I walked inside and placed my school books onto the table. There, sticking out of one of my books was a bright piece of paper. All the colours danced with each other to make a gorgeous gown and a mask. I moved hesitantly toward it to have a better look. It was a flyer for a masquerade ball. I wonder who left it here? It definitely would not have been Charlie, he hates anything to do with dancing and dressing up. Then it hit me. How could I not have known straight away?!

"Alice," I hissed.

Right on cue, my cell phone vibrated. I tore my eyes off the colours and looked at the caller ID. It was Alice.

"Alice," was all I hissed into the phone.

"Well hello to you too!" she responded in an enthusiastic voice. "I take it that you got my little surprise I left for you!"

"Yes and I'm not going. Even if I wanted to Charlie would never agree to it." I replied. Even the mere mention of his name sent chills down my spine. I remembered the first time I asked to go out, when it all started….

*Flash Back*

"Hey Dad. How was your day?" I was sucking up because I wanted something.

"What do you want?" he growled at me through clenched teeth.

"Some bloody politeness for starters," I thought I had said it to myself, but apparently I hadn't. I would never say that out loud on purpose, I wasn't rude.

Just then a surge of pain washed across my left cheek. I was on the floor, How did I end up on the floor? I moved my eyes from the tiled kitchen floor, to look into my fathers eyes, they so filled with rage I suddenly feared for my life. My eyes began to tear up and overflow.

I just couldn't believe it! He had never hit me before!

"DON'T YOU DARE CRY!" he roared at me. In that instant he grabbed my arm, his fingers digging into my flesh -sure to cause bruises- and ripped me off the floor to stand in front of him. He moved his face just inches from mine, I could smell the alcohol on his breath, great! He had been drinking. I thought the AA program was helping him. Apparently not.

His drinking is what drove my mum to flee from him, unfortunately leaving me behind in the process. He had been so surprised when she left him, while he still loved her, he decided to quit drinking and try and win her back. Mum either refused to get back together with him tody, or he had just given up all hope of ever getting her back, so he turned to his old comforter, a bottle of scotch; my worst enemy!

The tears began to flow even harder and faster, no matter how much I tried to stop them.

He threw me into the dinning room table. As I fell I hit my head on the corner, then everything went black…

*End of flash back*

"Bella. Bella! BELLA!"

"I'm sorry Alice," I replied in a glum voice.

"Zoned out again, huh?" she said with a little laugh.

"Yeah, something like that," I mumbled

"You sure Charlie wont let you go?" she whined into the phone.

"I'm sorry, Alice," I tried to fight back a sob, but it escaped my lips.

"Oh my goodness, Bella!!! Please tell me that it hasn't started again?!" Alice all but screamed into the phone. "I thought it had stopped! We have to call the police, Bella! We have to!"

The mention of police brought me up short and stopped my sobs. "No you cant! Promise me you wont!"

"How long has it been going on for this time?" Alice's was full of nothing but pure rage.

"Um… about 5 months now." I replied in a dull, lifeless voice.

"Why didn't you tell me!! Bella we have to do something, we cant let this go on! We have to call the police!"

"Alice have you forgotten, he's the chief? Everything is run by him first! He would know and he would kill me! Then he would come after you because you are my only friend! He would know that you were the one who told!"

"Bella-"

I heard the cruisers tires pull onto the brick of the drive way. My heart sunk, I felt sick to my stomach, a cold sweat broke out on the back of my neck and my knees started to shake.

"I have to go, he's home!" I flipped the phone shut.

I ran to my small, empty room, it consisted of only a single bed, a chest of draws for the small amount of clothes I had, a bedside table and on the bed side table a digital alarm clock. I flung my homework books on the bed, along with throwing my phone from Alice underneath my bed, and pretended to be doing homework.

Charlie stormed into my bedroom, flinging the door open, causing a collision with the door and wall where there is now consequently a large hole in my wall. All the noise made me jump.

He just stood there looking at me -glaring was the more appropriate word. He had stubble over his chin and above his top lip. Obviously to hung over too have shaved this morning. He stood there looking at me for over a minute.

I tried to think of anything that I had done wrong….I couldn't think of anything. I had done the dishes before I had left for school this morning, the washing machine was on and the lounge and kitchen were tidy. Nope everything I had to do was already done.

With a huff, he turned and began to storm out of the room. Something must have caught his eye because he turned back and stared at the floor near my bed. Oh no!! don't tell me he has seen the phone! He wouldn't let me have one, and there on the floor was a silver, flip top cell phone. He walked to the edge of my bed and picked up the cell phone. His face was bright red and his eyes were pure rage.

I crawled backwards on my bed, away from him. I was beginning to shake and my traitor tears were beginning to prick my eyelids. I couldn't cry, it made him enjoy himself even more.

"Who's is this!" he bellowed at me, holding the cell phone in one hand while the other was clenched into a fist.

"I…um…I…" I babbled incoherently trying to think of some excuse as to why there was a cell phone in my room. I could not come up with anything!!!

He was getting angrier and angrier by the second…..