Family Matters

1

Life had never been very normal for Seth Stokes.Even at the age of 11 Seth knew normalcy as something that can’t truly be measured.As a young boy he preferred to sit and watch kids play during recess instead of joining them.Seth already knew there was something more for him in this life and had always hoped it was something good, something positive. Something that would benefit the world, he knew.Seth knew his life had deeper meaning than other children’s lives.How much more important could I really be? He would ask himself.Maybe it wasn’t importance that was the meaning of his particular existence.Maybe I’m just different.

It was an early morning, an odd morning, when he heard a faint sobbing coming from his sister’s room.Abby was slightly older than Seth.She was the oldest of three children; Abby, Seth, and David.Anytime something ‘wrong’ would occur, like a broken window or a huge mess in the kitchen, it was usually Seth’s fault but Abby would take the blame. It wasn’t until this day that Seth found out why she would take the blame.He was smaller than most children his age and as for Abby she had already been through enough pain due to the fact she was the oldest of the brood.But this morning brought Abby to the brink and she finally allowed herself to lose control, she finally let the tears run down. Seth, bewildered from the unconscionable sound of Abby’s cry, had to see for himself. He had to figure out why he heard this small strange noise emitting from Abby’s room. As he moved forward through the hallway and closer to her room he did realize that this was definitely a cry, not a laugh, and not a sigh that she may have been sighing for some childish reason, which is exactly what he’d hoped the noise to be.

Seth knocked ever so lightly on her door as not to surprise Abby with a loud banging.He asked, “Abby. Are you ok?”In a very quiet voice, again not to surprise her and also in order to not wake their parents, their room was just next door to Abby’s.No answer.He knocked again and said nothing this time.At this point when he heard only whimpering and no reply to his efforts Seth decided to just walk in to check on his sister.Seth walked towards her and noticed that she lay in her bed with her blanket and PJ’s abundantly tattered.This walk was long and arduous even though it only stretched the length of about 8 feet. He finally reached her bedside and asked again in an even lighter voice, “Abby, are you ok?What’s wrong?”Abby wiped her tears as she looked up at the brother she had protected for so long and whispered, “He’s not my dad anymore.”And in a faint, breaking voice she continued, “He……hurt me.”

Seth knew he had been chosen for something at an early age.He knew there was a preset future at hand for him.It had always been as though some supreme presence dictated Seth’s life.Like nothing just happened, everything he did felt to him as if he was compelled by a powerful entity.Could it be God?Or Satan?Or some kind of alien with mind control powers over humanity that had decided Seth was a ‘special person’? A person they could use to do their bidding?There was no way to tell.There would most likely never be a way to tell.But this morning, more than any other morning, felt pre-destined such to the point that Seth believed his following actions were not his own.It was as though he had seen it all before in his dreams or a movie.

Is this really why I’m here?

Though it only took a split second after asking himself this question for Seth to realize what he must do.Seth took his sister into his arms and held her saying, “Everything’s gonna be ok. As long as I’m around, you’ll never need to feel anymore pain………..But what did he…?”

Abby was definitely feeling more than unsure about everything in her life at this point decided she could finally looked up to her brother as her protector, instead of being his as she had done for so long. She began to believe there is something Seth could do to rectify this situation.She was unsure of just what he could do, being a boy of only 11 years and knowing nothing of the pain and suffering she’s been through for her entire life.

Could he even know what I’ve been through tonight?How could he?Does he know?

Still there was something about her brother that would make everything right again.Abby wiped away the last of her tears, the last that she would let Seth see anyway, and put her head back down on her pillow though she didn’t sleep she pretended she was going to sleep again.

Seth walked out of her room and into their parent’s room, where he noticed, ’mom is not even in bed.’He wasn’t sure at all where his mother could be.Seth thought to himself,

If dad is such a horrible person maybe that’s why mom isn’t here now.Maybe she knows already?Was she first?Still where is she?

Forgetting for a moment about his mothers absence Seth knew the scenario at hand and what, to him, would be much more important than ‘mommy’s’ whereabouts right now.

