Clara was in her room, getting ready for school. She looks in the mirror as she puts on foundation to cover up the bruises on her face and neck. She thinks back to what happened last night.
~FLASHBACK~
Clara turned to walk to the kitchen when her father noticed her hands. "What is all over your hands?" He asked calmly at first.
"Oh, that. I got bored at lunch." She replied.
"What have I told you about writing on yourself?"
"To not to do it. I'm sorry, Father. It won't happen again."
"You're right. It won't happen again. And to make sure it won't I have to punish you." He sat his paper down next to him and got up off the couch.
"Daddy, please. No, I'm sorry." Clara begged her father to not do anything.
"I am too, sweetie. But you have to be punished for your bad choices." He walked towards her.
She screamed and tried to run away. He father just caught her.
"Don't you run away from me. You face up to your punishment like you should."
Her father hit her over and over again.
"Do you really think I like doing this to you? DO YOU?! I hate having to hurt you." He slaps her in the face. "But you have to be punished for your actions." A punch in the gut. "Maybe if you weren't such a bad child you wouldn't be getting hurt like this." Now he pulls off his belt and picks her up off the ground. "Turn around."
She does and he begins to whip her. She clenches her eyes shut as she tries not to cry, knowing it will only make it worse.
Finally twenty minutes later, he's done beating and whipping. Or so she thinks. He walks out the room for a minute and turns out just to be grabbing some water. For himself.
He walks out to the living room and yet again, continues beating her. Not saying a word.
Then, five minutes later, she passes out. That's when he stops. He takes her to her room and lays her on her bed.
"I'm sorry, dear Clara. Everytime I do this to you, it fills my heart with great pain. And regret." He sits on her bed and watches her 'sleep' for a little while.
Finally, he sighs. "I love you. And I am truly sorry." He kisses her on the forehead and walks out.
Clara wakes up at about three AM. She gets out of her bed, being used to being in it after every time she faints during a beating. She goes and gets her first aid kit, and sits in front of her mirror. She tries being as quiet as possible, trying not to wake her father. She begins to tend to her wounds.
She looks in the mirror, and begins to cry. This time wasn't the worst, but it was pretty bad. She had a big bruise on the side of her face, and her neck. Her back was covered in dried blood and new gushing blood coming out from the movement.
Twenty or so minutes later, she's finally done fixing herself up. She puts her first aid kit away and goes to lay down, trying her best not to irritate her back.
~FLASHBACK OVER~
Clara is almost crying by the time the flashback is over. She hates what her father does to her. Yet she believes that she deserves it. That she's nothing but a bad child. But, somewhere deep down, she knows she doesn't deserve the crap she gets.
After she's done getting ready, she goes downstairs to make breakfast. She's wearing her hair down, and a black hoodie and light blue skinny jeans. She finishes making breakfast, she takes a waffle or two for herself and makes a plate for her father. She puts his plate in the microwave with a note on the side of the plate.
Daddy, I hope you like your breakfast. I made it just the way you like it! Chocolate chip waffles and maple syrup! There is a glass of orange juice for you in the fridge on the first shelf by the milk. I love you. I hope you have a good day at work.
XOXO, Clara
She walks out of the house, waffle in hand. She spots her friend Tucker walking away from her. So, she runs up to him.
"Boo." She says.
He screams like a little girl. "Jeez, Clara! Don't do that to me!"
"I do that every day! Get used to it, Tuck." She laughs.
They walk to school laughing at random, stupid jokes.
About halfway to school, he notices that her face seems lighter than normal.
"Hey, you feelin' alright? You look kinda pale." He asks with worry in his eyes.
"Yea, my foundation is just lighter than my skin tone." She replies, not realizing what she had just done.
"Why do you wear make-up? You don't even need it. You're beautiful without it." He goes to rub it off, when she yelps in pain. And he notices a dark spot where he rubbed.
"What the heck is that?! What did you do?! And why are you covering it with make-up?! Did you not want me to see it?!" Tucker blubbers...Worried. Getting angrier by the second.
"Tucker, calm down. I fell down the stairs when I was going to get something to eat. That's all. I didn't want you to worry." She replies, feeling scared that he could find out, and possibly kill her father.
"You don't have stairs in your house. Except the ones to the basement. And I know dang well your food ain't down there. What. Is. Going. On."
"OK, fine I'll tell you. But you have to promise me you won't get too mad."
"I'll try my best."
So she tells him, and his face gets redder and redder as he listens. He's trying to be polite as she talks and not blow up in the middle of her explanation.
When she's finished, it's silent for a minute. Then what she was afraid of happens. He explodes. Cursing, yelling, threatening, doing everything he can to get his anger out. Then he turns and starts to walk to Clara's house.
"Whoa, where are you going?!" She asks, even though she knows what the answer is.
"What do you think, Clara?!" Tucker yells. Obviously furious. His face was still red. Beat red.
They both walk to her house, her trying to stop him, and him just pushing her off.
Finally they get to her house and he just walks in. He walks to her fathers room, knowing exactly where it is, having been to her house dozens of times.
They're in her dad's room for a minute before Tucker yanks Clara's dad out of bed.
He jerks awake. "Huh? What? What's happening?" He looks up at the severely mad teen hovering above him. "Oh, hello Tucker. Is everything alright?"
"Don't give me that 'Oh, I'm so innocent' crap. I know you're not." Tucker grabs him and lifts him up, and starts beating him. He was defending his best friend. His BEST friend. She meant everything to him. He wanted her father to feel the pain she felt every day.
Clara just sat there, watching in shock. Not realizing she meant this much to...well anyone. She always thought she was equal to nothing.
Finally, about ten minutes later, Tucker is done. He looks down on her father and says, "I know this probably isn't equal to what you've done to her, but it's a start. Here's the end. You are never, EVER going to see Clara again. Not that you care."
Tucker grabs Clara and drags her out of the house, and hugs her. "I'm so sorry I couldn't help you sooner." He apologizes.
"Don't be. You didn't know," She hugs him back...Trying not to cry, "But, if I'm never going to see him again, where am I going to live?"
"With me. Until we find another relative that is."
That's when she loses it. Weeping into his shirt. But he didn't care. As long as she never goes back to that house again.
Finally she felt like someone actually cared about her. Finally, she can be happy.