Breaking the habit

Her mothers arm wrapped around her tenderly. Trying to assuage the fire that leaped within her. She struggled against the gentle hold, wanting to go after her father and give him a piece of her mind. 'How dare he hurt her brother?' she couldn't understand what drove him to such depths of atrocity, When she opened her mouth to call out to him, her mother gently covered it, slowly shaking her head. Zaniah just frowned and whined. "But he hurt Z, how is this ok?" she said staring at the lacerations on his back.

When her brother apologized she instantly rose to his defense. "No no, it wasn't Z's fault, papa dropped food on the floor, then he asked me to clean it, I told him... I told him" she said barely stopping to breathe "that he dropped it so he should clean it, I'd already finished putting away all my toys, because I took them all out..." she said nodding slowly and indicating the room around her. "Momma, you don't cry too..." she said anxiously frowning at her mother and wiping away her tears. "Z, is hurt so he can cry, you shouldn't cry also." she nodded leaning into her mom's embrace and stretching to gently place one of her hands on Z.

"He was there for me, ma, he didn't make papa mad, papa was already mad." she finished, talking slowly as her mother's warmth calmed her down. "Yes! I don't want to be with him. He gave Z so many owies" she agreed, holding her reddened ear and rubbing it, recalling that it hurt there, but it was nothing in comparison to the marks she saw on Z's back. "I want to give him owies!" she exclaimed balling her hands into fists only to be held on tighter by her mom.

"No no, what have I told you about hitting back Zaniah...?" Zaira said softly kissing her daughter's cheek. While this made Zaira rile up enough to set the man on fire, she was not going to encourage vengeful tendencies in her daughter, at the same time, she didn't want Zaniah to feel that this was right. No, she wouldn't have Zan grow up like this, and she'd never let Z be abused again. "We'll go away to grandma's and grandpa's soon. Papa will leave early in the morning, we'll pack up everything and leave before he gets back..." Zaira assured. Turning towards her son, "You did right in standing up for your sister, I'm proud of you..." she said in between soft sobs, it pained her to see him suffer. "Thank you for being there for your sister when I wasn't, I won't leave you guys like this again..." she said, still horrified at the amount her son had endured.

He didn't have to pretend to be strong anymore, so he wasn't, he was content to lay against his mom's chest and take in her warmth as he laid against her with a sort of faraway expression. He wanted to respond to the things Zan was saying, but he felt so horrible, so much pain that ran deeper than just the surface damage, tears still ran down his cheeks heavy and bitter, and it took him a moment to finally speak, "it hurts..." Was all he managed to mumble, hiding his face against her, but there was some small comfort as his sister defended him, when he felt her hand on his shoulder. He hated feeling so afraid and helpless, nothing usually scared him.

He looked up at Zaira with large eyes when she said she was proud of him, feeling his breath hitch, "I tried mama...I couldn't let him talk to her like that..." He didn't regret his actions, he would take ten times what he'd gotten if it meant keeping her safe, "I just did what I had to do...I didn't want him to get the key..." His voice was small and clearly trembling, "I'm...Really scared..." He curled in tighter against her, reaching to take Zan's hand and squeeze it tightly, "a-are you okay?" He looked up at her with worried eyes, wanting to reassure himself that she was okay.