Twisted Memories
A/n: Hey! Az here, I decided to do this since in Creative Writing we're working on teen issues an stuff and I'm putting our magic knights in these positions. So the first one is child abuse. At the end, there will be a headline poem my group came up with. So here's the first one.
AbuseSMACK! Her body fell hard against the cold tile. She looked up at him, her hair covering her face and eyes brimming with tears.
"Otou-san, w-why? Why did you hit me?" She was trembling. Her father never hit her before. Why did he hit her now?
"You've been bad. Its your fault for everything." He said as he pulled her up gruffly.
"What did I do father? Was it because Nina left?" She asked quietly. Bringing up the subject of her sister made him angry. Angry that one of his children killed themselves.
"Never talk about her!" He hissed hitting her in the face. Tears spilled down the nine-year old's cheeks. She closed her eyes trying to stop the tears.
"Daddy, it wasn't my fault that happened. I miss her too, its okay to cry. Mommy always told me that." She looked up at her father, her blue eyes brimming with tears.
"Men don't cry. I'm not through with you, but right now go to bed." He threw her against the wall. She yelped before sliding down. She scrambled to her feet and ran up the stairs before he could get mad again.
Ryuuzaki Umi bolted upwards in her bed. Her face was tear-streaked and blotchy. She had been crying in her sleep. She held up a hand to her cheek. It was stinging as if she'd just been slapped. She pulled the covers off and slid off of the bed. She walked down the hall to her parents room where they were sleeping. She peeked inside and saw her father wasn't in there.
"He must be in the bathroom." Umi said to herself going downstairs for water.
"What are you doing out of bed young lady?" Umi jumped at the sound of her father's voice.
"I'm getting some water, had a bad dream." Umi said getting a glass from the cupboard of the kitchen.
"Go to bed. You don't need any water." Her father said looking at his daughter.
"Dad, I'm thirsty." Umi said. Her father's hand swiped across her face causing her to drop the glass making it break into four big pieces. "D-daddy? What was that for?" Umi asked, her cheek now red from the force of his hit.
"Clean this mess then go to bed." He turned away and left the kitchen. Umi smelt from his breath that he was still drunk. Umi did as told then went to bed, not wanting to upset her father.
The next morning, Umi went down to breakfast after doing her usual prepping routine.
"Hello Mom, Daddy." Umi glanced nervously at her father who seemed to be normal. He looked up and smiled at the girl.
"Would you like a ride to Tokyo tower?" He asked. Umi nodded before heading upstairs to grab her bag.
"Daddy, I have something to ask you…" Umi said after the a long moment of silence.
"Yes dear?"
"Well…do you remember what happened last night?" Umi asked quietly looking down at her feet.
"No, I was in my room all night, why?"
"Well…" Umi stopped to think for the right words. "I went to get some water…and…and…you slapped me." Umi said barely above a whisper.
"I did? I would never hurt you. You're your mother's and mine's special angel." Her father kissed her on the forehead at a stoplight.
"Well…did you ever hurt Nina?" Umi asked before she could stop herself. Umi's father turned pale and looked at his daughter.
"Do you want the truth?" He asked. Umi only nodded. Her father sighed and spoke. "Yes, I only did it when needed, like when I used to spank you. Why do you ask?"
"I…I had a dream about when I was nine." Umi stopped there not wanting to say anymore about it.
"Its just a dream, dreams often lie. I wouldn't hurt you."
"Then why was I hit last night? All I wanted was a glass of water and you smacked me. The glass broke and you told me to clean it up and go to bed. Don't you remember?" Umi asked looking up at her father.
"Actually yes I do remember…I'm not sorry I smacked you though." Umi looked down at her feet.
"I'll be back in a couple of hours. Be good." Umi's father said driving off. Little did Umi know, was that a bruise was slowly forming across her cheek.
"Miss Umi! What happened?" Fuu asked seeing Umi arrive.
"What do you mean?" Umi looked at Fuu curiously.
"You have a big bruise forming on your cheek." Hikaru told her. Umi froze in her tracks and frantically began to dig in her bag. She pulled out a compact and looked at it.
"What happened to you Miss Umi?" Fuu asked again.
"N-nothing…" Umi drifted off into a silence.
"Who hurt you Umi?" Hikaru asked.
"My father…" Umi said in a barely audible voice.
"What?!" Both Hikaru and Fuu shrieked. The other people in Tokyo Tower looked over at the three.
