Onyx sat huddled up in the corner of her room, crying as tears slid down her cheeks. Her hands hurt, her body hurt, she was violated, naked, under fed.
With every yell that came from her brother in the other room a new wave of pain erupted in her and the tears came fresh.
Blood dripped down her back.
She and her twin brother were very close to each other. The door flew open and she had enough time to wipe the tears away and to glare at the abusers as they threw Jasper into the room. She grabbed him and the old torn clothes they threw at her and went back to the corner of the room. She pulled on the underwear and bra that was thrown at her before dressing Jasper's new cuts. They weren't deep but where enough to hurt and to scar, they had many. Then Jasper did the same for her. The weekend was long and horrific but the next day was Monday they could eat full meals and be alone tomorrow until sun down.
The new marks on Onyx's body were on her back in the shape of spider webs and a crude spider. Jasper had squares and the letters that spelled 'dumbass' on his arms. As soon as there was silence, no more music blasting, no more sounds of sex and only the sound of snoring and night sounds Jasper broke down crying and holding on to onyx she ran her fingers through his hair quietly shushing him. "I can't do this anymore, Onyx. I can't" Onyx held tighter to her twin, "you can, we can. We will make it," She rocked a little, "Just a few more bucks that's all we need." Jasper sobbed. "I hurt all over. I don't even feel human."
"Jasper you can, if we can steal enough money tomorrow we can leave forever."
Jasper just shook his head. "I want to die." Onyx sat him up and looked him in the eyes, "don't you ever fucking say that again." Then she crushed him in a hug and didn't let go eventually she started to sing a light lullaby that she always did. The both of them had remembered it for all the time they had been in the house on the edge of a town in the middle of nowhere. The song was light and in a language they did not understand, but it meant something to them.
Soon enough Jasper was asleep curled against Onyx and his few hours passed slowly. Onyx kept her eyes on the door, angrily thinking of many things she would like to do to these people who had them locked up. Jasper eventually woke and took over watching while Onyx slept. For 16, they were both strong minded and smart. Quick to act and to think.
Eventually the sun came up and Jasper woke Onyx up. They stood, dressed into the old but at least hole free clothes they had hidden under the floor boards and slipped out of the house from the window. It had an alarm attached to it but Jasper had slipped a magnet next to it to keep it from going off. They walked along the dusty road, it was still cold but the desert was warming up and soon it would be hot; the long sleeves were needed to go out, if they ran into someone they wouldn't know what was going on. And that was better because of anyone found out they would die and then punishments would double. They couldn't afford that kind of hurt, especially Jasper.
That's what happened with Onyx's girlfriend Gracie. Onyx had sworn off ever loving anyone ever again. The memory still hurt her and she played with the ring that was on her chain around her neck. She clenched her hands as anger built up in her. Jasper didn't want anyone to see his scars, and no one could want someone that was as broken as he was.
They walked to the place that they had claimed as their own they sat there, Jasper began to look around quietly. A desert animal crossed his path and it was quickly dispatched with a quick throw of a rock. Picking it up by the back legs he went over to onyx who had a very small fire burning they skinned and gutted it. Not wasting any bit of the meat they cooked and ate that too. Onyx shoved some food into a lunch box she had stolen off of someone a while back. Standing, the two headed to the road again, when they got there it was time to get to school or be late. Amazingly they were allowed to go to school even though Max and Lora absolutely hated them.
Putting the book bag on to his back, Jasper set the pace for the run into town. They arrived just as the doors were unlocked "You two are early as usual. You'll need to wait in either the lobby or the cafeteria today." a teacher said. "Alright." Onyx said and Jasper smiled a little. Really their plan was to get to the locker rooms and wash up and seem as if they had a good weekend. Everything that they had been all stolen. Jasper took his things for the bag, "I'll see you here In 10." With that he walked into the locker room and locked it behind him from the inside.
He stripped and was careful of the stitches he had as he turned the showers on and washed his body with the bar of soap he had stolen. His hair was another story all together, getting the limited amount of shampoo he had left he washed his mid back length hair. It grew like crazy and never stayed short for long so he just let it go. Yes he cut it so it was at his back and no lower but he didn't like getting it any shorter. He would need Onyx to cut it again soon.
Onyx walked into the girl's locker room and locked the door like Jasper had done. She hated it when people walked in and saw her. Most people were absolute nasty and mean to her and she didn't like it at all. If anyone bothered her she lashed out and that normally ended poorly. Getting out the things she needed she got ready for the day, washing and then dealing with her hair, which she was annoyed with so she gave up. After that she was done and met Jasper out in the hall, people were there and it had gotten busy fast. People yelling and messing around, couples saying good morning and sharing a quick kiss or hug They quickly got to their lockers and got their things then headed to the classes they had. As Onyx was going to her class she passed Gracie's old locker which was decorated with pictures and all else. In the middle was a picture of onyx and Gracie hugging and smiling.
