Petunia Annie

[TRIGGER WARNING]

Contains themes of child death, substance abuse, physical abuse, and hints at SA.

My parents don't love me. I know this seems dramatic but they point it out all the time. I was adopted after my older sister, Cassiana, died, just so my little sister, Joanna, didn't feel lonely. Don't get me wrong- I love Joanna, I'd give whole worlds for her, it's just my "parents" that are the issue. They would love to just send me away and be done with me, after they had Carolina, there was no use for me anymore, Joanna had a playmate that looked like her. A "Cassie 2.0" in a way. Mrs. Ellison, never was to fond of my looks, she said the way I looked wasn't good for Mr. Ellison, that it was far to tempting for him. She insisted on always having me in loose, unfitting clothing, and keeping my hair ragged, and my face dirty. I don't know how this would be my fault, a good man like Mr. Ellison should be able to control himself and, "avoid this temptation" as Mrs. Ellison puts it. I try to stay with Joanna and Carolina during the night, pretending to fall asleep putting them down for bed. It makes Mr. Ellison mighty furious, but of course he would never let the Misses know. Mrs. Ellison lets me stay in there with them for now, she appreciates having someone to keep the girls from crying in the middle of the night. Little does she know why they cry...

****

"Dammit, Eliza! This isn't what I signed up for!" Mr. Ellison yelled in Mrs. Ellison's face, I had accidentally fed Joanna and Carolina the cat tuna and now Mr. Ellison had to clean up their mess they had made all over the floor. Joanna held herself under my arm, holding onto my leg, the bile still dripping out of her mouth, Carolina crying into my shoulder sitting on my hip. I kissed Carolina's head as Mr. Ellison lifted up his amber colored beer bottle over Mrs. Ellison's head and smashed it down on her freshly shampooed hair, Joanna gasped as Mrs. Ellison fell to the floor, blood gushing through her blonde locks. I stumbled back, tripping on Joanna's feet as Mr. Ellison turned towards me and gritted his teeth. He started walking towards Joanna, his green eyes bloodshot and swollen, he raised the bottle neck he had left in his wobbly hand preparing to crash it down over Joanna's head. I dropped Carolina to the ground, jumping in front of Joanna and grabbing his arm. I could smell the beer and vodka on his breath, the smell was so nauseating I had to turn my head away from his face, my eyes burning. Holding Mr. Ellison's empty hand down with my left hand, and pushing back on his raised wrist, I raised my knee up and kneed him in between the legs. Seeing him reel backwards in pain, I let out my breath I hadn't known I was holding. I put Carolina in Joanna's tiny arms and pushed the two of them up the stairs, to where Mr. Ellison, their own father, couldn't get to them. The realization of what I had done slowly set in as Mr. Ellison got up, tripping over Mrs. Ellison's unconscious body, and spat on the now bloody hard wood floor. "I'm gonna kill you, you devil! You better run right now!" I backed towards the kitchen cabinets, and shakily grabbed the kitchen knife off of the butcher block. Mr. Ellison raised his wobbling finger at me and lunged for my throat. With shaky hands I raised the knife with my two hands and plunged it into Mr. Ellison's stomach, the squelch and sudden gush of blood made me sick and I pulled the knife out as Mr. Ellison let out a gasp and fell to the floor. A pool of blood spills out of the open wound in Mr. Ellison's stomach, his mouth is slightly open, showing his rotting, yellow teeth. I feel a sickness in my stomach, and swallow down the sudden urge to throw up. I glance over towards Mrs. Ellison's still unconscious body on the floor and breathe a sigh of relief. This will be easier than I thought. I walk over to Mrs. Ellison, and stick my hand out underneath her nose, she's still breathing, it's not much, but she's not dead, so she can wait. I drag her over to the old couch and heft her onto it. If she knows what I did, I'd be a dead man, but right now I need to take care of the real dead man. I grab Mr. Ellison's feet and drag him out of the house through the front door, leaving a trail of guts and blood on the hardwood floor. I bring his body out to the large hole Carolina, Joanna, and I had been digging for a month or so. I had told the girls it was going to be a swimming pool for when the ducks fly by in summer, and that we could swim with them. See, I had been planning Mr. Ellison's death for a long time, ever since he began hurting and touching Joanna too. I can take it, but Joanna's just a girl, and Mr. Ellison is her own father. I throw Mr. Ellison into the hole, no need for a proper burial, he doesn't deserve it. I grab the big bags of potting soil I had been hiding behind Mrs. Ellison's summer shed and begin piling on the dirt. After about 10 or so bags, his body is fully covered with dirt. I walk over the fresh grave and stomp down the soil. I grab some pine needles out of the tree's and scatter them around so the fresh dirt is less noticeable. I then rip some of Mrs. Ellison's petunias out of the window box and stuff them into the soil in an orderly fashion. I dust my hands off and grab the plastic around my feet and throw it into the summer shed. I really hope that Mrs. Ellison hasn't woken up yet, and that the girls have fallen asleep by now. I should probably get someone to drive Mrs. Ellison to the hospital, with the baby and all, I wouldn't want anything to happen to them.

