Saved by Satan

I.0

  Copyright © 2016 by AsiaJenell 

Lady gazed at her feet as they lazily grazed up the pavement of her driveway, crushing dead autumn leaves in her path. The dreary night sky watched from above her. The clouds stood guard to the stars in the sky, with the full moons light barely escaping. Lady's blood sugar was low: causing her to feel weak. Her empty stomach growled, and the harsh Washington wind roared against her as she walked heavily up her porch steps. She subconsciously peeked at her surroundings in procrastination, and let out a stalling breath at her doorstep. Lady's hand was just barely surfacing the handle on her front door when it was yanked open from the other side. She hadn't gotten the chance to process what was happening before a forceful and jarring slap crossed her face. She stumbled back just before her mother's rough dainty hand wrapped around her nappy auburn hair, and pulled her back in. The bright yellow indoor lights were harsh on her vision as her mother screamed profanities. A light ringing in her ears began and gradually grew before it was blaring out the sound of her mother. The room began to spin in three directions, and Lady sway on her feet; contrary to her will to stand still. She knew what was happening. Her body was starting to panic. Lady felt hot and cold flashes roam her body with a slight mist working its way across the surface of her skin. She prayed her anxiety attack would go away. It wouldn't do anything but make the unfortunate situation worse. But there was nothing she could do. She had no control. There was a sudden tightness to her stomach that had her doubling over in pain. Her temples throbbed and her head felt tight, but light at the same time. Like a balloon about to burst. She'd fought her hardest to stand straight and get through with her mother's scolding, but she felt like she was going to faint. Lady's unsteadiness was fueling her mother's anger. That was all the excuse she needed as she yanked Lady by her collar, lifting her off of her feet, and slammed her body against the wall. Lady could feel the last of her will letting go as she faded out of consciousness.

*

Lady awoke on the ground around midnight to the tune of her parents arguing in the kitchen. Her temples throbbed in time to the beat of her heavy heart. The harmony was familiar. She climbed onto her elbows when a sharp pain occurred on the side of her ribcage. She lifted her shirt up just below her chest to see a canvas of purple-blue-green-brown-red bruises merging together. Lady gaped at the ominous work of art. The old bruises collaborating with the new. The colors were entrancing. After a minute of effort, Lady slowly managed to get herself up. That's when she saw the splatters of blood on the floor. She vigilantly got up, careful to go unnoticed, and lightly walked into the bathroom behind her. She didn't dare to turn on the light until she was safely locked inside. Lady cringed in the mirror as she observed the dried blood outlining her nostrils and a thick trail leading off the side of her freckled mocha colored face. Her curly ginger hair was sticky and knotted with blood. Her hazel eyes began to water as she quietly ran the water in the sink. She let her thin coat sulk to the floor before removing her tank top from under shirt. The cold water soaked the material before Lady began to clean herself with it.

A warm shower would've felt good right then - once she got past the pain of the water running over her open wounds - but her parents hadn't paid the gas bill in two months. She also couldn't shower because she wanted to keep her renewed consciousness confidential. It would just lead to more beatings and screaming fits of rage. Lady still felt a little light headed, so she stumbled a speck on her way to peek around the corner, into the kitchen. Mother's wavy blonde hair was a matted mess resting atop of her small head, and her pale freckled face had turned red. She had a kitchen knife in her petite hand, threatening to kill Dad, even though they all knew she couldn't even if she tried. Dad was a six foot giant and about two hundred pounds compared to her moms four foot eleven, ninety pounds. All of her dad's weight came from his enormous beer belly, and her mom's almost anorexic size came from her constant need of cocaine.

And then there's the fact that her father was a police officer.

Lady's Dad knew of all the illegal's that her mom was into. His claim to love kept him from turning her in. The exception he'd make for her mother was unforgiving. He would ignore the fact that she was constantly beating Lady and throwing unforgivable words at her. But he wasn't exactly a bad guy. Every now and again - when Mom would go too far, he'd try to calm her down - but for the most part, he didn't do anything, and that was the problem. Dad let her mother do whatever she wanted and just stood out of her way most of the time. Lady was exceptionally happy that he never tried to purposely hurt her, unlike most of the adult figures in her life. The pain he caused was unintentional, by not man-ing up and doing anything to stop her mother's erratic behavior.

She leisurely backed away from her spot in attempt to silently walk back to her room, but on her way, the hardwood floor creaked. Her heart started to race, and she began to feel nauseous with images of her mother beating her again. She stood still waiting for the big explosion to come when she was greeted by her mother's boyfriend. ­- Yes. Her mother had a boyfriend even though she was still married to Dad. And yes. Dad knew about her 'boyfriend' and her mother was currently living between the two. Her mother usually called him to pick her up when her and Dad started fighting. He had a spare key, free to walk in whenever he pleased, which was not in Lady's favor. His knowing presence gave her chills, like a slimy reptile slithering its way up the base of her neck. He rest his cold albino hand on her lower back as he saw her.

"Hey, Princess." Milo breathed into her ear. His sour breath reeked of alcohol and barbecue chips. Her stomach twist in protest and Lady struggled not to cringe in disgust. His light blue eyes bore into her and his pink lips played with an obnoxious smirk. He was only twenty-three, but he looked like a thirty-five year old man - result to nine consecutive years of heavy drinking and multiple over doses on drugs.

He greeted Lady with a cold wet kiss to her cheek as his hand slid down to her backside. An involuntary shiver ran up her spine, the chill from his touch seeping through her clothing. Milo mistook her unpleasant reaction for an intimate one and backed away with a growing grin. Lady was stiff in her spot for several moments before running off into her room. She locked herself in as tears fell from her eyes. She stood with her ear pressed against the door as she tried to listen for the sound of them leaving. Their yelling only grew once they were aware of Milo's company. His voice joined into the chorus of her mom and Dad's arguing.

Lady sat curled up at the top corner of her bed, settled in between the alliance of two adjoining walls. She'd like to sit and dream about life after she graduated. A life that she could be free in. She would escape off into college, any college, as far away from this place as she could get. Florida would be ideal. Only a few more months until she graduated and three weeks until she would be a legal adult. It had been roughly an hour of wistful daydreaming when the mitigate silence dawned upon her. She eased out of bed and slowly unlocked the door before brushing it open. The lights were off throughout the one story household, with only the family television illuminating light down the hallway. Making her way into the kitchen, she saw Dad claiming his spot on the couch, starting on his second beer of the night. The light from their television was reflecting off his oily brown skin and bald head. He was so entranced with the movie, that he didn't even notice her. Lady made her microwavable macaroni and cheese without any lighting before blindingly making her way back to her room. Sometime after her dinner, she drifted off to sleep with the peaceful knowledge that there will be no more disturbances for the rest of the night.