One day, when I came home from school, one of the neighbours was stood outside my house, his hands on his hips, staring up intently at my parents' leaded bedroom window.

I slipped Jaz further up my waist and held onto Seb's hand tighter as I cleared my throat. Mr Jenkins from next door turned round to face me, his plump face became flushed at my presence, I raised my eyebrows and asked him if he was okay.

"Yes Matthew I'm fine, I was just wondering if everything was alright"

"I'm sorry?"

"Well I heard screaming coming from your house..." I froze and Seb gulped from beside me "...and come to think of it I haven't seen Beth in months, is she okay?"

"She's fine" I lied through gritted teeth, what was it to him anyway? Oh let's call social services and get us all separated, ship Dad away fine let him waste away, I didn't care about him anymore. But separating us from Mum would tear her apart.

Mr Jenkins straightened out his tiny little jumper that he always wore and pushed his oval wire framed glasses up his nose as he stepped closer to me, I towered above him like a tower block.

"Matthew" he began and I groaned inside. Oh here we go.

"Is everything okay at home?"

No Mr Jenkins, it isn't. For over a year my Dad has been physically and mentally abusing my mum and she can hardly move, and she looked like she had just walked out of a war camp.

"Everything is fine Mr J" I smiled as cheerfully as I could, my cheeks aching slightly from where I hadn't smiled for so long. "Tell him Seb"

I looked down at Seb and widened my eyes, Seb looked at me an for a minute I thin he understood that something bad could happen if he told the truth, ever Dad would hurt us badly and then proceed onto hurting mum again for it or we would be seperated.

Seb looked up at Mr Jenkins and smiled wide, showing the gap in his teeth.

"Everything's fine Mr J, Mum has been working late, maybe that's why you haven't see her?"

Oh what a smart kid.

"That makes sense!" He smiled and then began to walk away with a quick farewell.

"Wait..." I hesitated. Should I tell him?  I thought. Would it help?

Mr J turned round to face me again, looking confused, Seb squeezed my hand and lightly stepped on my foot to snap me out of it.

"I just wanted to say thanks for the concern"

He nodded and smiled and walked away.

***

I walked into the hallway, dread rushing over me as I was back to the war-zone as Seb and I called it.

"Matthew come here" Dad's voice said firmly from the living room. I looked at Seb and gradually handed him Jaz.

"Go through the kitchen and put her in her high chair, pull up a kitchen chair and get Dad a beer" I whispered and he nodded, plodding away to the kitchen.

"Matthew"

I rushed into the living room to stand before him where he sat on the sofa. I refused to look him in those devil eyes of his and instead looked at his clammy forehead.

"Who were you talking to out there Matthew?"

Oh shit.

"Mr Jenkins was just asking if everything was okay. Said he heard screaming. I assured him everything was fine with Seb to back me up and Seb said that Mum was working late hours and that's why he didn't see her"

Dad banged his fists on the table and I jumped, stepping away from him. He looked down at the table, thing hard about something and then opened his mouth.

"Looks like I'm going to have to take precautions if people are becoming suspicious"

At that moment, Seb stumbled through the door into the room with a beer in his little hands, he tottered over to where Dad was and gave it to him.

"About time too" Dad snapped. "Now I want you to go and get dressed and meet me back here in 10 minutes both of you. BETH GET DOWN HERE"

I stood in front of Seb and plastered my hand to his mouth as he tried to say something, I then lifted him up and practically dragged him upstairs.

"I don't like Daddy anymore" Seb whispered as Mum appeared from the bedroom, a blood-stained night dress in her hands which she threw in the bin. She smiled at us weakly, ruffling our hair with her hands before she limped downstairs, so weak and pale and bruised and just plain weak.

We returned to find a bin bag full of phones in front of Dad.

"No more contact. I have locked all doors and windows. No one leaves, understand?"

"What so you're just going to lock us in here?!" I said, feeling the anger in my body begin to rise, my hands gripping my jean pockets as I stared at the bag and glanced at his eyes.

