I stummbled into my closet whiping the door closed behind me as fast as I could. Paniced and trembling, all I could taste was the salty tears that were streaming down my face, and the pain from the cuts and bruises were numbed by the petrifying screams I heard coming from my mother downstairs. "Get over here you piece of s***!" My dad barked so loud and nothing scared me more. I couldn't even catch my breath, the sound of each hit my mother took was another shattering pain shooting through my chest. "Please stop.. make it stop!" Were the only words I could get out as I looked up in hopes that something could help me. Help me and my mother, I was just searching for something more, but another scream came from downstairs and I realized nothing was there to help us. Nothing was going to make this stop and we were forced to deal with it on our own.

Sobs came from downstairs, my mom was frantic, I could hear her. In fact that's all I could hear and I realized he was done with her. He's coming for me next. Twelve stairs. There are twelve stairs he has to travel up that led straight to my bedroom and it was almost as though everything froze for a second. Everything went silent except for the sound of those deadly footsteps. He was on five. Just think it could be worse, it could be so much worse. Six. He might hit you, and it might hurt but you know Lyla that tomorrow you're going to wake up and it's going to be a better day. Seven. This isn't going to kill you it's going to make you stronger. Eight. He doesn't mean this, he loves you. Who doesn't love their own kid? Nine. Nobody would do this to someone they love. You don't love him, your only here for one reason. Ten. Riley. You're little sister. Eleven. Oh God, please. Twelve.

I heard his big, brown, steel toed work boots hit the top of the stairs like a ton of bricks. I was so frightened he pictured me beneathe them as he stomped on the floor one foot after another, I could here him coming closer to my door, where he stopped and stood for a moment that seemed to last forever. I quietly brought my hand to my face and covered my mouth, holding it as hard as I can to try to hide the loud, uncontrollable sobs bursting out. It was so quiet I swear i would be able hear a pin hit the wooden floor of my bedroom. The doorknob slowly turned as my door slammed open.

I pinched my eyes as tight as I could, and brought my legs as close to my chest as they could go. There was no way out, nowhere to go. I was stuck, stuck in this closet, stuck in this life. I couldn't change this, this is where I was and this is what I was born into. His footsteps even felt like knives stabbing me although there was no physical contact. He was in front of my closet door now, how stupid I could have been to think this wasn't going to be the first place he looked. I could feel him reaching towards the door knob. Deep breath, your going to wake up tomorrow, I promise.

My eyes snapped open to the screams of my little sister, "Lyla! Lyla wake up! I'm going to be late for school again!!" Oh my god. It was a dream, but it felt so real, only because it's happened before. It stuns me that those memories are still so vivid even though it was years ago. This scares me, will this haunt me forever? "Lyla please!" I roll out of the side of my bed, throw on my old green jacket and head out my door trying to shake off what feels like i've just expirienced for the hundreth time of my life.