anything for them. I will keep them safe no matter what. They are basically what still keeps me in this life. 
Ellie leans in closer and I hug her really tight and put a blanket over her. She starts telling me how much she loves me and how she really hopes that one day we will be safe away from Garred. She falls asleep into my arm and I smile. I get out of my bed and walk into the kitchen and Maggie has a wine glass and she has tears streaming down her face. This is my fault, I made Garred run out of temper and explode, now my mom is crying. I walk over and try to comfort her. 
"Oh, Claire, when you grow up... please get to know the person before falling in love with them. Please do not repeat the mistake that I have made. Please."
"Ok, Mommy, I will help you out of this place when I grow up. You will be my everything."
Maggie smiles at me and kisses me on the cheek.
"I love you too, sweetie." 
I walk with my mom into her room and hop onto her bed. 
"17 years of marriage and I have never felt more hatred in my entire life."
"Mom, come here." 
I calm my mom down and hug her.... After a while she falls asleep just like Ellie, so I also put a blanket on her and kiss her cheek. I go to the kitchen and pour myself water. Cold water is what I need. I put some cubes of ice to make it colder. I drink it carefully and with every sip I make a wish. All of them are about escaping Garred and never being in his reach ever in my entire life. I sit there drinking the cold water and smile at the thought of my mom, Ellie, and I all far far away from this stupid place. A place where we didn't have to worry about abuse, school, work, money, anything. I wanted to go to a place where we were actually free. Free from everything and everyone. Free form this cruel world. That was my dream and wish and I prayed that it will happen someday. I have never lost hope, anyway. I've had this same dream for maybe 2 years now and I have never given up on this. I have never given up on the fact that my mom could live a happier life with just Ellie and I and nothing else to worry about. 
I smile when I think of that. I look at the time and it reads that it is 4 AM. 
A thought crosses my mind, and a hit of joy blasts through me: Garred never came home.