Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Emmy enjoyed tending to the plants she carefully maintained, hands gently brushing the soul to flatten the soul she previously placed her new seeds into. The fenced off area was like her own private bubble, a place to dance with her mismatched gloves and carrots, a space to be free and untouched. People saw Emmy bend down to talk to the plants as if she were a mad woman, giggles and snickering trailing behind her ever since the new kids came this morning. 

Her eyes studied around, a blonde girl with gum blowing in and out her mouth, some boy in a dress with too sharp eyes, Alice, who was finally back, Davey, with that.. Gator, a girl stimming her fingers along the edge of her dress, a random kid with thin eyes that felt far too tight, an.. Odder kid shoving goo into his mouth, a stuck up blonde boy by the looks of it and.. Austin.

Emmy didn’t notice Austin all too much, he never cared much for her plants, the occasional compliment and the time she used some of her flowers for his big sisters wedding. The purple brush of hair that stayed swaying at the top made her giggle. The day they did that was by far one of her personal favourites. Memories of Alice yelling at Davey and Austin to stop messing with the purple paint, while Kevin and her watched in giggles. Sure, that day also ended in Austin breaking his arm, but it was fun to Emmy nonetheless. It was safe to say Emmy sometimes enjoyed her classmates' brief company.

..Until she spotted that kid in blue talking to the ponytailed hair girl, watching as her stimming fingers transformed into excited flaps at the sides of her arms, then how she sprinted to Miss. Lovelett to discuss.. Plays? That girl never struck Emmy as a.. Theatre type. Yet, her attention quickly shifted back onto the boy running around like there was no time left on the line. Quick to go to Austin. 

Emmy sighed as she stood up and brushed the dirt off her overalls, her mismatched gloves quickly being yanked off. A soft smile braced her lips as she stared down at her work on the vegetables, maybe she could give some to the new lunch lady for her to give to everyone.. Everyone deserved to see how much effort she put in after all. Emmy giggled to herself, twisting her body around to leave the patch.

CRACK-!

…

A sharp silence filled the air as everyone turned to look at the loud crunching noise that echoed through the front of the school. Sharp eyes, soft eyes, broken eyes, gentle ones, all of them landing on Emmy. 

Everything felt fuzzy.

It was warm at first. Then Emmy’s mind rang like static, cotton against cotton, sandpaper brushing against her hair, fabrics against teeth. The blood trapped inside her body ran to the back of her eyes, vision fading. Her head spun as she raised a careful hand to her eye. Something warm slid onto that hand, Emmy unsure if it was her tears or blood pouring from her eye. It felt as if someone had stabbed her with a blunt stick, or a mop, or a claw. The eyes increased, so did the panic. Lovelett’s voice messed into one massive blur as Austin stuttered something out. Emmy didn’t care. She couldn’t care.

Tears fell from both her eyes as she ran past everyone, screaming words her mind couldn’t grasp, words left spilt as she collapsed somewhere. 

Somewhere..

..Which so happened to be her flower patch. The one made up of red flowers mixing with the blue. Emmy’s knees gave out as she fell. Quiet sobs filled the air as she lifted her knees against her eyes. Dirt rubbed into her face as she hugged her knees. Emmy pulled out one of the flowers, beginning to stare down at the petals softly picking them off. It felt wrong. Emmy knew it was wrong to hurt what she loved so much, but the pain racked through her body enough to make her unable to care. The crushed up petals mixed into the rocky soil, the bruise along her eye worsening, the feeling of blinking feeling like too much. She knew she should go to the nurse, thats what their actual principal always told them to do. Emmy hated the room, the smoke filled her lungs, the room felt too empty, the beeping from the x-ray rang in her ears on occasion. It was safe to say, everything about that room made Emmy’s skin crawl like the bugs she carefully led to her soil patches.

Emmy sighed as she pushed herself up, dropping the, now empty, stem. Her legs dreadfully carried her towards the door, before-

“Emmy!” A breath pushed out, the playground door being swung open, Emmy jolting back and tightening her grip around herself, the boy ahead of her staring with concerned eyes, before they dissipated into understanding. “..Can- Can we talk?” Austin awkwardly brushed his hand against the back of his neck, Emmy unravelled from her little ball of fear, noticing his empty hands and shameful demeanour. 

