Scars | ✔

Chapter 4

"Pa! Please, no!" Marshall yelled as his father pulled him up the steps.

"We took that girl in when she needed us the most, and this is how she repays us?!"

"Pa, she's just afraid!"

"I'll show her afraid!"

Timothy dragged Marshall upstairs into Clem's room, and threw him to the floor. Clem jumped as she looked up and saw the older man standing above her. He took the belt from his pants and folded it up.

"Pleeeease.. I'm sorry.." Clem whined as she backed up.

"Pa!" Marshall yelled, running in front of Clementine. "Don't hurt her!" Marshall yelled again, blocking Clem.

"Out of the way fore you get it." Timothy said. Marshall stood his ground, though, making sure Clem didn't get hurt.

"Fine. Have it your way." Timothy said. Timothy moved his hand back, and in a swift motion, hit Marshall in the face with the belt, leaving a long red mark across his face. Marshall instantly cried out in pain as he held his face. Timothy pushed Marshall aside with ease, and did the same thing to Clementine, only harder. Clementine had the same reaction as Marshall; grabbing her face and crying as Timothy shook his head.

"You two'll stay in this bedroom without dinner for two days. Teach yer a lesson." Timothy said, walking out of the bedroom and locking the door.

It took a bit for Clem and Marshall to calm down, but when they did, they sat by the window together.

"I'm so sorry, Marshall..." Clem whimpered, still holding her face.

"Don't be sorry. It was my decision. I thought I could protect you, but I didn't think pa would.." Marshall trailed off as he stared at the ceiling. Suddenly, he felt small arms around him, and looked down to see Clementine hugging him.

"Thank you, Marshall. You're an amazing friend." Clem muttered from underneath her breathe.

"Friend? At this point, I thought I'd have at least earned the brother title." Marshall joked, giving Clem a playful nudge, despite how bad both of them felt. Clem giggled, making Marshall smile at her.

"Yeah. You can be considered my brother. Only you're my family. Tayla and Timothy aren't my parents, and Henry, Hector, and TJ aren't my brothers."

"Only I'm your brother?" Marshall laughed.

"Yeah. The other boys are mean and annoying."

"Imagine having lived with them your entire life." Marshall said with a laugh. Clem laughed too.

"I can't imagine that!" They both laughed again. Despite how different they looked; how different they acted, they seen each other as siblings. Already. That just goes to show, family is as easy to find as it is to count to three.

Clem glanced out at the dark blue sky in which was filled with white specks, all glistening and glowing as if they were diamonds. Marshall looked out with her, admiring how pretty, yet scary, the forest looked like at night. He watched as the crows flew in and cawed softly as the perched at the end of the branch, before falling silent as they watched Tayla and Timothy's room.

"Well, here is Raven, Crow an Blackbird." Marshall said, careful not to wake Tayla and Timothy.

"They're cute." Clem commented, taking in the sight.

"Yeah."

After a while of just sitting and watching the birds, they started to caw, catching both Clem and Marshall off guard, making them jump at the sudden noise.