Bruises

This story is fiction, it's about a girl's struggle as she grows up with an abusive father, a scared mother, and an innocent younger sister.

I layed in my bed and the tears slid down my cheeks. I pressed the soft cloth from my baby blanket to my ears, hoping to block out the sounds of their fighting, and slightly rocked myself to sleep every night. I could say it got easier, but then I'd be lying.

 I knew that my mom was fighting to protect me. To stop the monster who kept hurting me. But all I could think about when I saw or heard him, was his fingers wrapping around my arm like a rattlesnake constricting it's prey and his hand clamped against my mouth to stop the screams from escaping my lips as he raped me. 

I knew if I told anyone, he'd kill me for sure. I fought back, but never fully understood what was going on back then. After all, I was only 8. All I knew is I needed to protect my little sister from this ever happening to her precious, innocent body. I stayed quiet for her, suffered so she wouldn't have to, and hoped that he wouldn't kill me before I could warn her and take her somewhere safe.

 My mom would come home from work in the mornings and find me with the bruises on my arms, and thought it was just abuse. I prayed to God that she would find out the truth, but my prayers remained unanswered. I prayed she would divorce him, that she would stop him, or run away and take me and Emma with her. But she couldn't. She was just as afraid of him as I was. 

He was big. He was scary. His eyes an icy blue. His hand the size of a Basketball. Practically a giant at six-foot-five. And sleeves of tattoos covered both arms and stretched across his entire back. Most of them were skulls or faceless figures. Others were hard to make out, or I rarely saw.

Everyday I would walk my little sister to school and she'd ask me "Why is your hand always shaky Kat?" she couldn't quite say my full name yet, Katlinia-Junne, and i liked the short, simple name she called me by. 

Usually I'd tell her "I'm just hungry" or "I'm just cold' and quickly change the subject. I couldn't tell her the real reason. That her father is a monster who hurts me. That I shake because every muscle and bone in my body aches from the torture he puts me through each night while she sleeps. She was too young. Still innocent.

I knew I could never have any friends. At least, not any one who was a girl. Eventually, they would want to come over, and I couldn't let that happen. I  couldn't let them get hurt the way I was.

I ate lunch with my sister, I couldn't let her bring any friends home either. Who knows what he would do? I would feel responsible if any of them were hurt. No one really bothered us, I think my sadness drove them all away.   

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That year, new boy moved to our town. He was in my class. He came up to me in the lunch room, "Hi I'm Eric," he smiled "can I sit here?"

Before I could say anything, he took the seat across from me, next to my sister. I didn't trust boys either, especially after what i remembered about my dad. "Uhhh..." i trailed off. He was already eating, scooping potatoes off his plate and into his open mouth. 

 He just kept on talking, "What's your name?" He turned to my sister. 

"Emma" she looked up and smiled at him. My sister had always been more friendly and social than me. Maybe because she didn't know what others were capable of. 

"What about you?" his dark, soft brown eyes stared at me. They were so warm and inviting it made me loosen my grip on my fork and relax. For a moment, my body stopped shaking and I felt calm, and happy. 

Suddenly I found my words "Katlinia-Junne. Er, Kat." 

He laughs "Like Kit-Kat? That's my favorite candy!" He said as he pulled one out of his back-pack, "Want some?" he broke it in half, and then again and offered a piece to me and Emma.

"Sure!" Emma happily accepted it and put the chocolate into her mouth. Her teeth bit down into the crisp wafers and it was gone in seconds. I stared at Emma and raised my eyebrow until she said "Thanks Eric!" 

His arm was still extended across the table so i put my hand underneath it and caught the remaining half of the kit-kat bar "Thanks" i smiled.

"Your welcome!" he said as he put the other kit-kat into his own mouth. He pushed his chocolate-brown bangs out of his eyes and sat back. He sat in silence for a moment and watched me and Emma finish our food. As soon as I lifted the last bite of potatoes into my mouth he announced, "I'm going to the Playground. Want to come with?"

"YEA!" Emma took ahead start. 

He reached his hand out to me "Coming?" he asked.

For a moment, all my worries went away. I grabbed his hand and we ran outside after Emma. 

That night, i prayed he wouldn't ask to come over. He was my new best friend and i didn't want the monster to scare him away. I told Emma that she wasn't aloud to invite him over either. Although, the next day at school, he surprised us both.

 "Will you guys come home with me after school? My parents want to meet you," he Smiled at me and flipped his hair out of his eyes. 

Emma looked at me, her bright blue eyes hopping i'd allow it. "Okay" i said. Anything to get away from home. Maybe a friend is what i needed, i thought. 

"Okay i'll meet you in the office after school. We can call our parents and tell them then."

"Uh huh," i agreed. 

"Yay!' Emma shrieked. We all bursted out laughing. I'd never laughed like that before. Maybe when I was a baby, but never that I remembered until that moment. 

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........ TO BE CONTINUED 

 

Author's Note

Please let me know if i should continue, if you liked it, or any ideas you may have for me :) thanks!

Reviews

[Brian Lockard]

You should definitely continue this. I don't know if it's an experience of yours, but I was abused as a kid, and seeing stories like this is good to vent in a way. So thank you, and keep up the good work!