It has only been 2 weeks since the conversation between aunt, uncle and niece, and already she felt like breaking. May sits on her baby blue sheets and hugs her pink Teddy Bear to her chest, a gift Wally bought her years ago. She rocks back and forth trying the keep the tears at bay. Her bloody eye says it all. Her father was careless. Normally he would her bruises would be hidden, carefully placed in places people wouldn't see them. Legs, arms, chest, back, places that could be covered. It's hard to cover a bloody swollen eye and so, as ordered by her father, May stayed inside and in her room, away from any visibility.
May gazes at the clock and notices the time, 11:30, she missed dinner, so she slowly gets out of bed and sneaks downstairs to get some food. As she makes her way down the steps she hears the TV chanting as some protest was on the news. Hoping it was her mother on the couch she looks further down to notice it is her father passed out with his 7th bottle of beer in hand. Hoping that he stays unconscious she tiptoes past him and into the kitchen where she scavenges the fridge for anything to eat. After a few minutes of stuffing her face and feeling nice and full May sneaks past her father again and has her foot on the first step of the stairs when a bottle exploded right behind her head. "Why in the hell are you down here?" May turns her head to see her father turned in his chair and staring daggers into her. May is so terrified she is speechless and her mouth hangs open with a look of pure fear. "Well? Don't you have anything to say?" Rudolph stand with a stagger in his step, most likely from the beer, and stalks his way to May on the stairway. In an attempt to quell his rage May was quick to say something.
"I'm sorry sir…I was hungry and I missed dinner so I just wanted something to eat. Im really sorry I didn't ask." Every word was rushed and May was careful not to stutter.
"Why the hell should I be bothered by you when it was your damn fault for missing dinner?"
"I couldn't come down because you told me to not let mom see my eye, it's your fault!" May quickly covered her mouth with her hands. Oh no. What had she done! Her father will surely punish her now.
"The hell did you say to me?" Rudolph yanked May by the collar of her t-shirt and slammed her against the wall forcing her to step on the broken glass behind her. May stifled her yelp of pain from the glass piercing her bare feet. Just as Rudolph was about to smack her a door opened upstairs. The sounds of the struggle must have woken her mother. Rudolph looks up the stairs with an annoyed look, his teeth clenched so hard May could hear them squeak. Out of the corner of her eye she sees her mother poke her head down the stairs and look at the two taking in the situation. After a few seconds of silence she finally speaks.
"Is everything alright?" Mary knew very well that everything was not alright, rather she was hoping by toning down the mood she could snuff out the fire inside Rudolph. Taking a breath Rudolph let's go of May.
"Yes. Everything is fine. Our little girl, however, thinks she can talk back to me and disrespect me. Do something about it…or I will." Those last words sent a shiver down May's spine.
"Don't worry dear I'll take care of it." Mary says sweetly as she leads May upstairs. May winces at every step from the glass imbedded in her feet. Once in May's room Mary sits May on the bed as she bends on a knee in front of her. "What happened?" May hides her face from her mother not wanting to sadden her with her bruised face. "May. Look at me." The mothers sweetness comes through and May has no choice but to look at her. Mary gasps as her hand covers her mouth. Is it really that bad? "He did this?" May has no words. She simply nods her head. "How awful." A quick burst of hope floods May as she wonders if her mother is actually going to do something. Is she gonna stop him? "This is why you must behave. You know how he gets." Guess not.
"Yes ma'm."
"Well, let's get that cleaned up." As Mary stands and turns to fetch the first aid kit she notices the bloody footsteps on the ground. "What?" She turns back to May and only then does she notice the bloody and cut up feet. "Dear God." Mary leaves for a brief moment and returns with a wet cloth, some ice, a bottle of disinfectant and a roll of bandages. Mary holds May's head still and carefully dabs the blood from around her eye. Once the eye is clean Mary softly presses the ice pack to the eye. "Keep that there for a little while. Tomorrows a school day so before you leave come to my room and I'll cover the bruise for you."
"Ok." Next Mary attempted to care for the bleeding feet. She carefully picks out the small shards of glass with childlike mews from May. Thankfully the cuts aren't very deep and so the calmed mother dabs some disinfectant on the wounds and covers it in the bandages, little does she realize there are still bits of glass stuck inside poor May's feet. Mary kisses her forehead and closes the door on her way out. May lies on her back and sits the ice pack on her eye. Tears start to fall slowly and her eyes close as she falls asleep. Suddenly May awakes to the sound of a slamming door and heavy brutish footsteps. Still waking she is taken aback by her father crashing through her door.
