What is family?

Chapter 2: "Wait, what?"

*Mentions of abuse in this chapter*

Chi's POV:

I wake up with a migraine on the ground of the basement. Last night was one of the worse nights. Thinking back I feel like I could've done something more, something more to protect Vi and I.

Flashback

I see Vi starting to lose consciousness and I try to move over to her, but then I'm met with the pleasant face of Mike.

"Now, where do you think your going" -He said with a grin.

"Umm away from you" -I spat out.

You see I know that one of these days my mouth will get me killed, but honestly I don't really care. I keep trying to get to Vi, but then I'm dragged by my hair into the basement. I think my scalp may be bleeding. I wait for a kick, slap, or punch and eventually I get it. And when he starts he doesn't stop, so I sit there until he does. Just when I think I'm in the clear, I hear laughing, not the nice one but an evil one. I look around and my eyes land on Mike with a knife in his hand. My face pales as he creeps up closer to me.

"You know, I've always wanted to be an artist. You are the closest I've been to being one" -He whispers in my ear, which makes me want to throw up.

He slams my head into the ground and I start seeing black spots. Then I'm met with the excruciating pain, the pain of the knife digging deep into my back. And Mike knows just how to make it the most painful for me, by dragging the knife as slow as possible on my back. He keeps doing this for about ten more minutes and then leaves. Not before throwing me on the ground with one last final blow to my head. I think about why Vi and my lives are like this, why we deserve this, and eventually the darkness consumes me.

Flashback over

I try getting up, but feel a cool normal feeling of blood running down my back. I groaned knowing he wrote a hurtful word on my back. I stand up, but then am immediately hit with pain in my shoulder and head, and to try to stop it I kneel down. It takes me a couple more minutes to stop seeing the dots and I successfully stand up. Honestly I think I have a broken collarbone, so I take my painkillers and I make my way up the basement stairs and I see my sister laying on the floor unconscious.

Walking over to the kitchen I get a glass of water. Usually Mike and Jane aren't here in the mornings, because they are either at work or doing something else, like getting drunk or high. I walk over to Vi and try not to hurt her by putting her head in my lap. Then after she's on my lap, I pour the water on her face, and slowly she starts to wake up.

"What, what where am I" -she says getting up and looking around the room.

"We're at Mike and Jane's house Vi" -I reply, we've never really considered this our home.

"Oh yeah, wait are you okay Chi" -She suddenly looks worriedly at me.

"Yeah I'm fine, but currently it's 6:17 so we have to start getting ready for school" -I say to her looking at the clock.

"Okay, do you want to shower first?" -She asks me.

"Umm okay, I won't take too long" -I say making my way to the shower.

Basically the only things we have in it is body wash, shampoo, and conditioner. We had to cut the only towels Mike and Jane gave us, so we could have something to wash our bodies with. We also had to buy our hairbrushes and hair ties so we wouldn't have that horrible hair. Of course they also gave us some toothbrushes and toothpaste in the beginning, but we have to buy our own now.

I get into the shower and let the lukewarm water fall onto me. It stings really badly at first, it makes me want to scream, but then it feels soothing on my back. I quickly clean the dirt and blood off of my body and watch it go down the drain. I finish and dry myself with the towel. Finally getting the courage, I look at the mirror and take off my towel. I almost cry when I see the word on my back, "WORTHLESS". I also have many other nasty words on my back, such as slut (given to me because one time when I was fourteen, a boy walked me home), idiot (because when I was thirteen, I didn't know how to cook dinner), thief (because a while ago, they figured out I took stuff for me and Vi to eat), whore (because Mike thought I came onto his friend), bitch (because why the hell not), and ugly (just because Mike felt like carving it on me).