The next chapter is up! WARNING: This chapter contains a dream sequence that involves Substance/Drug Abuse, Alcoholism, and Child Abuse. Dream Sequence will be in Italics. Enjoy :)
She looked up at the beat-up old clock in the living room. Its crooked arms pointing to the six and the three. Mia then turned her wide innocent gaze to her parents. Her Mommy was leaning back into the couch, clearly passed out. Something she knew generally happens when she smells that strange white powder off of the coffee table in front of the couch.
Her Daddy was sitting off to the right in the recliner. He was currently gulping down mouthfuls from a big glass bottle that said 'Southern Comfort' on the front. Mia often wondered why her parents did these things and why they did it so often. If they weren't sniffing or huffing something, they were either knocking back bottles or fighting with each other. And the fights often turned violent.
Because of these things, the six-year-old often found herself too afraid to speak to either of them. Unlike her friends' mommies and daddies, her own parents hardly ever said a kind word to her or treated her with love. Instead, they treated her like trash and berated for every little thing she did. Still, none of that compared to the beatings she'd get.
The long crooked arm on the clock inched its way to the six and was now partially covering the shorter arm. It let out a warped, almost broken sounding chime. Her stomach was hurting. Last thing she ate, were some saltine crackers she found in the pantry this morning. They were one of the very few things in the kitchen that weren't stale or expired.
Mia ran a hand through her long tangled hair that hasn't been washed in nearly a week. And was still in clothes from the day before that desperately needed a wash. She bit her lip and turned her gaze back to her daddy.
"Daddy, I'm hungry." She squeaked out in a tiny voice.
He took another swig from his bottle before sluggishly turning his head towards her. Then he tilted his hips up and dug his hand into the back pocket of his dirty grease stained jeans. The young man pulled something crumpled up out of his pocket and tossed it down to her where she sat on the floor in front of the t.v.
"Make yourself useful. Go grab a pizza from around the corner." He slurred.
She picked up the crumpled up paper and unraveled it. It was a twenty dollar bill. Mia shyly nodded and got up from her seat on the carpet. She looked down at the floor as she made her way to the front door not far from the couch. She heard a drowsy mumble from the sofa, which signaled her mommy would be waking up soon. She also heard the continued sloshing of the alcohol as her daddy brought the bottle back up to his lips.
One of the last things she heard before leaving was the sound of a phony explosion on the t.v. where Wiley Coyote's plans were foiled again while attempting to catch the Roadrunner.
Mia squinted as the bright sun pierced the evening sky. It still felt pretty soupy out from the storm they had the previous night. And it was still very humid in the late August heat. She was glad that Summer was almost over and that she will be starting school in a week. School was her only solace away from the nightmare that was her home life.
She felt safe at school because at least there, she knew she wouldn't get hit or treated badly. Mia also liked that she could socialize and play with kids around her age and that they fed her lunch.
Thinking about food, made her stomach rumble and hurt a little. She hardly has any decent meals at home. The last supposed meal she had may have been yesterday morning and even then, it wasn't a very big breakfast nor very appetizing. Her parents couldn't cook for shit so everything was either pre-packaged food or take out. Something she grew tired of quite often.
It only took her five-minutes to walk around the block and get to 'Nino's Pizzeria'. The owner, Alfonso knew her and her family well as regulars. They sent Mia there quite often to get pizza or sometimes delivered it to the house. And the owner as well as a couple employees were also had a good idea of what was going on behind closed doors at the house as well.
As a father of three, Alfonso was very concerned for the small child. Each time he saw her, she always came in looking quite dirty. Her clothes would look a bit disheveled and have old stains on them. They also looked rather small on her because she outgrew them sometime ago. But what really bothered the older man were some of the marks and bruises she'd come in sporting her arms, and sometimes her face. He could tell she seemed too thin for someone her age and size, like she didn't get enough to eat at home. Her eyes would seem dull, and she never appeared to smile much around others.
The door to the pizzeria opened, lightly tapping the bell up top near the doorframe, indicating a customer had just walked in. A man with short black hair with the beginnings of some grey hair around some of the roots turned from one of the ovens and peered over the glass counter. The faint wrinkles around his eyes crinkled as he smiled down at the small girl.
"Mia, how you doing, Dolcezza?" He asks in a light accent.
"Ok, I guess." She mumbled.
His smile turned a little sad. This is how it usually was with her. He hardly got a few words out of the child. But then, seeing where she was coming from, he didn't blame her one bit.
"A large plain pizza for today?" He inquired.
Mia nodded, and held up the crumpled up bill. She was still mostly looking down at the floor. She furrowed her brows when the man made no move to take it. And that's when she finally did look up.
