Admiring the Light

Ep 19

"Little shit wants to do the opposite of what I say?"

Guinevere looked over her mother's shoulders at her sister, sprawled out on the couch with her legs over the end. Katherine must have told her not to be asleep. "Um... let her sleep... maybe... or not-" Her voice slowed to a whisper.

She hated that look, it could've been worse than her drunken anger. When she was about to do something that she knew was cruel. "Please... just- she's clearly-"

"Guinevere, this is an exercise in respect." Katherine got right up in Natalie's ear. "WAKE UP."

That seemed like the opposite of respect, Guinevere sighed. And she flinched as her sister let out a panicked scream. She would've said something, but she just couldn't. The damage had been done already.

Her mother's laughter as Natalie collected herself brought another level of irritation. That twisted mind was somehow getting enjoyment from this?

"WHAT THE FUCK, MOM?!"

"I gave you one rule. And you just couldn't follow it." Katherine couldn't possibly think she was in the right here, Guinevere wanted to throw her to the ground.

"I didn't say that you couldn't nap. All I said, was don't fall asleep on the couch."

She paused, even if her mother had overreacted, she had a point... didn't she?

No, she had to be on Natalie's side now. "Get away from her... I'll go get Dad..."

That wasn't much of a threat, though. Her father has only seemed to grow more distant as they got older, and she couldn't blame him, Katherine was unbearable sometimes.

"Sport, go upstairs, I'll be there soon..." Natalie interrupted her thoughts, trying to send her away. But Guinevere wouldn't let this fight happen. "You go upstairs... I-"

"Guinevere, sweetie, go do something else." Katherine's tone flipped to address her other daughter. "I'm sure you have homework."

She didn't want to leave, but they weren't exactly giving her much of a choice. "Alright...?"

Why was Natalie putting up with this? Did she think she was a child? She didn't need to be sheltered. But then again, she'd probably faced more of Katherine's abuse than Guinevere ever had.

"This is... something else, Mom. That was..."

There wasn't harm in listening, but she couldn't listen to the desperate tone in her older sister's voice.

...

"What does that have to do with- FUCK YOU."

"I don't want her OVER THERE AGAIN."

"Nat I'm scared..." Guinevere sniffed and clung to her sister, listening to her parents violently shout at each other. "Shhh, shhh, Sport, we're fine, we're safe, got that?" Natalie calmly put her big hand to her younger sister's face, warm and comforting. "We're up here, they're downstairs." She smiled gently when Guinevere nodded.

"YOU'D RATHER ME LET HER ROT IN HELL? KEEP THAT SHIT AWAY FROM MY FAMILY."

"SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH."

"YEP, SO I'M NOT ALLOWED TO TELL THE FUCKING TRUTH, THAT MY OWN DAUGHTER IS GOING TO BURN IN HELL BECAUSE SHE'S A FUCKING FAG." "Block it out, Sport... plug your ears..." Natalie nodded when Guinevere plugged her ears... so her younger sister wouldn't hear the slurs her mother was using.

"YOU DON'T TALK ABOUT MY DAUGHTER LIKE THAT."

"Oh no no no..." Natalie listened to her father shout back, glad that Guinevere couldn't hear it. "Reacting just makes her worse..." She sighed quietly to herself and grabbed a nearby rosary. "Please keep dad safe... please help mom..."

"YOU SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH RIGHT NOW, I KNOW YOU'RE A FUCKING ATHEIST, WE ARE PEOPLE OF GOD. SHE'S PROBABLY GOING TO HELL. TAINTING OUR FAMILY." It took all of Natalie's self restraint to ignore her mother's stinging words, to continue hugging Guinevere and keep that comforting warmth. "Please help mom see... she's so misguided... blinded by discrimination and hate..." She held Guinevere and her rosary close, two constants in a world of variables.

"GWEN IS THE MOST RESPONSIBLE TEEN I HAVE EVER SEEN, AND YET YOU SAY SHE'LL GO TO HELL JUST BECAUSE SHE'S LESBIAN. I'M NOT AGAINST CHRISTIANITY, I'M AGAINST PEOPLE LIKE YOU."

"Never let anyone tell you to be something you aren't, Sport. Nobody has that right." Natalie whispered to Guinevere. "Yes, Natalie..." She nodded. A tear slowly rolled down the older sister's face as she listened to her father defend her. *He's so brave... but he's playing right into her rage.* She thought, sadly shaking her head. *It doesn't solve anything...*

"Fuck you" Natalie heard her mother throw one more vicious swear at her father, stomping off like a rampaging bear. "Hey... psst, Sport, they're done!" She smiled warmly at Guinevere when she heard a door slam. "T-They're done?" Guinevere asked, her eyes darting to the door to the stairs.

"They're... finished-"

The girls could comfort each other, but the cat wouldn't just let this slide.

...

"Something's up with her, Sport..." Natalie observed, both sisters glancing over at the black maine coon laying in the corner of her bedroom. Nightwhisper was never this quiet, she noted. She was a calm pet, but she was never still.

"S-She... had to watch them fight... I don't blame her..." Guinevere whispered, getting up from a fluffy purple pillow chair on Natalie's floor. "I might... go now- um..."

"Oh? Uh- alrighty! No movie tonight, Sport? Halloween is in a few-"

"I'm fine... thanks- I have bio AP to do." She offered her older sister a faint smile.

(bye bye...)

That got Night's attention, her broad head peeking up when she heard Guinevere was leaving.

(sad...)

"Awww, see? Night doesn't even want you to go, Sport." Natalie joked, rolling over in her bed to face her wall. "Well, I guess if you're leaving, Sport... I'll just watch Nightmare before Christmas by myself."

"I'm too tired for that, Natalie..." She sighed, hurrying out of Natalie's room with Nightwhisper close behind.

...

"How the hell..." Katherine muttered, she knew her phone had been locked when she'd left it on the couch to get a beer. And somehow, now she was mid battle in Clash Royale. Not even her daughters knew her password.

Her drunken mind didn't linger on it, she could work with the current state of her ongoing game. She heard a creak from the entryway between the kitchen and where she was sitting, but she couldn't look away, not now.

(and... pounce. :3)

"WHAT THE FUCK- GET OFF ME- GET AWAY-" Katherine shrieked, trying to land a blow on the giant maine coon hissing in her face. The cat wouldn't move, no matter how many times she got hit.

Night slashed away at her chest more, shredding her black sweater from her body. "GET-" No blood had come yet, but she knew this beast must have murderous intent. And of course, she had no gun on her.

The cat was too high on her to effectively land any kicks, all she could do was struggle and flail.

(well deserved.)

"Oh, now you decided that was sufficient?" Katherine couldn't help but laugh as this monstrous cat backed off her, she shouldn't have been at the mercy of a pet. "Which of those RETARDS PUT YOU UP TO THIS? WHICH ONE?"

No answer, just a threatening gaze back from those green eyes. "I'LL FUCKING SHOOT YOU." But something told her that mere gun wounds wouldn't kill Nightwhisper, the cat didn't waver at the threat.

Katherine's focus shifted to her now bare chest, she hated that sight. She knew there was a reason she wore baggy clothing. "THE FUCK ARE YOU LOOKING AT?" She snarled down as Night just continued to stare. There was no way this had been planned by her, Natalie or Guinevere had to have played some role in it. The cat wouldn't have known about her issues, nobody did.

(embarrassing... isn't it?)