Murderville - Audrey Jensen

Chapter 1 - Blank Canvas

(Warnings : Mentions of mental health issues, death of loved ones, hints of traumatic events, hint of suicidal thoughts, light swearing
Word count : 2087
Song : Wolves, Denai Moore)

Vicki watched as the water droplets raced each other down her car window. She could almost feel the cool trickle of pain the liquid would leave on the skin of her finger, tracing the scars they left on the glass in wonder. They were jagged and rough lines, like the ones that covered her body. Just like her, the water was losing its grip and sliding away.

She felt a shiver run through her and moved away from the window, humming lightly under her breath to calm herself down.

New town. New faces. New roads. New her.

Her life had become a clean slate, a blank canvas. An endless world of possibilities and futures. Or at least it appeared that way to the oblivious eye.

To those who were more observant, it was clear to see the thick layer of white paint that had been painted over the ugly colours. They knew that closing your eyes doesn't make the problem disappear. They knew that looking at the smiling face of the tall ginger - hair in a neat plait, clothes straight and proper - didn't mean she wasn't screeching and clawing on the inside.

Her driver, a woman, a social worker - she was one of the observant nature. She glanced at the girl before focusing on the road in front of her, letting out a light sigh.

"You're really going to like it here Vicki, I can tell already" she reassured the girl, tapping her bright red talons on the wheel "Little town, no busy roads or streets. Calm, homey. You'll fit right in"

"I'm sure I will" her voice was barely above a whisper, indicating that she didn't want to carry on with this conversation. She'd heard it a hundred times already. Lakewood would be just the place for her. Her distant relatives were very nice people who couldn't wait to meet her. She'd listened to these phrases so often and from so many social workers and police officers, that she couldn't tell who they were trying to convince anymore - her or themselves.

Vicki had tried to believe them. She really had. She wished that everything could be perfect, and that Lakewood would somehow fix all her problems. She wished that everything would go back to normal.

But it couldn't.

Her parents were dead.
Her brother was dead.
Her old life was dead.

She was dying, mentally rather than physically.

Her body was ageing and growing just as every other seventeen year old girl's should be. She was of perfect physical health - no broken bones, no terminal illnesses, she hardly ever got as much as a cold.

But her brain was drowning in a cocktail of insomnia, hallucinations and pain. And no amount of bandages or kind words were going to fix that.

Her sanity was on a knife's edge. And all it needed was one more poke before she was sent tumbling.

She was running out of air, and there was nothing she could do about it.

Letting out a rather unsteady breath, she glanced up at her new home as the pair pulled into the drive way. A nice little house, neatly kept, warm lights from the living room inviting her in. She looked once more at the welcoming glow before unbuckling herself from her seat, jumping out of the car to help the social worker with her bags.