Heather

“You sure you want the kid here,” the tall guy with the crooked nose says to my mother’s boyfriend, Ernest.

Mom has been dating Ernest for about a year now. Ernest has always been a little creepy to me. I don’t know. You know how some adults are just too nice. That would be Ernest.

He’s always too nice, at least he is when he wants to be. I won’t say that I’ve ever trusted him. Although, there was once a time when I thought he was okay. Now, not so much.

I once watched a movie with Wyatt, Noah, and John. It was called Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. That movie reminds me a lot of Ernest.

Like now, Mr. Hyde stands before me with his friends. I guess that’s what you can call them. I don’t know any of these men. I’ve seen them here in Ernest’s home, since mom and I moved in.

I get the feeling that none of them are nice people. Not like my dad. My dad is a hero. He helps people. Mom brags about Ernest being so great. She talks about how he’s a lawyer or something and he makes a lot of money. I get the feeling that maybe Ernest isn’t so great at all, not like my dad.

“She stay’s. I need her to learn a little lesson,” Ernest says, turning his black eyes on me.

I start to fidget with the hem of my dress and sweat beads on my upper lip. I move to sit on my butt, my knees are numb and my hands are shaking with the fear that’s gripping me. I know something bad is about to happen. Nothing good has happened, since we moved in with Ernest.

Mom promised this was going to be great for us. Ernest had been asking her to move in with him for months. Mom had said, no, at first. Then Dad went away on a mission and Ernest proposed, bought mom a car, and promised she could stop working.

Only, since we’ve been here, every time Mom mentions a wedding or leaving her job, Ernest totally loses it. Mom totally freaks, when he threatens to call the whole thing off, calling her ungrateful. After all, he’s taking care of us, letting us live in his home. Mom gives in every time.

I’m ten and even I know something is fishy about all of this. Dad says you have to pay attention to details. Details are what give people away. I’ve been watching the details around this place and I’m starting to get nervous.

I need my dad to come home. I’m starting to get the feeling that I’m no longer safe. I haven’t really slept in weeks.

Mom used to work the day shift at the hospital. That was before we moved in with Ernest. Suddenly, she’s been working the night shift. Mom wasn’t happy about it, but she said the change came from her boss and there was nothing she could do about it.

Now here I sit, mom is at work, dad is deployed, and Ernest is my babysitter. I’m in the middle of the living room floor in my favorite pink dress. My hair in two pigtails, with ribbons tied around them. Ernest had told mom we were going to a movie, with his friend’s children.

There are no children here. I got all dressed up, like my mother said to, but I feel like that was a mistake. For one, I don’t like the way Ernest has been staring at me.

I feel ice in my veins, whenever he looks my way. My dad always says I’m his tough cookie. Those words are the only thing that have kept me from peeing on myself.

I’m nervous. The more men that enter the room, the more it feels like it’s closing in on me. Yet, I’m not the only one here anymore that looks nervous.

Crooked Nose just shoved a skinny man into the room by his collar. The man looks like he might pee his pants soon. His eyes are bouncing around at the other four men in the room.

I look down into my lap, wondering if I’m sinking into myself the way he is. The details. This man is as afraid as I am. I look back up to find Ernest still glaring in my direction.

I suck my trembling lower lip into my mouth. I don’t know what lesson I need to learn, but I think I would like to skip it. I don’t want to be here.

“Fine, your choice,” Crooked Nose grumbles. “You just make sure this ain’t a problem. The boss ain’t looking for any mistakes with this one.”

“Mind your own business. The girl is my problem. You worry about this piece of shit,” Ernest finally turns away from me and nods at the skinny man.

“Whatever,” Crooked Nose mutters, before turning to the skinny man. “You really shouldn’t have stolen from us. You had to know this wouldn’t end well.”

“I swear to you, I didn’t take a thing,” Skinny Man shakes his head, holding his hands in the air.

“Did anyone ask you to speak?” Crooked Nose hisses.

Skinny Man clasps his mouth shut and shakes his head. I ball my fist into my dress. My stomach is in knots. I’m afraid for Skinny Man. I feel like I can’t breathe, but I don’t move.

If I don’t move, maybe they will forget about me and I can just get up and leave. My breath hitches, when Crooked Nose punches Skinny Man in the face. Ernest turns to me and I see the evil smile on his lips.

Something in his eyes makes me afraid to look away. One of the other men in the room, drags a chair over and Crooked Nose pushes Skinny Man into it. Skinny Man looks around at everyone. He looks so scared.

“You’re not just a thief, you’re a rat,” Crooked Nose growls.

That’s when Ernest comes to sit next to me on the floor. He runs his hand over one of my pigtails, then leans in to inhale my hair. I flinch, feeling the warning bells go off in my chest. I’m not safe.

Ernest leans into my ear. “I want you to watch. This is what happens to snitches. Do you know what a snitch is?”

I turn to look at Ernest and blink a few times. Yeah, I know what a snitch is. Wyatt is always telling John not to snitch on him.

“Do you?” Ernest snarls, when I don’t answer.

I nod my head, holding back the tears that burn my eyes and threaten to spill. Ernest’s lips curl into a smile. He strokes my hair again.

“Good, then we understand each other,” he says, before pinching my face, turning it to watch, as Crooked Nose beats and tortures Skinny Man. “I’m a powerful man and I know powerful people, Heather. I want you to always remember that.”

His words creep into my skull, causing my head to hurt. I’m not safe. Neither is Skinny Man. I don’t know how long this goes on. I’m stiff with fear and worry for Skinny Man. When crooked nose pulls out a gun, twisting a piece onto the front, I stop breathing.

My eyes go wide, as blood and brains fly all over the plastic the other men covered the room in earlier. I can’t believe what I just witnessed. I feel chills run through my body, I’m shaking harder than ever.

“You’ll keep our secrets. If you don’t this will happen to you and everyone you love,” Ernest whispers in my ear.

My entire body trembles, I can hardly breathe. I think of my mom, my dad, and all of my friends. Ernest’s hand moves to grope my chest. I started growing boobs last year, he now has a hand full of one in his palm.

I’m so afraid and confused about what all is happening, I forget I’m a brave cookie. I piss on myself. I don’t mean to, it just happens.

“Fuck,” Ernest snarls, hopping up from his seat beside me. “Fucking disgusting. Go clean yourself up and go to bed.”

He doesn’t have to tell me twice. I wish I could get out of this house. I scramble from the floor, rushing into my room as fast as I can.