Disclaimer: Just own the words, not the folks.
Turned Cartwheels
Mom smiled at me today.
It was the first smile she'd given me in years. Maybe because he'd stopped hitting her for a while. Actually, he'd left both of us alone for the past two months. I wondered why, but didn't really want to look a gift horse in the mouth. Maybe Gozaboro Kaiba had finally grown a conscience or gotten some morals from somewhere. I didn't really want to dig too deep and find out that it was only a temporary reprieve. So, like mom, I acted like everything was normal. Acted like he'd never abused us and that we were one big, happy family.
And it worked, especially once two months turned into six and then to a year. He didn't warm up to us, or at least to me, in that time, but he didn't hurt us and that's all I cared about. As relieved as I was, part of me didn't believe all would be fine. Every Tuesday night I'd lay awake most of the night, waiting.
I'd just turned 14 when I stopped having to wait anymore.
We'd had almost 18 months of civility, when he stumbles into my room late one November night and grabs me. He is so drunk that he forgets his rule about never hitting me in my face and punches me twice. With a busted lip and a black eye forming, he drags me out to the car. Barefoot and freezing in just a tank and pajama pants over my boxers, he throws me into the passenger seat of his prized Porsche.
We peal out of the garage and he drives around like a maniac for hours, cursing me and swearing at me and blaming me for "his" death. I don't have any idea what he's talking about and am terrified out of my mind, fearing this will be the time he finally kills me. I cry silently once he stops yelling and drives straight ahead with a frightening determination. I knew this was my end and I didn't want to die.
He stops the car near a heavily wooded area that is covered in snow and I knew. He could kill me and bury the body and I wouldn't be discovered until spring, if ever. An unexpected calm comes over me and I decide that I would meet my end head on. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of watching me break.
Roughly, he pulls me from the car and throws me into the snow.
"Do you know why you're here, Seto?" He seethes.
Defiant to the last, I stand straight and cross my arms at him, ignoring the trembling from my wet and freezing body.
"No, but I'm sure you're going to tell me," I spit, willing my teeth not to chatter.
"You're here because the curse upon you killed my son, Seto."
I don't respond, knowing he'll expound upon his confusing statement. He paces away, talking mostly to himself.
"Noah would have been the same age as you, Seto, but you killed him. Your twin. You killed him in the womb. The fortuneteller foretold it. She said if I married your mother, one of the twins would die as if by the other's hand." He looks up at me. "She just didn't say it would be in the womb. And she didn't say your taint would kill any other attempts I made to have a son worthy of the Kaiba name. But you did. I thought if I didn't touch either you or your cursed mother, I wouldn't take any of your evil with me when I visited Katrine, but it didn't work. Your taint was too great. You and your mother killed them from afar."
My head swam with all he was saying. I'd had a twin? A fortuneteller said I was evil? He'd been having an affair for gods knew how long and had a child with her?
"And now I've lost my Noah again," he continues. "And Katrine. She died in childbirth, unlike your worthless mother. Noah died last night. He'd been sickly from birth, but I thought he'd pull through since he was getting stronger. But you and your mother's energy killed him. I know that now. And I know that I'm stuck with your evil for the rest of my days because I defied my fortune.
"I will make a deal with you, Seto," he begins, a madman's glint in his eyes, "If you can find your way home from here within the week, I will never hit your mother again. If you make it within three days, I'll never hit you either. Anytime after Friday at close of business and you will become my punching bag whenever I see fit. From this point on, you are my son in all ways and I will begin grooming you to take over Kaiba Corp. for me once I pass on. But don't get any ideas about killing me to get the company. I have a clause written into my will that if I die before your 18th birthday, the company will go to my board and you will be left with nothing.
"Do you understand the rules of this agreement, Seto?"
I nod silently, afraid that my teeth chattering would drown out any words if I spoke.
"Fine," he turns, heading back to the car. "I expect to see you before next Tuesday. If I don't, I'll assume you died or ran away and will work on having another son with your worthless mother. Maybe she won't fail me this time."
