Capítulo 7: Chapter - 7 : Shadows of the Park
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"Do you think it'll be like this forever?" Harry asked softly. I snuggled my head into his bony shoulder and hummed noncommittally.
"Well it can't get any worse," I said optimistically.
Truthfully, it probably could. They could take the bed we had away. They could start feeding us nothing but bread and water. They could pull us out of school, they could beat us regularly instead of just when we did something really bad. Usually accidentally. If it wasn't accidental, it was usually me.
I hated it here, and I loathed the Dursleys for all they'd put us through. For the time we'd had to sneak a look at the computer in Dudley's room to figure out how to set a broken nose after Dudley's gang had gotten a hold of Harry when we were five. For the time Aunt Petunia had beaten me with a wooden spoon when she found me sneaking food in the middle of the night. For the time Uncle Vernon locked me in the tiny upstairs linen closet for two days with no food or water after I lost it and hit Dudley back one day.
There was some little bitter part of me that wanted to get up one night, grab a knife out of the kitchen, and make them feel a little bit of the fear they'd inflicted on us. There was no reason we should worry about where our next meal was coming from. There was no reason our clothes didn't fit. There was no reason Harry and I had to routinely mop each other up after Dudley laid into us, other than that the Dursleys didn't care about us.
It was a horrible feeling, knowing your own family didn't care.
()()()()()(()
It was thanks to Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon heading into town for a function at his company that Harry and I were able to steal a few moments of freedom in the midst of our punishment. Dudley was out with his friends, which gave us the house to ourselves. However, after spending nearly two weeks shut in the house, Harry and I weren't exactly keen to stay inside.
"I want to run," I announced as Harry and I entered the park. I was bouncing with pent-up energy at this point.
"Go ahead," Harry said, moving to the one swing that still hung properly. It was the only one Dudley and his friends hadn't managed to break yet. "I'm going to sit for a while."
I nodded. Harry moved to the swing and I took off running around the track that circled the whole of the park. It wasn't a particularly large track, but it was big enough that I would be out of Harry's view for part of the time, which was the reason I'd told him where I was going before taking off.
I wasn't much of a runner, to be honest. But after spending so many days staring at the same walls I just wanted to move. So I took off sprinting as fast as I could around the track, my too-big sneakers making me slip a couple of times. By the time I'd done one lap – waving to Harry as I passed – I was winded and there was the beginning of a stitch in my side. I wasn't willing to stop yet though, particularly when I knew I was going to be locked back up once we left.
I decided I'd take a brief rest in the few yards of trees that concealed a bit of the track. I'd rest against one of the trunks and breathe for a few seconds, stretch my legs a bit, and then keep going.
I made it to the trees alright, and settled on one with a particularly wide trunk, perfect for leaning against. I ran towards it.
A foot thrust out across the track. I yelped as I hit it. I tripped and went flying, trying to catch myself. The grit ripped into my palms. My elbow gave out and I hit the ground hard, scraping my chin and knees. I let out a moan as everything gave a synchronized throb. The cuts on my palms, knees, and chin were stinging and I knew I was screwed. The Dursleys would notice, they'd ask how I'd managed to scrape myself up so badly if I had stayed in the house like I was supposed to.
But there was still one question left. Who tripped me?
The laughter coming from behind me was familiar, and the huge shadow falling over me clinched it. I knew at once that it was Dudley and his stupid friends. That skinny leg that tripped me probably belonged to Piers. I flipped over onto my back, hissing when I braced myself with one hand against the ground. Sure enough, Dudley was looming overhead. Piers was snickering next to him, and the pair of them were flanked by Dennis, Malcolm, and Gordon.
"Watch where you're going, orphan!" Piers sneered down at me.
"My apologies," I grunted, starting to get up. Dennis stepped forwards, grabbing me and wrenching my arms behind my back. I snarled over my shoulder at him as Dudley came forwards.
"I know it was you," he scowled, his many chins wobbling as he glared. "What did you do to the glass ay the zoo?"
I scoffed. "I didn't do anything, it just wasn't there anymore!"
I was well aware that, while it was true, it wasn't going to matter to Dudley. He'd made up his mind that I was the one who'd set the boa loose, so he was going to make me pay for it in the way he knew best – by beating me up. And he'd brought his friends along to cheer him on.
Sure enough, a meaty fist slammed into my stomach. I grunted as the breath was blasted out of me. I felt disgusted at myself as I dangled limply in Dennis's grip, panting frantically to try and get air back in my lungs.
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