random stories

murderer

Today was the day; Orianna would turn 18. Fear twisted her gut into knots, so much that she couldn't eat the cake like the rest of her family. It was roughly 11:30 at night, the time nearing 12. That's the time she'd find out what the rest of her life would be. She takes deep and steady breaths, trying to cool the ever rising anxiety. As her family mingled around her, chattering about how excited they were for Orianna to discover her future, she couldn't help but feel a dead weight of anxiety.

What if she got something bad? She could get anything. Her mother had chef forever ingraved on her wrist. Her father, the word scientist was embedded. They had simple words, they were happy. What about Orianna? She could get anything; Baker, engineer, construction, assassin, death. Anything. There was no way to tell.

The clock now read 11:58 which was too close for Orianna's comfort. Her family began to rush out of the kitchen to give the maturing girl her privacy; this word was going to tell her about the rest of her life. Best she read it on her own first. 11:59 so, so close. All Orianna could do was breathe. Hope it wasn't something bad. She begged it wasn't anything bad.

3…

2…

1..

A searing pain touched every inch of Orianna's body, not leaving a single nerve free of the burning pain as the word all but carved itself into her wrist. She could tell, by the main focus of pain, that it was the left wrist the word was being placed. She would just have to wait for the pain to die down before opening her eyes and sealing her fate. Deep breaths, the pain was slowly retreating.

Eventually, it faded and with great hesitance she pried her eyes open, studying the singular word forever engraved into her wrist. Complete horror flood her veins. She had to leave, now. She couldn't grab anything, couldn't say goodbye to her family. If she did, she'd be locked away. Blinking back the hot oozing tears that threatened to escape she reread her fate once more.

'murderer'