Going Under

Chapter 1

After finishing she stuffed the two candy bars into her pocket so that she'll have them for later, just in case Nadine wanted to make chicken stew again.

"Mahogany," Someone called from across the road.

She turned to see who it was. It was Quay. He was now coming towards her. Quay had this huge crush on her. They conversed only in school.

"Why haven't you been coming to the park lately?" He questioned, finally catching up with her.

Quay was the same age as Mahogany. They were both 15. He wore glasses and wasn't too appealing but she still befriended him. She loved his company.

"I just been busy." Mahogany shrugged and threw the empty can and chip bag into a dumpster that she passed. School was out so they weren't seeing much of each other.

"Are you coming tomorrow?" He asked trying to match her steps.

"I'm not sure." She stopped in front of her house.

"Well I hope you come." He smiled and walked off.

Majority of her male classmates were shocked that a girl as pretty as her would even consider giving someone like Quay the time of day.

She smiled slightly and proceeded to the house. She knew her Grandma Nadine was somewhere in the house peeping out of the window.

Mahogany swung open the screen door and walked into the house. Just as she suspected her grandma was standing by a window.

"Huh," Mahogany held out the two quick picks for her grandma to take them.

"Who was that pissy tail lil boy you was out there talking to?" She snatched them from her hand.

"He goes to school with me." Mahogany attempted to make her way past Nadine but she held her hand to Mahogany's chest and was blocking her.

"You tryna fuck?" Grandma Nadine asked bluntly.

"No." Mahogany answered quickly.

She didn't even look at him in that way, yet alone any male.

"Stop lying you lil hoe! I seen the way you was looking at that pissy boy." Nadine bent down and snatched an extension cord from the floor.

Mahogany began to back away from her grandma slowly until she snatched her by her arm.

"Yo fast ass gone learn." Nadine quickly wrapped the extension cord around her fist and sent strike after strike to Mahogany's body.

"Grandma stop!" She attempted to snatch the extension cord from Nadine's hand but she was too strong.

She overpowered Mahogany . Mahogany knew that she couldn't get the cord from her so she went for what she knew best, fighting.

She was always taught to respect her elders even if they were wrong but not this time. She was getting tired of her grandma's crazy ways.

Before Nadine sent another strike to her back Mahogany sent a heavy blow to Nadine's face causing her head to snap back.

"You bitch." She held her face and dropped the extension cord.

Much as she hated her grandma she dreaded hitting her. She didn't want her days to be shortened. Her mama always told her that disrespecting her elders would get her days on earth shortened. She never questioned it she just stayed respectful but she always wanted to know what happened to the adults that disrespected and treated kids bad?

"Oh you wanna disrespect me... you wanna hit me? I got something for yo hot ass! Take off ya clothes."

Mahogany stood still with her fist balled by her side the only thing on her body that was moving was her chest cavity.

"Oh you can't hear." Nadine turned around to retrieve an item from her purse. "This'll make ya ass move." She said, pointing a small handgun at Mahogany.

Mahogany clenched her teeth and removed her clothes like her grandma Nadine instructed.

"Now get ya ass in the bathroom." She waved the gun towards the back of the house.

Mahogany attempted to cover herself with her arms as she walked slowly to the bathroom while Nadine held her at gunpoint.

She knew better than to run away. On numerous occasions Mahogany tried running away but was always brought back by someone in the small city because everyone knew Nadine. Outside she was a totally different person. She was a evil conniving bitch behind closed doors.

"Turn on that cold water and put that stopper in there." Nadine demanded.

Mahogany batted her eyes as tears fell freely into the empty tub. She did as she was told and watched the tub fill with cold water. Usually it was scorching hot water. This time it was cold. Nadine had a change of heart. Mahogany laughed to herself.

"Turn it off and get in." Nadine looked into the half filled tub.

"Grandma please," Mahogany's voice trembled.

Her grandma didn't say anything. She just waved the gun towards the tub.

Mahogany slowly stepped into the cold water. Her body instantly began to tremble.

"Sit ya ass down." Nadine forced her down into the tub. Mahogany released a loud shriek. "I'll be back." She smirked and left the bathroom still holding the gun.

Mahogany's body trembled uncontrollably. She wished over and over that her mama was alive to save her like she used to. Now she was left to fend for herself.

Her grandma walked back in with a big silver pan filled to the rim with ice. Mahogany's eyes widened. Nadine dumped it into the tub.

"That'll cool yo hot fat ass down!" She grinned devilishly.

"You gone be just like yo hoish mama." She shook her head and peered into the tub.

That night...

Mahogany laid in the stiff brass bed. She pulled the thin blue sheet over her sore body. Her body was still sore from the lashes. Earlier she had decided to skip dinner out of fear that her grandma would poison her. Before she went to bed Nadine forced her to read parts of the Bible.

She listened to the heavy raindrops fall unto the window paine. Maybe one day she'll die. She thought and hoped to herself. Her stomach broke her train of thought. It began to growl uncontrollably. She remembered that she had two chocolate bars in her overall pockets. Mahogany sighed heavily and made her way to the dirty clothes hamper and to her surprise the money and the two candy bars were still there.

A smile surfaced Mahogany's face as she removed the candy bar from the wrapper and devoured it. Then she worked on the next one. After finishing the last one she climbed back into the uncomfortable bed and began to imagine living life as a normal teenager. Her eyes became heavier and heavier despite the fear of what Nadine would do she dozed off.

The next morning Mahogany was awaken by strikes of lightening and loud thunder. It was still kind of dark. Not thinking much of it she dozed back off. Hours later she rolled over and glanced at the analog clock. The red letters read 11:45 a.m. Her eyes widened. She snatched the sheet off of her body with the hurryupness and ran out of the room without brushing her teeth or washing her face.

Looking around the kitchen Nadine was nowhere in sight. She looked on the stove. Dinner from last night was still on the burners. Something caught her eye before leaving the kitchen. A red cardboard box sticking up from the rest of the trash. She squinted her eyes and pulled it up from the trashcan.

The box read Rat Repellent. Mahogany gasped for air and dropped the box on the floor. That was the last straw. That was Mahogany's cue to leave but this time she was going to tell the police about her grandma's mischievous ways. Without grabbing any shoes Mahogany ran out if the kitchen to the living room. The back door was boarded up.

Making it to the living room she tripped and fell on her sore arm. She howled in pain.