Red Vs. Blue Drabbles

#1 - "Bitter Memories."

Life has never been easy for Washington, even in the beginning. The other Freelancers would talk about the past; their families, and how much they miss them or don't miss them, depending on what happened to them. York always had happy memories, Washington remembers; York's mother would wake him up with chocolate pancakes and orange juice, and then he'd go to school with a bright smile on his face. That bliss seemed so nice, but it was out of reach for Washington.

The thought of his own mother, doing that for him? It would have never happened. Washington was an only child, but his family was poor, and hateful. Since day one, Washington's own family shoved him around without a care for the boy; but, oh, they were smart about it.

They knew where to strike him, where to shove him into furniture, and how to hide these markings like they were never there in the first place. It was suspicious to see little Washington running around with sweatshirts or long-sleeved shirt during the summer, but that eventually became "normal" for Washington.

No one ever realized the pain he got forced through, because they just thought he was a strange kid. Everyone called him "Strange David" behind his back, and he tried to act like the name didn't bother him. That the name didn't make him want to rip off the shirt hiding the abuse, and to tell them all the truth. That's all he wanted growing up -- for someone to know, for someone to realize.

Because nothing hurts more than screaming out in pain, and everyone turning a blind eye to it.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Oh, yeah, all the time," chuckled North as he laid back against the railing of his bed. "South always got what she wanted, since she was called the 'little' sister, being born two minutes after me." He said, a grin on his face. South shook her head, a giggle escaping her lips.

"Now, that wasn't entirely true. I mean, don't you remember the trip to Valley Fair?" South asked, looking up at her brother. When she said that, North's face lit up. It must be an inside joke between the two.

York invited all of the Freelancers to his room; where they either sat on the ground, lower bunk, or upper bunk; talking about nonsense until they are yelled at by the Director or when Carolina puts an end to the show. It mostly the second one.

Washington heard everyone inside his room and refused to go inside. He didn't want to be interrogated about his past again, so he simple went to the training room. Eventually, though, York will realize that he's not there and will go look for him -- so, Washington has a solid two and a half hours.

'Two hours and a half by myself.' Washington thought as he headed to the training room, the halls mostly empty due to it being later out. 'I would rather take that time to sleep, but who knows when I will be able to do that again...' He trailed off and sighed.

It's not that he didn't want to hang out with York and all of them, it's just that he has hardly said anything about his past, so that's all they're going to ask him.

"Did you have any siblings?" "Not saying." "What about aunts... uncles?" "Does it matter?" "Are your parents still around?" "God, I hope not." "I wouldn't know, being stuck here."

Washington doesn't want to have another conservation like that, and Carolina is the worst about it. She just pries and pries until you either give in or snap at her -- either way, the situation wouldn't end well for Washington. No one can tell when someone clearly doesn't want to talk about something, and if they can, they don't respect Washington's privacy.