Beatrix

TWO

"Lil bit!" The deep voice called out. Beatrix thought the voice would stop if she ignored it and kept walking. Instead, the voice followed her and caught up with her.

"Go ahead and kill me," she mumbled with her eyes close. "Do it."

"Damn lil bit. Who the fuck did this to you?"

Beatrix furrowed her eyebrows and opened her working eye. "Leave me alone."

"I'm tryna help yo half dead ass and you talm bout leave you alone?" Zane frowned. He observed all the blood and bruises she had then his eyes traveled on the bag. She quickly put it behind her back.

"What's in that?" Zane asked pointing at the bag.

"Food," she lied and gripped the bag tighter.

"I'm not gonna take yo food so stop holding it for dear life," he chuckled. "Why you in this alley anyway? You housekeep at night?"

She gave him a confused look. "I don't housekeep."

"Then what was you doing at Prince sister house?"

"I live there...well I used too," she mumbled. "It was nice seeing you but I have somewhere happy and quick I need to be."

"Who did this to you?" Zane frowned.

"It doesn't matter," she shrugged and tried limping away but he pulled her arm making her razors and pills fall out the bag. He looked down at them and furrowed his eyebrows.

She quickly picked up and tried passing him but blocked her. "Are you tryna commit suicide?"

She started crying again and dropped her head. He brought her into his warm embrace and for the first time in a long time she felt secured.

"You gone stay with me for awhile," Zane said.

•••

For a twenty year old, Zane was living lavish. He stayed in a decent apartment that had two bedrooms and two bathrooms. He had a spiral staircase and his decor was black and yellow.

Beatrix felt way too comfortable with Zane and started pouring her little heart out to him as he cleaned her bruises.

"My mother died in a fire and father is serving life. Ginger and Princeton are my niece and nephew. Nobody wanted to take me in, but Ginger. She needed the benefits and my monthly checks. So for seven years I've been beaten and mistreated and I'm sick of it...if I killed myself nobody would care but my father. He'd probably be the only one at my funeral," she boohooed.

He listened to her and it made him feel bad. The only thing he would do is rub his chin beard or shake his head. "Why they treating you like this?"

"That, I don't know. But they always said I was weird or off."

"That's fucked up," he mumbled. "Imma talk to that nigga Prince."

"No!" Beatrix stopped. "He's the reason I got beat. If you tell him, Ginger is going to come after—you know what...I gotta go."

She hopped out of his bed and opened his door only for him to close it. "Lil bit what are you doing? You ain't leaving into you get those thoughts out yo head."

"I live there and all my things are there," she cried. "If I don't go home, the police are going to get involve and knowing her she's going to lie on me."