Rowan, Seth and Abby’s father, was lying on his bed with a slight smirk on his face, something that Seth had not seen for a very long time.Seth really wasn’t sure if his father was awake or not. Even though he was smirking his eyes were shut.Maybe he’s asleep Seth thought.

Walking very quietly to his father’s bedside Seth felt more and more tension building up inside himself.It was a tension that he’d never dealt with but he had the sensation before several times.This anger and rage had climaxed within him as he neared the bed.Completely outraged Seth kept a clear mind about him and as far as he was concerned a clear judgment of his father.Though the rising tension of his emotions should have caused him to loss control over his actions. That was not the case now.It was as if that controlling entity that governed his life took control completely.And he liked it that way.

He reached for a sharpened pencil that he knew was on the nightstand right next to his father’s side of the bed.Reaching Seth thought,

At any moment he could wake up and turn the tables on me faster than I could react.So I need to do this before he can make that happen.

He raised the pencil overhead and just before he began to thrust it down Seth saw his father’s eyes open.Rowan knew why Seth was there and what he was less than a second away from doing.Seth began to thrust the pencil down toward his father’s neck without reluctance and jabbed it straight into his jugular yelling, “SHE’S YOUR DAUGHTER!!!YOU FUCKING WORM!!!YOUR OWN DAUGHTER!!!”

One strike.The first one came close to Rowan’s jaw line and punctured his throat about 2 inches deep.Rowan stretched out his left hand toward Seth in an effort to push him away from the bed but before he could Seth’s hammering fist pounded down again penetrating Rowan’s throat a second time.This time going straight into Rowan’ larynx. Seth knew it as the Adam’s apple. Once the pencil jabbed through it he thought maybe he’d pull it out and there would be remnants of an actual apple dripping off the end of the murder weapon along with all the blood that previously flung from the wooden instrument.It didn’t happen, a shame maybe that would have brought a small smirk to Seth’s young face.One more and he’ll be done, Seth thought to himself as he was already bringing down his clinched fist.He had to do it a few more times though.There wasn’t much of a struggle from Rowan.He tried to reach for his throat in an effort to hold it and block the pencil from puncturing it again, but it was too late.He began to convulse and dropped both arms to his side as though he was having a seizure.

Though he shook uncontrollably Seth thrust his weapon in and out of Rowan’s neck numerous times and decided that he would not stop until Rowan stopped, for good.It seemed to take all day, How long does it take to die? Seth questioned.It only took a few moments, not even an entire minute from start to finish but Seth wouldn’t have known that.He completely lost track of time, as if time was the most important factor of what was going on right now.It most certainly was not.The only thing that matters now is making sure Abby would be safe from his……

For a brief moment Seth thought that once he had attacked his father everything would be ok.But he knew that was nothing more than a pipe dream.Now that he had destroyed the life of the one man that Seth was supposed to learn great things from he stared down at the lifeless body presented before him with a growing demeanor of strength and power, but his thoughts were anything but strong.The only thing that shook him from this trance-like state, which seemed to take hours, was the sound of chirping robins outside his parent’s bedroom window.Seth then walked out of the room and into Abby’s room again where he saw her cuddled with her pillow but no tears remained on her reddened tired face.Seth released the bloody pencil watching it drop to the floor and maneuvered toward Abby’s bedside where he told her,

“Mom’s not here. But when she gets back she’s not going to be very happy with me. I don’t know what we’re gonna do.”

Abby, knowing what took place in the adjacent room but still in disbelief replied, “We should just kill him!”

Seth did not speak, just turned and walked away.As he exited Abby’s room he made sure to keep perfect posture in his stance.If she saw him slouch or slump over in anyway then for sure he would not look as if he could take care of her from now on.Seth closed Abby’s bedroom door and held the knob for a moment, letting his head down still trying to figure out what he should do. He straightened up again and stared down the hallway into the kitchen and at the side door of their quaint little shotgun house. Thinking the best thought he could come up with, I gotta get Smoky.He left the house and went next door where his Uncle George, ‘Smoky’, lived and began to bang on his door hysterically.“Smoky!!Smoky!! We need you!!! Smoky!!”

2

Smoky opened the door with sleep still in his eyes and a yawning reply to Seth, “What are you doing?Do you know what time it is boy?Where’s your mom?”

