Three
The poison creeps inside, ever so slowly, like a plague eating up the life. Verity's life has drastically changed after that one night. Would you be able to take on the pain?
Verity sat by the window, watching as the snow started to fall from the sky. It was three days after that night, her nightmares replaying everything then. Somehow she felt something awaken in her, something so sinister. She often sank into the bottom of the black sea. She often stand on a rain of blood as river turned red as well.
The nightmares were too much for the young girl. For a five-year-old, that is.
She was forbidden to leave the house, under her father's orders. He told them to never run to that same place again. But last night, Verity awoke to the same place at midnight. And the night before that. Now she's locked in the room, unable to leave, unable to see her friends.
"Ver," her brother called out from behind the door. "I got some treats! Want to eat some?"
That made Verity widen her eyes as a smile broke into her face. She ran to the door and yelled her approval. Her brother came into the room with a tray of cookies and pie.
"I got it from the store the block before our house. Mrs. Winefield makes yummy cookies!" The siblings chatted as they ate, it was great day. Or so it seemed.
"Ver, let's go out!" Her brother suggested with a grin on his face. "Come on, the snow isn't fun by myself!"
"Father will kill you," Verity said in a sad tone. Despite wanting to go out, she had to obey her parents.
"He won't unless you tattletale." Verity hesitated on the decision but her brother already got her coat and scarf for her. "Come on, Ver, just for today. Let's put a smile on that face, yes?"
Without waiting for a response, he grabbed Verity's hand, opened the window and pulled her out. "Hey!"
"Shhh! Don't let anyone hear us."
She had nothing to do but to comply and so she did. They stealthily went around the house before jumping into a large heap of snow. The siblings laughed and dash out into town, Verity was putting on her coat and scarf on.
For the entire day, they ran around town, played with the kids in the park and threw each other snowballs. They made a snowman and some snow animals, irregularly shaped.
Right then, Verity was having fun. But when she got a carrot and placed it on the snowman, the whole thing turned black. Verity fell back on her butt, looking horrified. It scared the kids away, but her brother, despite scared to his bones, grabbed Verity and ran away.
They stopped by a bench and bent to catch some air. Verity felt a heavy load on her head and heart as her vision blurred.
"Verity!" a townwoman called out as she looked at Verity. "Are you alright? You look pale, dear."
Her hand reached out to Verity's face, flinching as she said it was stone cold. "Mrs. Winefield, is she okay?" Her brother asked in worry as a few people from town came.
Verity wasn't listening to them, instead she heard only her breathing. The feeling of the cold intensified. When the townswoman reached out to touch her hand, Verity saw it as a white object. When it contacted with her skin, she screamed as searing hot pain marked her hand.
"No!" She shouted and touched the chest of the woman, making her body turn pale and dark. Her body shriveled like its life was drying out. She screamed a throaty scream until her breath was no more. Laying lifeless on the ground, Verity came back to her senses and saw what she had done.
Her brother was frozen on his spot, as Verity went to knees and shook the woman's body. "Mrs. Winefield? Mrs. Winefield..please. Please wake up. Mrs. Winefield!"
Tears fell down her face.
"You killed...her. You...killed her," her brother murmured as he was scared to his whims.
"No! No! Kain, I didn't!"
He kept silent. He should've known what his sister is like. But ever since that day, she's different. She sleep-walk at night, whispering something as her eyes were dull. Out of the house. Out to the maze.
Unfortunately, everyone saw what happened and called her a witch. They called upon the father, who was the head leader of the town. He looked at his daughter in disbelief but the townspeople wanted nothing to do with a witch.
The kids they played with, justified her 'powers' to the snowman. However, Kain tried to reason with them that she might've gotten it from the tree. But he was cast aside. Enraged, he grabbed his sister and ran back to their home, the town followed after them even after their Father shouted their names.
Verity was disoriented. Everything was happening so fast.
They arrived home to pack their stuff but the townspeople arrived. Their Mother talked to them and asked what happened, but Kain dragged her upstairs, locking the door.
Verity wasn't feeling so well and she started to grab her head. Everyone was banging on the door, everyone angry and hitting it down. They tossed her brother aside, they hit him down. It was too much for the young girl. Too much that she broke down.
And by breaking, the plague has been released. She screamed as a wave of darkness emerged from her. The house broke. Everyone blew away, ended up dead or incinerated. She stood in the chaos, watched as her brother breathed his last. Her mother was crushed. Her blood everywhere, mixing with Kain's.
"Ver...you..are..verity."
And the eyes of hatred bore into her. His love gone, his son gone, everything gone. All that was left was the monster that he called daughter.
So he hit her in the head, tossed her unconscious body out of town and into the hunter's caravan. Pocketing his empty wallet, he watched as it drove away. For in her perspective, she was sold to bad men, uncared for and unloved. But for his, often misunderstood, he paid to cure her.
But he was mistaken.
