Jennifer Tanner
Episode 8, Part 2
Jennifer stood next to her mother as she listened to the vows, as she watched her mother kiss a new man and pledge her allegiance to him for life. She wasn't sure what to do. She didn't want to have a new dad. She was only ten, her father was floated less than a year ago and now she was being adopted by a different man?
An abusive man. James Tanner was an abusive and cruel man. If Jennifer didn't do as he pleased she was punished, and not disciplinary punishment. He goes overboard, he leaves bruises all over her body by kicking her and punching her. He was a mean drunk. It wasn't until she was eleven years old when something was done about it.
"Bellamy! Hang on, I can't keep up!" The young girl cried out as she chased after the teenage boy. Her arm was cradling her ribs as she winced from the pain. The night before Jennifer had accidentally knocked her step father's bottle of moonshine off the table. Now she had bruises and cuts to prove it.
"Come on, Little Bug, I'm not running that fast." The boy chuckled as he slowed to a stop, noticing how she held her abdomen and limped all the way to him. "Jennifer, what happened? Are you okay?" He asked quickly as he knelt down in front of her.
Her eyes widened and she dropped her arm before lightly laughing. "I'm okay, Silly. I just had a cramp from running." Jennifer said quickly.
Bellamy frowned as he looked down at the child's abdomen. "Jen, are you sure-" Bellamy's sentence was cut off by a a deep voice bellowing throughout the hallway.
"Jennifer! Get your ass back here!" James Tanner's voice made Jennifer's eyes widen and she looked back to where her apartment door lay fifteen feet behind her. She then turned back to her best friend.
"I have to go, Bell. We'll hang out soon, I promise!" And before he could protest she was stumbling back home only to be greeted by strings of insults, curses, and punches.
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I winced as I grabbed a tree to brace myself. Bellamy slowed to a stop when he noticed I had stopped. "Hey, are you okay?" His concern for me was evident as he closed the distance between us.
I gave him a small smile. "Yeah, I guess those few days resting my ankle wasn't enough, it's just a little sore." I informed him before pushing myself off the tree. "I'll be okay."
Bellamy watched me for a minute before nodding his head. "Okay." Was all he said as he walked a few steps away and sat down on a log.
"Bell, what're you doing we have to get there." I told him.
"Well, you said your ankle is sore, but that you'll be okay. I agree which is why we are taking a break so that I know for a fact you'll be okay. He told me woth a raised eyebrow as he patted the spot next to him. I sighed before making my way over there.
It was silent as we pulled out our rations and ate a few. I decided to break the silence. "You know, the dropships will be here soon." I said cautiously as I popped a berry into my mouth. "It won't hurt to talk to Jaha before they get here. It'll be hard to ignore him wants his feet touch the ground."
"I can try." He said simply as he looked at his feet. "Come on." He stood and dusted himself off before holding his hand out to me. "We should get going."
It wasn't too long later that we approached the location of scattered ruins. I looked down at the map then at the flooded structures in front of us. "It should be right here." I said confused.
