Web of Sins

Prologue

So, I originally didn't have a prologue and wasn't going to write one, but then, World Mental Health Day (October 10) came around, and I really wanted to write something for it. There are certain things in this fanfic that would be perfect to explore for this type of thing, but that's quite a few chapters down the line...and that's when the idea hit me to write a prologue!

It gives a lot more insight into Lance's character from before the story takes place while not giving too much away, but most importantly, it contributes to Mental Health Day, which I think is so important. This fanfic will explore things like mental health and manipulation much more in the near future, but for now, this prologue serves as a glimpse into that.

***

"What a joke. Just look at him - cowering in the corner. You know what else hangs out in corners? Piles of garbage. He's lowering himself to the level of trash. Pathetic. That's no son of mine."

Ever since the very beginning, Lance was convinced that mental illnesses were just something you were born with - something you couldn't choose or control. The way he saw it, some people, meaning the majority of society, were born without these issues thus didn't have to worry about any of it. Meanwhile, the less fortunate bunch were born having to deal with their mental illnesses as soon as they exited the womb, stuck with the demons inside of their heads for the rest of their lives.

And then, every now and then, a child like Lance would be born. A child who lacked any semblance of purpose or meaning, a child who was so messed up in the head they had no place claiming to be on the same level as other humans - because they were born that way.

Lance learned very early on in life to accept things for the way they were, because some people were inherently less capable than others; and he was one of those people. Sometimes, during late hours of the night when he couldn't fall asleep, he would mutter the same chant over and over again.

savemesavemesavemesavemesavemesavemesavemesavemesavemesavemesavemesavemesaveme

That was another thing Lance learned when he was still very young: no matter how much you longed for it, no matter how much you begged for it, no matter who you begged to, it didn't matter. All forms of help turned a blind eye to Lance; always.

At school, Lance would listen from afar as the other kids talked about how great their parents or their family was and how they could always count on them when they needed help, and at first he had never understood it. He could never relate to the other kids and, as a result, grew to envy them.

Eventually, however, he came to understand that it was just him; he was the one with the problems. He was the one who didn't fit in because he was born inferior. He was born to be abandoned. It was around this point in his young life where he truly understood and accepted that this was just who he was.

...he never knew, though, that the issues he was born with would just continue to grow as he did.

***

"You're a sorry excuse for a student! Your family must be so disappointed in a failure like you!"

He had always felt like his mental issues seemed to grow in size and number with every year that passed, but he never really thought about it since he just accepted it whenever he got worse. Eventually, though, at some point, everything inside of him that had built up over the years just boiled over until he was an even bigger mess than before.

And the worst part? The people who were supposed to be there for him, the ones deemed by society to be the people you turn to when in need...still turned a blind eye to Lance.