-1

"Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!"

"Yes Max."

A five year old Max ran up to his mother. She sat typing at the computer, glasses hung low on her nose. She was an attractive women, brown skin and dark green eyes with raven dark hair which was pulled back in a bun. She grunted as Max tugged on her sleeve.

"Yes."

Max shived a paper on her keyboard, "Look what I drew! It's us! See that's you, that's daddy, and that's me!" He pointed to each character as he said their names.

His mother sighed and looked at the crude drawing, it was cute, but she didn't have time for that right now. "Not now Max, mommy's just busy. You're bothering me right now, why don't you go outside." She dismissed him and went back to typing.

The dejected five year old took back the drawing and walked away dejectedly, head hung low. Did mommy not like it? Max stared at his drawing again, he'll draw again and show it to mommy later.

"Mommy! Look! I redrew it!" Max bounded back up to her. She huffed and didn't even acknowledge him. "Mommy?" She glared at the screen, "Max, sweetie, I don't have time right now. Go play."

Max faltered and stared at his drawing again. He dumped it in the trash. He didn't understand.

-2

A 7 year old Max was watching TV when his dad came in the room. Max's dad was tall and well built, dark skin and piercing brown eyes and a slight stubble. Max got his eyes from his mom. "Daddy! How was work!" Max was always interested in his parents' work.

"Not now son, I need to get something and get back to the company." His father stalked into his office.

"Oh, okay."

Max walked back into the living room and sat down on the expensive white couch. He turned the volume up a bit louder and slurped his orange juice. Maybe he could tell daddy about school today!

Mommy was busy, out with her co-workers to talk about something. Max hoped mommy would come back home school, that way he could tell both his parents about his day! Max looked at the clock. It was 6:12. Mommy said she'd be home around 7. He'll take a quick nap and tell them about his day!

He woke up 20 minutes later, mommy hadn't come back yet. Was daddy still in his office or did he fall asleep again? He wandered into the empty room, "Daddy?" called Max. He called around the house. Daddy must have left. His stomach gurgled, Max whimpered and wandered into the kitchen to have his dinner he planned to have with his parents. Max didn't understand.

-3

An 8 year old Max limped into the pristine living room. The older students at his school had pushed him down the stairs, the nurse said he was lucky he didn't break anything and assured Max that the mean students were getting a detention. Max didn't know what a detention was but he hoped it was like 'time-out'.

Bruises lined up his arms and legs as he held an icepack to his face from when he hit the corner. Why were they so mean to him? Was it something he said? He was just pointed out that one of them had a sign on their back. Then they suddenly got angry and pushed him down the stairs. Max whimpered, it still hurt.

Max brightened a little, he can get mommy to kiss them better! He limped to his mother's room and knocked, his parents taught him that knocking before entering was polite.

"Come in Max."

Max opened the door slowly and entered the dark room. Max pulled himself up onto the bed and sat beside his mommy who sat typing on her laptop.

"Some of the older students pushed me down the stairs." She nodded, not paying attention. She had to get this turned in by tomorrow. She was getting frustrated, god they were dumb. "Can you kiss them better?" He said this quieter.

She froze in her typing and growled low, "Not now Max, please get out of mommy's room." Max nodded, why didn't mom help? He didn't understand.

-4

Max was nine years old now and was a straight 'A' student and practicing three different instruments, knowing two other languages other than english. His parents and Teachers called him a "genius" but the students called him stuck up. Max didn't like them, but he was worried about his parents. Whenever they came home they either just went straight to their room or drank some weird smelling liquid from a brown bottle. Max didn't like the drink, they made them act funny and dad got angry when he drank it.

Max was sitting on the couch again in his room when his dad came home and headed straight towards the fridge. He came back scowling, popping open the bottle and slumped down on the chair in the dining room with a groan.

The nine year old walked over and slowly shut the fridge, "I don't like it when you and mom drink." His dad growled and slammed the table with his fist which startled the younger. "God, shut up Max. What would you know!" Max stared at his dad worriedly, he was acting madder than usual. He hesitantly walked towards his dad and put his hand on his arm, "A-are you okay? I think you've had enough, p-please give me the bottle." His dad growled and glared at the his son.

Max let out a yelp of pain as his dad gripped his arm, hard. "D-dad?" SMACK

Max fell to the ground with a red hand shaped mark on his face. Tears rolled down Max's chin as his dad slammed the door to his room. Max curled in on himself, he didn't understand.

+1

Max was 10 now and understood. He wore a blue hoodie and a small rugged backpack as he got on the bus to Camp Campbell. His breath hitched as his father's hand raised to pay the bus driver. He looked down at his feet as he boarded the bus.

He understood perfectly he thought as he watched his parents drive away as. They didn't care. They hadn't cared for a while now. Hadn't cared the day he turned five. His father drank more now, he cursed more, he hit more. His mother drank more too, she went out more, she cursed more, she lost her temper more.

Max understood a lot now, more than a 10 year old should. He really wish he didn't.