Her legs beat steadily against the back of the chair, the child no more than 9 years old, her arms folded neatly, waiting as her father stood in front of her, towering over her. His hand in a fist, her mother sobbing in the corner, a blackened eye already forming, her tears floating to the ground that rumbled beneath her.
"Next time..." Her father motioned for Julie to stand up, "You'll come home on time." He patted her hair gently, smoothing the curls over with the rough edges of his fingers. He dragged the knots through with them. Julie flinched. At her actions, the backside of his palm went up and connected with the soft flesh. Connected with the tears.
"David!" The shrill voice of a beaten-down mother called, "Don't." Her hands shook as Julie wept silently. She had grown accustomed to these weekly occurrences. Her father, noting the tone of Julie's mother's voice grasped the bottle on the counter and stumbled back to the den.
The monster had retreated for now.
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Saving Julie Westwood
FanficJulie Westwood's big break finally came the moment she stepped through Walt Disney's doors. Now posing as the model actress sent as an assistant to the new movie, Mary Poppins, the studio is creating, she's faced with one of the biggest decisions of...
