Captive Of The Count

40

Trigger warning ⚠️ (child)verbal and physical abuse, animal cruelty ⚠️.

Orian's pov

"Happy birthday to me!!!"

I screamed jumping down from the tree with a small laugh escaping my chapped lips. I wore my favorite sweater today with my good pair of jeans. It is my good pair because it had a few holes unlike the rest that had huge holes and the cold was too much anytime I wore them.

Momma wouldn't get me a new pair for my birthday. She says she has more important things to buy like the white powder she sniffs all the time or food which she eats by herself.

I don't care anymore, as long as she's happy. When she's happy she hits me
less and hardly yells at me. Sometimes when she yells, my ears hurt and ring and I have headaches which make me cry all night.

I had been sitting in the tree, teeth chattering from the cold wind blowing against me, waiting for my wings to sprout but they didn't and it made me really sad. I cried a bit. Other demon babies got theirs very early but I still didn't get mine and I turned five today.

I hoped with my fifth year that they would come but they weren't here yet, maybe they would come at night.

Maybe they didn't come because I am a cursed bastard like poppa said. He always said I wasn't his and he doesn't know where momma got me from. He always says he hates seeing my face and yells at me too to get out of the house which also makes me sad.

Well, at least I know I am Russian and I know that momma and poppa would love me someday, no matter what. They are just angry all the time because they have bad days.

I heard the distinct chatter of children putting a stop to my thoughts and quickly, I tried to hide. I slid across the ground and into the bushes, wincing as the wet snow came in contact with my bruised feet and the cuts on my arms from poppa beating me up yesterday, because I asked for food.

I didn't want them to see me. They looked at me just like momma and poppa did. They looked at me like they were always angry with me and they actually were. I felt sad anytime they looked at me like that. I just wanted to be friends and would love to play with them.

I peered through the leaves as they passed by in a single file with their bright jackets, new boots, and school bags.

They all looked happy, of course. They got to learn every day and most times when they saw me while coming back, they made jest of me. They teased me and asked why I wasn't in school and then told me how they didn't want me there because I stink.

I had my bath today though. With the freezing water at the lake nearby and I had a serious cough now because of it. I shouldn't have gone in there but I didn't want to stink anymore. I watched as they walked by and I was happy that they still hadn't noticed me yet, but then my throat got ticklish and I couldn't hold back the cough that threatened to come out.

I cupped my hands over my mouth as the sounds came out burying my face between my legs so they wouldn't hear me but they did and I knew it wouldn't turn out well.

I could see their dark shadows on the snow as they got into my space and stood behind me while I fought to keep in the cough.

It was Jack, Tam, and Alex.

They were a bit older than me and I always tried to stay out of their way, they were trouble.

"Oh look, it's big-for-nothing wingless Wolfe!" Alex taunted calling me by my middle name. I hated it. That's what poppa called me. He jeered grabbing me by the collar of my sweater and pulling me off the ground, "What are you doing here alone stink?!"