Guilty eyes faded into her tearful ones, a slow nod forming from Emmy as she took a seat back in the middle of her flower patch, where no flowers laid. Austin ran over, sitting with his knees raised, but just half way up, his eyes looking everywhere except for Emmy herself. “..Can you talk- Please-?” Emmy sniffled, unsure of why she was just waiting. The flowers brushed carefully along her legs, like little cats rubbing against the edges of her ankles, the feeling making her body tense up.

“Right! Talk-” Austin awkwardly squeaked, his body somehow more tense than hers. His hands fidgeted around in his lap as he tried to look for the words, “Okay, well, first– This Carla girl and his friend said that they’d help me impress.. Impress Alice!” His cheeks began to flush bright red as he rambled on, his sitting position changing the more he spoke. “And– So I threw it, it was also to break the window to help them but..” He winced, looking over at her eye.

Emmy sighed, hands beginning to loosen. “You still hurt me, Austin.” She sighed, her eyes lazy as they stared at the ground.

“Well, that shouldn’t have happened!” Austin rushed out, standing up and rummaging through his pockets. “I genuinely thought I had that shot!” He took out a set of bandages and numbing cream, placing it at the edge of Emmy’s flowerbed. “..Turns out your eye chose to be my target.” He lightly chuckled, sitting back down.

“..Thanks.” Emmy muttered, taking the items with a slight hint of gratitude as she kept looking down, before turning to look up at Austin again, that dumb boy with his weird hair and the messily scribbled on fake tattoos. Then with the bandages in her hands she had no idea how to use. She bit the inside of her lips as she held both the objects out to Austin with shakily hurt hands. “Can- Can you sort it..?”

“..Sure.” 

Chapter Text

Lily’s fingers drummed along her pocket, time feeling like hours in that stall. She kept her feet perched onto the bowl, hesitation itching through her hands more than the hoodie itched at her skin. But, she made a promise, she was going to do this, she had to tell Jerome the truth. Of course, she knew he’d have.. A reaction. It was his father after all! What else was she meant to expect? He would let her slip away? Of course it would take some.. Conversation.

Gosh, she begged Kidd to be there.

The door swinging open made Lily blink a couple times, before realisation settled into her bones and she pushed herself off the toilet bowl, her careful feet approaching the stall door. The stark contrast of heavy and important ones on the other side. Two knocks on the stall instilled her assumption, clicking the lock open and opening the door.

“Hello Jerome.” Lily balled her fists to the side, nails pushing crescents into her palms. Their eyes met like water splashing onto roaring flames, Jerome’s tear streaked, angry eyes meeting Lily’s guilty and hesitant ones. Millions of thoughts whirled around Jerome’s mind, his eyes refusing to lock off of the girls. Lily’s eyes anxiously darted around, anxiety spiking at the lack of Kidd.

Jerome’s jaw snapped open, then shut again, his hands finding their way around to the item in his pocket. “You- You-” The words fought against his throat as he felt everything tighten around him. “You killed my dad!” It snapped through the air quicker than he pulled out his fathers abandoned gun, fingers frozen against the cool metal. “Now I’m gonna do what he should have done,” His hand shook, from the cold of the metal, or the anger, or the slap of what he was doing, Jerome was unsure. “I’m gonna end you and your crazy conspiracy theories.” The handle felt like a weight forced onto his hands, the loaded gun acting as a decider between life and death.

And for Lily, it really was. The barrel stared her down, her gaze fixed onto it. Everything felt still as she stared down the weapon. A silver bullet loaded at the end, the glisten noticeable. She knew he might try something, not with his fathers old gun. A gun she saw in his office one too many times. She recognized the look of it as she was lectured about her behaviour. Now, it stared her dead in the eye. Her planned words caught tight at the back of her throat as she backed up, Jerome’s finger shaking over the trigger. “Jerome, wait!” Her voice snapped through the air, “I can explain everything!”

“Liar!” Jerome pitifully coughed out, hands continuing to quiver with the gun. Then, his eyes formed into harsh slits while staring down Lily. The gun wasn’t overly heavy, but it felt like his hands were being destroyed by holding it. His fingers trembled over the trigger before pressing down on it, eyes solidified on Lily as another tear fell down the side of his face. “Say hi to my dad for me.” 

