Summer
Post by Professor Athena Bennet on Dec 10, 2011 14:28:52 GMT -5
It was blisteringly hot outside, from her window Athena could see a small grouping of kangaroos lounging in the cool dirt under a tree. They were there almost every day, grazing in the morning and taking refuge in the shade once afternoon came and it was too hot to move. Athena envied them. She wished she could transmogrify herself into one of them and hop away into the sunset. She'd though about it hundreds of times, there were complete collections on 'finding ones animagus form' in her father's abandoned study; but with her luck, even if she was able to achieve it she'd probably end up as a guppy or a snail and just end up frying under the glare of the hot Australian sun. She hated the manor. She'd spent so much of her childhood locked within its steely gates and now she was trapped again. At least then she had had Moxie to spend time with. The little house elf had been her dearest friend, until she met Ara anyways. Now she had nothing and no one. Nothing except Jared and the twisted thing he called love.
She walked away from the large window and the impossibilities that lay beyond the thick glass. She crossed the room, which was decorated completely in pink frills and lace, to sit down at her vanity. She stared at her reflection blankly, examining the stranger that stared back at her from the glass. Her hair, which was naturally a dark brown, was now a sandy blonde, it was finally returning to its original color after being bleached by a potion gone terribly wrong. Thinking back on it now made her want to laugh at her own stupidity, but she couldn't. Her hair was styled messily, pulled back in a tight yet frizzy bun at the nape of her neck. Her eyes were dull and lifeless, week-old yellowing bruises surrounded her left eye in a jaundiced ring. She wore a black nightgown that contrasted greatly from the disgusting cheeriness of the rooms decor. When she'd been with Ara she'd worn white, always white. She'd been like a snowflake: beautiful, young, and momentary. Now she had melted into the cold hard ground, and she wore black. Always black. Black for mourning and death, for loss and suffering. Only black. The dress was something a child would wear, short, loose, and simple, with straps the tied into bows on her shoulders, making it easy to remove (another on of Jared's thoughtful gifts.)
Up and down her naked arms were signs of his abuse. She didn't want to look at them, they were hideous…she was hideous. She stood quickly, turning away from the mirror and stormed across the room, flinging open a small pink door that led to her own personal bathroom. Like her bedroom it was pink, everything. The tile, the towels, and the soaps…everything a disgustingly sweet shade of 'it's a girl' pink. She didn't bother to shut the door behind her, there was no point, it was just her and Jared in the giant house and if he wanted to come in, a closed door wasn't going to stop him. She undressed quickly, facing the wall instead of the large mirror that was stationed above the sink. Bruises dotted her pale skin like purple and yellow flowers blooming in the snow. She turned on the faucet, running her hand under the water until had reached the desired temperature then plugging the tub, letting it fill slowly. It was simple tasks like this that kept her sane, if this was sanity. The tub filled and she shut off the water, standing there for a moment, staring down into the clear water.
She lowered herself slowly into the tub. She winced, sucking in her breath as the hot water ran over her cuts and bruises. She bit her lip, whimpering softly as she laid back against the pink porcelain, attempting to relax. She took a deep shuddering breath, a single tear running down her cheek as she closed her eyes.-----
"YOU STUPID BITCH!" He shouted, saliva flying from his mouth to splatter over her face. She opened an eye groggily, looking up at him momentarily before he drew his large callused hand across her face. Her head snapped to the side and she could tasted blood in her mouth. She was cold and wet. It took her a moment to realize she was still naked, she lay sprawled out on her bed looking up at him, her eyes wide with fear. "Do you know what you did?" He asked, leaning over her his voice full of venom. She shook her head, her throat burned and she didn't dare to attempt speech. He leaned back, holding his hand over his eyes and chuckling softly. For a moment she thought she'd be fine, for a moment she was stupid. She began to sit up be before she could he was on top of her, pinning her down against the vibrantly pink bedspread. His large hand closed around her throat, squeezing her windpipe and making breathing near impossible. Her heart skittered in her chest, she always thought she'd get used to the way he handled her, but every time was like the first all over again. He bent over so his face was parallel to hers. "Never do anything like that…ever again." He hissed, leaning down to kiss her harshly on the lips, his teeth crashing into hers painfully.