The only comeback Seth could get out of his racing brain was simply, “I don’t know! She’s gone.He’s dead!”

“WHAT?”Smoky exclaimed, “What happened?Rowan?Where is he?”

Seth could only run back to his house and into his father’s room calling for Smoky to follow.Once Smoky arrived on the scene and took in the sight of his sisters dead husband he knew almost instantly what had occurred.Wanting not to believe it Smoky quietly placed his left hand over his mouth and began rubbing downward as if he had to wipe away last night’s dinner from his lips.With a reluctant look toward Seth Smoky saw in an instance the look upon the child’s face that says, ’I did it.I did it, but I hope nobody ever founds out.’Smoky calmed his expression and ever so lightly placed his hand on Seth’s shoulder to provide a sense of comfort and asked the only question he could, “How did this happen?”

With no response from the child Smoky knew there were only two possible options; either someone had broken into their home and tried to rob them, or somehow Seth must have committed this morbid atrocity.Smoky took Seth into Abby’s room hoping to find the answer to his question.Abby was still lying in bed curled up, hugging her pillow, and there was an obvious look of distraught conquering her face.Smoky knew something much more horrendous had taken place in this house while he was only one house over in a deep sleep.Looking down he saw the pencil with blood surrounding it and soaking into the carpet and thought to himself,

Well, it’s not going to take forensic scientists to figure out what happened here.Truthfully I’m glad Rowan is dead.It only means he can’t keep hurting Sarah and these kid’s.But what do I do now?

Smoky’s thoughts began to run together and he couldn’t focus for a moment.Then Abby turned over in her bed and asked Smoky, “Did we do something wrong Uncle Smoky?”

He knew that he couldn’t explain entirely what would happen if the truth ever got into the hands of the wrong people, and he couldn’t bear the thought of them being hurt by anyone else again.Smoky knew he had to say something to make everything all right, “No, you kids couldn’t have done anything wrong.You are just children.This is something way beyond your doing.”Hoping they would think he didn’t figure it out.That they would just think he still believed someone had broken into their home.

Smoky knew that all he had to do is find a way to cover up what had happened but he also couldn’t let on that he knew these children were the real killers, and the real victims at the same time.Looking down at the pencil on the floor Smoky knew he could ask about it and see what information he may be able to get out of the kids.“How did the pencil get here?Is this what he was stabbed with?”

Seth did reply anxiously, “Yes! B-but…we don’t know what happened.”

Inside his own mind Seth smiled in belief that he can get away with the sin he had committed if he just sticks to the story of not knowing what happened.Abby however, knew she had to provide some reasoning for the pencil to have been in her room.Struggling to find an answer for Smoky’s question about the pencil being on her floor she began, “It was…..the pencil wasn’t in here at first…”Smoky interrupted her pointless excuses, “I know you did this Seth.I see the blood that’s still on your shirt.But, you’re not in trouble.Not with me….I just need to figure out what we can do to fix this so no one knows what really happened here.To do that, I need you to tell me exactly what happened.Do you understand?”

Seth wasn’t too sure if he should inform his uncle about the rape but he did know that whatever he says now he’d have to tell Uncle Smoky that he did kill his father.“Ok…I did it.But I had to…He….He.”Seth struggled to come up with a good reason that didn’t involve his own father being a rapist.However, Abby knew if they didn’t at least tell Smoky then things would only get worse for everyone involved.

Abby’s face tightened and she began to cry. However, she was able to muster up the strength to quickly uttered, “He raped me.” Abby’s words had interrupted Seth’s sure to come false statement, whatever that was about to be.Seth immediately concurred, “Yeah Smoky!What else was I supposed to do?!?!”

The truth was out. And Seth had an epiphany. Rowan was the father that would have turned his son into a horrible person in some manner or another if he’d been allowed to stay alive.“What do we do now Smoky?” murmured Abby.

“This isn’t exactly like cleaning a mess you kids made in the kitchen.” Said Smoky, “But I think I can come up with a plan.First of all thank God the weapon is just a pencil.”He knew he couldn’t tell the kids just how to cover up a murder, although it’s not something that was new to their good ole uncle Smoky.

