NOTE: This is a book I'm considering writing, drop your thoughts in the comment section below.


Life isn't all it's cracked up to be. Not for me, anyways. I'm Lissa Crawford, a thirteen year old girl from downtown Chicago. I live with my twin brother Caleb, and my father. My mom died in childbirth, and I don't have any other siblings. So, yeah. That's me. But behind that simple exterior, Caleb and I harbor a dark secret.

Our father is abusive.

No, I'm not talking the "You didn't do your homework so you're getting spanked" kind of dad. I mean, full-fledged abusive. Like, the kind that locks you in your room for days on end just because he felt like it, or lashing your back with a belt until you're too weak to scream anymore. That's what my father is like. He's our own personal monster.

Then there's Caleb. Sweet, innocent Caleb. I love him so much, it doesn't feel possible. He's my best friend, my confidant, the one who gets me through every beating and every degrading lecture. I can't count the number of times he took a lash meant for me, just because he knew how scared and helpless I was. He's like the protective big brother you see on TV shows, except the twin version.

Every morning, Caleb and I sneak out of the house at daybreak, while Dad is still passed out on the couch from another night of drinking. We go to the park down the street, the one with all the wooded trails to run. We've found refuge there, a place where we feel safe.

On one particular day, Caleb and I were walking along the crowded sidewalk when suddenly, we saw a boy and a girl about our age. They were with what I assume was their father. He was laughing, nudging the girl and looking at the cars passing by. The boy seemed equally happy. His thumbs flew across his phone, and every few seconds he would turn the screen for the man to see.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I watched them. The simple family seemed so... I don't know, it just seemed so, so perfect. As if they had walked right out of a Disney movie.

Caleb, ever the perceptive brother, leaned in close and threw his arm around my shoulders. "We'll find happiness one day, Liss." He whispered in my ear. "Together."

I forced a faint smile. "Together," I echoed.

We walked to the park in silence, except for the occasionally "look at that, Liss!" and the "Cal, you gotta see this!" Caleb's arm never dropped from my shoulder, and, finally, we made our way into the park.

We found our usual spot, by a small, isolated stream, and Caleb withdrew his notebook while I activated my laptop. A familiar warmth seeped into my bones as the scratch of pencil on paper reached my ears. I glanced over at my twin with a smirk. "What are you drawing this time, troublemaker?"

Caleb smiled and turned his sketchpad toward me with a proud smile. "I've been working on it a couple of days," He said.

I looked down. There, drawn in light gray pencil, was a sketch of me standing against a building. Caleb was behind me, his arms wrapped around my waist, his chin on my shoulder. He was laughing, and I was looking back at him with an exasperated smile. He had thought of everything, to the turquoise earrings I always wore to his ball cap turned backwards, like he did when we went to school events.

"It's beautiful," I told him, my eyes betraying the rush of emotions that simple image brought to the surface. "You captured our relationship perfectly, Cal."

He smirked. "Yeah, I just gotta add the horns behind your ears, and it'll be done."

I nudged him and rolled my eyes, knowing he was just teasing. "But seriously, Cal. I think you overdid me a little bit."

"What? Why would you say that?" Confusion flickered across his face.

"Because I'm nowhere near that pretty."

"You're right," Caleb agreed. "But this was the best I could do. I'm not good enough to draw your real beauty, Liss."

I smiled, touched by his witty comeback. "Thank you, Caleb." I whispered.

He pulled into a tight hug, his arms making me feel safe for the first time in months. "Anytime, Lissa.

"Anytime."

Anyone up for a part 2?


© Shelby Pryor