~Star Light, Star Bright~
Chapter Ten: Plastic
*_!_*
Warning: Child Abuse Mention
Psychological/mental manipulation and neglect.
(Don't worry, it's nothing too graphic, but still incredibly important.)
o-O-o
"Hey girl, look at my mom, she's got it going on
Ha, you're blinded by her jewelry.
When you turn your back she pulls out a flask
And forgets his infidelity.
Uh-oh, she's coming to the attic, plastic
Go back to being plastic.
No one ever listens, this wallpaper glistens
One day they'll see what goes down in the kitchen.
Places, places, get in your places
Throw on your dress and put on your doll faces.
Everyone thinks that we're perfect
Please don't let them look through the curtains.
Picture, picture, smile for the picture
Pose with your brother, won't you be a good sister?
Everyone thinks that we're perfect
Please don't let them look through the curtains.
D-O-L-L-H-O-U-S-E
I see things that nobody else sees.
(D-O-L-L-H-O-U-S-E
I see things that nobody else sees)
Hey girl (hey girl, hey girl, hey girl, hey girl)
Hey girl, open your walls, play with your dolls
We'll be a perfect family…"
-Melanie Martinez - Dollhouse
o-O-o
Cody awoke slowly to the sound of voices. Most of them were distinctly male, and of the only two female voices, he recognized the rough tenor he loved the most.
Macy.
Even the slight fog of sleep that clouded his mind couldn't stop the warm burst of love and affection the thought of her created. As far back as he could remember (which wasn't say much but still) she had been there. Constant, with her gruff affection and contrastingly soft smiles and eyes, she truly was the only person in his life that he loved without a doubt.
There was an emotion similar to love somewhere in him for his parents too, but right now he didn't want to think about them. Macy was holding him, growling at someone who growled right back at her. The sense of familiarity he got from that simple fact made him smile and he let his eyes flutter open.
Waking up in the arms of someone who you had no doubt actually loved you was a feeling Cody would never get enough of.
"You got to be kidding me!"
"Questions? Of course we hav-"
"We're… a cartoon?"
"No, we're not! There is no slagging way that- "
The loud and confused voices of both the Autobots and their humans echoed in the empty junk yard, making Macy wince and glance down at Cody. Sure enough, the midget stirred, and sleepy silver eyes opened wide. His eyes slowly looked up to meet her own, and a ridiculously cute smile spread across his face.
"Hey Auntie."
The tired but happy whisper made Macy melt. Her brat was right in her arms, safe and sound. Whether or not the Autobots believed her no longer mattered. He was all she had left of home, in this similar yet foreign world.
"Hey twerp. What happened to staying up till midnight?"
Cody stuck his tongue out at her playful teasing, giggling when she tried to grab it with her free hand.
"Aw, shut up Auntie! So what, I got tired. But," he turned to the Autobots and humans, who were staring at the two in stunned silence, "the Autobots are here! Oh!" He chirped, "So are Sam and Mikaela! Will and Epps! Oh gosh oh gosh this is sooo cool! All of my heroes are here at once!"
Squealing in excitement, the little boy scrambled out of his babysitters grip, and slid and slipped his way down the junk pile, straight into Ratchet's waiting servos. Macy leaned back and watched as all the bots instantly hovered over her young charge, clicking and chirping in Cybertronian. The woman grinned, knowing it was only a matter of time till he had them wrapped around his little fingers.
"Hold still, sparkling. I need to run some scans." Cody complied with Ratchet's orders and didn't complain as a medical scan went over his entire body, only giggling at the ticklish sensation, staring adoringly at the medic all the while.
Said medic shifted awkwardly under the attention, unused to anyone obeying his orders, let alone showing open affection towards him. Ironhide snickered at his old friend's discomfort, and leaned forward to gently nudge the tiny human with a careful digit.
"So," he rumbled, "we're yah heroes?"
"Absolutely!" Cody beamed, and leaned over the side of Ratchet's hand to wave eagerly down to the humans who stared rather curiously back up at him. "You all are heroes to me as well!" Worried scolding from Ratchet had him back firmly in the center of the mech's servo, but that didn't stop the pleased looks Epps and Will shared, and Mikaela laughed when Sam practically puffed up in pride.
Optimus couldn't help but smile at the little boy's words, but forced himself to get serious. "Is what your caretaker says true, little one?"
"Hmm?" Cody blinked up at his role model and flushed. "Sorry, but I was asleep. What did she say though? Auntie always tells the truth anyhow."
The absolute faith the child had in his babysitter made the Autobots simultaneously turn towards Macy, who smirked and gave them a mocking wave. They then turned back toward the little boy who merely smiled up at them, eyes wide and trusting.
"Uh, well-" Ironhide began, not wanting to upset the child, only to get interrupted by Ratchet, who had a bad tendency to be blunt and lacked tact.
