Gauntlet Day 2

The light of the full moon danced across the lake. Caitlin closed her eyes, dangling her feet over the lip of the pier, letting the warm breeze blow across her bare skin. She enjoyed sitting outside in nature. This was the only time she would feel at peace. It was her way of coping what took place in the home. Inside Caitlin Eldritch felt like a prisoner, hopeless yet full of hope at the same time, in the presence of her parents. Katheryn and Nathaniel had been married for years and she was their first born. She was considered the miracle child.

She glanced back over her shoulder, listening to her parents fight...Again. It had become almost a daily ritual for the two. They fought about the same thing every day...Money. To Caitlin, that is all that seemed important to her parents. If she were ever asked to describe her parents in one word, 'materialistic' would be the perfect word of choice. In her opinion, that was the perfect description.

Caitlin closed her eyes and laid flat on the pier, resting her head on her arms. For us to have plenty of money, Mom and Dad sure do fight a lot about it. She sighed, the sense of calm had dissipated. She wanted to scream, but did not want to cause a stir among her parents and neighbors. Trying to regain the peace she just lost, Caitlin said a little mantra and meditated. She repeated "I am at peace" many times. Unaware of the floating ball of light near her, she continued repeating her mantra and taking deep breaths. Maybe the visualization will help. The shouting match continued inside and Caitlin just stayed there. Finally giving up on ever finding the peace she felt earlier again, she forced herself to get up and go back inside. Just as Caitlin put her hand on the knob, the door opened. Her mother stood there with a blank, yet evil, stare.

"What have you been doing? You should have been in hours ago!"
"I...I was just laying on the pier, Mom."
"Get inside this instant!"
"Yes, Mom."

Caitlin entered the home, head hung low and eyes staring at the floor. After a moment, she looked up and saw her clothes thrown in a pile on the living room floor. She wondered what was wrong with them, but decided to keep her mouth shut. Before long, her father lit in on her.

"We may have a lot of money, but, these clothes of yours are pathetic!"
"But...But why?"
"The clothes look like they were bought from the thrift store! No daughter of mine is going to wear rags!"
"They're not rags, Dad. I just don't have expensive or fancy taste like you and mom. I don't need fancy things."
"We are rich for Christ's sake! You should act and look like it!"

Caitlin just nodded her head and walked over to the stairs. Before going to her room she looked at her father. All she could say was, "Yes, sir." With that, she closed the door behind her and finished her homework to turn in the next day.

Word Count: 527