Unbeknownst to the family Smoky’s ‘previous employment’ with the government just so happened to involve a number of years ‘taking care’ of people that may stand in certain other people’s way.Smoky didn’t just kill someone who may have been a snitch every now and again.In fact, he couldn’t have.That was typically a job for a lower level unit. Not Smokies special skills unit. No, what Smoky would do is much more personal and secretive. Somehow, though, when Smoky’s work was completed certain people such as senators, congressmen, and the chief of police would make sure those ‘accidents’ where seen as just that, ‘accidents’.Smoky couldn’t help to think to himself,

Damn boy if you did this with anybody else in the world next door you’d be destined for a jail cell right now.Even at your age.Behind bars and that’s all there is for you.You’re one hell of a lucky son of a bitch this morning.

“Ok, here’s what we do” said Smoky with the utmost confidence, “First I’ll take the pencil.Don’t worry about what I do with it.Seth, just remember that you didn’t hear anything until Abby screamed, before you heard her screaming you were asleep all night.I’m gonna go outside and break the window in your parents room.Then, I’m coming this way and kicking the door to Abby’s room in.Once I do that Abby I want you to scream and hide under your blanket.Last, we just leave your window open.You see where I’m getting at with this?”

The children looked at Smoky with a surprise on their faces.They thought for sure he’d go to the cops and they would be in serious trouble.The kids never even thought about what would happen if they were caught; they just thought their mom would be really mad.

Seth looked around and said to Smoky, “I don’t get it.You are going to lie for us?”

“No” replied Smoky, “I am going to tell you what to say when you get questioned.Ok?Abby, all you know is that you heard a loud bang then a guy with a mask on his face ran through your room and climbed out the window.Seth, you heard Abby scream and got up to check on her then ran to your parent’s room.That’s when you ran up to Rowan and noticed the blood.You started to try and wake him but he never got up.You have to say this. They are going to want to know about the blood that’s on you and anywhere you may have been. Understood?” Seth shook his head up and down several times even though his face had the most obvious look of confusion it could possibly have on it. Smoky continued, “Then you and Abby came to get me.I called the cops, after we got back here which is what I’m going to go do after I make this look like a break-in. Any questions?”

Both children shook their heads no and hoped they could remember to say exactly what Smoky had told them to say.

3

It is now 5a.m. Sarah had been driving since 2am and still had no particular destination in mind.Not once had Sarah even looked up to see any road signs, she didn’t even know which direction she had been driving for the last three hours.She glanced up out of her tiring confused state to see a billboard on the highway that read, SHAKY’S OPEN 24-HOURS TAKE NEXT EXIT GO RIGHT.At that moment Sarah realized just how tired and hungry she had become.

Wow, how long have I been driving?She thought looking down at the clock built into her car radio.5:00 it read.When the hell did I start driving?It was dark.I remember that much.

Sarah began to slow her car so she could take the next exit and turn right for that early breakfast she had been craving for much longer than she even knew.Once she reached the bottom of the exit ramp she saw the sign for the restaurant, sure enough on the right.The sign was in the window of a building that looked almost like a big house with windows all around it.That way people could look inside the building and see all the tables and the counter where they could sit and eat alone. That’s definitely what she’d be doing this morning for breakfast, eating alone.And that’s definitely the counter I’ll be eating at. No need for all of those pesky chairs. Sarah smirked a half smile as she thought.

When Sarah pulled into the parking space right by the entry door to the restaurant she began to smell something she had not eaten since she met Rowan.Bacon, Sausage, Syrup.Mmmm…

Bacon was the most over powering of the smells, it was her favorite so many years ago.Sarah sat in her car for a moment longer to take in the essence of the pleasurable breakfast meat aroma as they brought back memories of a time she had much less responsibilities, and much less resentment.She opened her car door and stared for a moment at the ground under her vehicle.No thoughts were in her mind.Sarah had just simply become far too tired to try to think about the events that led her to this parking lot.Looking back up and sighing a bit Sarah gathered her strength and exited her car to go inside and get a bite to eat.Sitting at the counter she waited a moment for the waitress to come over and ask the good question, “What’ll it be hun?”

