Arcane Guardian ↣ Avenged Sevenfold

29 ☼ strength

(tw for implied child sexual abuse, stay safe guys)

DECEMBER 2008

"C'mon Dari, you're gonna be late for your appointment."

Okay, so becoming a parent to her little foster sister wasn't the way she imagined wrapping up 2008, but it wasn't like she had many complaints. Darien is an angel. David had already given up foster rights which is a long enough process to start from scratch, so Darien was in the temporary (but hopefully permanent) care of her sister--Noelle was a far more eligible candidate at her current age than David had become.

After taking her to the hospital the day after thanksgiving, some dark shit ensued as expected. Much to everyone's disgust, (by disgust, Brian had to throw up after hearing it) they caught an early pregnancy and quickly medically terminated it. That was enough evidence that she was being exploited, and a DNA test was ran on the cells.

Three kids were taken in the welfare checkup. None of them had suffered obvious sexual abuse--according to Darien she took it so that they didn't have to. The house was a disaster, there was drug traces on nearly every surface, and there was rotting food in the fridge. It didn't take much for her siblings to be taken away.

Noelle worried that they would end up like Mandy. Bouncing home to home in the system, some abusive, some neglectful. Not everyone gets a parent like David.

"Can Brian drive me today?" Dari bounced slightly. "He's been showing me really cool music. He says today we can listen to Cannibal Corpse."

"You absolutely cannot listen to Cannibal Corpse at 13 years of age Darien. I don't know shit about parenting but I absolutely know that." She grabbed her bag from the coffee table. "And I'm taking you today. Tragic I know." She smiled. She was happy her little sister loved Brian so much. "But he can pick you up and take you for some food after if you want."

"I'd love that!" Her sister said, quickly pulling her hair up into a bun. She looked a lot better physically too. She was quickly gaining weight back. Her bruises had smoothed out.

On the drive to her therapist only a few blocks away, they sat mostly in silence besides the occasional joke and laugh. She let her out and walk into the tall brick building by herself (per request, Dari enjoyed the independence) then headed back home. Undoing her keyring, she entered her apartment and let out a surprised squeal at seeing Thellessany searching her fridge.

"What are you doing in my apartment?"

"Don't play dumb, I know you know." She shrugs. "I don't really care much to mind control you. I just wanted some lucky charms."

"What is up with undead souls and sugary cereals?" She has a sudden memory of keeping boxes of Froot Loops for Jim. Wait...She remembered that? That was after her assault.

"All our deficiencies and shit. We're not cold because we're anemic." She poured herself a bowl.

"What are you doing in my house? My sister will be ready to be picked up in an hour. I'd prefer you not crash here while she's recovering."

"Sad, what your sister went through. Too bad it couldn't have been avoided." Thellessany almost laughed to herself. "Like Mandy. Shame."

"Are you trying to tell me something because I don't speak vague. All you've been doing these last few months is dropping in, speaking around what you mean and leaving. You're an amazing ghost." She started to get peeved off.

"I have been talking in circles." She admits. "Dropping hints, being generally annoying. When you've lived as long as I have you sort of think of time differently. it's honestly felt like a day since I first started harassing you guys. But I will tell you some truths, Noelle."

Noelle crossed her arms, waiting.

"I'm jealous of you," She almost looked pained. Noelle had to pep talk herself to not feel sympathy. "Of your hair," She reached out and took a strand of her now blonde hair. "Of your boyfriend, of how much people like you. I never experienced that. Not even for a second. I was born for this job."

"Why do you like to hurt people?" She asked quietly. "You're free, aren't you? The barrier broke. You could have a happy life. Use your power for good."

"Instead of giving your friend a brain tumor and mind controlling your sisters mother to sell her to methheads?" She didn't make eye contact, just played with the strand of Noelle's hair. "Don't be kind to me. It honestly just pisses me off more."

"But why?" Noelle slapped her hand away. "Why can't you just leave us the hell alone? What did Brian do to you? Or Mandy, or my sister? Why are you so fucking evil!?"

"I told Mandy a lie but I'll tell you the truth," Thellessany started backing her up. "When I was nine my father was mad that my uncle raped me, and he cut out my tongue, tore out my eyes, slit my ribs with a rusty knife then used the same knife to tear out my throat. I was adopted by a demon. So I never exactly learned good manners."

"You were just nine," Noelle tries to piece the angry sentences together. "You... Your soul is just nine."

"I grew up fast." She hisses. "So maybe that's why I want to hurt people. Because I hate suffering alone. And like I said, I want what you have."

A knife materialized in her hand quick enough for her to drive it into Noelles ribs. Noelle gasped out in sharp, agonizing pain as the knife twisted. "Th..." she tried to make words but the pain was too sharp and Thellessany was pointing the knife upward into her.

"Your friend Mandy died an hour ago. Jim was out getting coffee. She died alone. Don't worry... they'll find your body soon enough. I needed you gone. And now I can't be jealous anymore, because I made you a nice little realm all by yourself, where you can never snitch. I mean, I did tell you how I died. That's like seeing the face of the home intruder." She watched in pain as Thellessany's eyes turned black, and she screamed as the knife was rammed upwards into her heart. "See you in the next one, Ellowyn."