The words cut through quicker than the bullet. A loud bang echoing through the room, Jerome’s feet stumbling back and letting the weapon fall from the force of the bullet pounding through the room, his eyes travelling up to Lily.

Watching as crimson red blood spilled from the center of her neck onto her jacket, deep blue turning a royal purple. Her body limped for a second while she tried to form her words, feet stumbling to find a surface that wouldn’t betray her. Lily’s hands travelled up to her neck as she collapsed onto the ground, her hand slowly filling with her own blood. She couldn’t speak. Her breathing became ragged and filled with a thick red liquid as she tried to cry out for help, her body wouldn’t move off of the ground.

Everything spun as Lily writhed on the ground, vision blurring as she felt two hands cup her throat, but they weren’t stopping the bleeding, no, they pushed deep into her already bloody neck. Jerome’s hands became covered in the blood of the girl weeping silently on the ground, he felt nothing as he stared down at her, hands firm around her throat as if she could try to breathe anyway. Their eyes met, ferocious ones connecting with pleading ones. 

“G-Geh-” The word choked from her throat, Lily’s hands clawing down Jerome’s arms as he said nothing, hands only pushing deeper and harder. His thumb pressed into the broken skin, a silent cry echoing from Lily’s throat as she clawed down harder, nails clutching onto skin. His hands shaking while pushing his hands down further only worsened the wound, his thumb pressing down further and further, blood spilling around the wound, her neck, and the ground more. Jerome didn’t shake as he watched the life drain from her eyes, he didn’t care as she drew blood from his arms in a futile attempt to save herself - or her crimes - all he wanted was that spark that killed his father to leave those eyes.

And they did.

Lily’s hands curled around his arms again, before they slumped, both of them slapping onto the ground of the bathroom, blood splattering onto them. Jerome’s knees stayed coated in the crimson liquid as he took his hands off of her neck, staring down at her lifeless body. Silence carried the room like a blanket coating the crime, the silence enveloping the both of them. Jerome’s ragged breathing echoing through the room, before collapsing next to her body. His hands stained a red he could never wash off, a red he didn’t want to wash off. He stared dead at the ceiling, before shifting his eyes to the bathroom door, watching a frozen Kidd stare at the body, then him. 

Jerome said nothing as he forced himself up, lifting up the gun further, hands dripping with the red liquid, his eyes loosely focusing onto Kidd as his words shot through the air.

“Don’t make me hurt you too.”

Chapter Text

Madison stared out the window of the treehouse her dads built her, the leaves flickered outside it, each wave in the wind feeling like another whisper of the moments of her life that never pieced together correctly. She fell back into the beanbag in her room, eyes darting anxiously around the room as she sat to figure out what happened. 

Her memory felt blurry about the last couple days.. Before that was fine. She remembered playing with Ozzy with his toys, remembered building with Ron, remembered watching Penny give her a bracelet but.. Everything tore apart slowly at the seams. Each memory slowly tore from her mind, her sharpened nails and odd itch covering her body, as well as the nightly sickness never quite helped her manage with the events that happened. Her papa had tried to get her into therapy, Da going to the school district. She listened while scratching at skin with rough, sharp nails. But aside from that, the days went by. Her parents kept her off school, so she stayed alone in her treehouse most of the time. 

The wind continued to whistle as Madison let out shaky breaths in time with the wind, letting it pass through her loose hair while inhaling it into her lungs. 

Then, a rough cough left her chest. Madison pushed herself to her knees off the bag, slamming her palm against her chest just like she saw Papa do when he began to cough. But something felt tight, thick, like moldy water that was too sweet lodged in her lungs. More broken coughs left her throat while she clawed at it, deep red marks scratched into her skin as she fought to breathe, before finally coughing up the thick glob blocking her airways. 

