Admiring the Light

Ep 26 (Physical abuse)

Natalie could feel that something was wrong as soon as she opened her eyes. Her sheets discolored, her body ached.

"Well that's just peachy-" Her eyes noticed that blood had seeped through the front of her sweatpants. And as painful as it probably had been, she'd slept anyway. The crimson had soaked right through, Natalie was glad stain remover existed.

When had she even had her last period? Months ago? She would've been fine if it had never happened again. "HEY, SPORT, GOT ANY PADS OVER THERE?" In true Natalie style, deal with things in the most inconspicuous way possible.

No answer. Right, she was grieving.

"MOMMM, WHERE'S THE PERIOD STUFF?"

"NATALIE, WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU SCREAMING ABOUT THAT?!"

"IT'S A NATURAL PROCESS, WHY SHOULD I CARE."

"KATHY, SHE'S KINDA RIGHT."

"OWEN, WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU LISTENING?!"

Her mother clearly wasn't going to actually help her, Natalie sighed. Digging around under the cabinet in their restroom upstairs, her hands blindly fumbled around until a pack of pads fell out along with what seemed like the rest of the contents.

"NATALIE, I SWEAR IF YOU DON'T-"

"I'M CLEANING UP RIGHT NOW THOUGH?"

"PUT STUFF BACK RIGHT."

"ALREADY- UGH." There really was no point in this argument, she noted. Katherine probably just wanted to scream more. And she just really didn't feel like putting up with this today.

"SPORT, I'M GOING TO SCHOOL TODAY, YOU'RE ON YOUR OWN FOR LUNCH." She called into the other room. But her eyes caught something coming into the room behind her.

"Holy crap- mom-" She jumped a little. "Uh-"

"GUINEVERE, I'M STAYING HOME TODAY. AND YOU'RE GONNA CUT IT OUT WITH THE BULLSHIT."

Natalie felt the shake in her body, the utter red clouding her brain. "If you so much as scream one more swear at her..."

"What, what are you going to do? You already sent your fucking monster pet on me."

"I DIDN'T DO THAT."

"I THOUGHT I WAS FINALLY STARTING TO GET ALONG WITH YOU, NATALIE."

"THAT'S NOT MY FAULT, IT'S YOUR FUCKING DRINKING PROBLEM."

"I THREW OUT MY BEER."

Silence, silence from both sides. This wasn't some drunken anger, and that sent another shock right through Natalie. This was her real opinion, she genuinely thought her daughters had sent their murderous cat in the hat. She was genuinely angry with Guinevere.

"Mom, mom please listen to me. It was an accident, Guinevere did nothing wrong."

But Katherine was already storming off, probably to go sulk away in her room. Natalie wondered what would happen once nobody was watching her and she could be alone with her thoughts.

All of this just so I could deal with a period-

...

"Alone again..." Guinevere knew she didn't deserve to be happy. Hunched over her tiny phone screen just watching old Technoblade content, she felt undeserving of her resting. Like she should be doing more- or less. She had no idea.

Her sadness couldn't be measured compared to her guilt and her shame. She still couldn't even voice it, she didn't know how to explain it, she didn't want to explain. She deserved to suffer with the consequences and deal with it by herself, she'd murdered Jacklyn. Accidentally- okay, manslaughter instead of murder.

It was still her fault, and nothing could be said to change it. Nothing Natalie could do, she had no friends to confide in anyway. Completely and totally alone.

...

"I will load you with fucking BULLETS if you interfere, demonic beast." Katherine shot a glare right into those emerald eyes; she fought the urge to send a kick right into Night's side, or at least wipe that goofy top hat into the wall. This must've been building for days now, and she just couldn't contain it anymore. Not without alcohol.

"GUINEVERE, OPEN THIS FUCKING DOOR."

No response.

"GUINEVERE." A roar that shook the entire hallway.

"You're a fucking asshole..." Even Guinevere's faint curse hit Katherine's ears.

"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY? YOU WILL COME OUT OR I'LL BEAT YOUR ASS."

"You can't hurt me..."

"YOU WANNA BE A FUCKING SMARTASS, HUH? I'LL TAKE YOUR DOOR OFF THE DAMN HINGES, THEN YOU CAN'T FUCKING HIDE."

The door swung open.

Her daughter against a wall, curled up into a little hump.

"YOU IGNORANT LITTLE SHIT, YOUR STUPIDITY GETS SOMEONE FUCKING KILLED, AND YOU THINK YOU CAN HIDE AWAY IN YOUR FUCKING ROOM."

Katherine's fist sent cracks through the murky wallpaper.

"LOOK AT ME. LOOK AT ME, LITTLE RETARD."

Guinevere's tear stricken face triggered nothing, she'd seen plenty of those before perverts got sent off to prison.

"IS THIS MAKING YOU UPSET? SAY IT." She roared, her hand cracking right across her daughter's cheeks.

"I'm sorry..."

"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR YOUR BULLSHIT, ARE YOU UPSET? ARE YOU TOO FUCKING RETARDED TO FEEL ANYTHING BUT THAT PATHETIC SORRY?"

"YES, I'M UPSET."

"LOUDER."

"I'M FUCKING UPSET."

"I'm not taking your license. You're handing it to me."

Guinevere didn't get up, her face bright red and tears silently streaming down.

"GET UP, AND FIND YOUR FUCKING DRIVERS LICENSE."

She backed off to let her daughter rise to her feet, her sluggish walk as she grabbed her license out of her phone.

"Clearly you learned NOTHING." Katherine hissed, shoving the little card in one of her pockets. "I fucking swear, if you whine to your sister like a little baby about how I slapped you, I'm going to stop being POLITE."