• Sitting on the small roof that covers the stairs outside I lie on my back with my arms folded behind my head and stare at the stars, naming the constellations above my head that I learned the presvous day in science class I smile as I see a light slide across the clear black sky.
    I close my eyes and let my yearning heart make a wish of its own, from below me I can hear the screams from inside of my brother and step-father arguing again. I hear a dull muffled thump and am on my feet and back in the window. By the time I hit the stairs my mom is screaming at them to stop, I jet past my mom and straight into the fight. Pulling my older brother off my step father is never easy. My mom just stands there screaming her heart out, I wan to tell her to shut up but I don't I just focus all my enegery on getting my brother out of the fight and away from my step father. I can smell the aclohol on him and want to puke, but instead I manage to pry my brother away only to get shoved against a wall, the corner grinding into my spine. I let out a growl and shove my older brother into the laundry room, my mom corners my step dad in the kitchen and I push my bro up the stairs and grab the willow cane I keep by my door as a protective weapon. I hold it out infront of me, side ways in the hall, making sure he doesn't get past me. He steps back and runs into me, the look in his eyes are that of lust. He wants to hurt my step father and my step father wants to hurt him, They hate each other. I fall backwards down the stairs my hand flinging outwards trying to catch the railing but I just barley miss and fall onto the stairs hard. I hear my bones crack and feel the pain, everything stops as he looks up at me from the top of the stairs his eyes not yet taking in what had happened, then relization flashed as my mother ran to me, "Baby girl are you okay?!" Her voice is worried as I don't respond, I am gritting my teeth against the pain. Trying not to cry, I pull myself up and nod, my brother is down the stairs now and grabs me roughly by the hand and hugs me , "I am so sorry." he weeps into the top of my hair, a soft smile caresses my face and i hug him back, "No harm done." I say and pull back I slide up the stairs and into my room, back out onto my small roof and hear nothing but the wonderful silence of the soft musky night, nothing but the wind rustling through the green trees. I see nothing but the stars I lay down with my hands behind my head, This is my one true sancutary