"Is there a problem with that Matthew?" His eyes were dark and I found myself staring straight at them, a shiver ran down my body as I shook my head.

"Now. Does everyone understand?"

We all nodded. I slipped my hand into my back pocket and slipped my own mobile phone into Seb's pocket. He didn't react and I telepathically thanked him.

"Things are going to go my way from now on. Now make dinner"

Dad settled himself on the sofa after searching me for my phone that I said I had left at school. I excused myself to go to the bathroom as I grabbed my phone and slid it into the front of my jeans.

I dialled 999 faster than I had ever typed anything before and pressed the green button.

"Hello what seems to be the emergency?"

"Have I got an emergency for you, my abusive father has locked my family in our house. He's still with us but I need help" my hands were shaking as the woman assured me help was on the way.

I told Dad I had found my phone at the bottom of my school bag as I wiped the caller history and placed it in the bag of phones.

***

Dad was hurting Mum again.

The police must have got the wrong address or something, because we had been locked in here for hours now.

I don't know why, but as I sat there, with Dad doing the same thing, I decided to take matters into my own hands.

I got up from the leather sofa and walked as calmly as I could towards where he and Mum were. Looking away from the frightful scene.

"Get off her" I said, my hands beginning to shake again as he looked up at me.

"What?" His teeth were bared, his breathing ragged as tears fell down Mum's face with no sound.

"I said leave her alone" my fists clenched, I could feel Seb watching me from over the sofa.

"Matt, what are you doing?!" Mum shrieked as Dad dropped Mum to the ground, she tried to crawl away from him as he stared at me.

"And who are you to boss me around? I'll deal with you later. Beth I'm not finished!"

"Oh I think you are"

I launched myself at him, throwing us both to the floor as he struggled beneath me, my heart was beating fast as he stared up at me.

He reached up and punched me in the face, my head swung to the side and then something clicked inside me as I stated at him. I think it was because I had to put up with the same thing every day for over a year and I finally had enough courage to physically stop him. My heart was thumping against the chest as I tightened my hands around his neck, anger pulsing through my body as I stated straight into his monstrous eyes.

"Look what you've done to us you pathetic little man. Happy are you? You've broken us!" I was practically screaming at him as his eyes widened at my words, he looked around him at all the destruction he had caused like he was only just realising what he had done.

"Get out!" I spat, he coughed and spluttered beneath me.

"No" he just managed to say, I growled, getting up as he caught his breath, rubbing at his neck that was only slightly pink.

I pressed my foot onto his chest, keeping him firmly pressed to the ground.

"Now I'm going to ask you one more time" I said between gritted teeth, starring at the shell of a man by my feet, who shook in terror. "Get out of my house and away from my family"

But Dad still shook his head, I felt so angry at everything he had ever done that I could have just killed him. Not that that was my intentions of course.

He suddenly regained his strength, I could feel warm blood dripping down my face as he pushed us both against the wall, his face centimetres from mine as he pushed my up the wall by the collar of my shirt.

"Don't you dare talk to me like that! You are the-"

But Dad was suddenly cut off as the wooden front door was pushed straight of its hinges with several men on top of it.

I was so caught up with trying to get him out of our lives that I didn't hear the police arrive.

Paramedics rushed in as several policemen pulled Dad off me and towards the Police van on our drive. He was still yelling insults but everything had grown sort of hazy.

"Were you trying to fight back?" One asked me, he must've heard the whole thing.

I nodded.

"Well done. Good effort young man. You won't be seeing this man ever again" he patted my shoulder "it's all over now, you're going to be safe"

Most of the Paramedics rushed over to Mum who was hunched over on the floor, lifting her up on a stretcher, they also came to me, inspecting my black eye and my broken rib.

I looked to see Mum being pushed away, I screamed for her, Jaz's crying audible from somewhere as hands were holding me down and something cold was pushed into my side.

And then I was out of it as my vision shut off.