"Keep it, Dolcezza. I just can't take money from you anymore. For many, pizza is a treat. But I can tell for you, it is food that you really need. So please, keep the money. The pie is on the house." Alfonso said.
Her eyes widened slightly at his kindness. She pulled her hand back down and nodded.
He told her that she just put a pie in the oven several minutes earlier and it was almost done. Alfonso chatted with her about the first day of school coming up and informed her that his youngest may be in the same class as her. Mia was pretty happy when she heard this. His daughter, Angelina was in her Kindergarten Class with her last year. She was one of the first kids to talk to her and they became good friends.
The timer went off and he went to retrieve the pizza. He boxed it for her before handing it to her. Mia thanked him and turned around to leave with the box. A box that looked fairly huge when being held in front of her.
Her mouth began to water as the smell of cheese and sauce permeated from the box. Mia sped up her walk down the sidewalk. The quicker she got home, the quicker she could dig into the pizza. She had to be quick, before her parents ate it all.
As she continued down the uneven and jagged sidewalk, Mia's foot caught on a jagged piece of concrete that jutted from the broken up sidewalk. Unfortunately, this caused her to lose her balance and fall forward, and because of how fast she was walking, the pizza box flew forward a bit before landing on the dirty ground in front of her.
To her horror, the box had landed upside down, and most of the pizza had spilled from it. A good portion of the pieces landed in a puddle next to the uneven sidewalk.
"No." She quietly blurted out.
Ignoring the stinging in her bare knees from where she skid them, Mia went over to the box, and flipped it back over. The pizza was a mess and it looked like only one slice was still fully in the box and not on the ground or in the puddle. She began to panic at the fact that she just ruined everyone's dinner. And not only that, she knew what awaited her if she were to come back empty-handed.
A couple tears rolled down her cheeks. And her stomach growled again. She was so hungry. Mia eyed the one piece that was left. And without thinking clearly, she grabbed it and started wolfing it down. It was still pretty hot and burned her mouth a little. But it was worth it. The tangy sauce blended with cheese and crust felt like an explosion of flavor in her mouth.
Mia finished the big slice in three minutes. Her stomach was finally filled, and she no longer felt hunger pain or cramps. It helped ease her fear for the moment. Something that didn't last long when she got closer to her house. Her palms started to sweat and shake as she made her way up the rickety wooden steps to the front porch.
Her heart started pounding, as she turned the knob and let herself in. A part of her hoped that her daddy passed out from all the drinking and that both her parents would remain out for most of the evening.
She quietly entered the house and took a few steps into the living room. Dread sank into her stomach when she noticed that both parents were awake. And both had turned their attention to her when she came in. Her mommy narrowed her eyes at her, while her daddy glared at her.
"Where the hell is the pizza?" He quipped.
"Uhh...uhhh." Was all the small girl uttered.
He stood from the recliner; the mostly empty bottle still clenched in his left hand.
"Well?!" He snapped.
Mia jumped at the sharp loud tone. A few more tears rolled down her pale cheeks.
"I dropped it on the ground. I'm sorry, Daddy." She sobbed.
"You little shit! Can't you do anything right!?" He said, as he came around the coffee table towards her.
"Daddy please! I'm sorry!" Mia sobbed.
But he didn't want to hear it. It was then her mommy chimed in from the couch.
"What is that on your mouth?" Her mommy asked as she pointed at the small girl's face.
Mia reached up with a shaky hand and pressed a couple fingers to her mouth. She felt something near the left corner. When she pulled her fingertips away, she noticed a tiny smidge of sauce on them. Her eyes widened, now she knew she was in for it.
"Why you little pig! You didn't drop it! Admit it! You ate the whole thing to yourself!" Her daddy fired off.
"No, no, I didn't, I swear! I dropped it on the ground! There was only one slice left that was in the box and..."
"And you decided to be a selfish little bitch and take it for yourself." Her mommy snapped.
Mia started to shake her head, but froze when she saw her daddy reach up and start to take off his leather belt. She knew what this meant and started pleading with him.
"No daddy, please!" She sobbed.
He ignored her though, and when he pulled it lose, he grabbed her shoulders, roughly turned her around, and shoved her to the floor on her belly. Mia started crying more as he pulled her tank top up. Her cries quickly turned to pained yelps as he got down on his knee and started hitting her over the back with his belt. Each hit left a nasty red welt and a couple times the metal belt bucket made contact with her tender skin which made the pain worse.
"When are you going to learn!? Are you really just that fucking stupid!?" He spat, as he hit her over and over with the belt.
