Full Circle: Chapter Twelve

[emeraldsnakes]

Warning: Child abuse
Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Title: Traitor



 

Antonio smiled as he carefully picked up the small snow globe that belonged to his Mother. It wasn't Christmas theme, but underwater theme with three sparkling dolphins in it. His mother loved dolphins. He shook the globe and watched the sparkles swirl around before settling in the bottom. He shook it again, harder and longer this time, the sparkles dancing more wildly than before.

 

He was so engrossed with what he was doing that he didn't hear his older brother James walk up behind him, he only became aware of him when James suddenly grabbed his shoulders. Antonio jumped and his grip on the globe faltered. He watched in horror as it slid out of his fingers and smashed on the hardwood floor.

 

"Antonio!" James scolded, ''You broke mom’s favourite globe."

 

"I didn't!" Antonio insisted. ''You scared me! I didn't mean to!''

 

He turned to stare up at James with scared but angry eyes just as their older brother David, who was looking after them until their parents arrived home, entered the room. He took one look at Antonio's face and James' stance before sighing in annoyance.

 

''What did you do this time Antonio?"

 

Antonio tried unsuccessfully to stop the tears welling up in his eyes as James accusingly told David what he'd done.

 

David scowled at him, ''why did you even pick up the globe?"

 

Antonio flushed, "I like shaking the sparkles."

 

James hit him and he unconsciously stepped back. Pain shot through his foot and he jerked away from it, banging his elbow off the edge of his father's desk. He tried not to cry as he held his elbow in one hand and tried to get a look at his foot but he couldn't hold it back. He wasn't use to pain there.

 

"James, go get some paper towels and one of those special bandages in the bathroom, "David ordered.

 

James left without a word. Antonio sat down, as Darrel guided him, and watched as David took his bloodied sock off. James came back and David ordered him away again, this time to get some tweezers.

 

"Where the hell do I find those?'' James yelled.

 

"Uh, "David's eyes widened for a moment, "The medicine cabinet."

 

David took a lot of paper towels and pressed them against Antonio's foot as James ran off again. Antonio whimpered in pain but otherwise stayed silent and just watched David's hands work.

 

When James came back, David took the tweezers and lifted Antonio's foot, resting it on his knee. For over ten minutes he carefully picked out the small pieces of glass, moping up the blood when he couldn't see. Then he wrapped it up and made James help him clean the mess.

 

"Why, it's not my blood!"James protested.

 

David stood up angrily, towering over James’ short stature, "Do it, you little brat."

 

James flushed and silently helped, but he often sent glares to both David and Antonio. Antonio tried to help, but David made him stay seated. He wanted to help but he was glad he didn't have to because his foot was throbbing. When his brothers finished, James left but David stayed and helped him stand.

 

David wrapped an arm around his waist and made Antonio drape an arm over his shoulder and slowly walked with him. They were just passing the office doorway when they heard the front door open and James happily greet their father. Antonio cringed, knowing that James was no doubt telling their father in warped detail what had happened. He never expected James to cover for him and lie about how the globe had been broken, but he had hoped that he would wait until asked. Apparently not.

 

He shrank into David's side as their father strolled into the hallway and gave him a barely concealed look of hate. He knew he was screwed now.

 

Then their father turned to David with a smile, "It was good work you did in taking control of the situation David. My wallet is on the butter, take enough out and take James down to the store to get some ice cream.”

 

"But Antonio," he paused when their father's eyes narrowed. "Yes father."

 

He released Antonio, who was left standing alone and feeling abandoned and took James to the store. Antonio wondered why he was always the one who got in trouble. James, the perfect little suck up that he was, never got punished, even when he made their father mad. And if he could get away with it, he blamed his mistakes on Antonio, and their father believed him. Antonio hated James with every fiber in his being, but on the odd days that James showed him some actual kindness, he believed that maybe, just maybe, he loved him.

 

David was different, a difference that Antonio didn't understand. He was nicer than James, always had been and always tried to include him where James didn't. But sometimes now he would ignore him, or get irrationally mad and tell him to fuck off. He didn't understand it, and it hurt.

 

The hard slap to his face he received once David and James had left was no surprise, but it still made him flinch. It would be the only slap to the face he would receive though, and the only pain his father would inflict with his bare hands.

 

"Come on you little shit," his father snarled, grabbing his arm firmly, but not so hard that it would bruise, and dragged him to his room. Antonio whimpered as he was forced to put pressure on his foot and tried to limp as fast as possible.

 

When they reached his room he was thrown in and he landed near his bed on all fours. He was shaking. His father’s anger was building and he would soon lash out with everything he had.

 

''Take off your shirt whelp, "his father ordered.

 

Antonio followed the orders, sitting on his knees facing away from his father. It always happened this way, unless his father was too angry to wait. He heard metal clink and leather slide against jeans. He was going to use his belt and Antonio hoped to god - if there was a god - that it wouldn't be the metal end. He squeezed his eyes shut and braced himself.

 

"Worthless whelp, "his further snarled as the belt, the metal end, whipped across his back. Again and again the clasp descended upon him, accompanied by an endless stream of verbal insults that held heard thousands of times before.

 

Why? he wondered. Why did his father hate him so much? What had he done? He couldn't understand why his punishments were so different from David's and James'. Was he really as worthless as his father said he was? He must be because if he wasn't, why did his father always hurt him?

 

By now Antonio was curled into a ball, silently crying. Not for the first time he wondered what it would be like to leave all of this behind. A new home would be preferable, with parents who loved him, an older brother who still wanted to play with him and maybe even a sister. Would they want a worthless piece of shit like him though? Probably not.

 

The whipping stopped and his father left the room, slamming the door. Antonio knew he had to clean himself up before anyone got home so he slowly uncurled himself, mindful of the pain and made his way to the bathroom.

 

Maybe David had saved him some of his ice cream.