****

Mrs. Ellison is stirring now, and I've mopped up all the blood off the floor, and swept up the beer bottle mess, rinsed off the knife, started the dishwasher, and put the two girls to sleep. I really do hope Mrs. Ellison buys my story, I feel bad for her, with the baby on the way, it will be difficult for Mrs. Ellison to raise three children on her own, but Mr. Ellison wasn't much of a help anyways. I assume I'll just become their caretaker like how I was for Carolina and Joanna. I walk over to the desk and get on the line with my neighbor, Bobby. Bobby's a sweet boy, and I trust him to watch over the sleeping girls while I take the Misses to the doctor. I'll even let him sit and watch the little TV in the den. Bobby agrees to come over, he understands how Mr. Ellison is, and sympathizes with Mrs. Ellison, however, I didn't tell him Mr. Ellison's true fate. I don't think I'll ever tell anybody. I think that I'll be able to drive Mrs. Ellison myself, even though I don't have a license yet, I'm only 14, I know how to drive. I just only hope that Mrs. Ellison doesn't get to curious about the fresh soil in the side yard. Thankfully she almost never goes outside anymore, she can't stand up hardly because of her baby bump. On a woman of her tiny size, a bump like that can really shake things up. Bobby comes over to the house while Mrs. Ellison is half awake, her eyes are drowsy and she's got a knot the size of an egg on her head. Bobby asks where Mr. Ellison is, and I mumble that he went out for a walk before giving Bobby the Television remote and half carry Mrs. Ellison to the car.

****

On the drive to the hospital Mrs. Ellison wakes up. It must have been the car bumps, or perhaps it was the change of scenery. She sits up with a start, looks at me driving the car, and nearly passed out again.

"Annalina! What on heavens are you doing??" Mrs. Ellison pales to a fearful shade of white.

"I'm taking you and your bump to the hospital, Ma. Mr. Ellison hit you on the head awful fierce, and you were asleep for quite some time. I need to make sure your babes okay." I keep my eyes on the road, but I can sense Mrs. Ellison's confusion.

"But, where is Daniel now? Did you leave him at home with the girls in his drunken stupor? You know what happens."

I breathe in, as a lie exits my mouth cooly. "No, Ma. Last time I saw Mr. Ellison he was reeling down the road, running away from here. Bobby Porris is at the house now keeping an eye on the girls."

Mrs. Ellison breathes a sigh of relief. She raises her hand to her head and feels her large bump. Her hand comes away painted in blood as she winces.

"Thank you, Annie, thank you for keeping my girls safe." I pat her hand as we pull into the parking lot.

****

It's been 3 months since I buried Mr. Ellison in the side yard. Since then, Mrs. Ellison has given up all hope that Mr. Ellison will return home, and she's had her new baby. She named the baby Viviana, and she shines like the stars. I'm pregnant with a baby of my own, Mr. Ellison's doing, but I plan to name him Little Samuel after Samuel Little, the man that I look up to. Mrs. Ellison looks forward to the new babe in the family, she even said herself, "It will be nice having a baby boy around here for a change!" Carolina and Joanna are looking forward to a little baby. They're around the age now where playing mother is of interest to them, I guess. Carolina, Joanna, Viviana, Samuel, and I. Samuel's set to be due on Joanna's 10th birthday, soon followed by Viviana's 5th, and Samuel's 1st. Joanna's hinted at Mrs. Ellison hosting a baby shower for me, I wouldn't be expecting it, but you never know.

****

Samuel was born. He's a sweet little boy. I love him. We had Bobby take a family portrait of us when he was a few months old. It was so strange. There appeared to be an extra child in the frame. Sure there was Joanna holding Viviana, me holding Samuel, Ma standing behind us all proud, Carolina sitting on the dirt playing with some bone she found, but next to Carolina there appeared to be a little girl faintly outlined. When I showed the photo to Mrs. Ellison she burst out in tears, she said that girl looked just like Cassiana when she died. I showed the photo to Carolina, and asked her if she knew the girl. She replied,

"Oh sure, don't you know her? She's my friend, Cass. Can't you all see her?" I didn't tell Mrs. Ellison about this though, if I told her, she'd break down sobbing. I don't know why Carolina can see Cassiana, she shouldn't be able to, but she can.

For now, Mr. Ellison's body is stinking up the side lawn and I need to figure out how to fix that before Mrs. Ellison gets curious. Maybe I'll have Little Samuel help me. I heard he's excellent at hiding bodies.