Truth is power: something I was never taught. Throughout my lifetime, I have been taught to lie, run, don’t hunt and escape danger’s wrath at all cost. As my mother always said, ‘run from danger like there’s no tomorrow, but greet safety like an old friend’ and I had promised her I would do exactly as she had stated - unfortunately, I won’t be able to keep that promise…

 Life was a happy time, which had been full of memories, full of laughter, full of happiness. My little sister and I would always play games with one another, including ‘Tag’, ‘Simon Says’ and ‘Duck, Duck, Goose’. I had always been the master of outdoor games; this would cause my sister, Angela, to whine like a sore loser since she hated when people would win against her. Sometimes, I would allow her to win, just so she wouldn’t go crying to our mother about me being a ‘lying cheat’, resulting in me being grounded for a few days (I had originally begged my mother for a sibling, little did I know that I would regret it sooner or later). She would then act like she was the champion of the world, and that nothing mattered but her success.

‘See? I told you that you should’ve given up - I knew I would beat you!’ she taunted, smiling broadly, like she had all the sweets in the world.

‘Whatever. I’ll beat you next time, you’ll see.’ I would reply, rolling my eyes in annoyance and secretly smiling to myself, as I knew that I was the true winner of the game, she just didn’t know it. 

Then, without warning, my whole world turned upside down. One day, I had gotten home from school, and sniffed deeply. I always liked the smell my house had; it was a warm, herbal smell that my mother would produce from her splendid cooking. But, after taking a long whiff, I suddenly realised that it wasn’t the usual aroma that I would be welcomed to. It seemed to smell of some type of wine. I scrunched up my nose, obviously finding the scent utterly revolting and unappealing. I walked into the living room, only to discover my mother lying rolled up on the leather sofa. She looked as if she had been drinking, which was odd for her, as she wasn’t quite the drinker, and definitely didn’t drink heavily. Just then, Angela had come rushing down the stairs and into the living room, but stopped in her tracks next to me when she saw Mother laying on the sofa in that peculiar way; it was as if she were shivering, but not because she was cold, but because she felt anxious, or terrified. Angela widened her eyes and stared at me. I glared back and shrugged my shoulders like I was just as confused as she was. Then, when I turned my head back to my mother, I slowly moved towards her. Eventually, I reached the sofa, and took a good look at her: she was smothered by a grey, uncomfy-looking blanket, and had her back to me. Her usual tidy bun had transformed into a long, messy plait whilst strands of hair stood up and made her look like a homeless person. I gently tapped her shoulder.

‘Mother?’ I said softly.

Angela stood next to me and stared at Mother in a concerned manner.

‘Mummy? Mummy?’ she repeated, desperate to have her attention.

Finally, she turned around and faced me. I will never forget the way she had glared at me - her eyes seemed to be quite wet and under them sat black eye bags drooping in an unpleasant fashion. Her cheeks were a bright red, making it look like she had a fever or the flu. 

‘Mother? Are you all right?’ I asked, clearly troubled by the state she was in.

She opened her mouth, and spoke in a croaky voice: ‘He’s really gone, isn’t he? Gone…forever.’

Angela appeared to have eyes misty with tears. She said, ‘Oh, Mummy, please tell us what you mean! You’re scaring me!’

Mother lay there in silence for a few moments, then sat up and perched on the edge of the leather sofa. She forced out a faint smile, which might as well have been a frown instead. Finally, she replied quietly, ‘Everything’s fine, Angela, I promise. Unfortunately, your father will no longer be with us. He has gone away for… a business trip - a business trip, yes. A long business trip. Very long, indeed. But we can survive without him. We don’t need him anymore. We’re fine, girls, I promise.’

I always knew that promises were meant to be kept, but Mother probably didn’t know of this, as she never kept hers. 

The next few years were horrific, with the same awful smell dominating all homely and cosy feelings that once lived within the household. My mother drank excessively, and I would come home to find her locked in her room. I used to think that she would go in there for afternoon naps so she wouldn’t be disturbed by mine or Angela’s presence. However, one day, I had accidentally walked in on her sitting hunched over on the edge of her bed and she seemed to be holding an orange container with a white cap on top. Inside, I could just about see something that might as well have been mints due to their similar shape - pills. What was my Mother doing with pills? I narrowed my eyes and frowned, but then my mother looked up and stared at me with wide eyes. She looked as if she were frightened, petrified even.

‘Maddie! What are you doing here?’ she spluttered, immediately jumping out of her comfortable position on the bed and turning to look at me.

‘I was just-’ I began, before Mother cut me off.

‘It doesn’t matter. Get out. Out NOW!’ she snapped suddenly and shoved me out the doorway whilst slamming the door behind her. Just then, Angela - who was still wearing her school uniform - came storming out of her room, obviously annoyed by the amount of noise. 

‘What’s going on? I’m trying to study!’ she said.

‘Study?’ I scoffed, as it was very unlikely that she would be found studying. ‘You’re probably just calling Clover on your cell phone to tell her all about the latest gossip.’

She furrowed her brow and crossed her arms across her chest before pointing a slim finger at me. 

‘Oh yeah? Well, maybe you should learn to stop sticking your nose into other people’s business! Why don’t you go buy some brain cells and start using them to focus on your own life?’

I muttered, ‘Frankly, I don’t give a damn.’

‘I heard that!’

‘You were supposed to!’

Suddenly, a loud thump came from the front door. Me and Angela turned towards the door, then looked back at each other in concern. Mother, obviously hearing the distant noise, opened her bedroom door and stepped outside. Her forehead was creased up and her eyes wide with fear. Quickly, she beckoned us downstairs and into the basement.

‘Mum? What’s going on?’ Angela asked(she had begun calling her ‘mum’ as she found ‘mummy’ far too babyish; she’s only eleven!), pure worry shining through her like a diamond.

‘No time to explain! Just get down into the basement, quick!’ she yelled desperately.

‘But-’

‘NOW!’

Angela and I hastily raced down the basement’s stairs and patiently awaited Mother while she went down the steps at a slow pace. Then, she grabbed us by the shoulder and took shelter in the far corner of the basement. She hugged us tightly, making it difficult to move around. 

Suddenly, she whispered, ‘Remember, girls - never chase after danger, as you could be putting your life at risk during the process. Instead, hide and don’t seek. Traditionally, that’s how our family does it.’

Before I could ask her what she meant, a loud bang echoed throughout the house, and I winced. Angela squeezed her eyes tightly shut and whimpered. Footsteps could be heard scattering on the floorboards; there were people inside the house.

It felt like two hours until we were able to go back up again, which actually may have just been twenty minutes. Mother worked her way up the steps and poked her head round the basement door. She looked around, checking that there were no people left behind. All of a sudden, her piercing scream could be heard, causing me to cover Angela’s mouth so she wouldn’t join in as well. And then, the sound of a gun. The sight of a body flopping down the set of stairs, their head only slightly reaching the last step. A bullet was stabbed through their flesh, creating a pool of blood. My eyes glistened with tears, and I felt like I was dying inside. Like the insides of my body had stopped working. That they just wanted to give up. Until I realised that the body wasn’t our Mother’s. It looked as if it was a man wearing an armoured suit and helmet. Suddenly, a familiar face could be seen, with her dark hair falling loosely around it. Her bright green eyes smiled in a comforting tone. She saw us and smiled the same way her eyes did.

‘It’s safe.’ Mother said.