Understand Me

Chapter 1 - They are dead, Baylor

I'm in the basement like I'm always suppose to be. I don't know why I have to stay here, but Frank Jones said, "For little girls like you, you belong in the dirtiest places."

Frank is my mom's husband. He's was nice to me when he first met me, but then my mom told him I have autism, and then he started being mean to me. My mom doesn't stop him though. She says maybe the beating will fix me. And I hope they do. I hope I can be fixed enough for them to want me.

I can hear Frank and Mom walking upstairs right now, they have probably been drinking like they always do. But now I hear the basement door swing open, and heavy footfalls come down the steps.

"You whore, come out, come out wherever you are!"

He makes me scared, I think. I'm tucked in the corner, rocking back and forth.

He finds me. He always does. "You brat, you answer when I call you, do you understand?"

I don't say a word. Everything's becoming too much.

"I SAID DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"

"Ye..s s-sir."

Then all of a sudden I feel a foot in my stomach, kicking hard. He grabs my legs, swinging me across the room, making me hit my head on the concrete floor really hard.

This is too much. I can't deal with this. Too much. I start to scream and sob all at the same time. Trying to rock back and forth to help "ground"
myself as I like to call. But now everything's getting harder to hear. It's getting harder to move or speak. My head starts to become fuzzy, my arms become numb. The world loses its focus around me.

I lay still as he continues to name call and beat me. Not caring now that my mind's not really here anymore.

——————
Next person to come down is my mom the following day. She always comes to just to see how bad Frank hurt me. And sometimes I'll get food if I'm lucky.

"Hey sweetheart, you doing okay?"

"Yes Mom, I am fine." No, I'm hurting. My ribs hurt. My stomach hurts. My head hurts.

"Did he hurt you bad?"

I nod

She laughs, "Well good, you probably deserved it. Frank told me you shut down on him. I told you to STOP doing that! And until you can get your mind together, you fool, you will live a hard life down here. I should've aborted you if I knew this was how you were going to turn out. You're a waste of my precious time. You're a waste of the air around you."

I can feel the tears start to well up. I know she doesn't like me. I know I'm a burden. I know I cause problems. But I don't know how not to be. I don't know how to fix myself.

She leaves me with those words to think over. And I do. Because my mind thinks and thinks and thinks.

——————
Next thing I know someone is trying to shake me awake. I don't like to be shaken.

"NO no no."

"Honey, it's alright, I'm officer Wilson. Are you okay?"

I stare at the nice officer man. I nod to him yes, and he gives me a skeptical look.
"Then why are you in a dirty basement with absolutely nothing?"

I whisper, "Because this is where I belong, I'm supposed to be here."

He nods his head slowly, "Okay let's go down to the station and get some help, how does that sound?"

"I can't go. I can't go. I'm, I'm not allowed. I'll never be allowed until I'm fixed. They won't let me."

"Honey are you talking about your mom and her husband Frank?" I nod.

"Well, they have been in a car accident, and when the car got hit, it blew up, and they were inside it. I'm sorry, but they didn't make it. So now we need to go to the station so we can get you a home to go next."

I'm surprised for a moment. They are.. dead. Maybe I won't get hit anymore, but then I'm reminded.

"Nobody will want me. I have autism, and mom and Frank told me nobody wants a kid with autism. I'm not worth their time."

"No no that's not right. They were just being mean. There's lots a families who would take you in."

He gives me a minute to think over his words. I nod.

"Okay ready to go now? Do you wanna bring anything?"

I grab a dusty bag from the corner of the room and begin to fill it with the few items I have. I have two shirts, a pair of jeans and leggings and pajamas. And then I will always bring my monkey Bo-Bo. He always has to be with me. I'll never leave him behind.

After I pack, me and officer Wilson head to his cop car. There were other cops in the house upstairs, but I didn't give them eye contact or talk to them.
We quietly went to the car to direct my future.

——————
First chapter is out!! This is a short chapter about her life just before she meets the boys.

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Abby Rose <3