Madison shakily sat back down, loosely coughing with a tight chest as she plucked the goo off of the ground, with a napkin. As if on cue, she widened her eyes, a memory flooding of being dragged out a pool of the substance by Ron, another girl she remembered being Alice staring at the four kids she hadn’t seen since. She exhaled, confused by the goo still being stuck in her throat.. Everything felt tense and wrong as she threw it into the garbage in the corner. Her throat still felt tight, breathing still wrong. But it’d be fine. She’ll be fine, she’ll be fine, she’ll be fine, she’ll be fi-

“Maddie?” A fragile voice cracked through the entrance of the treehouse, Madison’s shaky eyes darting up off of the ground as she sparkled.

“Ozzy!” Madison smiled, getting up and walking up to her boyfriend, tsking to herself as she grabbed the hand sanitizer off of her table and rubbing it between her hands.

Rough hands. Too rough. Tight. Way too tight. Muscles overlapping, bones stuck together, arms stiff, breathing all too wrong.

Madison beamed and hugged Ozzy, watching as he flinched and hugged back at the sudden contact with her. She pushed herself off first, noticing how tight her hug was to him, guilt rising up as she muttered an apology, coughing into her sweater sleeve and taking Ozzy to sit down with her. 

“Do- Do you feel better..?” Ozzy glanced up at her, hands fiddling around his lap while Madison reached to grab some of the toys in the Ultra-Tron Series they both adored, Ozzy squeaking and running his hand in his bag to get out his limited addition Destructotron! Ozzy fiddled about with his toy, eyes fixated onto the toy.

To the point he didn’t notice as Madison’s body went limp.

“Madison!” Ozzy slid over to where Madison was, unsure of how to react, his hands fished around the backpack his mother made him bring for an epipen or inhaler, unsure of how to approach the situation. Madison didn’t have asthma, or allergies!.. That he knew of.. But- But what happened-? Ozzy shook his head, then shook his girlfriend, who was hunched over the ground and limp. 

Her eyes remained wide, before coughing harshly. More goo splattered onto the ground as she hacked and coughed more and more, shaking as she fought the urge to vomit at the ground. Ozzy stared and climbed back, stepping backwards towards the exit of the treehouse. “I- I’m getting your dads!” He called out, hands shaking while staring and the incident before him with unstable legs.

“No!” Madison coughed out, her teary eyes meeting Ozzy’s as she forced herself to stand up, grabbing Ozzy’s hand, “Please don’t leave me!” Her hand shook around his as he stared down at it, his eyes stinging as he watched her wipe her mouth, the way she swayed to the side while holding onto his hands, her eyes glazed over something distant from the chatty girl she remembered before she got kidnapped. 

“I-I’m fine..” Madison begged, unable to stop as Ozzy left the treehouse.

And mostly unable to stop as she lost her balance and fell onto the ground with her muscles tightening against her arms and legs.

Chapter Text

“Tally ho..” 

Felix watched as Kidd faded away into the car to retrieve the liquid his father mentioned, watching as he faded from his vision.

His tattered vision. 

Something dangerous bubbled in him. Everything felt loud. Everything felt hot. Like his anger. His anger towards being tossed aside like rubbish, like shit on a shoe, like Teddy. It was demeaning. It was pathetic. He knew this, he knew it like he knew the words on a business book he didn’t truly understand. 

Because it was true, he didn’t understand.

Why was he so uselessly tossed aside? So feasible? So pathetic. 

Yet, his thoughts came to a burning, smoking end. Felix’s hand caught onto some grass as he forced his body to sit up, hunching grossly as fire climbed around him, the warmth feeling like being tucked into bed, a feeling only the maids paid hands offered during the latest of nights. The warmth battled the cold in his heart, cracking and leaking the frozen blood in his veins.

“How pitiful.” 

Felix glanced up, his neck aching as he finally managed to catch the blue gaze before him. The figure stared down at him, hollow eyes containing nothing but raw contempt. The figure crouched down, their hand brushing under Felix’s chin, studying the flames roaring down his throat.

“The better twin, you said?” Theodore chuckled, throwing his chin down onto the ground. Cruel, unforgiving Theodore. Cold Ted. Warm water freezing over. Thats what he was.

“You dolt!” Felix cried out, collapsing as he tried to grab the figure of his brother, watching as his hand faded through nothing. A shiver ran through Felix’s body as he collided with the grassy ground, green and brown ground turning black as Felix coughed soot onto it, words blurring. “Help me!”

