Young Writers Society

Hey, all! Here is part 2 of chapter one. Hope you enjoy this at least as much as you did the last bit! Reviews and likes are always appreciated. =)

Faylinn sobbed quietly in the corner of the bathtub, cradling her jaw in her hand. She hadn’t heard a word her father had said; she had only seen the look of rage in his eyes as he punished her, the brief look of panic as he tried to stifle her cries with his huge hands. She was sure that he hadn’t seen his daughter, but only a malfunctioning subject that must be brought under his control again.

Collecting herself, she took a deep breath and turned the door handle. It didn’t open. At that moment, she realized that her father had slammed the door so hard, it had bowed outward, leaving her trapped. Trying to control her panic, she yelled for her sisters, for her mom, for anyone to save her from her new prison. No one came.

A few minutes later, Tyger, her cat, jumped from the attic and landed on the counter next to her. Rubbing his head on her hand, he begged to be stroked. Faylinn smiled, scooping him into her arms and sitting on the lid of the toilet. Tyger purred and reached up to rub her tears away from her cheeks. “Tyger, you’re the best,” she whispered. He purred harder in response. After she had sufficiently calmed down, he sprang from her arms and launched himself into the attic to seek other adventures—“Or possibly food,” Faylinn thought with a slight smile. His visit had given her an idea, though.

Kneeling on the counter, Faylinn discovered that she was just small enough to fit through the hole in the ceiling. Bracing her arms on either side of it, she carefully hoisted herself up, her arms straining. Keeping her head low to avoid the nails in the roof, she cautiously maneuvered her way through the stifling attic until she found the opening that was positioned right above her bed. Dropping down, Faylinn started to feel her panic fading. Ensuring that no one was around, she made her way outside to the tree at the side of the house. Using the rickety fence as a booster, she scaled the elm and swung herself onto the roof.

Faylinn moved cat-like over the roof until she came to her usual corner in the front left end of the house. From a nearby tree, she withdrew a backpack containing a towel, a notebook, a couple of pencils, and an MP3 player with headphones. Shuffling through the songs on it, she finally settled on “Mercy”, by Casting Crowns.

“Here I am, a sinner, Broken and in need of You. Take my life and wash my fears away. For You are the Great I AM; Rest assured, I feel Your hand Holding me until the darkness clears. You’re a Father to the fatherless, the Redeemer of my soul. My Life is Yours forever; I want the world to know…”

As she sat on the towel and let the words and their precious meanings wash over her, Faylinn felt a sense of peace returning to her. Though she technically had a father, that one line always touched her; she didn’t consider her male parent to be a father in any sense of the word except the biological one. She considered herself fatherless, and tried to trust God to be that lacking figure in her life. It was hard; it wasn’t as though she had a great example. She really didn’t know what to expect from someone who loved her, protected her, or supported her.

“Hey, what’s up?” Ava startled Faylinn out of her reverie.

“Oh, Ava! Not much… Just felt like sitting up here. How did you get up here?”

“The same way you did. I noticed you leaving, so I thought you might like some company.”

“Thanks. You’re a good kid, Ava.”

Ava sighed and rolled her eyes. “Faylinn, I’m nine; I’m not a kid anymore, remember?”

Faylinn smiled and hugged her. “You’ll always be a kid compared to me; after all, I am twelve. Where’s Faron, by the way?”

“She’s inside, moping around. You know how she usually is.”

Faylinn wished she didn’t know; Faron could be so hard to deal with at times. “Yeah, I know. Typical ten year-old, I guess.”

The two sisters fell into silence, watching the sunset. Finally, Ava rose and stretched. “Come on, Faylinn. Your turn to make dinner; don’t want to get on anyone’s bad side again today, right? I’ll help, if you want.”

Ava really was a good kid.