The wind from my window makes me want to open it up to feel the breeze. But I'm afraid that if I open it, I might just actually sneak out to get away from this gloomy house.

The flowers in my Mom's garden look so beautiful in the spring. I remember when I was little, my Mom and I would spend hours in the backyard. We would plant all kinds of flowers and we even started growing our own fruits and vegetables. My Dad would come out from the house and all three of us would play hide and seek. But after Joseph was born, he got all of the attention when we played together. I understand that babies and toddlers need attention, but there were days when they only told me to play with my brother. They haven't told me that they loved me since I was six years old.

Boredom was creeping over me so I decided to go downstairs in the living room to watch some TV. I'm so glad that dad bought us cable, all of my favorite TV shows switched to cable so now I can watch the latest episodes of Mythbusters!

I sat on the floor beside my brother, he was watching Dragon Ball Z Kai on Nickelodeon. My brother and I grew up watching this show so we ended up liking it. To be honest, my brother and I only got along when we watched Nickelodeon together.

"Hey um, Christina?", Joseph said as he turned to look at me.

"Yeah, what is it?", I said curiously.

"I'm sorry I ruined your life."

I know he can be a soft kind of person, but I didn't know that he could be this soft.

"By the look on your face I can tell that your confused.", He said as he took a long pause. "I know how your life was before I was born, and after I was soaking up the attention, you started to grow distant from the family."

I was about to tell him to stop reading my journals...but I didn't, because I knew he was right.

"You don't have to blame yourself for everything anymore.", He said as Danny Phantom came on.

"But Joseph...you're wrong...this is all my fault...and I don't know why..."

As I started to cry, I tried to hide my tears. But was already too late. I was crying like I was before, and this time, in front on my brother.

Suddenly, the unthinkable happened. He leaned over,wrapped his arms around me, and wiped away my tears. His arms were so warm and reassuring, I had no choice but to lay my head against his chest.

In a soft soothing voice he said,"You don't have to cry anymore, I'm here now."

My Head was thinking "What the hell is he doing?!?! He's never been like this before. Little brother's are not supposed to be this soft and comforting!"

But my body said "Stay here, you need to feel loved."

When I looked up he said,"I only act like an annoyance when Mom and Dad are around."

Then he kissed my forehead and we continued to watch Nickelodeon...holding hands.

As a commercial came on, I heard my Mom crying loudly in her room, and the garage door opening. Mom and Dad must of had another fight just now...but I didn't hear them yelling. I decided to leave my brother downstairs so I could go peek in my mother's room. She was crying on her bed. She does this every time they fight. But something was different, she was looking at my baby book. She kept flipping through the pages and staring at them. I wanted to comfort her, but I learned leave Mom alone when she cried.

When I was little, My Mother cried at night and she always went outside to do so. When I heard her cry, I would follow her outside to the garden.

"What's wrong mommy?" I said so innocently.

My mother would stare at me for the longest amount of time, until she did something that no mother could imagine doing to her own child...she slapped me...hard. And I was only five years old.

As I peeked into my Mother's room, my brother came upstairs to see if mom was okay. Mom has never slapped Joseph, but I still don't want that to happen to him, matter how much he annoys me.

"What are you doing here?!" I whispered quietly.

"I want to know why they were fighting this time." He replied quietly, "I'm going to go in and ask her."

"No don't!" I said a little too loudly.

Suddenly, my mother stopped crying and comes out into the hallway. As she approaches us, my heart pounded in fear. I really thought that she was going to slap the both of us. She stared at us for the longest time...I braced myself...but she didn't slap us...she hugged us.

"I'm so sorry to put you two through this." My mother said.

"Mom, what have you and Dad been fighting about this time?" Joseph asked with a curious look on his face.

"It doesn't involve you so there is nothing for you to worry about."

"But mom, you and Dad have been fighting for too many nights and we deserve to know why."

I could tell that she was getting annoyed by the look on her face. Mom never liked telling us why she was fighting with dad...then again, who would?

Mom told me to go to my room, again. Seriously, what is up with sending me to my room? it's not exciting as it sounds. I put my ear against the door to see if I could hear what they are saying. All I could hear was bits and pieces of the conversation between my Mom and my brother.

"...It's not her fault, she was only a baby when it happened."

(I was only a baby when what happened?)

"...no wonder she's so distant...we need to tell her about this before..."

(Before what?! what is so important!)

I wanted to open my door and demand them to tell me what's going on, but I could hear their footsteps walking away from the hallway so it was no use. They would never tell me even if I did ask them.

A couple hours later, my dad came home a little drunk but sober enough to drive home with out causing an accident on the highway. My brother and I closed our doors to prepare for the fight that my parents were about to have. I put my headphones on to block out the sound of my parents yelling at each other. My music was turned up to the highest volume, but the yells and screams overpowered my music. I wanted to sleep, but the way my mother screamed scared me to death. I wanted to stay awake, but I didn't want to endure the screaming and the nonsense.

I could only make out some of the words that they were saying.

"What if they come for her?!..."

"You can't stop that from happening Mary!...the truth would destrory her!"

"She wouldn't know how to handle it!"

I can tell that they were referring to me as "her" so this fight must be about me. What do I have to do with this? Is my birthmark really such a big deal?

At about 2:30 am, Joseph came into my room since my room is farther away from my parents room than his. Since it was a cold night, he wore his pink and blue Teddy bear footy pajamas. He looked like a toddler with his "Sleepy time" Teddy bear blanket in his hand.

