Chapter 3
Beatings, and Meetings
Des checked the whole house about seven times before she was somewhat self confident about her work. Obviously Donna would find something wrong with her cleaning and straightening up, but that was her life, she was used to it. It was about 6:30 when Des started looking for something to eat, and her aunt was right, there was pretty much nothing but crackers in the cupboard.
She held the box to her and sarcastically murmured," Mmm....dinner."
Without much thought, Desiree ran up to her room with her box, and leaned on the windowsill gazing outside. The sky was hazy, and it seemed like everything was in a blur. Des decided she wanted to be in the haze, so she threw her crackers out the window, and followed them as she climbed down the gutter.
Her poor crackers were most likely crushed by now, but food was food demolished or not. Des smiled at her willow tree caught up in the swirling mist from the wet ground. It was the only place she truly felt safe and isolated from the world. Tucking the box under her left arm, she began to climb onto the branches. The loose leaves brushed against her face as if they were welcoming her back home.
The large branches were getting slippery as she ascended throughout the tree, and her feet were bare with no traction on the bark. The box fell from her grasp, and the next thing Des knew was that she was slipping.
"No...no....no!" she shrieked, searching for another branch to hold onto. None were in sight and the trunk was farther than she anticipated now. Just as she thought things couldn't get worse, it started to pour buckets. Desiree wasn't going to be able to hold on much longer and she knew that. The thought of severely hurting herself and being there for an eternity before her aunt found her didn't sound good unless she got knocked out. Her hope was to hit her head, or pass out before she hit the ground.
The branch was drenched in water, and Desiree was losing grip with her left hand which slipped quickly. Her breathing was rasped, and her upper body was about to give out; she couldn't hold on all night.
"Help! Somebody!" Des squealed not loud enough for anyone close by to hear her. Obviously no one answered or sought to aid her. Des's right arm finally gave out and her eyes automatically closed.
She was falling.
The wind and rain rushed up to meet her face for a second before it was stopped. The falling had stopped miraculously, and she gazed down beneath her to see what was below.
Her wrist was being pulled violently upward by what seemed to be a strong hand. Des tilted her head up discovering emerald green eyes searching through hers cautiously. Her hand grabbed onto his wrist and boosted herself up from her awaited death. Des grabbed onto the tree branch with all her willpower and took long, deep breathes of relief.
The boy was the one she had seen earlier from a distance, but he was more intriguing in person. He was now bending his head downwards not making eye contact with Desiree, but she managed to see that he was soaked to the bone.
"Thank you...." she whispered when she finally regained her senses.
He lifted his head, and nodded almost happily with no smile on his face. All the slight happiness was in his eyes. Des rubbed her shoulder awkwardly, as his gaze turned away from her. He wasn't much of a talker Desiree concluded.
"Well...." Des said while climbing down the branch cautiously," I'm going to go...thanks again...."
She started to stagger down when she heard," Wait."
Des turned around," Yeah?"
His eyes didn't meet hers," What's your name?"
Des could feel herself smile a bit, but tried to cover it up as much as she could.
"Desiree Roux."
Desiree could see a sign of relief on the boy's face after he received her name, it confused her a little. The boy patted the branch across from him anxiously," Would you mind, Desiree, staying here a little longer? I've really been sitting up here all day alone."
She could feel the smirk forming on her lips," Sure...why not..." then she paused.
Donna's car was coming in the driveway, she was home early.
Panic struck Des's face automatically," I'm so sorry, I can't."
She slid down the trunk in a hurry," Why not?" the boy pressed on.
"My aunt's home, that's all," Des said a bit shaky, hoping he couldn't detect it.
"Will she mind that much?"
Des rolled her eyes," You have no idea."
Her feet started to sprint when she ceased it for a second," Wait, I never got your name," she called back into the tree.
The boy gazed down, leaning against the tree unhappily," Pierce...Pierce Dyer."
"Well, Pierce Dyer. I hope to see you again," and with that Des climbed up the gutter and into her window not daring to search back into Pierce's green eyes.
The first thing Des noticed when she dropped from the window was that she was drenched, and muddy. Donna's screeches were calling her name loudly as she staggered up the stairs. Panic arose in Des's chest, she wasn't going to be able to get out of this one.
The door busted open with a powerful kick from Donna's foot, leaving Des in the belly of the beast. For a moment the two just stared at each other, but obviously one was glaring. Des didn't dare to move, knowing a beating was only a minute away.
"Why are you wet?" her aunt asked with clenched teeth.
Desiree shuddered, feeling the wet clothes stick to her body uncomfortably," I was outside...."
Donna stepped towards her and smacked her hard to the ground, and kicked her ribs with a lot of force behind it. Des groaned, squinting her eyes shut in pain.
"Was there any...reason for that?" Des mumbled before Donna left the room.
Her aunt came closer to her on the ground," It's been ten years since your worthless mother dropped you off here. Does there need to be a reason anymore?"
Des didn't have an answer, and even if she did there was no point in expressing her opinion without getting another blow. So she just laid there until Donna left the room.
Using the windowsill, Desiree pulled herself up from the ground slowly getting used to the numbing pain. When she was younger Des would cry after a beating, and ask herself why her mother would leave her with such an animal. She never quite understood why her mother just dropped her off like a lost puppy, and never came back at all. Donna just filled her mind with lies about how her mother was a prostitute or a whore who her "unfortunate" brother got involved with. Desiree was seen as a bastard child in Donna's eyes and sometimes she believed that not one human being in the world loved her. That she would never fit in, that she would die someday and not be missed.
Desiree sighed and looked intently out of her window. The willow tree was unchanging, it's leaves blowing energetically in the warm, humid wind. But Pierce was staring straight at her from an eyelevel branch with a concerned look on his face.
Oh God.......he saw what happened....
Des glared at the boy, and closed her blinds quickly. She hoped, and feared that he would tell someone about what he had saw. Des was afraid that he was going to get her all sorts of trouble, and the only way to stay out of it was to never speak to him again.
Des would have to stay as far away from him as possible.
"But first...." Des thought to herself," he needs to get out of my tree."
Hope you liked it! Comments are more than welcome.
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