Prank Night Fall Out

26. The Farm

No Pairing

Former Young Farm

Karen and Jude Marshall

After School

"Hurry up, girl. You are dawdling," Karen Marshall hissed as she stool at the top of the stairs of the farm house.

Estel was supposed to scrub all the hardwood floors and the stairs and then get started on the upstairs.

Under her breath, she whispered, "I have a name. It is Estel Maya Daniels."

Karen stomped down three stairs to threaten, "What'd you say, girl? You want another beatin'. Hurry it up. I swear all we do for you and all we get back is your defiance. 'Folly is bound up in the heart of a child.' That is the truth."

Estel smiled a bitter smile, "But the rod of discipline drives it far from him, or in my case, her."

She didn't know if Karen was just stupid, or too obtuse to detect her sarcasm, but the woman loved quoting scripture. She had been some kind of bible quoting champion in her youth. Estel had thought that was a joke, but then she saw the trophy. It was in the living room that no one was allowed to enter, except special guests.

Karen walked back up the three stairs firmly back in charge, "Yes, that is correct. Maybe you are learning something here. Not like that other one. An abomination."

Estel scrubbed fasted as her foster monster, as she thought of her, flitted away. She felt stiff, she had angered the old man by "talking back" and caught a beating with his belt the night before. In reality, he had come home in a bad mood and was looking to vent his rage. Estel had tried to stay out of his way, but he called her down to interrogate her about some vague rumor someone at church told him about her. Probably something about the outfits she wore to school. She would be dead before wearing the prairie garb Karen found for her at second hand stores. Estel was careful to change at school when she got there and then back before she got "home."

Estel's back was still red and marked with horizontal lines when she had examined herself in the mirror this morning. The welt continued up her shoulders to where her skin was broken in at least one place that she could see.

Karen had come in and looked at her with disgust. She roughly pulled back the sleeve of the long white night gown they made her sleep in and Estel had winced. That earned her a slap across the face. But when Karen saw the red marks and bruise on her right hand from trying to protect herself, she determined that she "needed help at home today." Estel wanted to protest as spending a whole day with her was torture, but she knew that would only get her hit more.

Estel finished the stairs and started scrubbing the second floor. She was careful to move away from the landing. Jude was the more physically violent of the two so-called foster parents. But Karen didn't hesitate to pinch, grab, and push Estel and she did not want to take a header down the stairs. Being here was bad enough, but to be here with a broken leg, would be unbearable.

"What's this paper here?" Karen shouted. Estel looked up to see Karen coming out of her room.

"There are parent teacher conferences tomorrow night," Estel said. "You don't have to go."

Karen had an odd look on her face, "No, I think we will go. Father says he's been hearing more odd things about you at that ungodly school. It might be time for you to become home schooled. But I don't want the state breathing down my neck and I don't like paperwork."

Karen called her husband "Father" and instructed Estel to call them "Mother" and "Father" as well. She had gotten her first slap for not obeying that one.