"You damned snake!" Rudolph throws May on the ground and steps a heavy foot on her chest. "What did you tell your mother! Did you tell her I was evil! That this is all my fault!"
"I didn't say anything!" May cowers beneath her father barely able to speak with the air being squeezed from her chest.
"Lair! She told me she wont be able to keep quiet if I 'keep being so mean to you'!" He mocks Mary's motherly voice.
"I didn't! I swear! I was quiet!"
"Liar!" Rudolph kicks her in the gut repeatedly and once in the face just until blood starts to trickle from her small mouth.
"Dammnit Rudolph, stop this!" Shouts Mary as she comes running into the bedroom. Glancing down at her bleeding child Mary is quick to act and grabs the strong arm of her brute of a husband.
"Get away woman!" Rudolph throws her off of him and continues to keep hitting and kicking the small girl on the ground. May is containing her pained moans as Mary weeps in the corner. 10 minutes pass until Rudolph finally ceases his beatings. May is hardly hanging on to consciousness when Rudolph leaves the room. Mary had long since left, crying in her bedroom, attempting to drown out the banging. As soon as May hears her parents door close she struggles to her feet. Barely able to stifle her yelps of pain May limps down the stairs with nothing but her bloody pajamas and cell phone in her hand, the one she was able to grab out of Rudolph's pocket as he was distracted by his fierce anger. It takes her a while to finally reach the front door and make her way outside. It is 1 am so May doesn't have to worry about alerting passerby's with her appearance. She limps down the street and stops once she reaches the park by her house. Blood tracks down the street from her bleeding feet, the glass cutting deeper into her foot with every step. As soon as she catches her breath her stomach rejects whatever food she was able to get into her stomach that night. After about 10 minutes of dry heaving she is unable to go any further and is forced to do what she really didn't want to. Sitting on a rusted swing May opens the cell phone and goes to Rudolph's contacts scrolling down until she finds Iris. May hesitates, her instincts telling her what would happen if she betrayed and disobeyed her father. Her hands shake as she almost closes the phone, but a sudden case of frustration and anger towards her father force her to press the call button. Two rings later May nearly hangs up yet again when there is a tired voice on the other end.
"Rudy? Whats wrong?" May is still nervous and remains quiet. "Come on Rudy I'm tired, can't this wait until morning?"
"Aunt Iris?" May's voice is weak and her lungs barely able to hold enough breath to speak any more than two words.
"May? Are you okay?" Iris' voice is much more alert as her concern for her niece comes through through the phone. "May, talk to me. What's wrong?" Iris may not have kids but she knew it was always a bad sign when a child calls late at night.
"Um…Can I stay at your house tonight?" May waits for the denial and critical response, usually received from her father when she asks for anything.
"What? May, why? What's going on? Are you okay?" Iris' voice is still so sweet just like the flower that is her namesake.
"Um…well…I-I don't feel very good." Hesitant to tell her aunt the full extent of her injuries May hopes Iris understands her fear through her shaking voice.
"May, where is your mother? Why don't you-"
"No!" Quick to lower her voice May continues. "Please, Aunt Iris." Then in an almost inaudible voice, tears flowing down her cheeks May squeaks. "I need help."
"May. Sweetheart, where are you?"
"At the park…near my house."
"Okay. May stay right where you are, your uncle is gonna come get you. Alright?" After a few moments of silence Iris clutches her phone. "May?"
"I'm sorry."
"What?! No, no, no, no. Don't you apologize for anything. This is what we are here for sweetheart. Now you stay right where you are and stay on the phone with me until-"
"He's here."
"Ok sweetheart. I'll see you soon."
"Okay." May presses the end button on the phone and leaves it behind, not caring about what happens to her fathers device, and goes to meet her uncle who is slowing to a jog on the opposite street. She keeps her head down almost forgetting her bloodied body and face.
"May! May are you—my god." Barry's face drops immediately when he sees his broken niece. The sweet little girl he knew is now reduced to nothing but bloody pink polkadot rags and bruised flesh. Barry slowly approaches her and drops to his knees. With a strong and deep voice he pleads, "May. Tell me who did this. Who hurt you?" Her silence only fueled his growing rage for whoever dare hurt his little girl, though her tears forced him to comfort the child instead of focusing on said monster. "Okay, everything will be alright Mayflower, lets get you to my house and we can figure this all out." Leaving the topic alone until they reach his home he turns around and tells her to climb on his back. She does so with difficulty due to her wounds. Her tender uncle is quick to help and holds her tight as he speeds away.