Page 131 of Eternal
“I’m the iris of your world…”I whisper to myself as I walk back to hell.
The walk home is quiet, I know what’s waiting.
The house sits at the end of a dead street, paint peeling, windows cleaned by my own hands. I see the car in the driveway.He’s home.
I need to keep walking.
There’s no point in running, there’s nowhere to go.There was before.A home, before it turned into its own kind of hell.
But it’s not here anymore, it’s in my head, I don’t even remember how it looked.
When I get inside, I exhale slowly, maybe he’ll forget I even exist today… but I hear the TV blaring, the deep rumble of his voice.
My body tenses on instinct.Be small. Be quiet. Be nothing.
A hand grabs my arm, too tight. “Where the fuck have you been all day long?” His breath is hot, reeking of whiskey, his fingers dig into my wrist.
Stupid asshole.
“School.” My voice is steady, bored.
He hates that.
A slap, hard enough to make my teeth clack together, hard enough to leave an ugly mark, I’d have to cover myself with makeup, the one I stole from his wife.
“Lying little bitch,” he mutters, already losing interest, his hand slides lower, rough fingers ghosting over my hip, then my ass.
My skin crawls, nausea rising in my throat.Not tonight. Please, not tonight. I’m too tired.
Then, mercifully, he lets go. “Get me a beer.”
I turn, walking to the kitchen on autopilot, I don't cry, I don’t shake, I simply breathe.In. Out. In. Out.I grab the beer from the fridge, the cold can slick against my shaking fingers.
One step at a time.
Don’t rush. Don’t react.
I walk back into the living room, set it on the table in front of him, and turn to leave before he can say anything else.
Upstairs. I need to get upstairs.
I take the first step when Brittany’s voice stops me. “Hey.”
I swallow hard, turning, and she stands in the kitchen doorway, arms crossed. She isn’t big or strong, but her voice is so cold.
“There’s dishes in the sink,” she says. “And the laundry’s still in the machine.”
I clench my fists. “I have homework.”
She scoffs. “I don’t care. Do it.”
I grit my teeth. “I have?—”
The slap comes fast. “DON’T YOU FUCKING DARE RAISE YOUR VOICE AT ME. I NOURISH YOU AND YOU SLEEP AT MY HOUSE!”
I don’t make a sound, I lower my head, let my hair fall over my face, and nod.
She watches me for a second before turning away, muttering something under her breath.Disrespectful. Ungrateful. Useless.I don’t listen, I move.
