Chapter 1

September 23, 1997

“ No! Your not doing it like we practiced !” Seven year old Denise shouted to her friend Blake.

Blake winced. He hated when Denise would have her fits. Blake was easy going and rarely was into any trouble. Denise was his only friend because everyone else thought that he was weird. Blake was a shy boy and absolutely hated any kind of confrontation. So, he did what he was told without any questions asked.

“ Go back outside and do exactly what I told you to do.” A frustrated Denise instructed. Denise was an only child. She was the daughter of Clive and Janet Robins. Janet was a stay at home mother. Clive worked for a company renovating homes. Denise was a very pretty child. She had a round face with the most adorable dimples, pretty brown skin and a smile that could make anyone feel better except her father Clive.

Blake did as he was told. “ Honey, I’m home.”

Denise walked over to her bedroom door where Blake stood holding a briefcase. Blake kissed Denise on the cheek this time unlike last time when he forgot.

“ Welcome home sweetie. Have a seat and I will bring you a cold glass of sweet tea.”

While walking to get the plastic pitcher filled with tea her mother made, Denise stopped suddenly. She turned around and looked at Blake pointedly.

“ Oh” Blake said trying to remember what to say next. “Thank you my darling wife. What would I ever do without you?”

Denise returned to the table and sat down. “ You will never have to worry my darling husband. We will be together forever and ever and ever.”

“ Knock Knock” Janet opened the bedroom door to see her daughter having tea with her best friend. She thought to herself how cute it was seeing such a sight.

“ Blake your mother is ready for you to come home.”

Denise started pouting and batted her long eyelashes. “We were just getting started mommy and he finally got it right this time.”

“ Baby, there is always tomorrow. I tell you what. How about I make a pound cake for you two to have tomorrow. Won’t that be nice?” Janet asked nervously hoping her daughter would stop with the pouting before Clive made it home.

Janet had spent the whole day cleaning and cooking. Everything was in it’s right place. The floors had been swept and mopped three times to make sure not a speck of dirt or trash was on the floor. She had prepared Clive’s favorite meal. Janet just knew that tonight would be perfect. Her husband had been a little grumpy lately and even slapped her just the other night. It was nothing that a little makeup couldn’t fix.

Janet led the children out of the room and walked Blake to the door. Clive had arrived home earlier than she expected. She checked her watch which read five- thirteen. He didn’t usually come home until about seven.

“ See you tomorrow Blake.” Denise yelled.

Clive pushed past his wife and daughter and went straight to the refrigerator to look for his usual drink. Beer. Janet led her daughter inside and told her to go and get ready for dinner.

“ Welcome home sweetie. Have a seat and I will bring you a cold glass of sweet tea.”

“ Damn the tea. Where is my beer?”

Janet played with her necklace while thinking of something to say to explain her earlier actions.

Clive looked at Janet and waved his hands in front of her face.

“ Are you fucking deaf?” Clive spat out at Janet.

Denise made it downstairs to find her mother with a familiar expression on her face. Fear.

“ I- I threw out your beer. You’ve been drinking too much.”

Janet prepared herself for what was about to come.

“ Okay.” Clive said. He walked over to the dinner table and saw all of his favorite foods placed neatly.

“ I cooked your favorite. Green bean casserole, pork chops, macaroni, and a carrot cake for dessert.” Janet said proudly. Maybe he will forget about the beer she thought to herself.

Clive chuckled. “ On the day that I’m fired, you cook my favorite.”

Janet’s smile disappeared from her face. “ How did you get fired Clive?”

“ Why don’t we go upstairs and talk.” Clive asked his wife.

“ Denise stay here at the table. Your father and I will be right back.” Janet told her daughter.

Clive and Janet walked upstairs to their bedroom and shut the door. Denise was too impatient to wait to eat so she began to eat alone.

She heard her father yelling and her mother screaming. Janet told her daughter when her father and her were having “ grown up talk” to go inside her room and shut the door.

Denise walked up the stairs to her bedroom and shut her door. It was past seven now. The yelling and screaming had stopped. Denise walked into the hallway and saw that her parent’s bedroom door was opened.

“ Mommy. Wake up.”

She walked up to the bed and climbed on top. She began to shake her mother but did not get a response from her. Denise hit her mother instead to get her to wake up.

“ Ahh, my God.” Janet screeched. Slowly the covers came down from covering Janet’s face. Denise’s eyes grew large at the sight of her mother. Her hair was disheveled. She had scratches all over her face and arms and her eye was swollen shut.

“ Mommy.” Denise cried.

“ Go back to bed Denise.”

Denise climbed down from the bed with tears running down her face.

On the way back to her bed Denise saw her dad wobbling up the stairs. He smelled of beer and cigarettes.

“ Daddy. I want to play a game.”

Clive stopped at the top of the stairs and looked down at his daughter. Truthfully, he could not stand the sight of her. He wished that he had a son instead.

“ Not tonight.”

Denise would not accept a no. Not tonight. “ Please Daddy. It won’t take long.”

Clive rolled his eyes. “ Fine. What’s the name of this game?” he asked.

“ Turn around Daddy.” Denise said. Clive turned around and began to go down the stairs.

“ Stop. Stay right here on top of the stairs Daddy.”

Clive did as his daughter said wondering what kind of silly game this was.

“ Close your eyes.”

“ Aren’t you gonna ask me the name of the game Daddy?”

“ What is the name of this game Denise?”

With all of the strength that Denise had, she pushed her father. He stumbled at first but then went falling down the stairs and hit the floor head first.

Denise stood on top of the stairs smiling.

“ Daddy will fall.” she said aloud.