Chapter 2 - THE ARRIVAL OF THE BLUE SHADOWS
The heavy footsteps approached the curtain,
they were loud and measured,
signaling the arrival of security,
two men in dark uniforms appeared,
their expressions were completely serious,
they looked at Dr. Reeves first,
she pointed toward my mother,
and then she pointed at me,
this young lady was assaulted,
the doctor said with authority,
her voice did not shake at all,
she needs a safe environment,
the guards nodded their heads,
they took positions by the door,
blocking any chance of escape,
mom looked like a trapped animal,
her eyes darted around the room,
searching for a clever lie,
searching for a way out,
but the walls were closing in,
she gripped her leather purse tighter,
as if it could protect her,
from the cold reality of the law,
within five minutes the police arrived,
two officers in crisp blue uniforms,
their badges shone under the lights,
one was an older man with gray hair,
his name tag said Officer Martinez,
the other was a young woman,
she looked focused and alert,
Officer Martinez stepped forward smoothly,
he looked at my blood-stained shirt,
he looked at the metal staples,
that now held my scalp together,
what happened here tonight,
he asked in a low voice,
his tone was remarkably calm,
but it demanded an answer,
mom opened her mouth immediately,
she tried to speak over him,
it was just a small accident,
she said with a trembling laugh,
my children were just playing around,
siblings always fight you know,
Logan did not mean any harm,
he is a wonderful boy,
Officer Martinez raised his large hand,
he stopped her words mid-sentence,
ma'am I am not asking you,
he said with a firm look,
I am asking the victim here,
he turned his eyes to me,
his gaze was heavy and expectant,
I felt my mother’s eyes burning,
she was staring at my profile,
sending silent threats through the air,
she wanted me to be quiet,
she wanted me to protect Logan,
just like we always did before,
every time he lost his temper,
every time he broke something precious,
every time he left a bruise,
on my arms or my legs,
but the pain in my head,
was screaming louder than her glare,
the metallic taste of fear,
was strong in my mouth,
I looked at the doctor’s face,
Dr. Reeves gave me a tiny nod,
encouraging me to be brave,
encouraging me to speak the truth,
I took a deep, shaky breath,
the air burned my throat,
my brother threw me,
I whispered very softly,
he threw me into the wall,
the words were finally out,
they hung in the sterile air,
unchangeable and totally real,
mom let out a sharp gasp,
she looked at me with betrayal,
as if I had stabbed her,
as if I had destroyed our home,
Officer Martinez took out a notepad,
he began to write everything down,
his pen scratched against the paper,
a sound that felt incredibly loud,
tell me everything from the start,
he said without looking up,
and the truth began to pour,
like water from a broken dam,
flooding the room with dark secrets,
that we had hidden for years,
in our quiet house in Dayton,
May you like
where the walls heard everything,
but the neighbors never knew.
