Rapture (Splintered Fanfiction)

Chapter 1

            

Chapter 1

"Payton, I don't think this is a good idea," Kiara said from her spot perched on my bed like an obedient pet. I suppose that's why we always got along. We were a good combination. I was always a wild beast, untamed, and she had always been an innocent, law-abiding follower. We evened each other out. I got her to live a little, and she made sure I didn't get arrested or locked up in a loony bin, much like my grandmother, Allison.

I roll my eyes at her worried fretting, as I continued to drag my straightener through my deep, red locks. They weren't natural. I had dyed them a fiery red three months ago. When my mother, Alyssa, saw my flame-resembling hair, she had entirely flipped, begging me to bleach it back to it's platinum shade that matched hers, except the one lock that matched my hair's color. I didn't understand why she had gotten so worn out of shape about it. My father, Jeb, had tried to convince me to abide her requests. Me, being my stubborn self, refused. Mom got used to it with reluctance.

It was unspoken in my home of my mother's mental instability. It was nowhere near as bad as my grandmother's had been, but she still occasionally had fits when seeing something.

For the last few generations, insanity has plagued the women of my family. It seems that as soon as they hit puberty, they all begin to hear the plants and insects speak back to them. I'd like to claim the crazy skipped me, but I'd be lying. They whisper to me, but unlike my grandmother, I was able to defy the urge to respond to them. I knew my mother was no different because I'd occasionally catch her mumbling "shut up" out in the garden, and swatting at a bee.

Of course, I didn't always ignore the plants and insects. When it was just me, alone in solitary with them, I'd speak back. We'd often spark up enlightening conversations that entertained me more than when Kiara and I spoke. I kept some plants and insects in my bedroom, and have since when I started my period back in the fourth grade. From what my grandfather has told me, the bugs and plants drove the other females mad, and he was glad I had not inherited their insanity. Little did he know.

I had to switch out my insects and plants out every few months or years when they died, but I always had company. Currently, I had a Venus Fly Trap that I had gotten a year ago. His name was Ned, and he actually hated flies. He loved when I would feed him orange slices. I was glad for that because my last Venus Fly Trap, Evaline, adored grasshoppers, and their pleading for life was just painful to hear, poor little fellows. In a tank I kept my pet Tarantula. She consisted of fluffy pink and black stripes and loved when I would play classical music. I had named her Marissa. I had gotten her when she was merely a baby, and she could not remember her identity. She's been my favorite insect since I was thirteen.

I train my attention back on the worrying Kiara. She nervously chewed at the ends of her brown hair, a nervous trait she had always had. We were currently getting ready for a party hosted by none other than Elizabeth Morocco, or as I liked to call her, Lizzie Borden. She was heartless, sexy, and popular. Every guy at school's dream. She's practically a starfish with how much time she spends with her legs open. Although sadistic, she opened many options and opportunities. We both disliked each other, but dealt with each other solely for business purposes.

"Kiara, it will all pan out okay. And who knows, maybe that sexy Italian exchange student will be there. I can help you make some moves," I suggest with a smirk and a wink of my large, blue eyes. Kiara's cheeks tinted a dusty rose color and I scoff. She held an attraction for Piero since he transferred to our school. She bit her bottom lip and tugged at her dark brown curls.

"But . . . What if your mom and dad find out? They're really overprotective, Payton." She held reason, but what she forgot was that I'm intelligent. My mother is intelligent, too, but after seventeen years, I've learned to outsmart her.