Saved by Silence

                                                                                        Summer Break     My hands cover my ears, I move farther back into the closet. Maybe he will forget I am here, I need to be as quiet as possible. Curling even more into a ball I hear him keep yelling at my mom. She just takes it and sometimes he hits her. He likes to hit me more, especially if I make a noise, or don’t move fast enough. The quieter I am, the safer I am.      Mom doesn’t do anything. She just sleeps all day on the couch and when I ask for food she just tells me to get it myself. I haven’t had real food in days. Mom’s boyfriend doesn’t buy food and half the time he is out of it like my mom. He has friends over sometimes and they do the same stuff as him and mommy. I hear a little bit of what they talk about, but I am too scared of them and I stay in the closet most of the time.       I can hear him screaming my name. Oh no please leave me alone. I move as far into the corner of the closet as I can get and cover my face. The door opens and I remind myself to be quiet and it won’t be so bad. I have learned not to fight back or things get worse.