April 22nd, 2014 - Age 7
The first thing I ever remember is Garrison, Baltimore. The streets felt wide back then, full of possibilities I didn't understand yet. I had three sisters, one brother, and another on the way-but in those days, it was mostly me and Char causing trouble.
We were reckless, kids with too much energy and no fear. Going outside when Dad said no, grabbing birds off the sidewalk like we owned them, kidnapping bugs just because we could. Life was loud, messy, sweet. I remember one day-Char wanted to play on my older sister's PlayStation 3, but I was already deep into a game.
"Get out. I'm on it." I said, sitting at the bottom of my bed, gripping the controller. My sister was in the bathroom nearby, fixing her hair, barely paying attention.
"No, I want to play." Char was eleven then, louder, angrier.
"You're not-get out."
"Not right now," my sister sighed, already fed up.
I smirked at Char just enough to make it sting, like a silent victory. He stormed off, but a few seconds later, I saw him outside through the window-chucking his brand-new sneakers straight into the mud.
"Look what Char's doing," I called over, and my sister walked up beside me, shaking her head.
"Ain't no way," she muttered, unimpressed.
Char had always been like that-wild, destructive, and unpredictable. He'd break things, especially Mom's stuff, just to prove a point. Back then, I thought those shoes were the worst thing I'd ever seen. Looking back now... I was right.
---
Present day - Wednesday - May 16th, 8:43 AM - Age 18
I wake up to shouting-deep voices cutting through the walls. My brother and my stepdad, already at it. My younger sister stirs beside me near her own bed, groggy, frustrated.
I rub my eyes, willing myself up, already knowing what's outside that bedroom door before I open it. We moved into this neighborhood just a month ago-quiet, mostly white, with a few Black families scattered around. It's different. Off.
I step out into the hallway, passing the fight like it's background noise. Mom is there, trying to break them up. Same old chaos. I head downstairs, ignoring them, straight to the kitchen-bowl, noodles, boiling water. Routine.
I grab my phone, scrolling TikTok and Instagram. Distractions. But even as I sit there, watching the screen, something lingers.
Things used to feel different.
Aftermath - Present Day
A couple of hours passed before I finally called the police on my stepdad. Things had gotten out of control-him and my brother going at it, fists and shouts filling the house. My grandma, who was downstairs with me, nodded in agreement. It wasn't just a fight anymore; it was something worse.
Then he hit my sister. "By accident," he'd say. But knowing him? I knew it wasn't.
When the police arrived, they barely stayed five minutes. Said they couldn't take him in-he had work, obligations, whatever excuse they pulled out. So my brother made the only move left: a restraining order.
You might be confused. My stepdad has been living with us since I was seven. My real father? Out of the picture. That's on my mom. But I do still talk to him and stuff, And before you think I'm painting her as the bad guy-it's not that simple. She makes choices, and those choices shape the whole family.
But my stepdad? No one in my family can stand him. He walks around like he owns everything, but he's the one always asking my mom for money, for favors. Calls me and my siblings every name in the book, makes threats, pushes limits, even tried to fight my older sister's husband for no damn reason.
At the end of the day, he's just an insecure, toxic, pathetic man.
---
---
After everything today, I just needed a second. A breath.
I went upstairs, moving through the hallway like the weight of the house was pressing in on me. In my room, I started picking out clothes for when I got out of the shower, but before I could finish, I spotted Nor-my baby brother.
"Hey, chubby fat," I said, stretching my arms out as he ran into me, squeezing tight.
"I love you so," I murmured.
"I love you too," he said back, voice small, but sure.
He climbed onto my bed, settling in beside me as I kept picking through my clothes.
"I wanna watch TV," he said, pointing at the screen sitting on my gaming chair.
"Hold on-let me grab what I need," I told him, scanning the room. My remote was lost-again-so I grabbed my phone and pulled up the Roku app, tapping through until I got Youtube on the TV for him
---
I glanced over and saw my younger sister, Jakie, sitting on her bed. Thirteen years old-the one who got hit in the face by my ugly stepdad. *By accident,* they'd say. But we knew better.
She settled in quietly, like the weight of the day hadn't quite left her yet. I watched her for a second, then got up, stepping toward the door.
"You got Nor?" I asked, already knowing the answer.
She nodded.
That was all I needed. I left the room and headed to the bathroom, ready to wash off the day.
---
As I stepped toward the bathroom, I felt it-just for a second.
A shift.
Like the air was heavier than before, pressing against my skin.
I paused in the hallway, listening. The house had been loud all day, but now, in this exact moment, everything was quiet. Too quiet.
The kind of silence that wasn't empty but *watching.*
I glanced toward my bedroom. Jakie was still sitting on her bed, eyes on the TV. Normal. Nothing was wrong.
Still. My fingers hesitated over the bathroom doorknob.
Then, just as quickly as it came, the feeling passed.
I shook my head, pushed open the door, and stepped into the shower.
-
---
An hour passed. I was Now on my bed, locked into Call of Duty on my PlayStation 4, the glow of the screen the only real light left in the room. It was getting dark outside, the deep blues bleeding into black. I glanced at my phone-checking the time, checking for notifications. Nothing important.
Another hour slipped by before I finally turned off the game, grabbed my phone, and headed downstairs. The air felt different-something about the quiet made it thicker. I grabbed a drink from the kitchen, then walked through the living room, toward the front porch.
Unlocking the door, I stepped out.
The breeze was cool but had a warmth to it, the kind that wraps around you instead of pushes against you. I sighed, letting the day settle in my bones, shutting the door behind me before dropping into one of the porch chairs. My phone lit up in my hand, but I wasn't really looking at it.
Something felt...off.
I glanced up, toward the trees facing me and the porch. The darkness had deepened, turning the outlines of branches into jagged shadows stretching across the yard.
And then-movement.
Or maybe not. Maybe my eyes were playing tricks on me.
I squinted, trying to make out the shape. Was it just the way the leaves shifted? Or was there *someone* standing there, just beyond where the porch light reached?
My vision had gotten worse over the years. I knew I needed glasses. But right now, I wasn't sure if that was a good thing-or if seeing clearly would only make this moment worse.
I didn't pay it much mind.
The sound could've been anything-a twig snapping, leaves shifting, maybe just the wind. So I stayed still, eyes locked on my phone, sipping my soda like nothing was off.
Then-another crunch.
This time, deeper in the woods.
I almost jumped up, heart kicking up a little, but before I could move, the porch door swung open.
I turned fast, but it was just my older brother, stepping outside with a plate of food in his hand. He dropped into one of the chairs, pulled out his phone, barely acknowledging the world around him.
"Hey, bro." He said, already distracted, scrolling.
"Hey, what's good?" I answered, settling back into my seat, taking another drink.
I kept my eyes on the trees, something about them holding my attention longer than I wanted.
"I think I heard something in there," I muttered, glancing at him, then back at the darkened outline of branches stretching toward the sky.
"Probably that hedgehog I saw earlier," he said, still glued to his phone. *"I saw it out here a few days ago."*
I smirked softly, finishing off my drink.
"Dang, for real? I think I saw it too."
Still, something felt off. The hedgehog explanation made sense, sure-but did that sound really match?
"But you sure, though?" I asked, voice lower now, less casual.
No response.
*"You hear me, bro?"* I said again, looking at him.
Finally, he glanced up. "Yeah. What else would it be?"
The way he said it was easy, dismissive. But I didn't shake the feeling.
We stayed out there for another half hour, talking, laughing, letting the night settle around us. But when the darkness got too thick, swallowing the trees whole, we both headed back inside.
Something about the silence outside felt heavier than before.
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