Puppet Control

①

TW

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A teary yell was heard from downstairs. It sounded like someone was in pain. Tokido was worried, for her parents didn't get along very well. Her father was always drinking some sort of liquid that made Tokido's nose burn when she could smell it wafting through the air. He would  use his mind controlling quirk to do things like make her get him the nasty drinks from the fridge or clean up smashed glass. The man was always angry and didn't go near his daughter unless he was yelling at her. Tokido didn't remember one kind word he said to her. 

Her mother on the other hand, was kind to her. She always cared for the girl, even if she was crying or hurt. 

Of course, Tokido would always try to help her mother. She'd put little colorful bandages over her cuts and bruises, and bring her little cups of water at night. The woman would always smile and pat Tokido's head. But those smiles always looked like they were missing something. Tokido knew her mother was genuine when it came to thanking her, but she knew she wasn't truly happy. The young girl promised that one day she was going to make her mom happy. 

Tokido slowly removed the thin covers from her body, putting her bare feet on the cold wooden floor. Her long pajama pants made quiet dragging sounds at her ankles. She bent her elbows so her hands were slightly in front of her face, grabbing the door and slowly opening it to the dark hallway. 

Another scream sounded, making her flinch. She started walking again, slower this time. Tokido's eyes caught light at the base of the stairs. She made her way down as quietly as she could, cringing at the quiet creaking noises of the wood. When she reached the bottom step, her eyes widened and her muscles tensed. 

A sour taste started bubbling in her throat, and her nose burned. Hot tears started spilling down her cheeks, like a waterfall. 

She's heard her parents fighting and yelling, but she never saw what happened. 

 Her father was towering over her mother, who was sobbing on the floor with blood seeping from her forehead. The man was holding a bottle of something red in one hand, and raised to strike with the other. It looked like he'd just released his hold on her mind.

Tokido felt she should've done something, but she couldn't. She was glued in place, crying with balled fists, watching. Instead, she screamed, hoping someone would hear and help. She yelled at her dad to stop but he didn't listen to her. He didn't even acknowledge her. Her mother pleaded she went upstairs, and forgot about all this.

"Sweetie! Please! Go back upstairs, everything's okay!" Her mother choked out, gritting her teeth.

"No Mommy! Daddy stop it! Stop it you're hurting her!" she screamed.

Out of nowhere, the oven beeped and started turning red. Nobody seemed to notice.

Tokido took a step closer, trying to get her body to move so she could help her mom.

"TOKIDO STOP! GO BACK TO YOUR ROOM DAMMIT!" Her mother yelled, loud this time.

Tokido was scared, and started crying louder. She thought her crying could be heard from the next country over. 

The oven beeped again, but this time only halfway through before it unexpectedly exploded, sending small chunks of meat and shrapnel everywhere. 

The sparks that had flown outwards landed on the wooden chairs and table in the kitchen, growing a small fire before they were engulfed in flames. 

The man let go of the woman, and quickly turned to Tokido.

"YOU STUPID CHILD! LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE! AT LEAST NOW I'LL BE RID OF YOU! YOU'LL BE ROTTING IN HELL WITH THIS BITCH!" He yelled, pointing at the little girl.