Remedy

As Seiko yells I hurry and turn my body over Ricca as Father tosses the lamp at us across the room. He falls to the floor before the lamp reaches us. The lamp strikes the back of my neck, I feel the burn from a cut, and blood starts to slowly leak from my skin. It hurt a bit, but I’ve had worse. Seiko, the moron, is always getting involved in matters that don’t involve him. I see Father grasping onto Seiko's foot, it’s only a matter of time before that foot becomes his neck. We need to knock Father out and leave for the night. We’ll probably have to stay at Seiko’s Mom’s house again. Ugh. Just more trouble. First thing first, move Ricca to safety and knock the old man out.

Any moment now Ricca should be going into her own little state of mind. She always does. She seemed focused on something, but whatever she was staring down I cannot see it. I do not know if she is really staring at anything, but her gaze always seems to get fixated on something any time something negative starts to happen. Then she just freezes all up. Ever since mom died it seemed to get worse. She gets fixated on something around another event before, but never just froze. Now it's like moving around a coma patient.

Mom always seemed to be looking at something too. I used to think maybe she was just looking to make sure we were safe, then I thought no because she never really found us. Then I considered maybe she was looking for Reed. Sometimes I wondered if Father was pissed because of Reed. A lot of people always thought Mom and Reed were a thing. Mom has always known Reed though. They grew up together, they were like best friends. But how did Father factor into that? Was he always so bad? He has gotten worse since Ricca's birth, and then Mom’s passing… However, he still beat Mom before that, I remember even back then it happened…

Reed would always show up during it. He would gather Ricca and me and put us in the car. Then go back in for Mom. We would stay at Reed’s for a few days, then Mom would take us back home. Reed was always upset when Mom said it was time to return. She never allowed us to be away from Father for more than three days. She said it wasn’t safe to be gone over three days. It never was though. Safe that is. Never safe. When it was just Mom, Father, and me it didn’t happen as much… Just a few times a year. Then she had Ricca, and it was like a monthly occurrence. Then when Mom passed, Father lost it. He would constantly try to go after Ricca, then it became me too. He said I shouldn’t protect something so evil. Now he really doesn’t say anything. He just lashes out, at the sight of one of us.

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I pick Ricca up and place her over by the back door out of Father’s sight, her gaze still fixed on the same spot even though she can’t see through the cabinet. Maybe it’s just something else and it just seems like she is looking at something. I don’t know. I walk back on the same path. I see Father now has Seiko in a chokehold. Seiko does not hold back much; there are bite marks on Father’s arm near the burn mark Mom left there. I pick up the lamp and go over to them.

Father is too fixated on Seiko now. Father is murmuring something about Reed, but it’s not understandable. He doesn’t even notice me when I go and bash in the back of the head with the remaining base of the lamp. He stumbles to the floor with Seiko still in his grasp. When he hits the floor he releases his hold on Seiko, and Seiko rolls over. Seiko is panting a bit, but nothing serious. The lamp didn’t cut Father as it did me. It was just enough to knock him out. It will not last long, he will awake soon. We do not have much time. We needed the essential suitcase and to leave. Though at this rate we might as well just leave essentials at Seiko’s house.

We used to keep everything we needed at Reed’s too. Reed kept everything for seven days for each of us. I always thought it was odd. It always made Mom's and Reed's relationship odder, because Reed didn’t have a family, not even kids. He always said Mom and the two of us were more than enough trouble than he could deal with. That he did not need to add to it…

“Are you alright? Are you going to need stitches again?” questions Seiko. He knew the events. He probably could tell you how many stitches Ricca and I have received so far. He always keeps his mouth shut about it though. His mom too.

“Should be fine… He won’t be out long. We need to get the suitcase and go.” I replied looking down at my disgrace of a Father. “Go put Ri in the ca-” shit.