Page 1 of Hush Little Martyr, Don't You Scream
Chapter One
The warm air skated across my skin as I carefully navigated my way up the cobblestone pathway, leading to my house. Birds chirped off in the distance, followed by the chitter of insects. It was almost like a melody they were singing amongst each other, but there was no way of comprehending it. The house at the end of the cul-de-sac drew my attention first, a chill sweeping down my spine. The weeds around it were overgrown, making it look abandoned, but I knew better.
Mom and Dad warned me when I was little that I should never go anywhere near there. They said the woman who owned it was batshit insane. I believed them, too. In my childlike little brain, I’d assumed the woman must have been a witch. It had been the only thing that made any sense to me at the time. I blamed it on all the fairy tales I used to watch.
Tugging my bag higher up over my shoulder, I made my way toward the house. I’d lived here my entire life, and Mom and Dad never had any interest in moving. I assumed part of that was because my father was still fucking his assistant and he had no intention of stopping anytime soon.
Mom would have had to be a dumbass to not have noticed. That, she was weak, or she simply didn’t care. I knew he was seeing someone when he came home late from work for the billionth time, coated in some lady’s perfume, pink lipstick on his collar, and his breath reeked of expensive wine. I found out it was his assistant when I left school early due to a bad stomach virus.
Disgust twisted my abdomen at the memory. I’d seen way more of my father that day than I ever wanted to see in my entire life.
Blowing out a breath, I navigated my way up the porch, only to trip over a large object and nearly tumble right over the edge. My hand flew out, grasping onto the wall of the house for support as I worked to adjust my posture. Cursing, I glanced down at the culprit, debating on whether I should kick it out of spite to teach it a lesson.
Instead, I scooped the large box into my hands and made my way into the house, kicking the door shut behind me.
Mom was seated on the couch, rocking our newest family member side to side in the crook of her arms. A small smile graced my lips when I spotted them.
As much as I complained about my family dynamic, I was lucky to have my mom and new sister, Isabella. My dad could kick rocks for all I cared. The only thing that man did was make money and cheat.
Mom’s eyes flicked over to the box resting between my hands, a crease forming between her brows. “What’s that?” she asked.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Found it on the porch. Figured it was for you guys.”
I made my way into the kitchen and sat the package down on the island before returning to the living room. Unable to help myself, I brushed my finger along the edge of Isabella’s soft,squishy cheek. Her eyes were heavy, fluttering open and closed on a constant loop.
“How was school?” Mom pressed with a tired smile. She’d only just had my sister about three weeks ago and was trying to adjust to having a new baby again. No thanks to my father. He rarely helped with the baby at all.
The mere mention of school had my shoulders snapping straight, tension coiling throughout them. It was no secret that I didn’t exactly fit in, much to my parents’ dismay. I’d seen pictures of my mom when she was younger, my father too. She was a cheerleader, and he was on the football team. I was nothing like that. In fact, the popular kids hated me and went out of their way to make sure I knew it.
“It was okay,’ I lied through clenched teeth.
If you count being shoved against the lockers and groped ‘okay’.
I should have punched him. Or kicked him right in his tiny pecker. But I’d already done that to one of the other guys and ended up getting suspended. My parents had been furious with me. It wasn’t even my fault, but they didn’t see it that way. It wouldn’t do any good regardless. My retaliation always only made it worse.
“I’m going to put your sister down for a nap,” Mom decided.
“You should take one too. I’ll make sure she’s okay if she wakes up,” I offered.
She hesitated briefly, tightening her arms around Isabella like she’d disappear in an instant if she wasn’t careful. I knew how to feed a baby and change one. I was the one who helped Mom when she could barely walk after having her.
“Are you sure?” she asked reluctantly, though I could see the hope swimming within her green eyes. “Isabella can be a handful.”
“It’s only for a couple of hours. I’ll be fine.”
Mom blew out a breath of relief and nodded. She slowly eased her body from the couch, making sure to keep her movements steady so she didn’t risk waking up the baby. She whispered a quick ‘thank you’ to me before heading for the staircase.
It was the least I could do. Mom was working her ass off, trying to regulate her hormones while adapting to having a brand-new baby. Dad was constantly at work or with his mistress, leaving Mom to do it all on her own. It was fucked up.
Moving back into the kitchen, I fixed myself a glass of tea and leaned against the island as I sipped on it. I was trying my hardest to maintain a strong composure and act like everything was alright when it couldn’t be furthest from the truth. On the inside I was crumbling, contemplating dark things that kept me awake at night—not that I’d ever tell my parents.
They wouldn’t understand. How could they? Mom was one of the most popular girls at her high school, while Dad was equally as popular. They had a huge group of friends and probably didn’t have to deal with things like bullying.
Sighing, a heavy weight settled in my chest. My gaze drifted over the package resting on the island beside me, curiosity nibbling away at the recesses of my mind. We didn’t get a lot of packages, not since Mom stopped all of her fitness subscriptions while she was pregnant. She couldn’t take a lot of the supplements she normally did. For the last year, we’d mostly gotten bill reminders and random letters and postcards from some of her friends, but never packages.
I looked over the box in search of who it might have been addressed to, but there was nothing—not even our address.
That was odd.
