Title: Family Portrait
Summary: The Batchelder's are the town's model family. They are generous benefactors of the town's schools, the church, and police department, with one son and six foster children. But no one knows the secrets kept inside their large estate. Max and her foster siblings are trapped living with the abusive Batchelder's who have taken their childhoods and innocence. If that isn't hard enough let's not forget their son who believes he has a 'claim' to Max and the desperate attempts to keep her family together. Will the secrets the Batchelder's hide ever come out? Idea is based off of the movie Family Sins and Family Portrait by PINK.
*Warning: The nature of this story is a Mature subject matter. Please be aware of this!*
Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride. That is a right that belongs to James Patterson.
Chapter Three
Max's Point of View
Mama was the showstopper of course. It must come with the territory of being a paranoid sadist. She would outshine anyone within a fifty mile radius. Her glossy thick dark brown, almost black, hair hung in wavy curtains around her face framing it in the most angelic of ways. Any socialite woman would certainly be jealous. But it was her dress that would shock them all. The dress was a shinning color of golden champagne that clung to her perfect hourglass frame. The dress clung to her frame until it reached her hips where it then skimmed her legs before ending just below the knees. The dress was held up by to straps embellished by gold studs that went around the neck line also.
The final picture was a steaming hot woman who could melt the icecaps. Men would want her, woman would want to be her, and children would admire her. This was her goal and she had gone well beyond it. Who wouldn't be jealous of her? And with such a beautiful outside who could ever imagine her to have such a repulsive inside?
She flitted around the room looking more graceful than a swan. Her golden shoes clacked on the marble floor, making her already long legs look even longer. Mama was not a short woman, in any sense of the word. Now she towered over me looking even more like a supermodel. It made me feel tiny. Her daunting frame sauntered over to me. She looked at me with distaste, something I was used to.
"You look nice." She said. It was curt and didn't really sound like a compliment at all. She looked at me expectantly. I just blinked.
"Well?" Mama asked raising an eyebrow. I blinked again. Not the smartest thing. I just stared at her for another moment. I should know by now, what to say but she has scared my mind into blankness. I sometimes suffered from these momentary moments of blankness maybe it was from one too many smacks to the head.
The next thing I really registered in my mind was my breast being grabbed roughly from behind me. A pointed gasp escaped from my mouth from the sharp pain. I looked back to see Aaron glaring down at me. I positively hated him.
"What do you say when someone compliments you?" He commanded more than asked.
"T-thank you, Mama." I replied shakily. Why was he so strong? He squeezed harder. "You look beautiful Mama."
"Good girl." She simply stated.
He released my breast from his clutches taking her statement as cue to let go. I was so relieved, breathing out an ever thankful mouthful of air. After that I was fortunately ignored, for Mama had moved on to admiring her darling son.
"Oh! Aaron my baby, you look so handsome!" Mama exclaimed. She scuttled over to fawn over him and fix his tie. He tried to push her off of him embarrassed. She only fussed more before kissing his cheek and excusing herself to check on the food.
Tables filled the large hall surrounding a dance floor. The ivory tablecloths adorned circular tables surrounded by multiple chairs. The tables were filled with gaudy center pieces, fine sliver wear, crisp white plates, and black cloth napkins. It was typical, yet extravagant. Expected and yet sudden. It was perfect.
Unknown to me Aaron walked back over. He was built up, where as Ian and Alex were tall and slender, Aaron was large and brawny. It may have something to do with all the meat he likes to eat, or maybe genetics. He had brown hair, not as dark as Mama's, but not as light as Dad's. His eyes were a steely grey color, void of any emotion. His face looked a lot like Dad's, but he had Mama's nose and lips. Also while Dad and Mama's eyes were almond shaped Aaron's were distinctly rounded.
He now stood directly in front of me. I couldn't stand him. I turned around ready to stomp away quickly. He was quicker though. He wrapped his too large hand around my waist holding me in place and pulling me close. I was disgusted.
"Oh, Max, I could take you right here." He purred in my ear. I was gagging silently. "I would just love to ravish you. That dress looks so good on you."
