His breath smelled like rotten eggs that had been laying with a pile of garbage in the heat for months. His arms had an ugly shade of green tatoos pasted all over with words in an unreadable font. His whole mushy six foot tall body reacked of sweat and achole. And his whole body was married to my mother.
They had gotten married about three months ago at the nearest church. My mom fell in love on their first date, when she got home all she could say was Ethan this and Ethan that... It made me sick to my stomach when I first met him. He seemed nice at first, he brought me a daisy and tucked behind my ear and told me I was as beautiful as my mother... But just the way he leaned over on the couch and nibbled her ear disgusted me.
At first it was apparent on how horrible his heart was. He hid it well from my mother. It just started with him saying things like 'what are you looking at?' and 'you may look like your mom but you sure act alot worse.' He started bossing my mom around like she was his slave and when ever I tried to stand up for me my mom gave me a look and Ethan tells me to shut up.
And after just a month at living at our house Ethan had moved all of his belongings to our house and acted like he was the king of the world, as if he deserved to be waited on hand and foot. And worse then all the rest was that my mother listened and did everything he asked without question. Every night and every morning she told him she loved him and the response was usually always the same 'i know' never an I love you too was ever metioned.
The first time it happened it was pouring buckets and buckets of rain. It was a little past midnight and I was reading my book with a flash light. The door creeked open and Ethan poked his head in. "Oh good your awake." I quickly closed my book at flashed the light in his face. "Turn that stupid thing off," he muttered.
"Go away Ethan. Why are here?" he yanked the flash light from her hand and flicked it off.
"Don't tell me what to do. Get against the wall." I don't move, staying motionless in the pitch black night. Secretly hoping he's like a dinosaur and won't notice me if I stay silent.
"Get against the wall!"
"Why?" He lost his temper just then. I remember him grabbing my shirt and shoving me so hard I fell to the ground. "I'll screem Ethan, then what will mom think?"
"For gods sake stop stalling. I've already convinsed her you screem randomly at night, i told her you were a very odd child and if she woke from it to go back to sleep and I would take care of it. She trusts me. Stand up against the wall."
"What are you going to do?"
"Well I have had a frustrating day," he says sliding off his belt. "Turn so your facing the wall." He orders, "now."
I do what he says leaning against my hands. My mind is racing thinking of some way to prevent all of this. "Please," I murmur "go away Ethan." That's when the first lash accured.
"Don't move," he says his voice still low. He put his weight into it, his feet like magnets to the ground. After five he stopped. "That wasn't so bad now was it?" He pauses. "I sure feel alot better." Without even looking I can guess that those red marks across my back would be made into scars.
I fall to my knees, covering my face with my palms. "Go away Ethan."
"Fine, for being such a good sport I guess I'll leave you alone. Oh yeah, and if you tell mom this, your dead." He takes out a pocket knife from his back pocket. "And it'll be slow and painful." Without another word he closes my door. I remember being so scared that I don't climb off the floor till I the next morning.
It was like that night almost every other day for at least the last month. I'd just sit on my bed curled into a little ball waiting and thinking. What will he bring tonight? His belt, a wooden spoon from the kitchen, mabey he'd just bring his cold hard fists. When I heard the creeking of the staires I'd jump up like a jack rabbit and run to open the door before he had time to knock.
The number would change everyday acording to how bad his mood and temper was. He'd pretend like it was a game, like this thing was good for the both or us. He say things like, if you answer the door before I knock I'll hit you one less time, but if you don't then it's plus two, or maybey if you don't cry out so much then I might not come so late tomorrow night, or you should thank me next time I'm through.
My mom was blinded by her happiness. Ethan told me I couldn't tell anyone he was hurting, but I had to act like nothing had changed between us, in other words I had to act completely irritated by him no matter what the consequences would be later that night.
"What do you want for breakfast, honey?" my mom asked.
"I'm not hungry, thanks... I think I'll just go for a walk." I grab my coat and walk out the back door, not looking at Ethan.
I go on walks every morning. Alone, it's what I am. My whole being and existence is based on that one word; and it never changes. I to sit in the middle of the empty rode. I lay on my back, the heat from the asphalt brings back the pain from last night. When I look in the mirror I'm colorful, my back is red brown purple yellow and green. Almost all of my arms legs and torso are enveloped in the oasis of color.
Then there it is the light. It is usually bright and covers her whole visition but today it's just a tiny circle becoming slowely bigger then their is a honk. Then everything goes black.
The first thing she hears is crying all around her. It sounds like a woman is right beside her but she does not open her eyes yet. Then a man, talking to the lady. "The car didn't do much damage. She's lucky."
"lucky? You think this girl is lucky? Look at her! Does she look lucky to you, does she?!" She screams inbetween sobs. The man does not speak but tries to quiet the woman. "Don't hush me. My daughter has been beaten by people! Is this where she goes on those walks of hers? They found her laying in the middle of the road, Ethan!"
"I think she'll be alright. She's a strong girl." That's when I choose to open my eyes. 'I'm not going to be alright.' I think.
"She's awake!" My mother yells frantically. "Docture! Nurse! Anyone come quickly she's awake!" She yells tears stain her rosey cheeks.
"Please, if you could step out of the patients room?" the docture asks after a few moments. He sits on the stool and looks into her eyes. "Who did this to you?" He lays his hand gently on her arm, she pulls away.
"I can't tell you... He'll kill me."
"We can pretext you. Tell me." the docture says. She pauses, then mouthes the word "Ethan." no sound comes out of her lips but he understands. He stands and she looks away a few tears down her cheeks. When the docture opens the door Ethan is standing with. Knife and comes running towards her, the docture lurches but misses.
The last thing she sees is the knife's blade touch her neck.