"Those are some nice pajamas you got there, but I don't think that any mother would mistaken you for their own child."bI said with a smile on my face.

"Ha ha, very funny Christina. My other pajamas are in the wash so I had no choice but to wear these."

Joseph said as he sat down at the end of my bed. As we sat there in silence, Joseph started to scoot closer to me. I knew that he just wanted to comfort me, but I wanted to just run away from here.

"Christina, do you think we should escape to the roof?" Joseph said with a concerned look on his face.

"Not yet...they're not getting violent with us."

As I listened to more of my mother's screams, I noticed that the screams and yells are getting closer to my door.

Suddenly, I heard a thud in the hallway...my mother was thrown onto the floor...and all I could hear was Crack! as a bone in my Mother's fragile body was broken. My brother and I stared at each other in horror. She could have broken any bone in her body...we just hoped that the broken bone wasn't fatal.

"This is your doing you bitch! I can't believe that I fell for your good for nothing shit!" My father yelled furiously at my broken mother.

"Its not my fault!...I swear! I'm sorry Jonathan! Please, don't take this out on me!"

My Mother's cries for mercy are unbearable. I just wanted to kill myself to get away from all of this madness.

"Don't take this out on you?!?! Well then maybe I should just show your Daughter how much this has been bothering me for the past sixteen years!"

Right when he said that, I squeezed Joseph's hand in fear. There's no telling what my father might do. But as I heard his footsteps getting closer, I had no time to guess his next move.

"Christina...roof...Now!" My brother yelled as my father banged on the door.

"I know you're in there you little whore!" My father's yells will haunt me through my nightmares and beyond.

Joseph unlocked the latch on my window and furiously pushed up the window so we could escape to the roof. He climbed up and he was half way outside when my father finally broke the lock on my door. I screamed in terror as he grabbed my arms and pulled me to the ground with a powerful force. He started to pound on my body with his bare fists and anything that was sharp, he used to scratch my skin until it was bleeding.

"Joseph!...Joseph!" I screamed in hopes that he would stop this abuse.

My father started to move in a thrusting motion on my lower body as he tore open my shirt, ripped my bra off, and cradled my breasts with his hands.

"Dad stop it!...I don't like this!... get off me you monster!"

The tears ran down my face like a waterfall, I tried to push him off but he was too strong. All of a sudden, he started to thrust faster and harder as he gripped my shoulders and squeezed my breasts. He started moaning as he held me down with his hands and knees.

"This is what happens when you deprive a man from sex for 10 years!" My father yelled.

As I struggled more and more, I worry about Joseph and if he can save me. I glance to the window and I see that he is stuck in the window, one wrong twist and he could fall to his death, as I look in the hallway, I see my mother...half dead and soulless. I pray that she is still somehow alive.

As my father started to take my pants off, I felt the weight of his body lift off of me...Joseph came to rescue me at last. Joseph picked up a heavy book off the floor and banged it against my father's head...knocking him out cold. Joseph dropped the book, grabbed my hand, and we escaped to the roof...closing the window behind us.

We sat in the middle of the roof, on the part when the roof arches up. Joseph sits next to me as I try to close my ripped open shirt so it doesn't expose my breasts, unfortunately... it didn't cover much. When Joseph took one glance at my shirt, he unzipped his footy pajamas to his waist, took off his shirt, and gave it to me while he looked down at his legs.

"Here, I don't want you to get too cold."

I put on the shirt as he turned his back to me. I wish he had an extra bra, but I'm pretty comfortable with it off and the cool air made me calm down a little.

When he turned back around to face me, he asked,"Do you want me to get the first-aid kit?"

I nodded to him and he pulled up a loose piece of the roof and got out the first-aid kit to tend to my wounds.

"I know it's a stupid question but, are you okay?"

As he asked that I looked down at my wounded body. It's still tender from the stress that my father put it through. I wanted to die, just to get away from this madness. I started to shake and I wrapped my arms around myself, I couldn't speak...I've never felt so violated in my life.

As he leaned over to comfort me, I tried to push him away but he was stronger at the moment. He wrapped his arms around me as we laid down on the roof. As I laid my head on his chest, I listened to his heartbeat as he brushed my hair out of my face. He has given me so much...I don't deserve his love and kindness...but I really want to feel loved.

"Christina, if someone ever hurts you, come straight to me...okay?"

As he said that, I nodded and started to cry. I have been through a lot today and Joseph has been there for me every step of the way, helping out in the best way he can...he's never done this before...so why is he doing this now?

As I calmed down again, I started to ask him a question.

"Joseph...why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden?"

His face wandered for a straight answer.

"Mom has told me something that I should never tell you." He took a deep breath as he closed his eyes ,"All I can tell you is...your birthmark is much more than you think, it marks who you belong to and you are special to someone out there. But some people will want you for your birthmark, for it symbolizes something more precious than diamonds."

I laid there on his bare chest, trying to take in what he said.

"I still don't fully understand Joseph." I said, trying to get more information from him.

He looked at me with a face that said ,"I know what your trying to do and I'm not telling you anything." I smiled and closed my eyes. With a hand wrapped around my waist, he kissed my forehead, and he started to fall asleep.

"Joseph?" I asked.

"Yes?" He said without opening his eyes.

"What are we going to do tomorrow...like...survival wise?"

He opened his eyes and gripped me tighter.

"Just stay by my side and you will be safe...I promise."

And with that, we fell asleep on the roof. Every time I shivered, he would pull me closer and hold me tighter. That's when I decided, that I wanted someone to love me...the way my little brother does.