Don't Tell Her

Samma walked into the kitchen. Sue stood next to Cage, a sudden smile spread across her face. Cage turned abruptly. His mouth set into a thin line. Samma could tell she had walked in on something. The frown over Cage’s face, the cold glass over his eyes made Samma feel cold. Why did Cage hate her so much? Why did he look at her as if she wasn’t really there? What did his consistent stare mean? What was he looking at, or for? 1

Turning her gaze back on her mother she smiled innocently. The uneasy expression on Sue’s face told Samma right off her mother didn’t like her gaze questioning Cage’s. “Hey mama, I just got home from school,” Samma said. Her cheery voice sliced through the strained silence in the cramped kitchen.2

“Great sweetheart, did you have a nice day? Cage keep washing these dishes. Samma and I are going to go in the other room and discuss her day,” Sue planed. Cage nodded, his eyes hadn’t drifted from Samma’s small innocent face. What had they been talking about, Sue thought. How much she had heard, Cage could only wonder. Sue quickly walked past Cage, sweeping up Samma’s arm gently she guided her out of the kitchen. 3

Cage listened for his mom and his sister to sit down in the living room. Suddenly realizing his fingers ached he looked down at his hand. He had been squeezing on the handle of a cooking knife. The conversation he and his mother had been having wasn’t his idea of a cheery conversation. Wiping the knife on a nearby towel he slowly pulled up his left sleeve. Placing the sharp edge of the knife on his arm he felt the familiar sting he slid his head back, his long blonde hair falling off his distant chocolate eyes. Suddenly biting his lip hard he glared down at his cut. Blood oozed out like a quiet victory. A sting burning his arm made him shake it. “Shit,” he hissed. “Fucking soap.” 4

Suddenly he heard the door behind him swing open, someone had entered the kitchen. Cage gasped, throwing the knife in the sink, he dropped his shirt over his oozing cut. Turning his head slightly he turned quickly. He hid the bloody knife in the murky dish water. “Boy, you better have a good explanation why you’re bleeding,” Sue snapped. Cage glared at his mother’s smirking expression. “Don’t you lie to me boy, you cut yourself?”5

“I’m not dumb, I wouldn’t cut myself,” Cage snapped bitterly. His mother watched him carefully, her red lipstick, and messy orange hair made his stomach churn. 6

“You want to feel pain?” Lighting up a cigarette she put it to her lips. Breathing in the nicotine she smiled sickly at him. Slowly she pulled a chair away from the table in the center of the kitchen, setting it down in an open space she looked up at Cage. “Sit.” Wanting to tell her how he wasn’t a dog, and didn’t need to follow her commands he knew better. Biting his lip, he felt his lip ring bite into his flesh. Walking past his mother slowly he sat down reluctantly. Starring at his mother’s cigarette he started to contemplate possible ways of pain he was surly about to endure. Standing in front of him she slid the cigarette back into her mouth, her legs touching Cage’s knees, she ran her long fingernails through his hair. “You shouldn’t cut your hair, long hair is hot.” Cage tried not to gag. Spreading her legs she sat down harshly onto his lap. 7

“Sue,” Cage whispered. Sue glared back at him. 8

“Don’t you dare say anything or this’ll just get worse. I swear to you!” Slowly she lowered her right hand, blowing smoke into Cage’s face she began to rub the bulge in Cage’s pants. “I like it when you wear tight pant’s you know?” Laughing she took her cigarette out of her mouth, placing it between two fingers she looked at Cage wondering what to do with it. “Take off your shirt.” Reluctantly he lifted off his KORN shirt and watched it drop helplessly on the floor. Sue placed the lit end of the cigarette on Cage’s chest, the searing pain, and cent of burning flesh suddenly filled Cage’s mind. Wanting to throw Sue off of him he bit his lip, and clenched his fists. Tasting blood he felt the heat suddenly stop, opening his eye’s he peered at his mother. She flicked the bud away and quickly took off her shirt. 9

"Sue stop I'm your son!" Sue suddenly froze, her smile faded, she looked as if she had just fallen into a daydream. 10

"Oh god, oh god I'm so sorry, I just havn't done anything with a man in so long. I'm so sorry Cage." Quickly getting of of her son she threw her shirt back on, picked up her pack of cigs and stumbled from the kitchen.