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I have to clench my teeth together before spouting off on her bitch of a stepdad.
“Can you sit her up?” Thorn holds his sister up so I can wrap her ribs.
Once I’m done, I nod to him to lay her back down. I take out some alcohol swabs and dab at the cuts I see and put some antibiotic lotion on them.
“Put a pillow under her head,” I instruct him, “and then show me your welts.”
I know he has them. I’m sure that’s why she got stomped on—she was trying to save him. I want to go kill their parents and just run off, but that wouldn’t help them. They would just end up in the system, and I couldn’t help them. Though her parents don’t even know they’re here half the time. I need a plan.
He places a pillow under Briar’s head and then turns his back to me, lifting his shirt that is so full of holes, it shouldn’t even be called a shirt.
“Fuck,” I hiss as I do the same to his cuts.
He grunts and takes it like a man. Thorn doesn’t deserve this. He should be out playing at the park, running around with friends. I put the ointment on his slashes and lower his shirt. Taking mine off, I toss it to him.
“Here, you need this,” I say. He puts it on. It’s a little big, but it will do for now.
“Thank you, Lennon.” He tries to smile. I know he is thankful.
“Want me to show you some moves?” I ask him, and this time his face does light up.
“Yeah,” he says.
“Okay, stand in front of me,” I instruct him and he does. “And hold your hands like this.”
I take his tiny hands and form them into fists. I then kick his legs into the correct stance.
“We’ll start off with punching,” I tell him. “Take a swing.”
He does, and it’s pathetic. But that’s what happens when you’re little and hardly eat.
“That was good,” I lie.
I just want him to feel good. He needs the encouragement.
“When you swing, follow-through, put your shoulder into it,” I say, and he tries again.
“Better,” I tell him because it was.
For an hour, I have him go through the same moves until we’re both tired.
“I’m going to go get something. I’ll be right back,” I tell him as he goes and sits with Briar.
I’m going to get food. The boxing coach who trains me after school sent me home with food. Enough for all of us to eat well today. I told him about Briar and Thorn. He knows how I feel about them, and I asked him for extra. I jump out the window, go home, grab the food from where I stashed it in the fridge, place it in my backpack and then jump back in their window.
“She’s still asleep,” Thorn whispers.
“I grabbed us some food, we’ll save her some. She needs to rest anyway,” I tell him as I pull out some plates that the coach tossed in there.
We have chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, salad, and coleslaw. None of us will eat that much since we have small stomachs, but it will help. I’ll stick what we don’t eat in the fridge for tomorrow, hiding it behind the beer, so my dad doesn’t see.
“Thank you, Lennon.”
“Anytime, little dude,” I say as I feast while keeping an eye on Briar. She’s my everything, and I need her to survive.
The next morning, I slip out of their window and get ready for school, though we all know I’m not a great student. I keep plugging away. But it gets me out of the house and I hate that Thorn and Briar don’t have that opportunity. What I love and live for is going to the gym after school. I take a right up the street, heading in the direction of the gym. I can’t help them if I don’t know how to defend myself.
“Lennon,” Coach Sax greets me as I enter the gym. It’s small, but it gets the job done.
