Safe Haven | B. Barnes

feral Angie

Angie sprinted as fast as she could keeping her eyes focused on the small cloud of dust on the horizon, a signal that the bus was coming close.

The eight of the kids started running faster to meet the bus at the end of the road. Just as they reached their stop, the bus squealed to a stop and they climbed aboard.

Angie couldn't even find a seat before the taunting began. Ryan wasted no time in starting his verbal barrage. "So, freak! Was your girlfriend crying?! Wah wah, crybaby!"

There were snickers that were heard from everywhere on the bus. The bus driver, who had headphones on, didn't pay any attention to the back only glancing in his rearview mirror to check. To him, nothing was going on unless it was physical.

For some reason, perhaps due to a lack of sleep, Angie felt a small fume begin to form in the depths of her small, seven-year-old gut as Louie, who was still sniffling from a cold he got, glared as intensely as his ice blue eyes allowed him. "Cut it out, man," Elliot, the kind and respectful one of the bunch, called from behind Louie. "What, you're defending them too? C'mon man, I thought you were better than this!" Ryan mocked. 

"Louie has two arms and can't even defend the one armed freak." Ryan hooted in laughter.

Angie heard someone growl and realized it came from herself when she received odd and condescending stares from fellow bullies and bystanders. She caught herself and tried to ignore Ryan.

On occasion, Ryan would make remarks behind her and Louie's back and Elliot would try to get him to stop. And he would stop for some time then start right back up, calling her "Freak. Ugly. Snotty. Babyish. "

By the time the school bus arrived at the city limits,  Angie was nearly red in the face, her one fist clenching and unclenching as she tried to keep herself calm, cool and collected. But when they arrived at the elementary school gates Angie was seething with bitterness and revenge.

All it took was one phrase that finally sent her off the edge. "So, Angeline. I heard that the reason your mama left you was that you were born without that arm! Not even your own family-," Before Ryan could continue his now abusive insults and harassments and before Elliot could confront him head-on, Angie spun around and attacked. 

With ferocious screams and incoherent words, Angie scratched, kicked, and bit every vulnerable area where the skin was showing on his face until two teachers and the principal came storming down the hall to break up the attack on Ryan. It took two full-grown men teachers to hold little feral Angie back as she too kept kicking and screaming.

Angie's screams echoed off the metal lockers as she was led to the principal's office.

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Marge bustled down the hallway of Birney Elementary and made a beeline for the principal's office. Angie had finally snapped, and this is where it happened.

She had yet to hear how it went down.

Upon her arrival, she noticed that Angie was still trembling. It was about an hour's drive from the bus stop to the school, not counting the stops in between and yet she was still here shaking with anger rather than fear.

Angie's head was tucked into her chest with her dark hair covering most of her face leaving only a slit in the middle with tears streaming down her face. She was gripping her single, blotchy red fist against the worn out blue jeans.

But Marge knew. Angie was fighting any emotion. "Ms. Wilson?" A stately secretary called her attention.

"Mr. Carter will see you shortly." She informed the foster mom with an unreadable smile.  Marge smiled blankly in return and went to take a seat next to Angie. 

"Angie? What happened?" Marge gently rested her hand on Angie's small knee. Angie said nothing, her eyes were guarded but she began trembling violently. 

The principal walked in before Angie could respond, "Ms. Margret? Angie? Please come to my office."

In the conference, Marge learned that Ryan had to be rushed to the hospital because his wounds needed stitches and Angie was now suspended for three days.

In the car, Marge decided to give Angie her space to let her simmer down, only speaking to her to inform her that they had some errands to run. After those were done, the two headed home.

When they arrived, the three men were huddled around the coffee table in the living room with a physical paper map as they decided where to go. 

"Hey, Marge! Are you sure this map isn't outdated?" Sam called out in a playful manner, oblivious to a silent Angie trailing after her.

"Probably. I haven't taken that thing out in years." Marge swatted her hand in the air in front of her face.

Sam grumbled something to his friends and they all chuckled lightly.

"Angie, go sit on the couch room I'll talk to you there." At the mention of the little girl's name, all three of them turned to watch her shuffle away.

"What happened?" Sam asked curiously. Marge heaved a sigh "She sent a boy to the hospital today because he was verbally abusing her."

Somewhere behind them, Angie sneezed in reply.

All three of the men raised their brows "What did she do?" Steve asked without thinking. As soon as the words left his mouth he rolled his lips in, regretting prying into their lives.

"Bit and kicked at some point she scratched too deep so the boy needed stitches." Marge murmured to them so Angie wouldn't overhear.

Bucky glanced back over his shoulder. She was still, only her index finger picking at the yarn in the pillow on her lap.

This was the first time Bucky had seen some one so young act so fearful. He recognized the signs: avoidant, silent, cold, guarded, sensitive to any sudden movement, cautious, paranoid - as she kept glancing nervously at Marge.

He had seen this look one to many times on the faces of those Hydra tortured before they reached complete loss of identity. And it was appalling to him that someone who was supposed to be so happy and innocent, was not.

It made him wonder just how she is treated before coming here.

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Unedited

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