One Shots & Short Stories

Lost In The Past: Phantoms Past

Phantom sits on the couch holding her girlfriend close. It's fairly quiet apart from the occasional discussion and The Office playing on TV. It's around five pm, it's been a pretty good day, not much happened but it's been good. "Your quiet." Artemis says glancing at Phantom with an almost worried look. "And that's not normal?" Phantom says sliding down until she's laying down still holding Artemis. "Well, it's normal but your too quiet and you have that face you make when your thinking." Artemis says getting her blanket and pulling it closer to become a galaxy burrito. "I'm not making that face." "Uh-huh. We've been dating for a few months now. I know what your thinking face looks like. I also know that you only get really clingy when your thinking and you've been clingy for the past few days." Artemis says. "I have not been clingy. Cleo has been clingy." "Oh? Well I've got proof that says otherwise. Let's see, Sunday you refused to let me leave bed for two hours, Monday and Tuesday you followed me pretty much everywhere, even shopping. Wednesday you got cuddly and we didn't exactly get much done, or go see my parents like we planned and yesterday you cried a good portion of the day, then had a panic attack and skipped dinner instead sitting curled up on the couch talking to yourself in Spanish. You also haven't been sleeping. I'm pretty sure even Circus noticed something is wrong." Artemis says wrapping her arms around Phantom placing her head against her chest. "I sometimes hate it when you back things up like that shortie." Phantom says smirking slightly. "Short? I am literally only two inches shorter than you for the record and still weight more. I am not short. Anyway, will you at least try to tell me what's bugging you?" Artemis says. Phantom sits silently for a couple minutes, she's aware she'll end up cracking and breaking down, still it's going to remain a secret. All of it, every last detail. The only scars both Artemis and Circus have ever really seen are the ones covering her arms and occasionally her legs when she wears shorts to bed. She decides against saying anything and just doesn't respond at all.

Artemis eventually gets up heading to bed, her own bed this time, not Phantoms like she's been sleeping in for the past couple weeks. Phantom remains in the living room, her headphones blaring her music, she doesn't know what's playing. She doesn't know whether Artemis is mad at her either, they literally never fight, sure they have tiny unimportant arguments but nothing that could destroy their relationship. Honestly, she feels like her past controls her, all of it. Down to the last moment.

Earliest she can remember she was about three, maybe four, years old. Her parents never treated her right, unlike how they treated Circus, who was born the year after her. Circus was always treated like the angel while Phantom would be treated like nothing, physically and emotionally abused. So many years of being beaten and yelled at, by the time she was eight she was diagnosed with severe depression and her parents didn't give a single fuck. No Circus got hurt and it was cared for immediately, but Phantom got hurt? Whether it was on purpose or accident it was always the same thing "tough it out and get over it." Even with a broken arm and wrist. Circus would always try to help but out of fear for her Phantom would always hide away and deny anything was wrong, even through tears.

That went on for years until she was up until she was eleven. At that point she ran off, never went back. Never even thought of how it would affect her sister. That year she ran off was the beginning of what she knows and remembers all too well. She had attended some sort of parade type thing, she was sure it was for kids but she wasn't sure why there was so many men with guns and knives. No one else noticed them but she did. Some were on the roofs other walking along the ground. A few of them looked at her like she was something special, she wasn't actually aware of what she could do until after everything happened. She had been standing with her hands in her pockets just looking around. All she knew was someone important was there. It all happened too fast, a single shot caused a little over a hundred deaths, half with guns the other half with extremely sharp knives. She remembers helping some younger kids hide, one little girl, no older than six was clearly panicking but not for her own safety, for her little brothers safety.  Phantom got her to safety before hearing her shriek her brothers name, tears streaming down her face, three older kids held her back. Phantom turned around being greeted with so many bodies but one little boy no older than four on his knees clutching his side crying. Phantom had never ran faster pulling a knife out of a random body on her way. She saw so many distressed souls wandering the streets crying out for family, they weren't living they were dead. She skidded to her knees knife still in her hand, the poor kid was crying and begging for help. Phantom examined the cut, it was far too deep for him to survive. The best she could do was calm him down, she simply held him close singing, kept singing and singing until eventually he bleed out enough and died. She watched his small innocent ghost leave his body, the scar no longer there. He looked so confused and scared calling for his older sister and Phantom. That's what broke her, not the eleven years of neglect and abuse but an innocent four year old dying. Phantom broke down sobbing just holding the boys body close. She cried and swore she wouldn't sing again, she wouldn't sing for people.