“...” Theodore clicked his tongue, hands crossed. “Do you remember? You planned to kill me, Felix.’

“...” Felix watched the hallucination step further away, a smirk plastered on his lips. How cruel. How pathetic. How disgusting. Felix always hated smirks. They never were as victorious as they appeared. Monty’s smirk as he left him burning, Carla’s smirk when he got a question wrong, his fathers smirk when he discussed his cattle. No, not his cattle. Him and Ted. 

Smirks reminded him of the cruelty of the business world. The smirks were disgusting. Thats what he knew. Smirks were a victory. One the victor used to claim power over the loser. He planned to smirk over Teddy, then over Monty. The first time, he got tossed effortlessly out a limo like a drink no one wanted. The second time..

The second time.

It burnt. Badly. Despite it appearing only a mere 15 minutes ago, Felix remembered as the metal dug deep into his chest, the flames roaring. A part of the helicopter lodged into his ribs, slowly nearing him to his death. The flames dug into the metal, burning his organs. He felt it push in. He saw it force its way into his chest. He tasted the metal. He smelt the burning of flesh and metal. He heard it explode and sizzle. 

It was all so grossly vivid.

…

“Theodore!” Felix clawed out his own throat, arm pathetically lurching out towards his twin brother. The flames climbed up his arm as he tried to grab onto the hallucinations pant leg.

“Felix.” Cold eyes. Colder than his. “Get off me.” Sharp words. Sharper than his. “Stop being pathetic.” Harsher insults. Harsher than his. 

“Ted.. Please.. I need you.” Felix muttered, gripping onto his brothers leg. Ignoring how it was truly just a grass lump he clawed at until it felt warm from the flames around him.

“..How dumb. Imagine father seeing you like this..” Theodore shook his head, crouching down to grab his brothers chin condescendingly. Felix hated the touch. It was too cold. It felt like a dead body’s. One he wanted Theodore to be less than a day ago. “I loved you, Felix. I constantly sucked up. I did everything you asked! I was amazing.. Like you..! I guess my jealousy caught up to me in the end.. Well, father cares about me.. Like he never ever cared about you.”

Felix watched as the hallucination became a mere blur, his hand clawing at nothing once again.

“Theodore..” 

The words went unanswered.

Warmth. 

Felix never felt true warmth. He felt the burn of envy. He felt the flames of hatred bubbling. He felt the scalding water of disgust. He never felt warmth. Father never let him feel such things..

How ironic it was now..

His own father leaving him to feel what he never gave him.

Oh dear father, would you watch me turn to ash from the flames of hatred before ever giving me the warmth of your love? Would you look upon me in contempt and coldness as I sank to the bottom of the coldest rivers you knew of? Would you toss me out in a burning blaze? Lock the door on a frosty winter night?

It was useless now.

Felix Huxley was nothing but ash and broken picture frames. 

Chapter Text

“Penny.” 

The voice cut through the air, Penny’s sparking head meeting her mothers cold gaze. Her body chilled awkwardly under the stern look of raw disgust. 

“You need to stop engaging in conversation and those.. Behaviours with that girl. Shes too rough. This is why you keep getting hurt.” Her mother scowled, “And if you keep getting hurt?”

“...You won’t be able to fix me anymore..” Penny muttered, swinging her robotic legs over the ground childishly. Everything felt loud, sparks flew from her neck, a brown mixed blood dripping onto the ground as the red and green in her veins mixed uncomfortably. Her body felt tense, her eyes darting around with each spark flying from her limbs and joints. It was raw, pure agony. 

Her mother let out a quiet hum as she raised Penny’s legs onto a lab table, her body laying flat against the metal plate. “This..” She clicked, walking around to grab a scalpel, “Has a solution. I can thicken your skin. You’re very fragile.” She clicked, working her fingers around her daughter's leg injury, watching as she flinched and sparked in reply to the touch.

“Mommy-?”

The woman could only watch as her daughter cried out, soft and bleeding. Regular mothers would never hurt their child, or watch them remain injured. 

But was she truly a regular mother? Of course not! 

She was better.

“Stay still, Penny, or I’ll deactivate you while I do this. Do you want to feel that again?” Her cold eyes met her daughter's warm ones. The mechanical head shake said enough. “Good girl.”

