Chrysalis

Chapter 2

Notes: Here I am again! Thank you so, so much for the feedback, especially for the comments. I truly wasn't expecting something like this, I don't know if you can realize how much this means to me!

Warnings: there are implications of child abuse (non-graphic, though).

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Chapter Two

Maggie was staring carefully at the reflection on the full-body mirror in front of her.

The girl who looked back was pale and there were faint bags under her lilac eyes, but luckily, they weren't too pronounced. (No, reading until three am hadn't been such a great idea in the hindsight. But reading was basically the only thing that kept Maggie somehow sane. She had needed to calm down at first, and after that, she had ended up being completely sucked into the book...) Black leggings covered her slim legs and her upper body was enveloped in a loose red long-sleeved tunic that almost reached her mid-thigh. Maggie twisted around to have a better look at the mirror. The shirt couldn't completely hide her big breasts – too big for her otherwise slight frame – and the neckline was a bit too loose, showing the straps of the black tank top she was wearing underneath, but it was decent. And, more importantly, the sleeves were long enough to completely cover her arms and too tight to rise up without her noticing.

Maggie sighed. She should be grateful that her face was unmarred – unless completely drunk, Steve was careful enough not to leave marks where they could be easily seen – but the pain that shot up in her body every time she made a sharp movement foretold that those bruises weren't going to fade quickly. She was particularly worried about her left wrist, she could still bend it, but she would have to be really careful not to show the purple mark that enveloped it... Her abdomen was in a bad shape too. In an improvement from the previous evening, Maggie could now stand straight without being in severe pain, so it wouldn't pose a problem at school – unless she had to change. No matter how careful she could be, a glimpse would be enough; the contrast between her stark white skin and the vivid bruises was impossible to miss.

'Gym is in two days,' Maggie found herself thinking as she brushed her long hair and tied it in her usual twintails. 'I could change in the bathroom, but I don't even know if there is one in the changing room...'

Usually, there was, but she couldn't stop worrying unless she was completely sure.

Maggie's eyes swept around the room, looking for her sneakers, and as soon as she located them they fell on the ice skates and hockey stick right next to them.

Hockey had been an excellent sport. It was extremely violent, hiding some extra bruises among the ones Maggie got playing was easy. That was probably the reason Steve let her play in the first place, in spite of regarding the sport as expensive and not feminine.

'They might have a hockey team here,' Maggie mused as she slipped on her shoes. 'There isn't an ice rink inside the school, but I've seen one that's not far, they might have some arrangements... I should ask Alfred.'

With her mood remarkably improved by the thought of hockey – and Alfred – Maggie headed towards the kitchen. Steve was already out so she didn't have to hurry, she could have breakfast and maybe even cook something for lunch. Even if she wasn't actually hungry – she hardly ever was, and the way her stomach was still painfully cramped from the hits it had taken didn't help – keeping up the appearances was important. She hadn't even had dinner the previous day, it was probably the right time to get some nutrients into her body...