I can't wait anymore.

I didn't know when I woke up drearily that morning, but this would be the last day spent with my bio-mom and brother as a family. I was twelve, and permanently shaken to the core. I suppose I loved my mom, but I was really only coming back here to see my brother, who meant more to me than my own life. My brother, mom and I sat watching T.V. as the energy in the house began to shift, I felt on edge as mom's husband peeked out the small hole on the door with a hissed grunt.

I seemed to be the only one who noticed something was off, but before I had time to react, Joey came around the corner with a large gun in hand, running towards the front door. He swung open the door and left the house screaming at the neighbors for stepping on his lawn. My mom jumped to her feet clumsily, starting after him, screaming at him to get into the house, which he did. Any time he did what mom asked, I knew the world was about to break apart.

"Oh yeah? 'Come in, Joey! Fuck you." He screeched wildly waving his gun around before fixing his eyes on mom and slapping her forcefully with his gun across her face. Blood fell from between mom's fingers and I already knew everything was up to me. My brother and I stood next to the fish tank, him cautiously, me, ready to die if needed. Joey pointed his gun firmly at his own son, who was within arms length for me. I scooped my brother, Delvin behind me fluidly, I had practiced for things like this. Mom ran to her room, slamming the door.

I stood staring pensively into his eyes, hoping I could outthink him and save my brother. "Go ahead, kill me," I started sternly "but I don't think you are smart enough to hide my body and come up with an excuse before my dad get's here in what, an hour?" I knew he would either kill me, and get it over with, leaving himself open to a lifetime in prison. Saving my brother, or, he would let me go and I'd figure it out from there as we go.

He scowled angrily, plodding forward as he pressed the gun to my bangs, a feeling I would quickly get used to. "Whatever" he seemed to have lost his nerve, presumably knowing he would never get away with something so obvious. He sprinted out the door after the neighbors who found themselves on our lawn only moments earlier.

I quickly turned to my brother, sweating as I went, "Delvin, I need you to grab a blanket and hide UNDER your bed okay, stay covered, I'll be in in a moment" I spoke with a fervor, and a wild look in my eye that swiftly convinced him to follow my direction. As soon as he was off towards his bed room, I ran to the front door, locking it securely behind Joey before running to my mom's room. I found her simply cowering on her bed, she never was good with these things.

"Mom, lock your window and hide in your closet, cover yourself with dirty clothes" I noticed the vacant look in her eye and began to worry, but she was an adult, and Delvin was eight, I needed to tend to him. "MOM! Snap out of it! Lock your window and hide, okay? I'm going to Delvin" at the mention of my brother my mom's eyes snapped to mine as I gently placed a kiss on her forehead and nudged her off the bed. I will never know if she followed my instructions, but I needed to get away from her.

I entered my brother's room to find a gun pointed at me from under the bed "Delvin, it's me," I blurted out, causing his head to erupt from under his blanket, smiling. "I'll be right back okay, just a second" I was speaking at the pace of my exploding heart rate. I crossed the room to peer out of his window, ensuring Joey was not in the back yard already, before locking his window and heading to the back door to lock that as well. I only needed to slow him down.

I then headed to my final destination, under the bed with my brother, where I sat crouched on top of him while he clung to his BB-gun as if it was life itself. We waiting for a good while, listening to the sounds of Joey, have a fit of rage in the back yard before he finally broke mom's bedroom window. We listened to the unapologetic sounds we had come to expect from him.

I eventually heard my father at the front door, and decided it was safe for me to come out. I was twelve when I decided never to go back to that house. I was twelve when I realized as my youth faded, so did my effectiveness for diffusing these situations, and I couldn't take that risk.