As expected, she put down the scalpel and picked up a pair of gloves, pulling them tight on her hands with a loud crack! Penny’s body remained unmoving, besides the odd shake in her leg or the small quiver of her lips. The tools felt cold against her latex gloves, but they were necessary. Her fingers climbed up to her chest, slowly beginning to cut off portions of flimsy skin, Penny’s cries feeling raw on her throat.

“Stay quiet. God, why can’t you kids listen these days?” She tsk’ed, continuing to cut through her daughter's fake flesh. It was already pushed and pulled against her skin as far as her mother could force it too, the stretched skin thin and almost see through with how thin she forced it to be. Luckily, she had found.. Faker skin. Plastic. Enough to keep her body intact through explosions, which it clearly would need if she continued down a path with her rebellious classmates.

Of course, she didn’t touch her injury. The blackened skin stayed bloody and bruised, Penny’s body shaking uncontrollably as she fought the urge to throw up from the pressure alone. Her mother’s hands kept slipping on the flesh and blood leaking onto the metal table. It was hard to work with her when she could hardly stay still. A sharp hiss clawed from her throat, the woman scowling harshly as she yelled something blurry in Penny’s stupid mind. 

Then, the scalpel plunged deep into her stomach.

Hooking onto her large intestine. 

Penny’s gasp and cry preceded the volume her mother would’ve preferred, a stinging cry leaving her throat as she began convulsing. Her mother merely exhaled at her daughters reaction to the outburst, digging her hands in her body and yanking out the intestine, pulling her off the table and onto her knees as she did so. “Penny, be quiet.” She snarled, looking down at her daughter.. Then her limp body. “Ah. Forgot there was only so much you could take.” She stood up, crossing her arms as she gloated over the body. “I’ll clean you up. If I must. You’ve made such a mess, couldn’t even die clean, could you?” She shook her head with a click of her tongue, lifting up the mechanical body and grabbing a set of tools.

Penny’s body finally stayed still as she began to cut through the flesh again, putting each organ back where it needed to be like a game of reverse operation. Then her fingers flew across her desk drawers to fish around for her metal connectors and conductors, her fingers locating onto a couple pieces she could lodge into Penny’s body to keep it together. First, one went onto her large intestine, connecting it to what she could with disgusting squelches with each movement she dared make inside her daughter's chest. Second, she grabbed the discarded flesh and stitched it into her body, using metal plates to cover the messy stitches and keep her body stable as much as possible. Third, she began sewing up the skin onto her daughter, watching the thread connect and stretch the fake skin into her the girl's broken body.

Lastly, she fixed all her daughters nasty imperfections, finally using the metal in her body to lift her back to life, an electrocution flying through her body as she jolted awake. Pain flung through every vein as Penny hunched over, arms flailing to find her metal filled stomach. 

“Mommy..?” Penny fought out to ask, watching her mother remove her gloves and smile down at her daughter. “I have a tummy ache..”

Her mother frowned, putting a protective hand on her child’s face. “Thats upsetting, darling.”

“W-What happened..? While I was asleep?” Penny asked carefully, leaning mechanically into her mothers palm, anything for affection. It burnt against her face, yet felt so normal. This is what regular parents did.. Gentle hands on broken faces, not caring about cuts or uses.

“You became useful again, doll.” She smiled, pressing a finger to her daughter's nose, slyly wiping it on her shirt afterwards. “Get back upstairs, I need help with the classrooms, okay, Penny?”

“Yes, mommy.” Replied her useful, little girl. 

Penny would remain useful.

She would make sure of it.

Chapter Text

“I don’t expect you to forgive me.”

The words cut sharp through the air, Penny’s arms tried to find somewhere to hang, but they found nowhere to relax. Sparks from her newly repaired self flew, after Monty found a spare pair of legs, Penny had been fixed up.. 

And now met with Alice’s fearful, yet concerned expression.

Alice awkwardly fidgeted around, fingers twirling in and out each other as Alice looked around for somewhere to look. She couldn’t look at Penny. Not her. She knew she wasn't at fault, but after seeing Madison and Ron stare at her like a monster, Alice gathered enough thought to be aware of her part in the whole situation. No. Alice couldn’t recollect anything that happened, it was all a blur. Even after remembering everything she possibly could.

