My Vampire Lover & His Fiery Temptress (Undergoing reconstruction)

[Archived] C1: Gifted

Fionna's POV

I sighed deeply, rolling onto my side and staring at the blades on my bedside table, glancing between them and the nearly-healed marks on my wrists. I was on a two month streak, wasn't about to break it.

I got up from the bed and stretched. My back cracked loudly as I did.

I lifted my black pyjama top over my head and took off the loose pants, walking into the bathroom and stepping into the shower, making sure my black towel was nearby.

After getting dressed into a loose-fitting black sheer blouse and a raven miniskirt, I picked up my hairbrush and brushed my now-black hair.

Cake had died two years ago. I was seventeen now, and still depressed as hell. I mean, last year, when her death was still fresh, I tried to commit suicide, jumping off a bridge, but luckily was saved by an ebullient Marshall Lee, and managed to cover it up as me falling, rather than jumping.

I'd then basically gone emo. My hair had been dyed, my clothes all traded from blue to black, my demon sword given back to Kee-Oth and traded for a smaller black ebonite one. The Enchiridion had long since disintegrated, meaning I didn't have to carry a backpack.

Every morning I would go to the Candy Kingdom and complete dumb quests for Gumball, but never anything harder than cleaning up the candy litter. He knew Cake was really the only one who could help me. And so, I lived on candy litter and candy criminals, helping Gumball and his wife Licorice, who both probably pitied me terribly.

The candy people still treated me as their hero. They just thought I was in mourning from Cake's death. They didn't know about the days when I cut, the days of knife storms.

You see, Cake died in a knife storm. She was on her way to Lord Monochromicorn's place when it struck. I didn't know, I thought she was fine, until it cleared and, after two days, I went out looking for her, and found her pinned to a tree by a knife, mouth frozen mid-scream, eyes staring and blank, and dried blood everywhere.

That day, I finished off her scream. I did it so loud I summoned both Gumball and Marshall Lee to my spot, before I sank to the ground, thinking It's all my fault over and over again.

Anyway, today I decided to go to Marshall's old house for absolutely no reason. I just... felt nostalgic.

I began to head out, hopping onto Mangoberry, my horse, and urging her into the forest nearby. She obediently trotted off, while I pulled a random book out of her saddlebags and whispered into her ear, "Marshall's house." She kept going, even as I let go of the reins and started reading.

The book was called Songs of the Devil and was full of lyrics to songs I'd never heard of. If I recalled correctly, Marshall gave me this book, and I haven't seen him since.

In the back of the book I found, once I'd memorised every lyric and made up a tune to every song, a note from Marshall.

Listen, Fionna, I know you're bummed about Cake. But, really, you shouldn't be so down on yourself. It was not your fault. You are so wrong about yourself, Fionna. You are strong, beautiful and brave, some things I never was. And, really, would Cake want you to be depressed over her?

I gave you this book as a going away present. I'm leaving, and you probably will never see me again. But I'll see you. There's another gift at my house waiting for you. It was something special to me, and something I could hardly bear to part with. But, if I'm right about you, then it is now yours.

Fionna, I can truly say that, as a friend, I love you.

I blushed at the last words.

Mangoberry suddenly stopped and whinnied. I looked up from the note to see Marshall's house, somewhere I hadn't been in a year, since he left. I reached for the door knob and opened the door. I stepped inside and gasped at the thing in the middle of the floor.