everything but a gun

"Come in here! It's time to eat," Melinda's father shouted across the kitchen.

"I'm not hungry," Melinda said in a cold voice. She had had a bad day at school and wasn't in the mood for this.

"Eating isn't a choice. Now get in here!"

"I already told you, I'm not hungry. You don't decide what I do and when I do it. You are my father, not my slave driver." She wasn't shaking, wasn't afraid, wasn't going to take his bullshitting anymore.

Suddenly she was on the ground. She felt weight on top of her and attempted to scream. No sound, nothing came out. She tried again, still nothing. She focused and got enough sense back to form words.

"Let go of me!" she screamed, though no one was there to save her. Just her and her dad.

"That will treat you to talk to me like that, bitch." Her father slapped her-hard. He was on top of her, knees on her stomach and one hand roughly around her neck.

"You're choking me! I can hardly breathe." She struggled to get free, only hurting herself more.

"You will learn your lesson. You don't disrespect me. Ever." He slapped her again. All the memories of every time he's hurt her-every name, every derogatory term-came to the front of her mind. Angered, she hit him back.

A fist slammed into her face as blood poured from her broken nose. The grip around her neck tightened, and she couldn't breathe at all.

Her face lost all of its color as she drifted out of consciousness. She awoke to the sounds of sirens and wondered what was wrong. Quickly she made the sign of the cross-something she always did when she heard police, fire engines, or ambulances. She sort of remembered what happened.

Her eyes opened and she saw a kind face looking back at her. The man reached over and put his hand on her forehead. It was freezing cold. She looked around, her head hurting from the loud noise of the siren. She realized that it was her inside the ambulance