The Devil's Daughter || Deckerstar Fanfic

Chapter 2- Alaana

"Alaana! Alaana? Alaana, come on, I have to get to work in 15 minutes!" Mom pulls my covers off and hands me a slice of toast. "And you have a swimming competition this afternoon which I'm suppossed to go to, if I'm not late!" I sigh and drag myself out of bed. " I can't exactly help it, I did have a party yesterday for my 16th..." I mutter under my breath. I walk into the kitchen to find Dad draped over a chair as Mom runs around like a nutter as usual.
"Aah, good morning, Alaana. Have a good sleep?" Dad smirks at me and winks, while I mimick me slitting his throat if he tells Mom about last night's party. We both know what would happen; she would most definetely ground the both of us. I give Mom a tight squeeze and she hugs me back, coffee in hand, then kisses my forehead. I pull away and hug Dad as he gets up to begin work with his wife on homocide. Lovely, right?

As soon as they leave, I jump onto my bed and groan. I hate swimming. I am terrible at it, for one, and because of that I am constantly made fun of and avoided. They both think I'm great though, hence why I have to continue. My parents watch every competition and every practise they can get to, cheering for me the whole way through, which is slightly embarrassing.

I pack  my swimming bag and tie my hair up, then step out into the pouring weather. My mind wanders to my parents, Dad probably making jokes to Mom about somebody on the case, to brighten up the mood. It puts a smile on my face and I head out towards the pool, hoping for the best.

The pool looks cold. There are people on each side of me, and even more people watching. I take a deep breath and search the arena for my parents, hoping their encouraging smiles will cheer me up. At first I can't see them. Until somebody taps me on the shoulder.
"Hey, Peacebringer, is that your cheery old parents over there?" I hear sniggers, and follow the fingers to a loud arguing couple. I frown. Something wasn't right. They never argue, not like this. Tears stream down Mom's face as she shouts at Dad. He takes all of it, not saying a word. Mom pushes him and turns away, shaking her head and sobbing. I dig my nails into my palms, angry at Dad for making her cry and at the sniggers around me. I gasp as I feel a burning sensation on my hands. Pulling my nails away, I discover red burns along my hands where my nails were. I close my eyes then open them, but it's still there, and so is the burning pain. My fingers feel hot.

I look up once more to see Mom walk away sobbing through the door. Gone. She left me.  Dad looks down at me and sits down, avoiding eye contact guiltily. I have a sudden thought. What if they were arguing over last nights party? No, they couldn't be. Mom wouldn't be crying over it!

I shake my thoughts out just in time to hear the bell go; I'm off. The anger I feel for Dad is pushed into my swimming. Before I can even reach the half way point, I am far in front of the other swimmers. I look down at my hands and my eyes widen. This isn't happening. But what I see is real. My feet are literally on fire. I try to scream, but no noise comes out. Do you ever have a dream that seems so vivid that you're sure it must be real? Because I have a feeling that's what this is. I can even feel a burning pain throughout my body. I close my eyes and feel the water through my fingers. Focus on that, Alaana...

By the time I realise what is about to happen, it's too late. My head smashes into the wall at full force and everything goes black.

                                                   ***

I wake to Dad staring at me with a worried face, clutching my hand tightly. When he realises I'm awake, he forces a fake smile.
"Well, look who's back!" I attempt to sit up, but he pushes me firmly back down.
"You, Alaana Morningstar, are not going anywhere."
I look around. The walls are all grey, and I'm lying on a brown leather sofa. "where... am I??" I murmur.
"Staff room at this leisure centre. Dreary place, isn't it?" he jokes, making a face as he too looks around. I look down at my fingers; still burnt. Dad follows my stare and takes my hand.
"Now, before you say anything, you are not going crazy." he smiles at me, but I frown. He knows about this? I shake my head and stand up. I'm still mad at him. My head spins violently and I grab him for support without meaning too. He takes this as a chance. Dad stands up, and pulls me into a tight hug, head buried into my hair.
"Whatever you think happened with your mother and I, you're completely wrong. Not all of this is my fault." He murmurs, not letting go of me until I successfully wriggle out. My gut tells me to believe him, my dad, the one who tells me that he never lies, but my mind thinks differently. I shake my head and walk away, my head still spinning.
"Don't leave this room, young lady..." He called, and I could tell he was getting mad. His eyes go wide when he's mad. The veins in his neck and forehead pop out. I even thought I caught a glimpse of blood red eyes when I was little, but that was just because I was tired and young.

I'm through the door instantly, running faster than ever. I just want to go home, comfort Mom. If there's anything I can do to help fix that bastard's mistakes, it's siding with Mom.
I jam my keys into the door harder than I anticipated, and I see a tiny flame. I let out a small cry of frustration and finally the door creaks open.

The house is silent. No crying. No footsteps. Just... The quiet sound of shallow breathing. I frown and walk into the living room; to find a beaten up Maze. This frightened me: Maze never loses a fight. N.e.v.e.r.

With a slight hesitation, I rush to her side, lifting her head onto my lap.
"Maze? Maze?!" My voice becomes louder as I begin to panic. Finally her eyes drift open- barely.
"C- Chloe..." She whispers, before her eyes close again. I frown. Maybe it was a burglar. A really tough one. Maybe they took Mom. I lay Maze down gently, like a mother would, and grab my bike, heading straight for Amenadiel's house on the other end of town.