Belle (updated)

morning

•BELLE

"BELIZE WAKE THE FUCK UP!" my foster dad yells

I sit up gasping and look at the clock next to my mattress to see it's 7:36 am exactly 26 minutes late for making John and Sarah's breakfast.

John and Sarah are my foster parents but they make me call them 'sir' and 'ma'am'

"I'm sorry sir I didn't mean to wake up late," I tell him as I run down the attic stairs

"oh you didn't mean to wake up late?" he asks and I shake my head 'no', not daring to look into his eyes

"Oh well if you didn't mean to I suppose it's fine isn't it Sarah?" John asks my foster mom

"Well of course it was only an accident wasn't it John? We can let her off this once" she says

"Really?" I ask hopeful

"No not fucking really! Get your ass here" Sir yells but I can't move, frozen in fear as I watch him take the whip from the corner of the room

"NOW!" he shouts

I scurry over to him with my head hanging low as I wait for the beating to begin

WHIP

my back feels as if it's on fire like it's sobbing blood and screaming with each hit

WHIP

WHIP

this carries on until I've been hit exactly 26 times
with the whip

"Stand" Sarah instructs

I do as she says and look down to the floor with tear-filled eyes and my throat sore from screaming

"Make breakfast," she tells me as she and John leave the room

I walk hunched back to the kitchen in throbbing pain before I start making fried eggs, bacon and potatoes

When it's done I plate it and cover it up with aluminium foil to keep warm

I drag myself to the bathroom, shower the dried blood off of my body and change into a light grey long-sleeve top, denim shorts I cut myself and some boots.

I buy all my outfits from Goodwill with the money I get from my job at a fancy French café.

I could never afford to eat there even with my employee discount so every morning I buy a brownie from the local bakery

Brownies are my favourite food, if someone asked me to describe what eating a freshly baked brownie was like I'd say "It's like getting a taste of heaven wrapped up in a square of warm chocolatey goodness"

I pretty much only live for brownies at this point

John and Sarah made me quit high school when I was 16 so I could get a job to help with their bills even though I know they get money from the government for housing and 'caring' for me.

But I didn't have a choice, so when I was promoted when I turned 17 last year I didn't tell them so that I could keep the extra money as well as the few tips I get for clothes and to save up so I can leave as soon as possible.

I now have about $8000 that I keep in my secret bank account so when I turn 18 in exactly 3 weeks and 4 days I will be ready to get my small apartment even if I will probably have to live in a bad area for a while I won't be getting beat every day so anything will do.

Each day I leave to house with the brightest smile I can muster up, smiling makes me happy and if I'm happy I smile. I also read in a book that smiling can increase someone else's happiness by up to 30% so why wouldn't I smile all the time?

I tiptoe out of the front door with my old iPhone 7 I bought off of my co-worker and only friend Josh and my earphones, hoping I don't notify John and Sarah of my presence

Once I'm outside I run down the road until I've rounded the corner of the busy New York street and let out a sigh of relief

I make my way to the small bakery called
'Lila's Bakes' to buy my daily brownie

As I walk in the bell rings signalling I'm here

I breathe in the comforting smell of coffee beans and sweet cakes and I hear the sound of the coffee machine and low chatter from other customers that fill the benches and couches placed around the store

"well if it isn't my favourite customer" I look up to see a smiling Lila

This is how she greets me every morning and I love the feeling of being someone's 'favourite something' it makes me warm inside

"Hi, Lila!" I wave "How's your morning so far?"

"Amazing just like every day sweetie, fresh brownie?"

"Yes please" I smile

"Here you are Belize it's $1.25"

I pay her and thank her before I leave and make my way to the park to listen to music since it's my day off

For work, I have to wear a black skirt and
half-apron with a white collared shirt

It's fine but I wish it was cuter which is why I wear a black bow in my hair for every one of my shifts. If I could I would customise my uniform with pink socks and ribbons but I already asked and my boss Francois said that if I did that he'd put me on wash-up duty

I hate wash-up duty it makes my fingers pruney and I don't get to talk to anyone for hours!

I'm cut out of my thoughts when I walk into a wall which is odd because there usually isn't a wall in the middle of the park

I fall to the ground with an "oof"

I look up to see the most handsome man I have ever seen. He has dark green eyes framed by long dark brown eyelashes, he has tanned skin and he is covered from the neck down in tattoos from what I can see, he has a white scar on his cheek and a short beard as well as a long hair tied into a bun at the back of his head. He's wearing a suit that fits him like it was specifically made for his large body

"I'm so sorry sir" he just stares at me intensely

I grab my brownie which is luckily still in the packet and make sure my phone and earphones are still in my denim-short pocket before standing up

I'm about 5'3 so I wouldn't say I'm tall by any means but I'm not that short

However this mountain of a man is towering over me, he looks to be about 6'6 maybe even 6'7 I don't know but either way this man is huge

"Okay well I'm going to eat my brownie, I hope you have a good day sorry again" I smile and he clenches his jaw and nods before I go back to making my way to a bench to listen to Etta James, Al Green and Dusty Springfield