Neither of the adults cared about what they were doing to their child. It didn't bother them one bit that she was screaming at the top of her lungs with tears streaming down her beet red face. Or the fact that her back was turning raw with raised welts from the hits. This is how they taught lessons in this house and that was never going to change.
The pain was excruciating, and her throat was getting raw from her sobbing and screaming.
It was strange, despite the fact that she was screaming, Mia could still hear someone else talking over the screams. It was a bit warbled at first. Then it gradually became clearer, and she could make out the words 'Wake Up' through the haze of her mind.
"Wake up!" A voice said above her, as someone shook her shoulders.
Mia's eyes flew open, and she sat up with a gasp. She frantically looked around all bleary eyed. Until her gaze settled on the one sitting up next to her in the oversized bed. She closed her eyes briefly and let out a shaky exhale. She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.
She took a few deep breaths trying to get her racing heart back under control. As much as Mia tried to hide it, she simply couldn't stop the tears from escaping her eyes. She leaned down slightly and rested her head on her folded arms and knees, facing away from the tyrant who was still sitting there staring at her.
This isn't the first time he awoke to her whimpers and sobs. It happened several times since she has been aboard his ship. Though this is the first time she screamed out in her sleep, and he heard a few audible words between the screams. It was only a couple words, but it was enough to give him an idea about her past. And now, he was curious to get a few answers out of her on the topic.
"I take it your dream was about your father attacking you?" He inquired cavalierly.
Mia still kept her head down and didn't look back at him. She didn't answer him. She didn't feel like talking. She did however flinch when she felt cool fingertips lightly trace the slightly raised scars that crisscrossed her bare back.
"He did this, didn't he?" Frieza asked.
The young woman still refused to respond. Her silence didn't anger him though. If anything, it gave him his answer. His crimson gaze trailed over the upper portion of her body that wasn't being covered by the sheet. No scar had a similar pattern. They all looked like they were made at different times with different objects. Some were jagged and long, some were small and round. There was even one medium size burn scar near the back of her left shoulder.
It definitely didn't take someone with half a brain to noticed that this woman was abused and tortured. The tyrant himself was no stranger to that concept. With him usually the one dishing out the torture. But it still didn't mean his childhood was perfect either. He certainly didn't have the best father in the Universe. And he barely remembered his mother because his father killed her when he was a small child.
His train of thought was broken when he saw Mia tighten her arms around her knees and her shoulders started to shake as she silently cried.
Frieza sighs, "I understand that it was horrible. But at least your still alive. And in the end, that's what matters."
If he was trying to cheer her up or reassure her, he truly sucked at it. Mia certainly didn't feel moved by his words. Hell, his tone of voice held nothing but indifference when referring to her pain. Or so she thought.
On the inside, the tyrant did feel a very minute and brief tinge of concern over her wellbeing. But it was fleeting and quickly buried beneath the ice that surrounds his dark heart. At the same time, he was a tad impressed by her resilience to the whole ordeal. How many others have been through what she has and hasn't completely cracked?
Frieza laid back down on his side, facing her. He didn't say anything else, just let her be. Then a few minutes later, Mia too eventually laid back down. She pulled the covers up and over her shoulders, still facing away from him, while laying on her side. She was mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausted from all that. Yet, she was having a hard time falling back asleep.
Mia laid there, and tried to let sleep take her, but to no avail. She lets out another shaky exhale and tries to close her eyes for the umpteenth time. It was during this that she felt the light caress of fingers sliding down and through her soft long locks.
It continued for some time. Every now and then the pads of his fingers would graze her scalp. Playing with her hair was nothing new. It was something the tyrant did from time to time. This time felt different though. It actually felt relaxing to Mia. And soon, her whole body started to relax, and she started to feel comfortable.
Another several minutes later, and she finally felt herself beginning to doze off. Her eyes drooped shut, and this time they didn't open again. And Mia fell back into a peaceful sleep.
Frieza remained awake for a while longer. This is the first time he really paid very close attention to her scars. It's clear both her mind and body been through a great deal of trauma. The healing tanks could heal fresh wounds and prevent scarring. But they still couldn't heal something that was already there and been there for decades.
The fact that so many marred her body didn't bother him though. He still found her physically appealing and beautiful. To him, Mia truly was unique. Everything about her was. It's one of the reasons why he still refuses to dispose of her altogether. Even at times where she really pushes his buttons, he still holds back on ending her life then and there.
In his own way, he simply enjoys her company. And as Frieza falls asleep, a random thought escaped his subconscious. And that was he hoped that eventually, she'd come to enjoy his company as well. He's not sure where that came from. Probably a fluke of a sentiment that just popped into his tired mind as he drifted off to sleep.
Until Next Time ;)