DogBird (REWRITE)

Chapter 4

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 didn't escape the kerfuffle and had come out with a pretty ugly gash that I taped closed with some butterfly strips. All because of that stupid stupid decision. Did I mention that it was ridiculously stupid?

Curt was decidedly not happy when I snuck back in last night. I thought I'd 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 basement's window well. Safe to say that that exit was now barred.

Adding my brainless idea of sneaking out 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. It was almost scarier to face her when she was updated by Curt on my escapades, but I won her over with some pathetic excuse of homesickness and wanting to get used to our new home. She okayed my exploring of the woods that made up our backyard, as long as I didn't wander too far.

Anything for my little boy.

I scoffed to hide a shiver as those words that she cooed at me echoed in my mind.

Staring at my reflection, I took in every detail. Fiery amber eyes that seemed to always be set in deadpan indifference. A nose that lacked almost any bridge and a small flared nasal base. Delicately sharp jawline. Round lips that held a bit more plumpness than Saundra preferred. Straight and dark eyebrows. Broad, yet scrawny shoulders. Black, feathery hair that framed my face ruggedly with the longest strands brushing my collarbone. Saundra was probably racking her brain for reasons 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 further down until they landed on the one thing that Saundra would forever force me to hide from the rest of the world.

My lovely little tatas.

I mean, sure, they weren't the biggest, but they were definitely there. My head fell back with a scoff of exasperation and I rolled my eyes in lazy 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. Almost instantly, I hissed at the pelt of water jabbing at the new and sensitive bruises littering my shoulders and back, curving my back away from the jet. That motherfucker, Curt. Saundra really could pick the best of them. Note the sarcasm.

Being a well known police officer in the central Missouri region, he had ins with almost every agency of the legal force in multiple areas of Missouri. It's what he thrived off of; power. And every day, he continues to flaunt and abuse that power.

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

Not that Saundra was much better.

She might be worse.

Dammit, I couldn't even escape them when I had time to myself. Deciding this shower was done, I shut off the water with a huff. The towel was rough against my skin as I dried myself off before wrapping my chest and throwing on a pair of boxer briefs. Loose jeans that I repurposed into shorts and a faded and worn band tee finished the look and after raking my fingers through the hair hanging in my face, I decided that I would leave it to air dry while I explored the forest.