She whimpered pitifully, still unsure of what she had done. "I can't have you dying on me now can I?" He said, sitting back and smirking. He pushed himself up and walked away from the bed towards the large pink wardrobe that stood against the far wall. She lay there motionless, still full of terror. He flung the doors open and grabbed wildly at the black garments that hung inside, piling them into his arms and then returning to the side of the bed and dumping them on top of her. Athena started, her limbs jerking in surprise as her vision was blocked out by a large pile of dark fabric. "Get dressed. Dinner's in 20 minutes." With that he left, slamming the door behind him. She lay there for a moment, breathing slowly, her heart beating violently. She sat up slowly, letting the clothing that covered her face and chest fall into her lap.
"I'm going to kill you." She muttered, clutching at the black fabric in her lap, her knuckles turning white.-----
She walked down the hallway, thin black heels clacking loudly against the hardwood floor. She wore a tight black dress. It left the majority of her skin exposed. She had used makeup to conceal her bruises, but let the scars remain visible. He liked to see them, so she had decided to grant him some pleasure before ending his life. She entered the dining hall, in was a large room, created for large dinner parties. It was furnished ornately, crystal chandeliers hung from the the ceiling, casting an eerie filtered light over the dark mahogany wood of the long table. "You made it." Jared's voice echoed around the room, seeming to come from everywhere at once. Athena bit the inside of her cheek, her eyes finding him where he sat at the far side of the table. "I was beginning to think you tried to drown yourself again." He chuckled coldly, leaning back in his chair. She moved towards her end of the table, a knot forming in her stomach. "What do you think you're doing?" He snapped. She looked up at him, her eyes wide with terror and confusion.
"I-I'm going to sit down." She stammered. She sounded pathetic, broken, but then again she was…pathetic, broken, destroyed. He shook his head smiling at her with his horrible smile. "Don't you want you present?" He asked, holding an envelope out to her. She knew it wasn't a question, it was a command. Slowly she walked towards him trying to figure out what could be inside the envelope…her wand? No, that would be granting her freedom…like giving a house elf clothes…he would never do that. She stopped in front of him, her hands clasped behind her back. He chuckled again, looking up at her "How about a kiss?" He 'asked' again, grinning up at her. There was something worrisome about the look in his eyes but she tried to ignore it. She bent slightly, resting her hand on the arm of the chair to support herself and slowly, bring her lips to his. Bile rose in her throat. She went to pull back but he grabbed her, holding her to him. She thought she might vomit, she tried to hold it down. He released her and she all but jumped backwards, lipstick was smeared over both their faces. She looked away from him and he laughed.
"Open it." He said, thrusting the envelope towards her. She took it in shaking hands, she fumbled with the sealed paper, her fingers failing to do what she wanted. Finally she ripped it open, looking up at him before reaching into opening and pulling out it's contense. She looked back down at what she held in her hands. The now empty envelope fluttered to the ground and she stood there, looking down at the photograph. "Happy Birthday." He said coldly. She looked up at him, her eyes full of rage, rage and sorrow. "You MONSTER!" She screamed, lunging at him. Her reaction caught him off guard, for a minute he sat there stunned. She landed on him, pounding her small fists into him. He stopped her, grabbing her wrists and holding them still. "You'll regret that." He snarled, standing up and slamming her down against the table. Glass shattered beneath her and something stabbed into her shoulder, but she ignored it. She was too full of rage and hate to feel the pain.
Then he was on top of her, ripping and her dress and screaming unintelligible things. She kicked at him, her heels digging into his flesh. She knew she had to do this, if she didn't she would die, there was no turning back. She sent a hard and hopefully well-aimed kick for his groin, she knew she'd struck gold when he backed off, falling to his knees on the floor groaning. She flipped onto her hands and knees, scrabbling around the table in search of something she could use as a weapon. There were no knives, but she found a large piece of glass that would have to do. It was already covered in blood, which must have been hers. She wrapped her fingers around it tightly and it dug into her skin, blood flowing from the wound and dripping onto the table. She slid off the table, he was still curled up on the floor, though his groaning had stopped. She wobbled on her heels as she stepped towards him. He didn't move. She bit down on her lip, unease rushing through her. "Just do it already!" She shouted at herself. With that she flew towards him, bringing her weapon down as hard as she could between his shoulder blades.-----
She sat against the wall, her face a mess of blood and tears. Jared's body lay on the other side of the room, the pool of blood that surrounded him slowly growing larger and larger. She clutched the photograph to her chest, it too was soaked with blood, ruined. Heavy painful sobs shook her violently. The look on his face when she'd slit his throat…the words he'd said: "Never forget me goddess…never forget." and she never would. She had him with her always, his signature emblazoned across her skin for all to see. She sucked in deep shuddering breaths, placing her hand on her stomach. She had never felt so alone.
