Meeting At Sunset

       The dark blue sky with a flash of fiery red-blazed across, while the sun was setting behind the horizon. It was the perfect time of day as I sat on the back porch every evening. The whispers of leaves swaying around the fence line making the ground flutter with grace. I listened to the birds sing the mating song and the crickets play their tune; when everything went dead silent all around me.      I stood up from the bench that was hooked onto the roof of the porch and took the steps down towards the silence. When I looked deeper into the forest I saw red-amber eyes staring right back at me. I stood still hoping that the wolf knew I meant no harm and would leave, but it just stood there watching me.     The wolf ran off when my name was called from inside the house, “Juniper! Dinner is ready, come and eat!”     I walked back wanting to know why the wolf was staring at me and why it was close to humans, but I didn’t freight on it too much. I walked back up the porch and grabbed my phone from the bench and walked inside my house. When I walked in I heard my brother and father fighting again, which wasn’t good because that meant that my father hit my mother again today. I decided to walk into the kitchen so my brother and father could keep fighting so I could talk to my mother.     I saw my mother covering her face with an ice pack. I rushed over to her and held her tight with comfort.     “Mom? Why do you insist on living with him?” I asked sorrowfully.     “I love him, dear, I know he didn’t mean too, he has gotten better Juniper,” my mom looked at me with pain in her eyes.     “Mom you can’t just let him push you around like that. Not anymore,” I said standing up after hearing a crash in the dining room.     I ran so quickly that I didn’t realize that the wolf was on the back porch watching me. When I got to the dining room my father was beating up my little brother.     “Get off of him!” I screamed at my father as I rushed to try to pull him off, which I was shocked that he flew across the living room.     “Sis! How… What… Have you been at the gym?” he stuttered with shock.     My father pulled himself up from the couch that fell when he crashed into when I threw him.      “How dare you, you have been nothing but a pain in my ass! So has your brother, but at least he respects me,” he said throwing the couch back to where it was.     “And you! Have nothing but been an abusive father and husband! You can act like your tough all you want, but you are weaker than any of us!” I yelled back at him getting into the defensive stance that I learned from kickboxing class two years ago.     My father glared at me not knowing what to say and he surprised me and my little brother. His emotions vanished and he walked like he was having a normal day as any.        “Now I know who the strong one is in the family,” he said with a smile. “I have never been prouder of you my girl.”     “This was all just an act?” I said not letting down my guard.     “No, but I know where you get your emotions and your strength from,” he said picking up the mess on the floor that he made when he was beating up my little brother.     “The next time you lay a hand on my mother or my little brother, I will call the cops,” I said putting my hands down and walking back to the kitchen.        My mother was cleaning up when I walked in. She turned and her face was bruised purple from the impact of my father’s fist.      “It isn’t as bad as you think honey,” my mom said, as she went back to cleaning dishes.     “Mom, can I ask you something?” I asked, not sure if she would answer me honestly.     “Sure. What is it honey?” my mom’s voice sang with sweetness.     “Do you think I am going to turn out like my father?” I said hoarsely.        “Of course not,” she said, turning around and giving me an embrace. “You are going to be stronger than either of us. Your little brother is what keeps you stable. Your brother looks up to you and that is why he tries to defend me when you are not around.”     Tears started to pour from my eyes because I knew she was right, but I feared that something about me wasn’t right. That fear I kept from showing because I know it was a weakness.