You Take the Hits Instead.

Eleanor Vance POV

I leaned my body down. My cold fingertips touched the glass bottles scattered all over the floor. The air smelled like rot and stale beer. These bottles were everywhere, lying right next to my father’s body on the ground. He was drunk. Just like he has been every single day since the day I was born.

I sighed. My soul felt heavy. I had seen this same scene for too many years. He comes home drunk at dawn after spending the night in some dirty East End bar. He drinks and he plays his favorite game. He gambles. He bets with my hard earned money.

He comes home too weak to walk. The living room becomes his bed. He finishes his bottles and ends up passing out. His mind and body are just gone.

I did what I always do. I cleaned up his mess before going to work. I made sure to leave some cash for him. I had to. If I didn't, I would have to deal with the consequences. He would slap my face, or my little sister’s face, or do something even worse.

I made breakfast for my sister Ivy. Then I stepped out of our humble house in the East End of London.

I caught a black cab. I told the driver the address of the company in Canary Wharf. He dropped me off after a while in the middle of the cold morning mist.

I breathed a sigh of relief. I sat at my desk. I was early. My work starts at nine, and it was only eight thirty. I took my things out of my bag and cleaned the mess on my desk. Papers were everywhere. Once I finished, I started working on my designs from last night.

The hours went by fast. I was so busy. I looked at the clock on the wall and realized my shift was over. I stood up and stretched. My body ached. I had spent so many hours sitting in that chair. I poured all my skills into those building designs on the paper in front of me. I also helped my coworkers here and there. Some of them even praised my new work.

I cleaned up my mess this time and left the office. While walking down the hall, my boss, Mrs. Adelaide, stopped me. She was smiling.

"Good evening, Miss Vance."

"Good evening, Mrs. Adelaide. How are you?"

I smiled back at her. She patted my shoulder.

"I am fine, Eleanor. Thank you for asking. Did you hear about the party tonight?"

I nodded. "Yes, I heard a moment ago. A coworker told me."

"Good! I will see you at the party in Mayfair. Don't be late!"

I promised her I would be there. I gave her a polite bow and went to the elevator. It was a long, tiring day. I didn't get enough sleep. I have been struggling with insomnia for a while now.

When I reached the ground floor, I walked outside. I looked for a taxi, but I couldn't find one. Cars are rare at this time. I had to walk quite a distance in the light rain. Finally, I reached the bus stop.

After a while, the bus came. I sat in a seat at the very back. I closed my eyes. It felt like heaven. Nothing feels better than resting after a hard day when all your energy is gone.

The moment I stepped into my neighborhood, I froze. A crowd of neighbors was standing in front of my door. They were shouting about something.

"What on earth is happening?"

I ran toward the house. I prayed to God that my father hadn't woken up. I prayed he wasn't hurting my sister while I was away. He does that a lot.

I rushed inside. My heart was pounding. I saw the scene and I was shocked. My sister Ivy was on the floor. Her right cheek was bright red from my father’s hand. Her lip was bleeding. He was raising his hand again. He was going to hit her other cheek without any mercy.

I threw my bag away. I rushed to my sister and hugged her. I covered her body from him. I wanted to protect her. My eyes filled with tears. I was so scared of what would happen next.

"Move."

He spoke quietly. He looked at me with a mean smile. He waited for me to obey. I shook my head fast. I wiped my tears. I refused to get up and leave Ivy.

He growled. He tried to pull me away by force. I held onto Ivy. She was crying so hard in my arms. I held her tight because I didn't want her to fall into his violent hands.

He stepped back. He cursed at us. His eyes were full of anger and hate because I didn't listen. He gritted his teeth and hissed at me.

"Fine then. You take the hits instead."

As soon as he said that, he kicked me. He used his heavy boot on my back. I screamed in pain. My nails dug into my palms while I held Ivy. I was terrified. I was hurting.

He kicked me many times. He did it for a long time. He even stepped on my foot and crushed it! My left hand was hurt too. He took all his anger out on me. I could only cry. I rubbed Ivy’s back while she screamed in terror. We were helpless. We couldn't fight this monster.

When he was done and tired, he stepped away. He was breathing fast. He looked around the room like a crazy man. He was looking for something. Then he saw it.

My bag.

He ran to it. He dumped everything on the floor. He didn't care about anything but my wallet. He grabbed it with a sick smile.

"He is truly insane!"

He looked down at us. He spat on the floor next to us. He hissed with hate before leaving.

"Whores."

The door slammed shut. Ivy collapsed. She cried loudly in my arms. She kept saying she was sorry. My eyes filled with tears again. I cried with her in silence. I rubbed her back and whispered that everything would be okay.

That lie only made her cry harder. I was always the one who got hit. I always tried to keep her safe from him. I tried to hide her or give him the money he loves so much.

But somehow, he always finds a way to get to her when I am not there. When I can't protect her.

I wiped my tears. I used a cloth to wipe Ivy’s eyes. When she calmed down, I helped her stand up. We walked to our shared bedroom.

I told her to take a warm bath. I wanted her to relax. I wanted her to forget what just happened. I had to beg her. She didn't want to leave me. She kept crying and saying sorry.

Once she went into the bathroom, I laid down on the bed. I sighed loudly. My mind and heart were heavy. Every muscle in my body was throbbing with pain. I was just struggling to stay alive.

I looked up at the ceiling. Tears fell from my eyes. I hugged myself. I curled up into a ball. I wanted to find a place to hide from my thoughts and my miserable life. I let out quiet sobs. I had hidden them before because I didn't want Ivy to hear me.

I stayed like that for a long time. Finally, I fell asleep without even knowing it.