Page 21 of Falling Too Late

“Momma, please?” I tried to keep my voice from trembling. I tried not to cry. It had been three days since she let me out of my room. I smelled of urine. The sour smell made my nose hurt. The insides of my legs hurt. They were red and raw. It hurts to pee now too. I was peeing blood.??

Everything hurt.

Kevin was the only one who came into my room anymore. He visited me twice a day. The roll of duct tape sat on my bedside table, half-gone and haunting me. Mom didn’t hold me down anymore. He handed me a pair of socks to put in my mouth and then made me put duct tape on.

Lately, I had it done before he even came into my room.

Anything to make him less mean. Anything to make it go faster.??

“Momma, I’m bleeding,” I said through the closed door. On the other side, I heard something drop and then footsteps. I moved away from the door quickly, crouching next to my bed.

“What do you mean you’re bleeding?” There was no concern in her voice. Venom was the only thing there. She covered her nose, the smell not so easy to ignore when you were standing in here.??

“When I pee. There’s blood.” I pointed to the towel I had been using to clean up with. It was stained a light pink color.?

“Well, fuck.” She turned around and headed across the hall to the bathroom, opening the medicine cabinet and coming back with an orange bottle. “Take one of these.” It was a big white oval-shaped pill.

“Wh—what is it?” The question slipped out, and I prepared myself for the slap, but it didn’t come. I was always cautious about taking pills from her. She would make me take some, and it never failed that I would wake up a few hours later groggy and sore everywhere.

“Antibiotics. You just have a bladder infection. It will go away in a few days.” She stepped out of the room, her face scrunched. “Fuck, this room reeks.”

I dry swallowed the pill. If it made the pain go away, then I would take anything.??

“Clean this room up before Lloyd gets here. I don’t need his concerned, pathetic bullshit.” She walked away from the door. Leaving me by myself again.??

I gathered up the dirty clothes and towels, taking them to the bathroom where the laundry basket was. I turned the sink on and drank from the faucet greedily. Once the thirst was better, I wet a washcloth and wiped off the inside of my legs, rinsing it out and washing myself again. Afterwards, I headed to the kitchen and got the cleaning supplies from under the sink, grabbing some more plastic grocery bags too.

I did my best to clean the room and cracked the window to help with the smell. With Mom still in her room, I grabbed the two plastic containers I had been using to store water in and stashed them back under my bed. I placed the mop bucket in the sink and started filling it.

Maybe if I cleaned the kitchen up, Mom would let me eat tonight.

I opened the cupboards and snagged two Pop-Tarts out, stashing them under the bed with the water.

The mop bucket was still filling up, steam lifted from it. I glanced at the door. The chain wasn’t in place. I could try to leave again. This time I would just find someplace to hide at the school. Eat lunch and go to class. Hope the janitor didn’t notice me sleeping in the locker room. I could do that until I graduated, grow up and get a job. Leave this place and never have to see them again.??

The sound of splashing pulled me out of my daydream. Quickly, I shut the water off and started to lift the bucket out of the sink.

“Wren!”

I turned around to mom, slipping on the water, but she caught me. Her eyes no longer blue but brown.

“WREN, WAKE UP!”

Startled, I opened my eyes to Alex shaking me.??

“Fire!”??

“W-what?”I asked, sleep clogging my voice.

“Come on!”?

I could smell the smoke now, but I couldn’t see the flames.??

“Here, put this on.” Alex shoved a hoodie on me, and I quickly pulled on some shoes.?

I could hear screaming now. “Alex, what’s happening?!”??

“Do you trust me?” His eyes bounced between mine.?

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