A Safe Haven

Eleven

Trigger warning: This chapter has memories of abuse.

It had been a battle but once Mark got a hold of Spencer, he held him firmly on his lap while he kicked and thrashed for all he was worth. He held him as firmly as he could without hurting him. It was extremely frustrating and any normal kid would get a spanking from him for what he was doing. Spencer was far from normal because he had been abused and having been through it himself, he figured he could handle that. It would just take the right amount of love and discipline. The problem was that Spencer had no idea what the difference was between discipline and abuse.

Apparently, Spencer had the run of the house at his adopted parents because they were often unconscious from drug use. When they were conscious they would beat him whenever they felt like it. He didn't know anymore than that. Of course, this was all complicated by the fact that Spencer was easily distracted and seem to have never ending energy as if he was on some kind of speed drug. He could put things off no longer, he was going to have to take him to a doctor to have this condition diagnosed. All of it was physically and mentally wearing Mark out.

As Spencer was starting to calm down, sobbing, Mark continued to hold him and rubbed his back. He reminded him so much of his brother Scott who tended to aggravate their father even more and get all of them extra beatings.

Back in the days when they lived in the trailer, Mark shared a bedroom with his brother Scott. He was sitting on his bed rolling up joints, he intended to smoke with friends later and his father hadn't arrived home yet from whatever job he was supposedly working at right now. Scott who was about 11 walked in with a paper in his hand, dropping his school bag on the floor, he sat next to Mark. "The teacher gave me this. Can you sign it? I don't want Daddy to get mad."

It wasn't unusual for Mark to forge his name on papers for Spencer who was doing horribly in school and often was a brat in class. Sighing, he grabbed a pen as he read the letter and frowned. "Crap, this says she wants to talk to Dad about your grades. Your failing and she wants to flunk you for the year which means you'd have to do that grade over!"

"No Mark . I can't go back there another year. I'll get made fun of and if dad finds out he'll kill me," Spencer said pleadingly.

Mark scowled. "I already went and talked to her last month. Told her dad was sick. She aint gonna accept that again and it states that in here too. We don't have a fucking choice. You'll have to show him."

Scotts eyes grew large and he shook his head. Just then the front door slammed shut and he knew it was his dad which had him darting towards his bed and sliding under it.

"Why does this shit always fall on me?" Mark complained as he heard his dad yelling for someone to get him a beer. Sighing, he went out there getting his father, Merle a beer, opening it and handing it to him.

Merle drank and then sneered at his son. "Why are you being so accommodating all of the sudden? Usually, it takes me yelling 3 or 4 times before you slink out of there."

Mark closed his eyes for a second and then handed his father the letter. "It's from Scotts teacher."

Frowning, Merle drank some more and read the letter. Then yelling loudly, "Scott get your fucking ass out here!"

Not a peep was heard from the bedroom. "He's scared of you. Why don't you leave him alone?" Mark told him with expected consequences as he was backhanded and hit the floor, searing pain in his jaw.

Merle was a big and husky man, standing way over 6 foot and had served in the military. Even though he was drunk a lot, no one wanted to mess with him. "Stay out of it, you fucking loser!" He yelled at Mark, finished off the can crumbling it and throwing it against the wall. Then he was up and in the bedroom in a flash, grabbing Scott by the hair and dragging him out from under the bed, kicking and screaming.

"Leave him alone!" Mark yelled again from the floor. Luckily, his foster sister hadn't gotten home yet or things would be way worse.

"Shut up!" Merle said as he placed Scott over his lap and mercilessly beat his ass. The mans calloused hand was like a paddle and beat the boy from his back down to his thighs leaving the boy hurting so bad that he ended up sobbing on the floor. Then Merl got up and punched Mark several times. When he finished, he said, "Fine I'll go to the damn school tomorrow to defend an ignorant boy who can't barely read and write. He's fucking retarded. I wont have my boy put in special classes for retards so he better fucking start learning."

Spencers whimpering brought Mark back to the present. He kissed the top of his head and let him rest in his lap. The boys emotional energy was spent now and he was lying limply in his arms. Sitting back, Mark gazed out the window seeing Ace and Allison outside talking. Just beyond his property was the public access beach. It was one of those beautiful days with light puffy clouds and a warm breeze flowing through his window. Then he heard a whining noise and sitting up, he saw a drone in the sky not far from Ace and Allison who didn't seem to notice it.

Looking out towards the beach, Mark tried to see who might be operating it. He picked up his binoculars sitting on his desk which had a high zoom range and looked. There was a pier with luxurious styled boats docked and he scanned them and the beach in general. At first, he didn't notice anything off until he could see through the window of one of the boats and saw a man typing on a computer. He looked very familiar and he tried to bring him into focus. As he did, his mouth felt dry and his skin had become pale. It was someone he hadn't seen for many years and had no wish to now. It was his father, Merle.

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