Douglas, Penelope - Corrupt by Penelope Douglas

Author:Penelope Douglas [Douglas, Penelope]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Corrupt
Publisher: Penelope Douglas LLC
Published: 2015-11-15T05:00:00+00:00

Present

THE HOUSE SCARED ME AT NIGHT. It always had.

A light wind blew outside and bare tree branches scraped against windows in various rooms as I crept downstairs, passing the ticking grandfather clock in the foyer.

Its sound echoed though the vast house and always reminded me that life went on while we slept. Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock…

Kind of a scary thought, actually. Creatures stirred outside, trees sat patiently in the forest, and danger could be lurking right outside the front door, mere feet away from our vulnerable spots in our warm beds.

And the Crist house held that same mystery. There were too many dark corners. Too many nooks to hide in and too many dark closets hidden in dormant rooms lurking behind closed doors.

The house was heavy with secrets and surprises, and it scared me, which was probably why I always found myself wandering around at night.

I enjoyed the fear of the silent darkness, but it was something else, too. You became aware of things under the shroud of night that you didn’t see in the light of day. The things people hide and how lax they become with their secrets when they think is everyone is asleep.

In the Crist house, the most interesting hours would often be after midnight. I’d learned to love the sound of the house being shut down and locked up. It was like a new world was about to unfold.

My bare feet didn’t make any sound as I walked into the dark kitchen and headed over to the pantry.

This was where I’d first found out that Mr. Crist was scared of Michael. It had been the middle of the night, and Michael had been sixteen. He’d come into the kitchen to get something to drink and hadn’t noticed me on the patio outside. I’d gotten up to watch the rain under an awning with a stash of fruit rollups Mrs. Crist had bought me. I remember it clearly, because it was my first night in the new bedroom she’d decorated just for me for when I slept over.

His father walked in to the kitchen, and I couldn’t make out what they were saying, but it turned heated, and Mr. Crist slapped his son across the face.

I hated it, of course, but it wasn’t something I hadn’t seen before, unfortunately. Mr. Crist and Michael didn’t get along, and it wasn’t the first time Michael had been hit.

But this time was different. He didn’t take it quietly. He immediately lashed out and grabbed his father by the neck. I stared in horror as Mr. Crist struggled. Something had come over Michael, and I’d never seen him act like that before.

And as second after second passed, it was clear that Michael was too old for his father to push around, and now Mr. Crist knew it.

I watched as his father start to choke and cough.

Michael eventually let go, and his father stormed out of the kitchen. The incident lost Michael his car and his allowance, but I didn’t think Mr. Crist ever touched him again after that.

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