"She claims that the two of you are from another dimension of some sort where we are, of all things, a TV show." Ironhide, Bumblebee and Optimus all gave Ratchet various looks of exasperation, only to be ignored by the tough medic. "A, as she put it, multi-million dollar franchise. She also claims that you wish upon some slagging star and summoned the two of you here to Mission City."
Ratchet snorted again at the thought, and looked at Cody, believing he would nod and laugh at the ridiculous statement along with him.
He was greatly disappointed when Cody only smiled and gave a small laugh, saying, "Yeah isn't that neat? You have no idea how glad I am that you guys aren't just a show, but real and living!" The little boy carried on, babbling happily about how relieved he was that his wish had worked and so on, oblivious to the stunned looks the bots traded over his head.
:Uh, Ratchet?:
:What is it Bumblebee?:
:According to your scans, is he telling the truth?:
:Completely. Macy was not showing an signs of lying earlier either when I scanned her during her story.:
:But how is this possible?: All the bots could relate to the sheer frustration in Ironhide's voice. :And what are supposed to do with them, then? They're just a kid and a babysitter, apparently the victim of some strange phenomenon!:
:Wow, Ironhide, I didn't know you could use such big words.:
:Shut the frag up, Bee! A'hm serious!:
:Calm yourself, old friend. He is only trying to ease the tension.: Optimus's rumbling baritone instantly silenced the others. :We will take care of them at the new N.E.S.T base. Keep in mind they are in a world not their own, and with the exception of Cody, are scared and unsure.:
:Well said, Prime.: Ratchet hummed over the comm., optics focusing on something the others could not see. :I am overlooking the results of my full and complete medical scans, and Macy is showing high signs of stress, logically from being worried over young Cody's safety. As for the sparkling, his scans show-: Ratchet suddenly choked, and let out a loud burst of startled static that had all the humans and bots jumping and gaping at him.
:Ratchet…?: Ratchet ignored his Prime's worried tone, optics paling to white and flickering.
Cody stopped in middle of his babble and glanced up worriedly at Ratchet, one of his hands worryingly patting the mechs servo.
"Ratchet? Are you okay? Did I say something wrong?"
"No, little one," Ratchet smoothly lied, "Ironhide just said something stupid over the comm., that is all." To add merit to his story, Ratchet promptly pulled out a wrench from his subspace and smack Ironhide over the helm with it.
With extreme prejudice for all the checkups the weapon specialist had avoided over the years.
"Ow! Slagging fragged up pitspawn why the frag did ya-!"
:Just play along!: Out loud Ratchet snapped rather noisily, "Going to do that again, 'Hide?"
Ironhide gave Ratchet a rather nasty glare, before huffing an irritable "No.".
The tension went out of the Autobots when all the humans bought the act, and Cody giggled at Ironhide, who was sporting a rather nice dent on the side of his helm.
:Bumblebee, get Macy down from the pile and then take your charges home. I will take both Macy and Cody with me on the ride back to the base, and will explain everything as we go.: Ratchet paused, and then said softly over the comm., :…this will not be a pleasant conversation..:
Macy, none the wiser to Ratchet's words and the bots worries, just rolled her eyes at Ironhide's and Ratchet's actions, and began sliding down the junk pile, only to curse when she was suddenly scooped up by yellow servos halfway down.
"Whoa! Bumblebee!"
"Sorry about that folks! -ksshk- Let's go home." Macy startled at his choice of words, eyes widening with hope and relief as the scout gently set her down on the ground next to Will and Epps. She stumbled slightly, body exhausted, but brushed of Will's and Epps' gentle hands in favor of looking up at Bumblebee.
"Does this mean you guys believe us? And where do you mean, 'home'?"
"You and Cody will be riding with Ratchet to our new N.E.S.T base while Bumblebee takes Samuel and Mikaela home." Optimus added with a smile, "and yes, Macy, we believe you, and will take you and Cody as our own."
Macy relaxed completely, not noticing the stunned looks the other bot's gave their Prime and the hidden meaning in his words.
"Thank you."
And with that, Macy slumped to the ground in a dead faint, unaware of Will's and Epps' hands catching her as she fell, and Cody's worried shout. The stress and worry over Cody's safety and what they were going to do in this new world had taken its toll on her body, and the sudden release of that emotional load off her shoulders sent her crashing into blissful darkness.
Cody hummed happily in the front seat of Ratchet's alt mode, glad that his Auntie was sleeping the back of the Hummer on stretcher, safe and sound. He had been understandably frightened and upset when Macy had fainted, but reassurances from Ratchet had told them she had merely been exhausted and only need a good long sleep, and she would be fine when morning came.
After that and making sure Macy was secure in Ratchet, everyone had set out from the junk yard, Bumblebee with the teens back to Tranquility, and Ironhide with the two soldiers trailing behind both Ratchet and Prime.
"Cody, do you mind if I ask you a couple questions while Prime and Ironhide listen in?" Cody blinked out of his thoughts with a smile and shook his head.
