You plug in your headphones and put them in. You turn the volume up a bit, not too loud , not to quiet. You don't want your parents yelling at you. You know what your step- Dad is capable of when he's wasted, his regular routine. Come home, drunk and wasted, go to your Mother, argue with her and if he loses then hit her. You don;t like it when he hurts her. You never really liked him. You've always wondered if you looked like your " real Dad". You hope he's not like your step -dad. Your Mother never really told you a lot about him. Just that he left when you were a baby. But now that you're sixteen, you know there's way more to the story.

You hear the front door bang open and a feeling of revulsion crosses your chest and leaves your nerves tingling. You carefully make your way to your door and lock it from the inside, making it impossible for John ( step - Dad) to get through to take his anger out. You tip- toe your way back to your bed and silently let your mind melt into the heavy metal playing. Blocking out the helpless cries of your Mother as John's hand connects with a part of her body. The sound is like bullets piercing through the walls.

tears stream down your cheeks as you shut your eyes with all your might. You wonder what sin you committed that landed you in this hell hole. You thank God for the first time , for now giving you a sister. John's a monster og lust. You've seen him with other women, doing things he shouldn't be and yet, he comes back to your Mother because him and his pathetic self can't find a job.

Silence. It's silent now, no more screaming or crying. Just a still silence. John has left to come back again and you can imagine your Mother sitting on the couch, trying to pull herself together. You turn the volume down a bit and relax your eyes. You wait for another five minutes before taking the headphones out. You hear your Mother's footsteps retreat to her room. You can tell she's limping , because of the sound of only one foot thumping and the rustle of the other leg being dragged. Her door closes and you hear her bed springs squeak as they try to hold her weight up. She's resting. You lean back and rest your head too. Silence. That's all there is now. You close your eyes and let yourself melt into the stentorious silence.