Velvet and Ink: A Novel

Chapter Four

AUGUST 20, 2007

Milly's eyelids slowly lift as the sun pours into her small room. She rubs her eyes, exasperating the dark circles under her eyes. She glances at the clock to read the time. Ugh, 6:20, she thinks. Her arms pull her knees close to her chest.

The alarm clock blows up with a momentums howl. Milly smacks the tops of it, kicking her comforter off. She stalks to the closet and stares at all the clothes in her. She grabs a bright pink dress. She looks in the mirror and snarls, ripping the dress off immediately. She goes through four more outfits in a similar manner.

Finally, she settles on a teal v-neck with a deep purple daisy resting above her right hip. Gazing in the mirror, her gaze fixates on the pooch popping out above her underwear line. She pokes, pinches, and prods at nearly every inch of her ivory skin until she finally lets out a disgruntled sigh. Pulling a towel from the dresser, she steps lightly into the hallway and walks toward the bathroom opposite her bedroom. Jonah stumbles up the stairs and stagger down the hallway, nearly running into Milly, making her jump. Once it finally registers that he's not alone, he takes in her appearance.

"What are you doing?" his irritated voice asks. His eyes are bloodshot and droop for what seemed like forever.

"Umm... Well... I was... Umm... I was just... Umm..." Spit clings to the inside of her mouth, while the words get stuck in her throat. Her palms sweat, and she looks for an easy way to escape, desperate to avoid an argument.

Jonah's body shakes slightly. Now is not the time to pester him about missing clothes. His hand whips out to grasp tightly around her arm, just under her armpit. His fingers dug deeply into her calloused skin.

"Spit it out."

"Never mind... I'm sorry..." she says. Jonah releases her arm and Milly quickly scurries back to her bedroom.

From her room, Milly can hear Jonah's angry mumbling faintly jumping through the thin walls.

"Damn annoying little.... Just doesn't under.... So bright... new curtains tomor--" Milly loses track of the curse words flinging out of his mouth.

Milly stops herself from listening and walks back to the hamper in her closet. She pulls out the first pair of bottoms she can find—white micro shorts. They cling tightly to her skin as she fights to pull them over her hips. Eventually, the shorts are buttoned and Milly steps back to take in her reflection. She wishes she had the skirt instead, but the shorts will do. Her legs plunge from the bottom of the shorts, looking long and lean. She knows that the boys at school will approve: her cleavage fills in nicely and presents a tempting offer. She looks sexy, and anyone would say it's true. Last year didn't work out as she hoped, but she knows not to repeat the same mistakes. She'll be more careful this time.

"I can still have a little fun, though."

She smiles at her reflection, then frowns. She counts twelve visible bruises, scrapes, and scars. She stares at them while her eyebrows furrow. She let's out a sigh and walks to the window. It creaks as she opens it. A hot breeze smacks her in the face.

" Why is it already this hot?" She slams the window closed. "People will wonder why I'm wearing long sleeves and pants in this weather."

She looks around her room and snatches the small makeup bag off the green dresser. Milly sits back and studies each bruise. On her upper right thigh: there is a bruise shaped like a lamb. On her lower calf: President Lincoln. On her left breast: a car. On her right cheek: a knuckle. On her right forearm: a vase. On her left shoulder: a shoe print. On her right hip: a kitchen spoon.