Written in Life

(Chapter 7)

Cody carried me to the farm house over his shoulder and I objected him carrying me the whole way, but his reply was always the same.

"Your leg is broken. And you want to walk?" he would say.

"I'm in the army. I think I can walk a few blocks with an injured leg," I had said, smacking him on the back." Why can't you just do the same thing you did with my broken rib?"

"Because it'll show next time. It's not like I can fix everything on this damn page," he would say. And then the process would repeat. Now we were walking to the door and my dad and uncle stared at us in surprise as we walked in. Cody sat me on the couch and I winced, the pain in my leg was unbearable. My uncle rushed to my side and my father pinned Cody against the wall.

"Who are you and why do you have my daughter?" he intimidated.

"Dad, let him go he was trying to help," I said, even though the words felt unnatural on my tongue. I screamed as my uncle moved my leg onto a pillow, feeling my bone shift to a new position, farther away from where it was supposed to be. My father looked to me and then back to Cody.

"Name," he ordered.

"Cody," he answered.

"Where did you find my daughter?" my father demanded. My uncle taped two wooden sticks on each side of my leg and I shoved my face into a pillow to stop my screams from waking anybody up in the neighborhood. It was past dusk by now. I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked to see who it was. My father was looking at me with concern in his eyes, Cody kneeling right beside him. My father grabbed my hand and intertwined our fingers. I squeezed his hand as mush as the pain I had felt and soon I realized that my father's hand was bleeding from my nails digging in to his knuckles. Cody placed a hand on my father's shoulder and looked to me. My father nodded and Cody went to kneel beside my uncle Darryl. I looked at my swollen leg and Cody gently placed his hand on it, making me gasp in pain. I squeezed my eyes shut as tight as I could and braced myself. I waited and waited and frustration and annoyance boiled up inside of me.

"Will you jus-" I said opening my eyes. I saw my leg slip back into place with a sickening crunch and my eyes widened at the sight and pain seemed to subside... but not for long. I let out a blood-curdling scream and Cody quickly covered my mouth, hot tears flowing freely.

"It was broken in five places," Cody said. He moved his hand away from my mouth and I let out a shaky breath. My eyes stung and I could feel relief in my leg.

"It felt like six," I said. They all laughed and I managed a smile. I looked to my leg to see the swelling had gone down, but now there was an ugly black mark where the bone had moved. Cody helped me stand up and it felt like new. It was still sore though. I slowly let go of Cody and limped into the kitchen. I leaned on the counter and my dad followed me in.

"Sooo," he started. Cody walked in and stood next to me, a little too close. I shuffled over a foot and looked at my dad to continue." Where have you been?" I looked at him as though he was pulling a joke on me.

"You seriously don't know?" I asked. He shook his slowly, suspiciously." What happened?" he asked concerned.

"We were locked in an inkwell," I said, looking around.

"What?! When did this happen?!" he said." Bernice Wilson!" He noticed I wasn't paying attention.

"Where's mom?" I asked worriedly. My father and uncle exchanged glances and then looked back to me. My father sighed and his eyes started to water." Bernie," he said with despair. I shook my head and tears began to sting my eyes once again. A flash of the memory of first coming into the page flashed by.

"Don't say it," my mother said, shaking her head and tears forming in her eyes.

That's what I wanted to say. Don't say she's gone. I ran out of the room and out the door.

"Mom! Mommy you have to be okay! Please!" I called." MOMMY!" I hadn't called her mommy since I was five. My father grabbed my waist and dragged me back towards the house. I screamed and kicked my feet. I was thrown on the couch and I buried my face in my hands. My father took them away from my face and held them, forcing me to face him. I looked into his bloodshot eyes, tears running off his chin. I couldn't stop my lip from trembling.

"Bernie, she's gone," my father said. I closed my eyes tight and tried to block out the words, feeling like a child in a dark closet, hiding from the Bogey man." She was taken off the shelf," he sobbed. The truth felt like an arrow through the heart.

"NOOOO!!!!" I screamed. My father pressed me against his chest and cradled me in his arms. We sobbed together. I thought of my mother's face, her bright, beautiful eyes, her young and enthusiastic personality. What hurt me the most is I would never live up to my mother's dream. To have a perfect child that was always joyful, got along with everyone, obeyed what she was told... but I was nowhere near that description.

I was short tempered. I hated everyone and they hated me. I did what I thought was right not what other people told me to do. That's what got me shot in the shoulder when I was nine, not the head. I talked back to everyone and picked a fight whenever I got the chance. It took a good twenty minutes before my breathing got back to normal, but silent tears still fell, leaving black streaks behind. I sat up and my father looked at me. i stood up and walked towards the door.

"You gonna be okay Fawn?" my uncle asked.

"I'll be fine," I hissed. The door slammed against the outside of the house and I sat down on the steps, staring off into the distance. I felt my heart twist and turn wicked at the thought of revenge. All the things I could do to make them pay for what they had done. I heard the door open and close and  Cody walked over and sat next to me. We sat in silence for some time before Cody said something.

"You have a little something right here," he said, indicating my whole face.

"Shut the fuck up Cody," I quickly snapped. I frankly wasn't in the mood to be reminded about my tears." Do you even know what it's like to lose someone you care about?" I said, trying to hide the sorrow in my voice. He turned to face me but all I did was shift my eyes in his direction.

"No... I don't know what it feels like. I've never had a family Bernie," he said. Anger fumed up inside of me.

"I told you not to call me that," I hissed through clenched teeth. He ignored me and kept talking.

"I grew up in an inkwell because my parents turned me in. Even if I did have a family, I wouldn't care about them because of what they did to me. They were too afraid of what I'd turn into," he said. He grabbed my hand and held it gingerly in his palm. I tried to ignore it but there was a tingling sensation and I felt my blood start to boil." The only people I ever grew up to see in that inkwell were the people that experiment on me every day."

"Jesus! Will you just shut up!" I screamed, tearing my hand from his grasp. Jealousy burnt inside of me. I stood up and walked back towards the door.

"Was it something I said?" Cody yelled from behind me. I spun on my heel and walked up to him. I smacked him with all my might and a loud crack was produced. Cody looked at me in shock and held his hand-imprinted cheek.

"You don't get it, do you? I bet your happy without a family! When they die you won't care to mourn over them! You would probably just piss on their graves ashes and laugh!" I yelled. My head throbbed and I could see my dad watching us through the window. I huffed a breath and tried to keep the tears from flowing again.

"That's what you think I would do! Piss on the ashes of the people who brought me into this damn page!" He turned me around and looked into my eyes." Bernie, I wouldn't do that. I would regret I didn't know them, even after what they did to me," he said calmly. I smiled sarcastic.

"Well, you won't have to worry about that any time soon," I spat. I walked to the railing and peered into the stars. They glimmered with hope and some flickered on and off, as though they had light switches.

"You know, their gonna find us sooner or later," Cody said. I nodded and stared at the stars.

"Hopefully later than sooner," I said. Cody chuckled.

"I doubt that."