Masks (boyxboy)

43. Bats I

Marti Carpenter - 17 years old

"Ma!" I jump before her, a camera up to my face as I use my new found toy to record every aspect of my life. I'll be huge director one day I tell you.

"Where did you get that from?" She asks shocked, "Marti, did you steal it?" She whispers, her eyes wide with anger.

"Nah, found it in the trash." I dance around her. She blushes and puts her hands up to her face, hiding it from view. I laugh at her shyness. She could've been a movie star had she not been so shy.

I turn the camera towards myself and wave.

"The name is director Carpenter and this tape will go down in history as the first recording made by me, the best movie director of all time." I point it to my ma. "This lovely woman would have been famous had she not gotten preggers from an asshole when she was fifteen," I announce. My mother slaps me across the face in indignation, I giggle. "Fiery this one."

My dad is where they keep all the crazies. He tried to kill my ma when he found out she was pregnant, so he's there being pumped full of meds.

Ma rolls her eyes, but smiles widely as a faint knock comes from the door I made out of a metal sheet I found in the dumpster. It has holes in it, which is how I can tell it's Sophie at our door. I smile as well.

"Guess who got you Fruit Loops this time?" She teases from the other side.

I jump up and down in amusement, point the camera at the door and fling it open to give Sophie an enormous hug.

"Thank you!" I say giddily as I grab the box of cereal from her hands and continue to jump up and down excitedly around our one room home.

"Thank you Sophie," my mum says as she takes a heavy box of food that Sophie brought and gives her a hug, "We appreciate your help."

"It's no problem," Sophie smiles.

I'm so in love with her. I love her hair, her eyes, her lips. I love her arms, her legs, her laugh. I love her. All of her.

Sophie convinced my mum to stop bringing men into the house for money, and she now brings us food every week while my mum finds something else to do.

 I didn't like it when she had men over, she always let them kiss me when I was sleeping. Only when I was sleeping so I wouldn't know, but I always knew and I only pretended to sleep out of fear. That's why I love Sophie so much, she convinced my ma to not let them in.  

I love her.

I can't stop thinking about her every day and night. I follow her sometimes when she leaves and I see her going home, have dinner and take a bath. I love her.

"Sophie, who's your favorite person in the world?" I ask her as I fill my entire mouth with cereal.

She thinks for a bit before saying: "My little brother Eddy."

Oh.

She looks at me worriedly when I fall silent and stop chewing my food, my eyes dark and menacing as I picture the little brother.

I follow him more than I follow her. I just have to make sure that he's not with her or he might take her away from me.

I know where he goes, who he's with. I know what he does and when he does it. I know his every step.

He can't take Sophie away from me, Sophie is mine and no one else's.

From now on, I'm taking my camera and documenting everything I see, so that I can look back and plan how to get rid of him.
I know that right now he's at school, so I have Sophie all to myself.

My ma prepares some tea and we all sit down while they talk about what jobs are available for ma to take. 

My eyes focus on the soft skin of Sophie's neck, so vulnerable. Slowly, I move my eyes towards her shoulder, imagining how great it would feel to kiss her there, to run my tongue over the silky smooth spots where her pulse makes her skin warmer. I continue looking down unashamedly, until my path is interrupted by the wooden cross hanging from her neck. 

She won't leave me, I swear.