Hun.I wonder who the last person to call me that and mean it actually was?God knows this lady doesn’t mean it, neither does Rowan.That fuck-off piece of shit.Why the hell did he have to tell me…

The waitress seemed to glide across the other side of the counter to get to Sarah.“You want a menu?Or you know what you lookin’ for?”

Sarah felt the small amount of humanity she thought may have been left in the world slip away as she heard this dimwitted servers hospitality flush down the drain of the sink she had been staring into as she asked such a dumb question.“Well, I know I want Bacon, but let me see what you guys have on the menu too please.”Sarah couldn’t believe it! This waitress seemed as if she went out of her way to not call me, ‘Hun’.

Oh well.

The waitress walked away but not very far and grabbed a menu from the box attached to her side of the counter.“Nevermind the menu. Just get me 2 strips of bacon, 2 sausage patties, some scrambled eggs, toast, and a coffee.”Sarah decided this was going to be the best breakfast she’d had in a very long time.Fifteen years to be exact.Fifteen years and I get treated like some fucking shitty girlfriend that pisses him off.God what did I do?Funny thing is right now…I don’t even really care.I’m happy right now just to get some fucking bacon, hell yeah!

It had been fifteen years since Sarah and Rowan started dating.When they started Sarah was on what can be considered a sort of diet.She figured that if she looked good she’d land a good guy.That’s the way most women seem to get with a good man, right?So where did I fuck up?

Remembering what it took to get a man like Rowan, Sarah made sure she wouldn’t breakdown and cry or do something stupid while she was in the presence of strangers.Afterall, aren’t strangers the people you’re supposed to be on your best behavior for?That’s the way it goes, put your best foot forward and all that good stuff.Sarah used to play music as loud as she could as a teenager.She never really even cared what type of music she was playing, just as long as there was a good beat and she could dance that was her happy time.Of course this had been years before she met Rowan.Guys always tried to hit on her, and a few of them she liked.But none of them could ever compare to the feeling she felt when the music was playing.The only thing that might have been better than music was riding horses.

As a young child Sarah’s parents put her in a horseback riding class.There was a horse there that Sarah fell in love with the moment she met her.Jessie was her name.A huge mystically graceful creature with mostly white fur and a few brown spots in it, and a long beautiful white main that Sarah would caress as she sat atop Jessie.Thinking of the music and Jessie Sarah knew she’d be ok for the next few moments at least.As long as she could hold onto her ‘back in the day memories’ she could hold back the tears that may come. Even though she was sure she would never cry again simply because she has cried far too many times and just may have no more tears left for the world.

The waitress walked back to her from the back of the restaurant where the kitchen had been with a plate of delectable’s which drew Sarah’s smile again.She sat up and began into the plate nearly hands first and stopped herself to find her manners.Sarah picked up her silverware and ate and ate and ate, stopping only to breath and swallow after she had chewed as long as she could to savor the flavor.Once she finished her breakfast Sarah noticed the check sitting next to her plate.Wow, I didn’t even see the waitress come over here.She must not be very good at her job.$6.37 Not bad.Did I even get a refill on the coffee?I don’t even know but I guess so, she’ll get a good tip just because I feel like being nice right now.Good thing she’s not Rowan…hahaha.

After paying the bill Sarah complimented the chef, who also happened to be the waitress, and walked back to her car.The moment she sat in her seat she felt the tiredness that hits when you haven’t slept much at all and just ate a good meal.Shaking it off she put her ignition key into its slot and tilted her head down again.Deciding it’d be better to not drive due to an insatiable desire to take a nap she just rolled down her window a bit for some air, tilted her seat back for comfort and laid back.It didn’t feel like much time went by when the light that had been beaming into her car for about an hour now finally woke Sarah.Looking around she noticed the parking lot was practically empty and she could finally have her little breakdown for the day, the one that’s going to help her get through yet another day she wished wouldn’t have started.She remembered with full clarity now why she had been driving so far and so early that morning.

It was late night, or early morning and Rowan was trying to, ‘get a little’.Sarah told him that she wanted him to stop so she could get some sleep.Hell, she was in the middle of sleeping when he started making his moves.Mornings like that always sucked for Sarah, she figured it was just like that for most women.Men get horny and try to have a little fun but what woman wants to wake up in the middle of the night and put all that work into sex just to not get anything out of it, except less sleep.

