SCYTHE

𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒖𝒆

I unscrewed the frozen beer's lid and flung it across the room. I was actually aiming for the trash can, but I'm not that good at tossing things into the distance. One time back in high school, I threw a volleyball ball to my classmate, and that ball magically changed its direction and smacked the PE teacher right in the head.

Ugh, I hate thinking about my high school years; it causes static hair to form on my arms. I sound like a little kid complaining, but those years were torment for me.

"Now, class, you'll be all paired into groups. So it would be fair; you'll all choose a scrap of paper from my hat, and whoever's name is written down, you'll be paired with. Choose three papers, please!" The teacher yelled through the loud kids, talking over each other like some animals from the zoo. I looked around the class; however, there wasn't a single person I wanted to be paired with. I was a lonely kid. Everyone was slowly distancing themselves from me over the years.

"Vivienne, you're next." The teacher called.

I got up from the chair and made my way to the front of the class. Everyone's eyes were fixated on me for an unknown reason. Were my clothes bad-looking, or was it my dark hair? What was wrong with me? Why were their eyes looking shamefully at me?

I dropped my hand into the teacher's hat, exploring the inside. As those pieces of paper scraped my hand, I grabbed three random pieces. I unfolded them and read the names written on them inside my head. I lifted my gaze to my classmates, and they all collectively held a scared expression on their faces-that one of them would be paired with me.

All of a sudden, the door burst open, and a principal stood at the threshold with pure horror overtaking his face. His eyes swiftly searched the room until they landed on me.

"Are you Vivienne Caddel?" He asked me loudly, his eyes popping out of his skull.

I dropped the three pieces of paper onto the floor as I started to shiver in terror. I had to answer to him, yet for some reason I was scared to admit that it was me who was looking for.

"Yes, this is her. What happened, Principal?" The teacher answered instead of me, placing her hands on my arms because my legs were on the verge of breaking.

The principal weirdly peered at the teacher, and with that, I was moved out of the classroom into the principal's office.

That was the day I found out my mother hanged herself.

I was only fifteen.

My father was absent in my life from the moment my mother carried me under her heart. My grandmother has taken care of me since my mother died. But my mother's death affected her in ways that were difficult for me to handle. She would call me by her name.

Lilian.

She would wake me up from my sleep, grabbing my hands with tears in her eyes and saying, "My dear Lily, I'm so happy you're alive. Please don't leave your mother again."

Grandmother partially lost her sanity, and the only thing keeping her alive was me or the image of my mother that she saw. Her split personality was terrifying to witness, especially to experience. One day she's completely herself, and the next day she's angry with me, and it's hard to recognize her.

"Dammit!" My grandma pulled me out of my memories. She picked the last bottle of beer out of the fridge, and that was a big problem for us.

She turned away from the fridge and focused her eyes on me. "Vivi, run to the grocery store and grab more bottles of beer, please."

"Sure." I jumped up from the comfy couch and snatched Grandma's wallet with my oversized hoodie before walking to the grocery store. I loved shopping by myself.