"Crossing the Line"
Ebony Waters sat cross-legged in her room, listening to the deafening sounds of her newest music interest Evanescence blaring from the stereo system. The muffled sounds of the urban nightlife filtered through her open window.
"Not bad", she murmured to herself while glancing at the gothic cover of the CD.
A placid Amy Lee (with a slightly enlarged forehead) stared back at her from a blue and black background. Switching the track number 5 to number 1 the soothing sound of Amy Lee's screeching vocals on "Going Under" rolled into her head. Staring into the vanity mirror her own youthful reflection looked back at her.
True to her namesake her smooth skin was the color of flawless ebony. Her long straight black hair hung lifelessly down to her waist. Eyes the color of burnt sepia blinked from under soft full lashes (courtesy of Maybelline). All thanks to her African-Sioux Indian heritage. At 5'9 her skinny frame, with its long legs and small breasts was covered only by a plain white tee and a pair of flare-legged blue jeans.
Resting her hands on her hips, she sighed, envisioning full, plump, womanly curves, where none truly existed Running her hands along the top of her stomach, she smiled.
"At least I can be thankful for this", she said while patting her smooth belly. There was so much pressure in high school to be "perfect". Ebony hated herself for the fact that she never quite fit that mold. Academics were no problem, her grades were always immaculate, but it was the physical aspect that maimed her. She wasn't like the other "black" girls in her school.
"50 thousand tears I've cried"
.She wasn't "thick", and didn't have the huge breasts and large ass that all the (straight) guys seemed to ogle over. When she walked down the halls, none of the guys cat-called to her or whistled in her direction, instead they called her names such as "Chinks" because of the slight oval shape of her eyes or "Blackie".
"And you still won't hear me"
"Goooooooooddddddddddd", she moaned, falling down to the thick carpeting. Large, thick, salty tears rolled down her face staining the ivory carpet.
"Not tormented daily defeated by you"
"Why?" she mentally asked herself. Why couldn't she be like the other girls, why couldn't she be light-skinned, ghetto, and have a "phat" booty?
"I'm going under"
Ebony was shaken from her self-pity by the sound of a loud crash coming from downstairs. Slowly she walked across the room and opened the door; soon she wished she hadn't. The sound of a woman's sobbing could be heard clearly through the small crack.
SMACK!!
Ebony cringed, she knew that sickening sound, it was the sound of Trey's massive fist slamming into the side of her mothers face.
"I'm falling forever"
Trey wasn't Ebony's real father; he was her mother's newest boy-toy (as she put it). Her real father Robert had left before she was born, running off with some hussy to God-knows-where. Now Trey had taken his place, and her mother had become his new toy: a whipping post. Trey was what some women would call handsome, at 6'3 he was the tall, muscular and lean. Ebony had once seen him rip a small tree out of the ground with his bare hands.
He had just recently been released from prison after serving his full nine years for aggravated assault. Not only that, but trey was a drug dealer, and he only dealt in the most expensive and dangerous products. He was what many would call a "true" hustler. Ebony had seen him many a nights sorting and sifting what looked like fine baby powder.
Ebony wondered what her mother saw in him. She could not contemplate why a woman would ever let a man physically abuse her, love or not. She had once asked her mother about this, her only response was:
"Baby, he gets me laid and paid. And that's all I need."
"I've got to break through"
Ebony stifled the urge to scream. Her mother had been such a great person before he came in…Jeanine the Green Bean queen she had been called(her green bean casserole was famous). She been a great mom who cared about Ebony, taken her to concerts, and even attended PTA meetings. Now she was just a shell of her former self, content to be beaten by an asshole who claimed to love her. God how could her mother be so blind? At times Ebony wanted to beat Jeanine herself.
Slowly she crept to the edge of the staircase. Another smack, followed by her mother's whimpering and pleas of "I'll be better baby, I promise".
"Blurring and stirring the truth and the lies"
"I know you will, bitch", and with that Trey proceeded to slam Jeanine's face into the wall. Ebony winced as her mothers face smeared blood down the floral print wall paper. Trey stalked out muttering something about worthless women. Only then did Ebony venture downstairs. Her mother was lying in a crumpled heap in a puddle of her own blood. Ebony had seen this scene replay enough times not to be bothered by the urge to puke that rose in her throat. Silently she walked over to her mother. She stared into Jeanine's tired blood-shot eyes and mangled face.
Jeanine smiled weakly. "Hey h-h-oney."
Shaking her head Ebony helped her mother stand. Absently she wiped away the thick line of blood running down her mother's nose. Again her mother attempted a smile.
"Its gon't be okay honey, we just having a lovers bout that's all."
Ebony turned away pretending to sneeze, and rolled her eyes.
"Always confusing the thoughts in my head"
"If this is lover's bout than I never want to be in love with any man." Ebony thought silently. Ebony sighed and lead her mother to the downstairs bathroom. Trey would have another conniption if he saw the blood the trailed behind them on the floor.
After making sure her mother was stable enough to handle herself, Ebony set about the task of cleaning up the spilt blood. Picking up the "409" and a old rag she cleaned the drops of blood from the tile.
"I'm dying again"
"That bastards always making a damn mess, know'n he ain't gon't clean up after himself." Ebony dropped the soiled rag after the smear of blood her mother had created was gone, and the floral wallpaper was its original color again. Grudgingly, she returned to her room. There was no need to check on Jeanine, she'd be okay. The grunting and thrusting sounds from the next room told ebony Jeanine was more than "okay". Ebony shook her head. Outside the sound of a baby crying reached her ears.
"I've got to break through"
Returning to the mirror Ebony saw her dried tear stains. She smirked, "I can't even have my own bad moments; everybody else's always gettin' in the way." Suddenly Amy Lee's voice wasn't as comforting, and Ebony took the CD from the stereo returning it to its case. Looking down at the case she shouted, "What are you staring at…Freak!" Amy Lee didn't answer.
Shaking, Ebony curled up into a ball and cried herself to sleep. Outside the world continued, heedless of what had taken place inside the Waters household. The last thing ebony heard before darkness overtook her was the sound of her mother's bed hitting the wall and her soft cries of pleasure.