Sarah already had to get up early, not this early though, and take the kids to school then come back home and make sure everything was in order before she went in to work for the day.Sarah did data entry for a local hospital and hoped for one day to come when she wouldn’t have to ever go back to that hospital, at least for work, ever again in her life.Thank God at least she didn’t have to be at to work until 10am.

Rowan brought that point up as the fight began to start, “You don’t have to work until 10am.You got plenty of time to get some sleep, bitch.”

“What are you talking about?I gotta get the kids to school, straighten up the house, and you think calling me a bitch is gonna help your cause?”Sarah retorted in hopes that Rowan would realize that he’s being a dick, and not a dick that she’d want anytime soon.

“I don’t give a fuck about the kids, and fuck the house too!I don’t care if its spotless when I get home from work.”

“Bullshit!You always bitch about the house being a mess even when it’s not!And you don’t give a fuck about the kids?What kind of father says that?”

“They just take my fucking money anyway.Besides you need to do what I say!That’s the way this shit works, BITCH!!”

“Fuck You Asshole!And I’m not gonna sit here------“

SMACK!PUNCH!

Sarah knew what was coming before the fight even started.But what else was she going to do?It had been enough.He had been like this for the last 5 years or so.Before things were so much better.Taking a punch every now and again seemed to be what she was supposed to do to keep her family together, to keep her kids in a ‘real household’.Times had been better though.One time. Before all of this.

Sarah rose up from her bed and got dressed.While she was getting dressed she was sure Rowan would have come after her so she made sure to keep an eye on him while she was moving around the room.She wanted to cry so much this time but held it back like she always does so the kids didn’t have to hear it.Sarah wasn’t sure if she wanted to cry for the pain of being hit by her husband, or if she wanted to cry because he actually said what he said about their children, his own children.

It seemed the time had come that she was just going to strike back but Sarah knew that would go nowhere, except maybe get her even more beat up.So beat up that Seth and Abby would definitely know what happened.And even though he apparently didn’t want them to have a good childhood she wasn’t going to let that happen.They didn’t need to know about any of this.Sarah got dressed and walked right out of the room surprised to see that he would not chase her.Grabbing her keys and walking out the front door to her car Sarah felt relieved to get some kind of time away from everything she had to take care of and everything she had to deal with.

Today, I’m taking off work, I’m driving to where ever I wind up, and I’m just giving up on it all.Fuck it.Why should I have to do all this anymore?For the kids?They would be the only reason I can ever come back to this house again.

Sarah drove away and now here she is.Now she’s sitting in her car in a parking lot of a restaurant she never heard of before in a town she where doesn’t even know the towns name.The tears did begin to flow and what she thought was going to be her strength was slipping away.She knew her weakness and knew the only way to deal with her life was going to be to continue on as she had been for the last few years.Hiding away and crying was the best thing she could do, and this was a good hiding spot being three hours away from home.Letting the tears come, the sounds which usually accompany them were blasting out of her car as loud as her vocal cords could carry them.It was like she had become her own radio, her own music.This for sure was a music Sarah could live without.

She had been crying for only a few minutes when she heard a knock on her driver side window.Sarah turned her head toward it in a very nonchalant manner, like it’s normal to cry in her car and talk to whomever is tapping on her car window.It was the waitress.Sarah saw a look of concern on the waitresses face and felt there was no threat if she’d talk with this woman standing outside of her car so she rolled the window all the way down.Wiping her tears and sniffling as lightly as she could Sarah looked at the waitress hoping to find some comfort in what she was about to say.

“Hun, I don’t know if I should get involved…but I just wanna to let you know you should take as much time as you need an’ dry your face up before you go drivin’ off and get yourself in a wreck or somethin’.”

“Thank you.”Sarah smiled a bit and let out a small quick sigh of a laugh.“You know, I was wondering when you were gonna call me hun.Hun..haha.”

The waitress joined Sarah in a smile to lighten up the mood.“That’s funny hun.I don’t say it often.I always thought it was too cliché to hear that from your waitress all the time, ya know.”

