Chapter 2

5/25/2054 (That afternoon)

Ben's eyes snapped open when he heard the engine of a car outside. He shifted his gaze to the clock and paled.

"Shit, my father will be home in fifteen minutes," he swore, jumping off his bed and out of the bedroom. He ran into the kitchen and grabbed a large pot from the cabinet. He filled it with water and sat it on the stove. After turning on the burner, Ben grabbed a handful of spaghetti noodles and sat them on the counter. He grabbed a small saucepan from the cabinet and sat it on the stove. He took a can of sauce from the pantry and opened it.

Ben had just added the noodles to the boiling water and turned on the burner under the saucepan when he heard the front door open.

"Dinner better be ready, boy," his father yelled from the hallway.

"It's almost done," Ben called back.

"Make it quick because I'm hungry," he said, entering the kitchen and sitting down at the table.

"Am I his personal servant or something?" Ben asked himself. When the meal was ready, he filled a plate and laid it in front of his father.

When the boy returned to fill his plate, his father said, "You made me wait, so you can go without dinner." Ben hung his head and asked, "Can I go back to my room then?"

"Get out!" the man ordered. Ben's stomach grumbled when he entered his bedroom and laid on his bed. He turned on his laptop and checked to see if the chat room was open. He didn't see KS, but he didn't have to wait long.

"Hello everyone and welcome to the chat room," KS said. Ben ignored his rumbling stomach and said "Hello" back. Everyone followed suit and said their hellos.

Ben noticed that he had a private message. He clicked on it and discovered it was from KS.

"How was your nap?" he asked.

"It was okay," Ben said.

"Just okay?" "What happened?" KS asked.

"Yeah, I overslept," he said.

"What happened?" KS asked. "Did you miss dinner or something?" he asked.

"You can say that," Ben said, rubbing his noisy tummy. It wasn't the whole truth, but it wasn't a lie either. "So I don't get into more trouble, I best go and clean up the kitchen." Ben said.

"Okay, I hope to see you in chat tomorrow," KS said.

"I'll see what tomorrow brings," Ben said.

Ben shut down the laptop and sat it on his nightstand. He entered the empty kitchen and gathered the dirty dishes. He put the leftovers into storage containers and put them in the fridge. Afterwards, he washed up the dishes, dried them, and put them away. He let out a yawn and headed back to his bedroom. He was about to enter his bedroom when footsteps approached him. He spun around and found himself facing his father.

"What were you doing in the kitchen?" he asked.

"Cleaning it up," Ben replied. His father raised his hand and slapped him on the cheek.

"You're lying!" he yelled.

"I am not lying," Ben said, rubbing his throbbing cheek. Before Ben could escape, he felt an impact on his stomach. He fell to his knees and doubled over in pain. Tears streamed down his cheeks.

"Remember whose house you're living in," his father said before walking away.

Ben mustered up just enough strength to head to his bedroom and shut the door. He was so sore that he curled up in a ball in the middle of the floor and passed out. It was past midnight when he regained consciousness. The boy made his way to his bed and grimaced as he pulled himself onto it. He curled up into a ball and stayed under the covers.

"Please, goddess, if you're listening, stop my dad from hurting me," he prayed silently.

5/26/2054

Ben wasn't sure how long he had been asleep because a loud knock was heard on the front door. He slowly got out of bed and headed down the hallway. He opened the curtains slightly and glanced out. A uniformed officer stood on the front porch.

"Hello, may I help you?" Ben asked, opening the door.

"My name is Officer Jenkins," the blonde man said. "Is Marcus Johnson your father?" he asked.

"Yes, what about him?" Ben asked flatly.

The officer had a stern look on his face. There were age lines on his forehead.

"May I come in?" he asked. Ben opened the door wider and stepped aside.

"What did he do now?" Ben asked. The man's glance made Ben nervous. He fixed his hair so it covered his bruised cheek. They went into the living room and sat down.

"He's in jail for assaulting someone," he said. "I'm not trying to interfere, but has your father ever hit you?" the officer asked.

When Ben looked up at him, there were tears in his blue eyes. He took deep breaths to calm his nerves. Ben uncovered his cheek and showed him the bruise.

"He also accused me of lying yesterday, and he hit me here," he said, pulling up his shirt, revealing his stomach, which had a fresh bruise on it.

"You can trust me," the man said. "I'm here to help," he said. "Do you have any family that can take you in?" he asked.

"No," Ben said, shaking his head. "My mother left us four years ago," he said.

"Was it because of the abuse?" he asked. Ben lowered his eyes and nodded his head.

The officer sat next to Ben and said, "I can have you sent to a place that protects minors." "But first, we need to have a doctor check you out," he said.

"Will I really be safe from him?" Ben asked.

"A social worker can explain everything," he said.

"Okay, I'll come with you," Ben said.

"Good," Officer Jenkins said. "Let's get your things packed up," he said. They went into Ben's bedroom and packed up his belongings. As they left, Ben glanced back and said to himself, "Thank you, goddess, for answering my prayer."

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