"Nah, go ahead!"
"Do you dye your hair?"
The odd question made Cody frown slightly, and he shook his head no.
"Well, in that case, why are the ends gray?"
"Um, well… I don't know, actually. They just are?" was the awkward reply, and Cody shifted uncomfortably when Ratchet only hummed at his response.
"And how old are you?"
"I'm eight."
"Do you realize that you are small for your age? You could easily pass for a six year old, or even a five year old, Cody."
Cody shifted yet again, and said in a small voice, "Have I done something wrong? I don't know why you're asking me these questions."
"No, Cody, you have done absolutely nothing wrong. If you don't want me to ask any more questions, I won't for now, okay?"
The small boy relaxed into his seat, and smiled softly to Ratchet's relief.
"Uh uh, it's okay, I just thought I was in trouble for something. You can keep asking me stuff if you want."
"Very well then. Let me know if you become uncomfortable, okay Cody?"
"Okay."
"Good." Glad that the boy had yet to realize where the conversation was going, Ratchet quickly continued. He had no doubt that his next query would alarm the boy. "When you where back home, did you ever go without food?"
The question did not get the startled reaction the medic expected, but a slow, sad slump of the shoulders and weary resignation. That meant one thing.
Cody had had this conversation before.
"Cody?" Slightly alarmed by the child's silence, Ratchet gently slowed and pulled over on the side of the road. "Are you okay?" Cody did not respond to his latest questions, instead softly stating,
"There is always food in the house, and they never beat me or a laid a hand on me. I am not abused." He added just for good measure, "I already talked to Auntie about this. I do not want to talk to about it again."
There was a soft sigh from Ratchet's radio, and Cody could feel the Autobot slump on his wheels in defeat.
"As you wish. May I ask one last question though?"
"…yeah."
"Did you avoid eating with your family, instead opting to eat school lunches and what Macy made when she babysat you? And," Ratchet added before Cody could answer, "if the answer is yes, then how many nights a week did Macy babysit you?"
"I was home-schooled and... only one night."
"And," Ratchet continued gently, pressing his advantage, "Did you ever have any actual meals when your parents are home?"
"No."
As if to finalize his answer, Cody turned in his seat and buried his face in the corner, more than ready to ignore any more questions. To his relief, the medic merely stayed quiet and drove back on the road. It was only when he started to relax and slowly fall asleep that the medic said one last thing.
"Cody," his name was whispered softly, "there are many forms of abuse and manipulation. And even if you do not realize it, what you just told me more than qualifies as abuse. It is not your fault, and more importantly, it is not something for you to be ashamed of." The seat belt around his waist and across his shoulder tightened comfortingly about him.
"Macy seems to have been the only one to have truly loved you, but you needn't worry. You have a new family now, and we will be more than happy to love you."
And with that Ratchet quietly drove on, letting soft music play from his radio, and if the boy happened to start crying, it was drowned out by the whispered "Thank you".
o-O-o
End-Chapter Ten: Plastic
o-O-o
Author's Note:
Sorry, but the sadness is not over quite yet. If you haven't started crying, feel free to read the omake below. It better explains Cody's family life, and subject will still be here in the upcoming chapters. Happiness is also around the corner though, with a lot of silliness from the giant Autodorks, so it will have sunshine among the thunderclouds.
I have always been a big advocate to end and spread awareness about child abuse, and it stuns me how many kids think just because a hand was never laid on them, that it can't be considered abuse.
THAT'S A LIE.
I've found that mental abuse tends to be the worse, and most damaging, and sadly the most common of all of them. As a victim of multiple abuse by multiple people myself, I would like to end this note with an additional quote.
"Everyone you know is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind."
Omake:
As Cody slept, he reflected up his relationship with his family.
He knew he loved his dad and mom too, but it was almost a forced love, one that was created through false words and even more fake smiles and hugs. Dad was cold and stiff, unfeeling and with no emotions. All he cared about was the family business. His mom was distant and…weak. Almost broken.
He could remember little bits of memories where she and dad had been happy. When they had actually been a family. A flash of a warm smile, and crinkled eyes. And then those brief and so few memories vanished, and cold eyes filled his mind.
It was as if something had smashed down upon her constantly, until her will to at least pretend to be happy with her rich home and handsome husband shattered in a million jagged pieces.
Those pieces promptly hit the rest of the family.
Cody knew he would never understand just what had happened, or what had caused it. But the effect had made his dad crumble in on himself, and lock away his emotions with lock and key. Whatever had happened, had completely wiped his mom's and dad's love for him.
If anyone had ever straight up asked Cody if he was abused, he would have in all honestly replied that he hadn't been, though his answer was exactly the same for the question, 'Have you been loved by your parents?'.
But what proceeded to happen in the years after his mom's breakdown would leave marks on the boy that would never go away, both mentally and physically.
Whether he knew it or not.
Thank you for reading.