“Yeah.I guess you’re right.I didn’t think of it like that.It doesn’t hurt your tips to not say it does it?”

“I don’t reckon it does.Really not too worried about if it does.Guess I only say hun when someone’s needing to hear something nice, not just to get their money.”

“You know.” Sarah thought her next statement may just be a bit out of the ordinary but was not at all reluctant to tell the waitress, “You probably don’t hear it enough, if you’re anything like me that is, but I think you are a good person. Probably one of the best I’ve spoken to in years...don’t ever change.”

“Thank ya hun.You just sit there and relax ok?”

“I will.Thanks.”

Finding that there may be hope for the future yet, Sarah watched the waitress go back into the restaurant as she made a new decision.Sarah was going to get back home in a few hours and find a divorce attorney, and get it filed.And not only was she going to do all that, she was going to gather up her children’s things and have them move to her mom’s place until things get worked out.

Fuck the house, if necessary he can keep the damn thing, he can clean it up all the time too.

4

Staring out of his dining room window waiting for the police to show, Seth focused primarily on the dying remains of a yard that once flourished with beautiful green grass and professionally placed shrubberies that used to bloom gorgeous flowers, each set in matching patterns.Now the back yard of the Stokes’ home was riddled with overgrown weeds and dead bushes and had only few patches of grass from not being cared for over several years.Seth never much liked yard work anyway, so this was beneficial to him as a young child.No work used to equal more play... he thought to himself. But this time Seth was not concerned about playing anytime soon.It was a long time ago when Seth last played a game with Rowan.They used to play a game called mutants and aliens.

In mutants and aliens Seth would choose to either be a mutant or an alien and his father had to be the opposite.But, since Rowan had no choice on being an alien or a mutant he chose what supernatural powers they would have.Sometimes Seth could fly, sometimes he had monstrous strength, and other times he would be able to lift things with his mind. Other than picking what they would be and what powers they would have there were only a few main rules to the game.Rule number one, powers were limited to three powers per person to make it fair.Rule number two, nothing could be used for a weapon.This rule was around mainly because Sarah didn’t think her son should use weapons while playing otherwise he may begin using real weapons. And the last main rule of the game was that you can’t have the power of taking other peoples powers, which would make it way too simple.It didn’t matter what powers Rowan chose for them, most of the time he would figure out a way to do something stupid with his powers so Seth would be able to defeat his enemy.

Good times, why can’t it still be like that?

Mutant and alien was the main game Seth played with his father.He loved it even more than learning how to play baseball, football, or basketball.He wasn’t too sure why until now.He loved it because it was their game.Any other game was just something that everyone did and you could do it with anyone you picked at a playground on a weekend, but not mutant and alien.Others may have played cops and robbers.Or X-men, but this was their game.The last time they played had to be about 2 years ago.

Since then Rowan seemed to become increasingly absent in Seth’s life.Without even a conversation about how they were going to grow apart. This hurt Seth to the very core.Maybe it hurt Rowan as well, at least on some level.It certainly didn’t benefit either of them in any way, that much was for sure.Seth used to prefer it when he picked mutant and Rowan gave him the power of flight and super human strength, with those powers it didn’t matter what the third ability would be.With flight and strength he could always over power his father using his strength and if he couldn’t do that then he could fly away and try to tire him out and come back again to overpower him.Rowan liked to pick the power of controlling Seth’s body.If Seth was flying however, he couldn’t control his body that was always the stipulation.Thinking about the powers they chose when they would play Seth wondered what would have truly happened if they were in a real fight with one another.He knew that by this point if he could overpower his father in hand to hand combat or fly away he definitely wouldn’t even try to lift a foot from the ground. After finding out that Rowan would be able to go to sleep just fine right after raping his own daughter, Seth knew he’d never backdown from Rowan or anyone else that harms his family. Even if that meant killing another family member.

Maybe that’s what happened…I really did take on powers.But this time I had the ability to take his powers, screw the rules.I took his power to control my body and I controlled his body…I made him stay asleep and stay lying in the bed, that way he couldn’t get up…he couldn’t……did he know I was there?He couldn’t have known, not really. Did he?