Scene - Whitley's Martyrdom

 Whitley experiences domestic violence.

Excerpt from the first chapter: The Child Who Was Never Alone ...

"That evening, she feels her mother’s silence settle into her bones. It moves. She senses her unease. A way she doesn’t understand. Children mirror before they comprehend.
She learns her lessons without language.
At first, the colorful lights. They don’t always arrive with the one who lives in the corners.
Then, the second, the small comet appears, now weak. With a talent, nothing but distraction.
Ashley jerks upright in her crib, gripping the bars, laughing as the comet hops along. The kid never catches. She reaches for it, delighted.
She doesn’t hear the sounds behind the walls.
Dull thuds.
Vibration in the floor.
Shouting.
The smell of sweat.
Fear.


“You makin’ a fool outta me in front of my friends?”


A crash.
The woman screams.


The apartment’s AI speaks, calm and velvet-soft.
“Litty, I’m receiving alarming readings. How you feels?”


Something scrapes across the floor.


“My hair!” Whitley cries.


“Litty, please respond. Anything I arranged for you?”


“Open the safe!”


Silence.


Then Toby’s voice, cold and pleased.
“Next time, you gonna remember what now means? You learn your lesson?”


“Yes,” the fallen diva sobs. “I’m sorry.”


“I implied instructions,” the AI repeats.


“No—” A breathless plea. “Not the ring. You got the money. Leave the ring.”


Slaps crack, broken glass. The air falls cold. The dark goodness’s whimpers fill the space between them.


“Should I call 911?” the AI guessed.


Toby explodes.
“What about the ring? Huh? Why you so hung up on that thing? This how you thank me? You owe me everything. The kid ain’t enough? Even the ring more important than me?”
Every word lands with a blow.


“I wait for command,” the AI insists."