�Daddy, it�s not burnt, it�s well done,� said Serenity quietly. She cut into her own meat and was about to place a piece in her mouth when her father�s hand shot out and smacked her.
�Don�t you dare talk back to me or contradict me, you here,� he growled.
She bit her lip, willing back the tears, and nodded. She bowed her head and mumbled something.
�What was that, girl?� demanded her father.
�Nothing, daddy,� she answered nimbly.
�Don�t tell me nothing,� he said, his anger growing. �You said something and I want to know what the hell you said.�
�I said that it wasn�t burnt and that it was well done like you asked for, Daddy,� Serenity answered quietly. She flinched when she heard the sound of the chair scrapping the floor. His fork clattered on the table and he stood up and grabbed her by the shirt, hauling her out of her chair.
�How many times do I have to tell you not to talk back to me,� he growled. She didn�t answer so he slapped her across the face with the back of his hand. �I think it�s time for another lesson.�
�Daddy, no,� whimpered Serenity. She tried to back away but he slapped her again and she knew better than to move. Moving would only make what was coming twice as bad.
He grabbed his belt buckle and undid his belt, pulling it out of the loops of his jeans. �Turn around,� he growled.
Serenity knew the drill. This had been happening for a year now every since her mother had left. For years her mother had taken the beatings and one day she decided she couldn�t take it anymore and left, leaving Serenity to deal with the beatings. Her father became twice as bad with Serenity than he had ever been with her mother. Even though she was eighteen the beatings still came.
She turned around and gripped the kitchen sink, her knuckles turning white. She heard her father grip the buckle in his hand and wrap a little of the leather around his fist.
�You�ve been shooting your mouth off for too long,� he said calmly. �It�s time you get set straight.�
Serenity sucked in a breath and bit down hard on her bottom lip, nearly drawing blood. Over and over the lashes came, the leather tearing through her shirt and striking her skin. She didn�t cry out for she knew that would make the lashes come twice as hard and make the beating last twice as long. After a few more hits, her father must have lost some momentum because he stopped.
Serenity crumbled to the floor in a heap of silent tears, pain, and blood. Her father put his belt back on and left saying, �All this mess had better be cleaned up by the time I get home or you�ll get another lesson.�
When Serenity heard the door slam and the rumbling of the car engine, she broke down crying. The sobs wracked her body and she cried until no more tears would come. Finally after what seemed a lifetime she stood up and began clearing the table.
After the kitchen had been thoroughly cleaned and she had made sure nothing was out of place, Serenity grudgingly climbed the stairs up to the bathroom.
She flipped the switch and the bright light made her eyes squint. Lifting her heavy head she looked at herself in the mirror. Her left side of her face was black and blue and swollen twice it�s normal size, her cheeks were wet with tears, and her eyes were blood shot.
Serenity grabbed a washcloth and turned on the sink, wetting the cloth. She reached up and pressed the cool clothe to her hot skin and flinched at the pain. �I can�t take this anymore. I�ve got to get out,� she thought to herself.
Without thinking a second thought, she threw down the washcloth and dashed out of the bathroom and down the stairs, leaving the water running. She didn�t grab her coat or any of her belongings. All she could think about was getting out of the house and as far away as possible.
It was dark outside and the only light was from the moon overhead and the occasional street lamp that illuminated her block. She ran as fast as she could in the direction of the only place she knew she would be safe.
~*~
Chris groaned when he heard the doorbell ring. �This can�t be happening. It�s��, he looked at the nightstand clock and finished his thought out loud, �Midnight. Justin had better not locked himself out of his house again cause if he did, he�s shit out of luck.�
He swung his legs off his bed and stood up stretching. The doorbell rang again and he grumbled, �I�m coming, I�m coming.�
Serenity stood on Chris� doorstep and looked around nervously. She hadn�t seen Chris in weeks, due to her father thinking he wasn�t the �right sort his daughter should associate herself with�, and hoped that he wouldn�t turn her away.
The door creaked and she turned facing a half asleep Chris who mumbled, �Justin, how many times do I have to tell you to not leave your keys in the house when you go out.�
�It-it�s not Justin, it�s me,� stuttered Serenity quietly.
Chris� head jerked up and he was faced with the person he hadn�t seen it almost two months. Her face was bruised and it looked like she had been crying. He grabbed her by the elbow and ushered her into the foyer.
�C-Chris, I�m so sorry,� Serenity blubbered, �But I had no where else to go. Y-You are the only one I knew who I could come too.�
�Shhh,� Chris murmured as he pulled her into his arms. She clutched onto his shoulders and the sobs wracked her body again. He went to wrap his arms around her but stopped when she cried out in pain.
He looked down at her questioningly. She turned around and lifted her shirt up a bit. Chris gasped. Her back was completely black and blue and covered in dry blood and there were about six or seven deep cuts.
Chris didn�t say a word. He scooped her up into his arms as gently as he could and carried her to his room. When he got there he set her on her feet and said, �Lay down.�
�Chris, I�� she started to protest but stopped when he pointed to his bed. She closed her mouth and went and lay down on her stomach.
Chris disappeared into the bathroom. He grabbed a washcloth and soaked it with warm water. He reached under the sink and grabbed a bottle of peroxide and a dry washcloth.
He walked out of the bathroom with his supplies and saw Serenity lying on top of his bed. Her arms were tucked under her chest and a knuckle was in her mouth; she looked extremely frightened and his heart ached for her. He didn�t know who or what did that to her but all he knew was that she wasn�t going to go back to that.
He climbed onto the bed and straddled her butt. He lifted her shirt up and undid her bra hooks. She was about to protest when he whispered in her ear, �It�s okay I�m not going to do anything but clean these cuts up.�
Serenity nodded. The next thing she knew a warm cloth was gliding against her back. It hurt a little bit but Chris was so gentle. She let out a sigh and closed her eyes, silent tears slowly coming from her eyes.
When all the dry blood was gone from her back, Chris opened the peroxide bottle and poured a little of it onto the dry clothe. He leaned down and whispered again, �This is going to sting a bit but it�ll clean the cuts.�
Serenity nodded and bit down on her knuckle, a habit she had gotten into when the beatings first started. She flinched and let out a whimper when she felt the sharp stings in her back. Chris just shushed her and whispered words of soothing to her as he tried to complete his task as fast as he could.
When he was done, he climbed off of her and disposed of the materials in the bathroom. He went into his closet and grabbed a spare pair of boxer shorts and an old t-shirt. He came out and saw Serenity sitting on the edge of the bed with her head down. He walked over and placed the clothes into her lap, �Go change.�
She nodded nimbly and went to the bathroom. A few minutes later she came out, clean faced and dressed in the nightclothes. The shirt hung down to mid thigh and completely covered the boxer shorts.
Chris was stretched out on the bed, leaning against the headboard. He patted the spot next to him, motioning her to sit down. She walked over and climbed onto the bed, sitting on her knees.
�Chris, I�m sorry it�s been so long since I�ve seen you but�� she started to explain but his finger stopped her.
He shook his head and said softly, �No explanations.� He reached up and cupped her bruised cheek, running his fingertips softly over the bruised flesh. He leaned over and placed tiny kisses on her cheek. First tracing around the bruise and then kissing the inside, but he didn�t stop there. He kissed light down her face and to her lips. He placed a gentle kiss to her lips and pulled away and whispered, �Let me take care of you. Stay with me?�
Serenity bit her bottom lip and nodded. Chris placed a kiss to her forehead and pulled her into his arms, tucking her head under his chin. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and grabbed her hand, linking his fingers through hers. The last thing Serenity remember before nodding off was thinking that she finally felt safe.