Start of Time ▷ Seth Clearwater

ONE

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ONE; SIGNS OF ABUSE

     "HOW MANY THIS TIME?" Leah Clearwater asked, sipping on her frozen lemonade. She watched as Jasmine closed her eyes, pressing her cheek against her knees, which were pulled up to her chest.

     "Four bruises on her legs, and a couple of scars on her hands. No face injuries this time."

     "Still sounds awful," Leah commented, eyes gazing over at the beach waves. Her little brother, Seth, was kicking around a football with a couple of his moronic friends. "Did you say anything?"

     "What's there to say?" Jasmine shrugged, playing around with the straw of her drink. "I try to comfort her, she tells me I'm a narcissistic bitch. I try to call for help, and my mother always stops me. I've reached a dead end."

     Leah pursed her lips. "If my father knew-"

     "He would contact my mother first. Then she would say that I was acting jealous, and Amelie and Eli are in love."

     "I don't understand," Jasmine's best friend grunted in frustration. "Can no one else see the signs but us? Amelie literally comes to school everyday with a face full of makeup."

     The abuse Amelie Jones received began after her father died. Jasmine didn't recognize the signs at first — she was too preoccupied with funeral arrangements for her father and accompanying her wailing mother for most of the meetings. However, the night before the funeral, Jasmine caught her younger sibling covering scars upon her face with makeup she bought from the local store. There was a brief fight consisting of yelling and swearing before Jasmine reached for the phone to call for Chief Swan. Amelie was begging her not to, insisting what was happening with her and her boyfriend, Eli, would never occur again.

     That was when their mother came home, face telling that she already knew about Amelie's bruises. She tore the phone away from Jasmine's grasp and told her daughter to mind her own business. In some twisted, sick way, Madeline Jones thought that her daughter being abused was just a sign of love. She tried to hang onto any form of the feeling after her husband passed away.

     So here they were, a year later, and Amelie still came home every now and then with fresh bruises.

     Leah thought it was tyrannical that Madeline refused to say anything, but she also believed it was idiotic of Amelie to keep quiet about this.

     "I don't know, Leah. Maybe we're just observant."

     Complying to her mother's orders, Jasmine never spoke one word of Amelie's abuse to anyone. Luckily for her, Leah was smart enough to figure it out. The Clearwater girl always wanted to do something about it, but Jasmine knew it wouldn't work. Madeline had thought of everything.

     Seth came jogging over, lips spread into a wide smile. "Hey, Jasmine!"

     "Hi, Seth," the girl smiled back, although she was sure she didn't show as much enthusiasm.

     "You want to kick the ball around with us?"

     Leah smirked, leaning back in her plastic chair to witness the scene unfold. It was no secret that Seth possessed a big crush on Jasmine, but given that the girl was five years older than him, there was no chance that Jasmine would throw him a bone.