Black and Blue

Chapter 5 Warehouse

I take the bus to back to Hell. All the way there, I'm still petrified. I have never seen anyone else being abused, only myself. Especially seeing Ethan so young.

   The scene won't stop flashing in my head. The easy coming anger from the mom. The innocent and frightened look on Ethan's adorable face. The way she grabbed him. How she abused him. The words she said to me and Ethan. But there is one thing that repeats over my head, more than the scene. It's Ethan's cry. His sweet voice turned into something bitter. And I did nothing.

   I took a glimpse at my reflection in  the dark window. My skin is very pale that it's almost white. My lips are red from me licking them too much when their chapped. The black circle around my eye is starting to appear due to the fact that the foundation is rubbing off. My cheek on the left side of my face has a vague hand shape bruise forming. I see one small scar on my forehead and another under my left eye, but there is one scare that stands out from either one of them. It runs deep, from the top of my right temple all the way down to my jawline.

   The woman is right, I am ugly and I always will be.

   I pulled hood of my sweatshirt over my head. Tucking my long, thick jet black hair into it, keeping it out of my way. I couldn't help but look at my reflection one last time.

   I'm ugly.

~~~~

   The hot water and faint light from the opaque window above beats down on me. I look below me and see a river of brown water traveling from me to the the drain in the middle of the school's girls' shower room.

   It was two in the morning when I arrived at Hell. The Demon was already there. Luckily he was upstairs snoring off his hang over, so I was able to get three hours of sleep. I woke up at five thirty to go and take a hot shower at the school when no one's around.

   Some girl left a bottle of Dove mixed shampoo and conditioner, so I took it and deeply rub it into my scalp. It's been awhile since my last shower. The Demon can't pay for the water bill or any type of bill in general. It's not like I would shower over there, anyway. I don't trust being in there for a minute when he's awake and the only shower is upstairs, where I don't go.

   I shut off the water, feeling instantly cold, got a school provided towel , and wrapped it around my torso. I walk over to the counter in front of the bathroom stalls, where I felt my necessities. I caught sight of myself in the mirror. My body is bony from lack of food. Not that I'm
anorexic, I just can't afford to buy food. I would steal it, but sometimes that would send me off with a unpaid fine or to jail, rare of times. Somedays, I hope for jail. At least there, they would give me food.

   I look at the rest of my bony self. My collarbones and rib cage stick out sharply. Whenever I move a little, I can see the bones gliding along the skin. My stomach is sucked in a little.There are bruises and scabs all down my arms and shoulders. Almost like my face.

   I stand there and stare at the grotesque scene that is me. After awhile I snap out of the trance and got dress, without a second look at the mirror. I put my undergarments on then my dark jeans and black hoodie. I used the towel to dry my hair, which turned into a damp, wavy mess. I used my fingers as comb for my hair. After I was done combing my hair, I put foundation on the almost gone black circle around my eye and the fresh bruise on my face.

   When I was finished, the school bell rang for first period. I stuffed the foundation into my empty black backpack and went to the door. A flood of girls enter the locker room while I tried to shove my way out. They wore too much perfume that I was coughing and hacking outside of the locker room.