Making Him Strong

“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”

By Socks O'Connor

Chester McCoy woke up in the middle of the night in his usually peaceful house smelling smoke. His eyes shot open. Smoke only meant one thing… Fire! He jumped out of bed and ran around the room once, trying to go twenty different directions at once. He stopped in the middle of the room, then opened the door and went tearing down the hall to his little sister’s room.

“Amelia! Amelia! Wake up! We’ve got to get out of here!” he hollered pulling her covers off of her. She sat up slowly and rubbed her eyes.

“What, Chester?”

“Amelia, our house is on fire! Come on, we need to get out!” he yelled again! He threw her robe to her and opened her window, looking down.

“I’ll go down first and I’ll catch you, alright?” He shimmied out the window, and looked down one last time before jumping. Luckily their second story wasn’t too high, and Chester landed with no problems at all.  Amelia poked her head out the window, looking scared.

“It’s alright, Amy, I’m down here! I’ll catch you!” Chester shouted up. Amelia looked down, and carefully climbed out onto the roof, taking deep breaths as she went. Chester readied himself underneath where she was about to jump. She went, and he caught her, but her weight combined with the height of the building, knocked them both to the ground, and both were rendered unconscious.

When Chester woke up, he was in an unfamiliar bed. He sat up rigidly and looked around frantically. 

“Oh, so you are alive! Well, isn’t that wonderful! You just stay right here, and I’ll get you some water, dear!” The woman who answered him waddled out of the room in quest of water. Chester looked around the room frantically. There were a bunch of people he didn’t recognize, and his sister, but where were his parents?

The woman re-appeared with a glass of water. She handed it to him. “That was a hard fall you and your sister took, dear, I’m surprised you survived.” Chester opened his mouth to ask her where his parents were, but she stopped him. “No, dear, drink your water first, you can ask questions later.” Chester did as he was told and drained the glass. After he set it down he looked at the woman.

“Excuse me, miss, but where are my parents?” he asked.

The woman’s eyes saddened, and her smile faded. “Well, dear, we wanted to tell your sister and you at the same time, but I guess I should tell you now, since you asked. Your parents… they didn’t make it out before the roof fell in. I’m so sorry, they’re--”

“Dead…” Chester whispered hoarsely. His eyes teared up, and he dropped back onto his pillow, trying to get used to the idea.

“I’m sorry, dear,” the woman said as he rolled over onto his stomach and buried his face in the pillow. Chester then cried himself to sleep.

When he woke again, his sister was awake, and looking very pained.

“Does she know?” he whispered hoarsely to the nurse, who nodded sadly. Chester got out of his bed, ignoring the nurse’s protests, and went over to Amelia’s bed, and enveloped her in a hug. Amelia began to sob into his chest.

“Ches—they’re gone! I’m an… Orphan!” She began to howl, and clasped him tighter.  Chester stroked his sister’s hair soothingly.

“I’m still here, Amy, I’ll take care of you, I promise.” This only made her sob more loudly, and Chester himself choked up.  “I love you Amelia, and I promise I’ll always be here for you,” he whispered.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Amy! Amy, where are you?” Chester called into the house.

“Up here,” he heard her call from up the stairs. Chester bounded up the stairs, grinning madly.  He rushed into the room where she was and plopped onto her bed.

“Happy birthday!” he said shoving a present into her hands and kissing her cheek.

Amelia laughed and smiled as she opened the little box. Inside she found a little locket. “Oh, it’s so pretty, Chester! Thank you!” she cooed.

Chester smiled. “I’m glad you like it. Mom would have wanted you to have something pretty for your birthday.”

Amelia smiled sadly and studied the locket, then put it on.

“Thank you, Ches.” Chester smiled at her, and then left her to what she was doing. Things had changed a lot for them in the last six months. Not only had they lost their parents, but they had also been placed in an orphanage with many other children who also had no parents, and whom they did not know. They had changed schools and now were no longer near their friends. Chester did not feel this as keenly as Amelia did, as he only had one friend and she had many. Chester went and sat on his own bed and began to study, happy that his sister liked the gift he gave her.

He pulled out his books and began to do his schoolwork, stretched out on his bed.

“Amelia,” Maria Oliver said, poking her head into the room. “My father would like to see you.” Amelia nodded and stood up, then walked down the stairs to see what it was that Mr. Oliver needed.

“Yes, Mr. Oliver?” Amelia said peeking her head in the doorway of the study where he worked.

“Come in, Amelia, and close the door behind you,” he directed. She did as she was told and sat down in a chair nearby his desk.

“So, today is your birthday, is it not?” he said, not looking up from what he was doing.

“Yes, sir, it is.” Amelia answered.

Mr. Oliver nodded. “Hmmm, I see.” He looked at her from his seat at the desk and nodded again, looking her over. He stood up and walked around his desk, standing about 10 feet away from her. “Come here, please.”

She did so, and when she was in reach of him, he grabbed her and covered her mouth. “You keep your mouth shut. If I hear one word out of you, I swear to God I’ll kill you.” He whispered harshly in her ear, then threw her down on the floor, and began rustling with her skirt as she began to hyperventilate, unsure of what to do, but sure that what was happening was not a good thing.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Chester was still studying when Amelia came stumbling up the stairs and into the room where he was struggling through algebra equations. Amelia staggered in, crying rather loudly. Chester looked up to find his little sister in a shambles. Her hair was everywhere, her dress torn in many places, and she was covered in scrapes and bruises as if she’d been beaten. She ran over to Chester’s bed and collapsed next to it crying.

“Chester-- he-- he-- did--”

“What is it, Amy?” Chester said, sliding onto the floor and putting his arm around her.

“Don’t touch me!” she yelled, causing him to withdraw his arm quickly.

“What happened?”

“He… took advantage of me, Chester! He… he…!” She put her hands onto her legs and began to sob loudly.