"Its no big deal. Lets just go to Cephiro." Umi said quietly, secretly wishing she didn't tell her friends. Fuu and Hikaru looked at each other before the three stood in a circle, willing themselves to Cephiro.
"Hi lil missies!" Caldina said skipping out of the crystalline palace. Hikaru, Fuu and Umi hugged their friend smiling happily.
"Hi Caldina!" Umi and Hikaru chirped.
"Hello Miss Caldina." Fuu said smiling. Caldina looked at each of the magic knights before stifling a surprised scream.
"What?" Fuu and Hikaru asked. Umi sighed knowing it was because of the bruise on her face.
"Its my bruise, I got hit. Its nothing big." Umi brushed it off, not wanting to worry the others.
"Umi, your father hit you, it is something big. That's called child abuse." Fuu said in a worried tone, which got Caldina upset.
"He hit ya?! Well, he's lucky I don't go down there an' show him how lil' ol' Miss Caldina hits!" Caldina fumed. Umi tried to calm her down by saying it was an accident, but it didn't work well.
"Caldina! Its alright!" Umi said to the fuming Chizetan.
"Its not alright! He should be stopped before he does it again Umi!" Hikaru said standing next to Caldina.
"Caldina! Hikaru! I can handle it myself! I'm okay. I just need some cover-up and it'll disappear." Umi dug in her bag again looking for her compact. When she found it she applied the make-up and smiled. "See! All gone!" Umi chirped happily. Hikaru and Fuu still weren't happy but pretended they were.
Once inside the castle, the girls were greeted like they always were. Fuu being swept off her feet by Ferio, Lantis standing there no expression what-so-ever and Ascot hiding in a corner blushing. The first thing everyone noticed was Umi's cheek.
"Umi, why is your cheek sticking out funny?" Ferio asked. Umi placed a hand on her cheek and quietly gasped.
"Its just a bruise I got, nothing bad or life threatening." Umi said brushing it off again.
"Umi! You're in denial! Just admit that he hit you!" Hikaru yelled. Umi looked at the red-head with a glare.
"Hikaru! Its my business that my father hit me. He was drunk, it was an accident." Umi said glaring at Hikaru.
"Y-your father hit you?" Presea asked.
"Yes! I don't want to talk about it!" Umi snapped leaving the room for the room she usually slept in.
"Poor Umi, there must be something we can do to help her." Ferio said watching the water knight disappear from view.
"I think we can, Umi's mother might know of this abuse. We'll find out when we go back.
"Honey, did you honestly have to do that? She was just curious. She's only nine, she shouldn't have to deal with that." Umi's mother said from the doorway.
"She has to learn, and if you wont teach her, then I will." Umi's father said in a gruff voice.
"I just don't think its fair to blame Umi for Nina's death. It wasn't anyone's fault except Nina's." Umi's mother said soothingly. Another smack was heard as Umi's mother fell to the floor.
"I told you. Never speak that name in this house!" He barked. Umi looked from between the stair railings with wide eyes.
"Daddy hit mommy…" She whispered.
Umi laid on her bed staring at the ceiling. All of the memories of when her abuse first started. These thoughts left her uneasy. She never knew when her dad would hit her like he did the previous night. She opened her door when she heard a knock.
"Umi, I came to see if you were hungry." Presea said looking at the water knight.
"Not right now, maybe later. Thanks anyway." Umi shut the door and looked around her room.
"Miss Umi?" Fuu tried. Umi didn't say anything to let Fuu think she was sleeping. "I suppose you're sleeping. I'll come back later." Umi heard Fuu's footsteps descending down the hall.
An hour later Umi came down from her room since the knights had to go back home since they had school the next day.
"Umi, will you talk to your mother and find out if she knows about your abuse?" Hikaru asked. Umi merely nodded, already knowing the answer.
"Its been a while since the incident happened. I never confronted my father about it. Fuu and Hikaru haven't said anything about it." Umi closed her journal and turned off the light. She went over to her bed and laid down. She fell asleep and dreamed peacefully…
Growing pains
Loving meaning
Taste of trust
Faded
Always emphasize risks of violence
More
Inspiration and fate
Has lowered
Ventures of success have led
To nothing
From 1 easy hit is
A bad price to pay for a
Twisted Memory
-End
Az: Yeah, the poem belongs to me, C.V, M.A, M.E, & D.J. I only used their initials for privacy. Hope you like. When we pasted this onto the paper, it looked like a lil kid. So yeah. Hope you like…I may leave this as a one-shot for now until I can fully figure out what the next issue is.