Excerpt: Resistance

Where is he?

Cautiously I creep down the hall and my heart begins pounding in my chest as I am only a few feet from my freedom, and I tense up as I hear the sobbing. The harsh whispers and a loud slap echo from behind the door. All of a sudden I am face to face with Father and I can hear the labored attempts from Alina trying to stop herself from crying. Without a word I step out of his path and he pushes past me, purposefully knocking me into the wall and then storming off downstairs.