Suddenly something hit the back of her head. She reached up and found it had been a container of paint. Onyx turned and glared at the person "uh oh, looks like the girl lover got all messy. Maybe you'll get a punishment." The girl was a popular little bitch and was her family in some way. She didn't like her and this was the last straw. She picked up the container, "well I mean I might get into trouble... but you, you have expensive clothes." Onyx grinned and held the pink paint can up, "I wonder what will happen if I do this?" She threw the can across the hall, hitting the girl square in the face. She took a step back and looked down at the paint all over her. "How dare you! You bitch!" She was beyond angry and moved to hit Onyx. Onyx put her hand up and blocked the hits then shoved her back. "If I were you I would go start trying to get that out, if it dries then it's over for you." Onyx said, and smiled and walked away. "I'm going to get back at you, bitch!" She yelled and Onyx didn't pay any attention to it.
Jasper was alone for most of the waiting time before class started. In his class there was one kid that walked over to him and sat down "hey, Jasper how was your weekend?" He asked. This was one of the few kids in the town that actually liked him and Onyx, considering that he was Gracie's younger, but highly intelligent, brother. Jasper smiled, "oh it was alright." He lied, it had been hell and he still wanted to die, Jim sat with Jasper and talked a while until the bell rang for the class to start. He slipped him $20, "get some food on the way home." He stood and returned to his desk as the class was starting.
The day dragged on and on, Jasper thought it wouldn't get any worse but it did. In all his classes at least on person threw a comment at him that was nasty and hurt. In one he actually got a text book thrown at him and when he tried to defend himself from others the teacher yelled at him angrily and gave him a detention. In other classes the teachers kept handing him his papers back saying loudly, "do it again." People would laugh, lunch was hell so he walked out of the room and up to the roof. He found Onyx sitting there eating the rest of their breakfast, her hair and shirt covered in pink paint. She turned and offered him some which he took and sat next to her. They sat there in silence their feet hanging over the wall.
"How's your day been?" Jasper asked and Onyx laughed slightly, "my hair and the back of my shirt explains the day I had." Jasper looked and found there to be pink paint in her dark hair. "I threw the paint can back at her though, she's covered all over." She fell silent, onyx rarely talked more than a few sentences at a time, unless it was something that was important. "Hmm, at the creek I'll help you wash it out." he said. "How's yours been?" Onyx asked and looked at him. "I have to redo 5 papers, but I did get $20 for something to eat after school." Onyx smiled, "was is Jim?" Jasper nodded, "it was." "That kid is so sweet, I'll feel bad leaving him behind." They had a plan to leave as soon as they had enough money to do so. So far they had $70 with this $20 they would now have $90 enough to get their way onto a bus and from there to a major city where they could vanish forever.
The time was running out and they had to get back inside before anyone noticed they were out on the roof. They were always on the roof the principal didn't care it was actually him who had given them a set of keys for it, it was obvious that he pitied them but didn't have the gut to stand up to Max and Lora. Jasper stood and walked back to the stairs and down, it was going to be strange if two people walked back into the building at the same time. No one was around when he walked back onto the second floor hall and waited just around the corner of the hall.
Onyx stood there for another minute before turning and walking down the stairs, as she was walking she was hit over the head and then dragged down and out of the building. "Let go of me you goddamn assholes!" It was the popular football guys and cheer girls, there was laughter as they pulled her to her feet then pushed her around until she began to fall. They dragged her up then did it over and over, "come on, little girl lover, you gotta defend yourself! No wonder she's dead!"
"This is for ruining my clothes and my bag!" she was slapped over and over, then she was shoved up against the wall and punched over and over. Onyx tried to keep in control, but the more that they hit her the more of a reaction they got until she was curled on the ground and being kicked. "Guys! Stop, she's not reacting like the others do! She's not fighting back." Someone yelled it was someone that she recognized it was a boy who had begun to talk to her more and more over the last few months.
He pushed everyone away from her and picked her up and whipped blood away from her head. "What's this? Is Adam in love?" A girl jeered she received a glare from the dark haired boy and she fell silent. "Are you alright?" Onyx glared at him then with her very small and thin fist turned and hit the guy behind her the one who had pinned her to the wall.
He laughed, since it didn't hurt. "There, I fought back it's fair." Onyx snapped at Adam he looked taken aback and then whispered into her ear, "I'm trying to help you." Onyx snorted, "go to hell all of you." she started to walk away. "That bitch!" The girl covered in pink paint yelled. Suddenly Onyx was shoved and hit her head on the parking curb and passed out. Blood pouring from her head was the last thing she saw.
Jasper spent the rest of the day worried about Onyx. She had never returned the whistle call that they had made to make sure they were both inside the building again and when he had gone back to check to see if she came down she wasn't there. He thought he would see her in their math class but she wasn't there. He waited the rest of the day but she never came back. As soon as the day ended he ran out the door and found the blood stain and the chain with the silver ring with three black stones on it that was for Gracie and the black metal bird skull he had gotten Onyx laying in the ground. But there was no Onyx. Suddenly there was pain all over his body, Jasper fell to the ground and writhed around as it spread then passed out.