Aaron was behind me his words dripping into my ears in a nauseatingly sensual way. I wish Alex was here. Aaron blew in my ear causing me to shudder in repugnance. Why did I tell them to stay in my room until I came and got them? Being alone with Aaron was torture because I could never tell what would happen.
He trailed kisses up and down my neck before suckling on my earlobe. Once again feelings of nausea and disgust shook my body with great force. I struggled against his grip I seemed to do this a lot.
"You are mine." His harsh murmur in my ear. He turned me around to face him, staring strait into my brown eyes. "Don't forget that." He pushed away and I watched him walk out of the large room and into a hall or foyer or something of the like.
Six months ago
It hurt, so much. My back ached and burn with the lashes dealt out at seemingly blinding speeds. One after another I couldn't keep count. Old welts reopened and new patches of skin blistering from the impact of electrical wires. Another, another, another. I was blinded surrounded only by not black but darkness, that cast shadows across my eyes. When would it be over?
It felt like an eternity before it stopped. I did not pass out from the pain. I could no longer receive such heavenly relief. Too many times has this happened before. I have grown some tolerance for it, learned to deal with more pain. After all pain was only a message and messages could be ignored.
I opened my eyes to the blinding single light in the cellar of the house. Unlike the rest of the well up kept house the basement was a mess. Boxes littered the room in random spots, papers were strewn around, and it was dimly lit. A single light bulb held in a socket above the bed where I lay, illuminating the room slightly.
I looked up to see Mama gone and Aaron standing across from me. I sat up with the bloody, rarely cleaned, white sheet covering the top half of my body. I couldn't stomach anything touching my raw back at that very moment.
He stared at me. His inquisitive eyes roaming over my body, a look of, something I couldn't place, something animalistic on his face. It frightened me a bit, though I would never admit it, could never admit it, not to him.
He slowly, irritatingly so, walked over to the small cot, so similar to the one in my room, and sat down. My hair was matted in clumps filled with sweat and dirt, greasy from not being washed for a long time, as was per usual. My forehead was covered with perspiration and my face red. Most of all though I was embarrassed, embarrassed of him seeing me in such a state, only Alex could see me like this.
Aaron pushed the blonde hair back and stroked my cheek, experimenting in a way. Then he repeated the act in a more possessive way. It was then that I recognized that emotion I had seen on him before, it was lust. Something had changed, he had never looked at me in such ways before. I hated how he now looked at me, like I was one of those girls I knew he had on his walls. I didn't want anyone to look at me like that.
He was not what I wanted at that moment. I only wanted Alex, I would only ever want Alex. My Alex, mine! Never anyone else's did I want him to be, just like I never wanted to be anyone's but his. I didn't like the way he was touching me. I only wanted Alex to touch me. Alex, Alex, I want Alex.
I turned my face away from Aaron's. I think he understood that, because I soon felt his presence removed from the bed and I was glad. I didn't want to see him. No one wanted to see the family favorite after being humiliated. I didn't mean to knock over that damned drink, she didn't need to dump one on me. She didn't need to embarrass me in front of everyone. But she could and she did I guess it was just her nature.
Hopefully it wouldn't be much longer before Alex came. He always came and brought me back to our room. It was comforting, natural, something that we both just did for each other. My lips upturned slightly at the thought of his comforting presence, my natural reaction to him. I couldn't wait.
Present
Something had changed in that instant. From when Mama disappeared and I realizing that Aaron was there, something had changed, not in my mind, but in Aaron's. He has been touching me in traditions I despise ever since. His very recent assault left me in a numb state. I did not feel, I did not react.
That was how I remained the rest of the night. No matter how Alex coaxed, I was numb. The party was a blur I couldn't seem to have even a vague picture of in my mind. It must have gone well though. Mama was deliriously happy, no one was being lead down the creaking plywood staircase, and I don't even remember what the whole affair was for.
I would always be like that at times, just an unfeeling ghost of an actual person. Just the illusion of perfection and calmness, never the real thing. I could never be the real thing, even if I dared to think of truly trying being real out.
A/N: Sorry it isn't it's usual length and the wait between chapters. I know being busy is a lame excuse but it is true. Hope you can forgive me. School work has been killer and I have been trying to make time to read Angel (no spoilers please!) I will try to increase my normal chapter length after this.