~ Why do we crucify ourselves?
Every day
I crucify myself
Nothing I do is good enough for you
Crucify myself
Every day
And my heart is sick of being in chains ~

 “How many times have I told you two not to come home until you’ve got some money to show for it?” Marius spat, glaring at the terrified children standing frozen in front of him.  “You call this money?”

 “But Poppa, there’s almost $200 there and…” Bella Donna started, tears stinging her sapphire eyes.

 “Shut up, Bel!  Did I say you could talk?”

 “Non,” the girl replied, eyes on the floor at her feet.

 “Go to your room!” Marius shouted, glaring at the cringing girl.

 “But Poppa…” Bella Donna protested.

 “No buts!  Allez!”

 Sobbing freely, the girl rushed from the room, slamming the door to her bedroom moments later with such force that it could be heard clear across the house.

 “I take you in, give you food and shelter and this is all you can bring home?” Marius snarled, waving the money in front of Remy’s face in emphasis.  “Ungrateful little bastard…”

 Cringing at the verbal assault, Remy remained silent.  Arguing would only make matters worse, no matter how badly he wanted to protest.  If he just stayed quiet and tried to look penitent then there was a chance he would walk away with only minor injuries; past experience had taught him well.

 “Don’t you even have anything to say for yourself, boy?” the man snarled, grabbing his wrist with such force that Remy could hear the sickening crack as the bones were snapped.

  “Je suis désolé, Monsieur…Je n’ai pas voulu le faire!” Remy sobbed, dropping to his knees and attempting to pull his arm away.

 Shoving the sobbing boy away roughly, Marius stood silent for a moment.  “Listen to me, boy, and listen good.  You ever fucking come home without some money to show me and I’ll break your miserable little neck.  You hear me?”

 “Oui, Monsieur.  Je vous entends,” Remy sobbed, clutching his wrist to his chest, curling into a tight ball.

 “Good, now get the hell out of here before I throw you out,” the man snarled, eyes blazing with fury.

-------

 Sobbing quietly to herself, Bella Donna listened to her father’s tirade.  She had to do something, had to go to someone, had to find a way to get her friend out of here…he wasn’t going to survive if she didn’t, that much was obvious.  There had to be someone she could turn to, she just didn’t know who or how.

 Rocking slightly back and forth on her bed, she held her breath as she heard Remy’s soft footsteps on the stairs and the sound of muffled crying.  What had her father done to him this time?  He must have physically hurt him, Remy wouldn’t be crying if that weren’t the case; the boy always faced her father’s verbal assaults with the stoic resignation of a veteran victim.

 Cracking her door open to peer down the stairs and satisfying herself that her father wasn’t watching, Bella Donna eased the door open and slipped into the hallway, shutting the door quietly behind her and tip-toeing down the hallway.  Cautiously opening the door to the boy’s room, she slipped in, carefully shutting the battered oak door behind her.

 Moving soundlessly to sit on the edge of the tattered mattress the boy was curled up on, Bella Donna reached a hand out to stroke the tear-wet bangs from the boy’s eyes.  “Est-tu blessé?”
 
 Holding up his injured wrist in way of an answer, Remy burst into noisy tears.  His wrist was throbbing in pain and already bruised and swollen, burning with a sharp, searing heat that made him want to scream.

 “Est-il fracturé?” Bella asked fearfully.

 Nodding, Remy tucked his arm back against his chest and buried his face against the mattress.

 “Merde,” the girl swore, looking around the room desperately for something to splint the boy’s wrist with.  Seeing nothing usable in the small living space, she sighed irritably.

“Je reviendrai dans une minute…” she said, getting to her feet and swiftly exiting the room.

 Returning a moment later with a small plank of wood she had retrieved from her room, an old shirt from the back of her closet and a pair of scissors, she sat down on the floor by the makeshift bed and gently took the boy’s arm and laid it in her lap.  “Ceci sera pénible.”

 “Je sais,” the boy whispered, squeezing his eyes shut.

 Cutting several strips of fabric from the shirt she had returned with, she took the boy’s broken wrist in both hands and carefully lined it up on top of the board.  Sliding several strips of cloth under the board, she firmly tied each one, immobilizing the boy’s wrist against the splint.

“Meilleur?” Bella Donna asked, wiping the tears away from the boy’s ruby eyes.

“Oui,” Remy answered almost imperceptibly.

Smiling gently, Bella Donna pressed a gentle kiss to the boy’s feverish forehead and laid down by his side, wrapping an arm around his chest.

-------

 “Je ne suis jamais assez bon pour lui,” Remy whispered brokenly after several minutes of silence.

 “Tu es assez bon pour moi,” Bella whispered fiercely, pulling the boy tighter to her.

 “C’est vrai? ”

 “Tu sais qu'il est.”

 “Je t’aime, Bel.”

 “Je t’aime, aussi, Remy.”

TBC

~ TRANSLATIONS ~

1) Je suis désolé, Monsieur… Je n’ai pas voulu le faire!
I’m sorry, Sir…I didn’t mean to do it!

2) Je vous entends
I hear you

3) Est-tu blessé?
Are you hurt?

3) Est-il fracture?
Is it broken?

4) Je reviendrai dans une minute
I’ll be back in a minute

5) Ceci sera pénible.
This is going to hurt

6) Je sais
I know

7) Meilleur?
Better?

8) Je ne suis jamais assez bon pour lui
I’m never good enough for him

9) Tu es assez bon pour moi
You’re good enough for me

10) C’est vrai?
Is that true?

11) Tu sais qu'il est.
You know it is

12) Je t’aime
I love you

13) Je t’aime, aussi
I love you, too