Read Online Camouflage (Predator and Prey #1) by Angelica Chase - Free Book Online
Authors: Angelica Chase
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“You going to let me come in and see your room?”
I took a step back and shook my head. I hadn’t even thought of the fact that he shouldn’t be here. I was reminded when my mother’s shriek interrupted my thoughts.
“Taylor, get your ass back into this house!” I jumped when the screen slammed shut and winced when I saw the shock on Laz’s face. My mother weighed less than a hundred pounds and was a horrific sight with deep etched pock marks covering her face and her signature out of control dark red hair. She had once been a beautiful and voluptuous woman from what I gathered from my father, who to this day still bowed down to her every whim.
“Who the hell is this?” she seethed as she took a step down from the porch. “You the new neighbor?”
Laz nodded, still assessing my mother’s looks, and remaining silent. “Don’t you know it’s dangerous to be here, boy? Didn’t anyone warn you away? Go on ...get.”
Laz nodded again and turned to me, a deep sadness in his features. Somehow, he knew then that my mother was the bane of my existence, and I nodded in reply. He simply replied, “I’m going,” then got on his bike and left.
I turned to my mother just as she lifted the glass pipe to her mouth and sat down on the top step. She’d never made any effort to hide her addiction and I prayed Laz wouldn’t look back to witness her taking a hit.
“That boy is trouble for you, and I better not see him again, got me?” She exhaled a steady stream of chemicals as Amber screamed from the kitchen.
“Yes, ma’am,” I said grudgingly.
“Get inside. You know we have things to do.”
I nodded, picked a rag out of the bucket then I stepped into the house. The house we lived in was spotless, but on a daily basis, she made it her mission to soil every single rag we had with cleaning. Her addiction drove her to madness as my father kept to the fields, ignoring her and us as we were made to work day and night, sometimes to the early hours of morning cleaning a spotless house.
“You’d think you’d know better than to bring a friend here,” she hissed as she followed me inside. I pulled a piece of ice out of the freezer and handed it to my sister who was still howling from thirst. After she’d wet the bed last night, my mother swore she wouldn’t have another thing to drink. Amber, who was only three years old, took the ice greedily and sucked it while choking on her subsiding sobs.
“What the fuck are you doing?” my mother hissed, taking the ice from her and fueling her cries.
“Momma, it’s hot. She hasn’t drank anything today,” I said in her defense as Amber threw herself on the cheap, chipped laminate floor.
I felt the slap on Amber’s thighs as she screamed louder and looked up to me for help. My mother hit her again and again as I began to scream with my sister.
“Stop, please, Mama, stop!” I begged as Amber’s voice went hoarse before she let out another loud cry.
When she refused to let up, I dropped the rag I was using to clean the staircase and walked up to my mother as she continued to redden my sister’s thighs with vicious slaps. I reared back, struck her across the jaw with my open hand, and heard her surprised “oh” as she stumbled back. I was only eleven years old, but I knew then that I might be taking my last breaths. Still, I’d resigned myself to punishment of the worst kind. Anything was better than hearing my sister cry. My mother stood to her full height as I braced myself for her wrath. Thinking fast, I grabbed Amber and ran out of the house into the field, flagging my father down. Looking annoyed, he stopped his sad excuse for a tractor as he saw me rushing to him.
“Daddy, she’s doing it again. She’s hitting Amber over and over. You’ve got to stop her!”
“Taylor Jean,” he barked with an eye roll, “what have I told you about getting in your mother’s way!”
“She was hurting her, Daddy!”
He wiped the sweat off his brow as my
I took a step back and shook my head. I hadn’t even thought of the fact that he shouldn’t be here. I was reminded when my mother’s shriek interrupted my thoughts.
“Taylor, get your ass back into this house!” I jumped when the screen slammed shut and winced when I saw the shock on Laz’s face. My mother weighed less than a hundred pounds and was a horrific sight with deep etched pock marks covering her face and her signature out of control dark red hair. She had once been a beautiful and voluptuous woman from what I gathered from my father, who to this day still bowed down to her every whim.
“Who the hell is this?” she seethed as she took a step down from the porch. “You the new neighbor?”
Laz nodded, still assessing my mother’s looks, and remaining silent. “Don’t you know it’s dangerous to be here, boy? Didn’t anyone warn you away? Go on ...get.”
Laz nodded again and turned to me, a deep sadness in his features. Somehow, he knew then that my mother was the bane of my existence, and I nodded in reply. He simply replied, “I’m going,” then got on his bike and left.
I turned to my mother just as she lifted the glass pipe to her mouth and sat down on the top step. She’d never made any effort to hide her addiction and I prayed Laz wouldn’t look back to witness her taking a hit.
“That boy is trouble for you, and I better not see him again, got me?” She exhaled a steady stream of chemicals as Amber screamed from the kitchen.
“Yes, ma’am,” I said grudgingly.
“Get inside. You know we have things to do.”
I nodded, picked a rag out of the bucket then I stepped into the house. The house we lived in was spotless, but on a daily basis, she made it her mission to soil every single rag we had with cleaning. Her addiction drove her to madness as my father kept to the fields, ignoring her and us as we were made to work day and night, sometimes to the early hours of morning cleaning a spotless house.
“You’d think you’d know better than to bring a friend here,” she hissed as she followed me inside. I pulled a piece of ice out of the freezer and handed it to my sister who was still howling from thirst. After she’d wet the bed last night, my mother swore she wouldn’t have another thing to drink. Amber, who was only three years old, took the ice greedily and sucked it while choking on her subsiding sobs.
“What the fuck are you doing?” my mother hissed, taking the ice from her and fueling her cries.
“Momma, it’s hot. She hasn’t drank anything today,” I said in her defense as Amber threw herself on the cheap, chipped laminate floor.
I felt the slap on Amber’s thighs as she screamed louder and looked up to me for help. My mother hit her again and again as I began to scream with my sister.
“Stop, please, Mama, stop!” I begged as Amber’s voice went hoarse before she let out another loud cry.
When she refused to let up, I dropped the rag I was using to clean the staircase and walked up to my mother as she continued to redden my sister’s thighs with vicious slaps. I reared back, struck her across the jaw with my open hand, and heard her surprised “oh” as she stumbled back. I was only eleven years old, but I knew then that I might be taking my last breaths. Still, I’d resigned myself to punishment of the worst kind. Anything was better than hearing my sister cry. My mother stood to her full height as I braced myself for her wrath. Thinking fast, I grabbed Amber and ran out of the house into the field, flagging my father down. Looking annoyed, he stopped his sad excuse for a tractor as he saw me rushing to him.
“Daddy, she’s doing it again. She’s hitting Amber over and over. You’ve got to stop her!”
“Taylor Jean,” he barked with an eye roll, “what have I told you about getting in your mother’s way!”
“She was hurting her, Daddy!”
He wiped the sweat off his brow as my
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