He slams the door of the car and speeds off. When I'm sure he can't see me anymore, I collapse into a shivering heap. I don't even know where I am let alone how to get back home. Looking around at the moonless woods, I realize that I can't possibly stay here for the night. I'll freeze to death within the hour. So I start walking in the direction my father drove off. I'm so tired and my body aches with cold, but I know I can't stop or I'll be dead. I won't give that bastard the satisfaction of having me die out here where he can claim I just ran away like the rebellious teen that I am. My recent school behavior would only help fuel that rumor.
As I trudge along, I remember some of the stunts I've pulled over the last few months. I've cursed at teachers, thrown food in the cafeteria, skipped classes to smoke on the roof, punched that Taylor kid hard enough to break his jaw and I don't know why. I don't know why I did any of it really. With Gozaboro not hurting me, why wasn't I happier? Why didn't I feel more comfortable in my own skin? I guess I knew the answer in my heart and lashed out because of it; I'd never be comfortable in my own skin again. Hell, here I was only 14 years old and I couldn't even sleep through the night on Tuesdays anymore, even without him coming to hurt me.
At that moment, I hate my father more than ever. He's hurt me so much that he's even taken away the illusion of safety for me. I stifle the tears that want to fall, knowing that all they'll do is freeze to my face and cause more agony. Instead, I channel my rage and use it to propel me forward, moving a little faster than before. I'd make it back within the week. And if I really force myself, maybe within the three days.
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Sunday morning I finally stumble up the front stairs of the mansion.
Once Wednesday morning came I found shelter in a cave and was able to light a fire with a piece of flint, some twigs, hair pulled from my head and a piece of my tank top. I didn't sleep that first day. After I warmed up. I stepped from the cave and looked around, catching site of a house in the distance. Making that my goal for the day, I spent another few minutes warming myself by the fire and then set out.
A while later, I was knocking on the door of the small place, dismayed to find it abandoned and the door locked. I found a medium-sized rock and broke one of the front windows. Though I cleared most of the glass from the opening with a stick, I still cut my arm a bit when I reached in to unlock the window.
The place had obviously not been used in quite sometime, but that didn't concern me. All I cared about was that I had a roof over my head and someplace to sleep for a few hours. After searching the place, I found a can of expired beans, but I was so hungry, I didn't care. Using a knife found under a cabinet, I stabbed into the top of the can till I had an opening big enough to get something out. I then dumped the contents on a space on the kitchen counter that I'd wiped off with my shirt and ate them with my fingers.
After my "meal", I went out the front door and found some clean snow to eat to wash it down. Having found that one of the rooms still had a bed in it, I tore the curtains from a window and lay down, using them to cover me. I awoke again to daylight streaming in the window, Thursday morning, or Thursday daytime anyway. Walking around to the back of the house, I caught sight of Domino's skyscrapers, but they were a long way off. At least I had a direction to head in now. Ingesting more snow, I headed off. I walked all day and most of Thursday night, until I collapsed by the side of the road, exhausted. I wanted to sleep so badly, but I knew I'd never wake up if I did. I was so cold and so weak from exertion and lack of food and probably the early stages of dehydration since I could no longer pass urine, but I still couldn't stop. I had to save my mom, even if I couldn't do anything about my fate. Despite my intentions, I passed out for a while until the rumble of thunder shocked me awake.
I scrambled up, stumbling along another 4 miles or so in the rain to the outskirts of the city. There I begged a passing car for a ride. He took me to a hospital and they admitted me for exhaustion and exposure, asking me who I was and where I'd come from. I wouldn't tell them anything. I tried to fight and leave, but a needle of something penetrated my skin and I felt my world collapsing around me.
I awoke to another morning, clean sheets, a warm bed, a hospital gown and an IV. Groggily, I pulled out the IV, ignoring the blood running down my arm and climbed out of bed. Finding a towel to wrap my arm in and a set of scrubs in a closet along with some of those stupid little footies, I threw them on and snuck out of the hospital. Now in the city, I knew where to go and made it home while it was still light.
At least I've saved mom. I can endure any of that bastard's tortures as long as she's safe.