Beatrix

ONE

Beatrix nodded again and continued putting her hair in two low Chinese buns. Ginger sized her up and scoffed as she left the basement she was kept in.

Ginger envied her aunt. Beatrix had a golden beige complexion with a button nose and almond shaped brown eyes. She was really skinny and was mistaken to be anorexic. She was only five feet tall and looked like she could be a eight year old. She had long wavy black hair since her mother was Dominican and her father was black.

•••

Beatrix was now straightening up the den since Winny and her twin sister, Wendy, were playing with their toys.

That's when she heard keys jingle and she grabbed her noodles and orange pop off the table and made her way out.

"Wussup Bebe?" Prince greeted with three other guys following close behind. Beatrix gave him a weak smile and quickly walk towards the basement.

"Who is that?" Rylan, Princeton's cousin, frowned. "Ginger housekeeper?"

"Yeah," he lied with a chuckle. "Bitch be on some weird shit."

"I knew it couldn't be family because y'all be dressing and all y'all light bright," Desi, his stepbrother, joked.

"She ain't ugly though," Zane, Prince partner, shrugged while plopping down on the couch. "Just little. How old is she?"

"Seventeen, why?" Prince quizzed and furrowed his eyebrows. He didn't want nobody he hung around with her.

"Just asking, because she look like a twelve year old," he said. 

"That's how the broad sound," Prince laughed. "Watch this...yo Bebe!"

Beatrix came back inside with a ironed white Hanes tee shirt and blue jeggings with fresh white off-brand toms. She looked put together now that she didn't have a cupcake gown and scarf on anymore.

"Bebe what time you leaving?"

She held up her hand indicating five. She saw that all the handsome guys were looking at her, so she looked at her feet.

"Aw well introduce yourself," he smirked. "You was rude for not speaking. Ginger hate when you rude to guests so don't make me tell her."

Her head shot up. She did not want to get beat by Ginger. She still got a bruise on her ass from last week. "My name is Beatrix and—."

They busted out into in laughter, which made Beatrix drop her head, clean her dish,  and proceed to take out the trash. Zane sucked his teeth. He watched as the three guys died in laughter. That's when he saw Beatrix struggling to pick up the garbage bag and ended up falling on her ass which made the boys laugh even harder.  

Zane didn't find anything funny about that. He nudged Rylan's head and got up to help her. When he approached her, she quickly wiped her tears and got up. She waved him off and quickly pick the bag up, only for him to grab it.

"I got it, lil bit," he said looking down at her. Her height made her stop right below his chest. He had an athletic built; thick but muscular. He was 6'4 and covered with tattoos on his torso and arms. He had a honey brown complexion with beautiful amber colored eyes. He had a curly temp fade with a mustache and chin beard.

She sighed and walked back to the basement and closed it. She could hear their whole conversation. She got used to being talked down and mistreated by her family so it rarely made her cry.

Yes, she was bothered. She couldn't understand why everyone was being mean to her. Sometimes, she wished she was never born. She had suicidal thoughts but was always stopped, so she started going to church.