DogBird

Chapter 5: Roe

I sighed at my reflection in the bathroom mirror and a battered and bruised me sighed back. This was going to be impossible to hide at school on Monday. A nasty bruise was already coating the left side of my jaw and my lip was split. My right eyebrow also had a pretty ugly looking gash that I taped closed with some butterfly strips. All because of that stupid decision I made last night.

Curt was not happy when I came home. I thought I had done a better job at sneaking out, but I guess not, since he was up and waiting for me when I climbed back through the window well that connected the basement to the backyard. Adding my brainless idea of leaving to the stress of moving into a new house, Curt found more than enough reasons to raise a fist.

Fortunately, Curt's colorful vocabulary and the smack of skin against skin woke up Saundra and I was able to gain her sympathy. She allowed me to explore the woods that made up our backward, as long as I didn't wander too far.

Anything for my little boy.

I scoffed as I remembered those ridiculous words she had the audacity to coo to me.

Staring at my reflection, I took in every detail. Fiery amber eyes that seemed to always be set in deadpan indifference. Straight and delicate nose. Sharp and angular jawline. Round lips that held a bit more plumpness than Saundra preferred. Straight and dark eyebrows. Broad, yet slim shoulders. Black, feathery hair that framed my face ruggedly, the longest hair beginning to brush my collarbone. Saundra was probably thinking up ways to chop it off without upsetting her little boy. My eyebrows shot up in mock surprise when I noticed a small mole beneath my right earlobe. "Huh, that's new," I commented to myself. My eyes roamed down further until they landed on the one thing that Saundra would forever deny.

My lovely little tatas.

I waved my hand at my reflection in exasperation. "I mean, how can you refuse to see something that's right in front of your eyes?" I questioned no one in particular. I mean, sure, they weren't the biggest, but they were definitely there. I rolled my eyes in annoyance as I trudged to the shower. "Too much up here, not enough down there," I groused sourly as I stepped under the steamy spray.

The pelt of the water jabbed at the sensitive bruises littering my shoulders and back and I hissed, curling my back away from the jet. Pushing my pain to the back burner of my mind, I distracted myself with other thoughts as I rushed to finish washing myself. My mind wandered to Curt, unfortunately. Curt; my step-dad, married to my not-quite mother. A well known police officer in the central Missouri region that has ins with almost every agency of the legal force in the area. A man who supports the family hierarchy that gives men the power, and a man who flaunts and abuses that power.

And then you have me; the one who suffers under those ideals and that self-conjured power. Not that it really bothers me. Sure, it hurts like a bitch sometimes, but it's not like I can complain to the police. He is the police so what good would that do? All I had to do was tolerate his outbursts long enough for him to either grow tired of hitting something that doesn't respond to the pain he's dealing out or get caught by Saundra and be forced to stop.

Not that Saundra was much better.

She might be worse.

When I began getting tired of the path my thoughts were going down, I decided that this shower was done and shut off the water. 

Stepping out, I wiped myself down with a towel and threw on a pair boxer briefs, then loose jean shorts and a faded and worn band tee after I wrapped my chest. I raked my fingers through the nose length hair hanging in my face and decided that I would let my hair air dry while I explored the forest.