“...Penny. It wasn’t your fault.” Alice eventually spoke, looking up at the blonde girl beside her. Slowly beginning to take in her features. The plastic glimmer on her skin, the straw, dolllike hair she had, the sparks that flew every time she cocked her head to the side. 

“I know it wasn’t.” Penny sighed, rubbing her eyes of tears she wouldn’t let fall. Her mother scolded her for crying. It wasn’t nice whenever she did. Her tears were never warm, unlike everyone else’s. She wasn’t like everyone else, and she could accept that. But it didn’t make things hurt any less. “But I helped.. I stood by and-” Penny trailed off, staring down. Then her cold tears fell. Cold, robotic tears.

“...” Alice stayed quiet. The silence was deafening. It said nothing and everything. Mixed feelings of understanding and concern between them. A sigh left the red haired girl's lips as she finally spoke, a quiet, almost unheard whisper. “..How much do you remember?”

A puzzle piece clicked. Penny’s eyes widening.

“..Not much..” The words felt like a guilty admission, Penny turning too quick to look at Alice. “Why..?”

“I.. I don’t remember much either. About that night in the lab, or when I was.. Or..” Alice bit her lip, fists balling up tight as she tightened her grip around her skirt, Penny’s eyes flickering in understanding.

“..I thought I was just broken.”

“Hah, so did I.”

Both of them stared deep into each other's eyes, unable to understand the understanding watching over each other. Forced to be something they weren’t. Memories invalidating experiences. And for a split second, their pinkies grazed each other’s on the bench they were sat on. 

“I don’t fully forgive you, yet.” Alice began, before turning to cup Penny’s face softly.

“But this is a way to begin..”

Chapter Text

Cindy never really knew what vegan meant.

She heard her mama talk about the word when wanting to get skinnier, and about how she wanted Cindy to eat. Cindy’s diet came up more than hers did. Whenever Cindy asked, there was nothing she understood about her mommy’s reply. 

“If your deadbeat dad sees how pretty you are, he might actually stay with us, Cynthia! You took all the looks, didn’t you? At least uphold them.”

Calories came up next. The lower the better, that's what she gathered. Truthfully, she didn’t know what the word “thousand” meant, but she heard her mother shout it with disdain into her phone. So it had to be bad. She couldn’t read the labels on her food, but whatever her mommy gave her had to be right, right? 

Yet, when she looked into her paper bag and found some random green food at the bottom, mold gathering around the bottom of it, she let out a scoff and an easy comment.

“My stupid mother packed me something thats not vegan!” The words rolled off the tongue easily, making her classmates turn to look at her. Attention. Cindy liked attention. 

She liked how Lily’s brow twitched into a fearful, yet disgusted expression with every word that left her lips. She liked how Nuggets eyes flickered up at her, then away in annoyance. She liked Jerome smacking his lips after she spoke. She liked Buggs pausing over his food. She liked Monty stopping his money counting to shoot her a glare.

The attention felt like dark magic. So right, but also so wrong..?

After Cindy folded her bag back up, getting up and making a show of tossing it into the trash with a smirk that could kill, the eyes flickered again. The eyes. Fear, annoyance, disgust, hatred, confusion. Attention it was, and attention she needed. It fueled the blonde pigtailed girl, made her step back to her seat with a little bounce to her hips with every step she took. 

Once Cindy sat back down, she let out a long, dramatic sigh, turning to look at Lily as she began to stand up. Cindy felt the words burn in her throat, smug, cold, sharp, and practiced. She remembered Lily when she began kindergarten, and had her stupid brother with her. She was kind, and oddly confident. Too confident for Cindy’s liking.

“Oh, Lily~!” Cindy sang out, crossing her legs to straighten her back up more, only to make herself appear more tall. Taller, stronger, cockier, more confident. Thats what mattered, didn’t it? 

Lily’s hands flickered over what she was holding, Cindy’s eyes widening as she prepared to talk again. But Lily cut in first. “Please, Cindy, not today-”

“My God! Lily, look at that donut.. Then your figure..” Cindy smirked brighter, looking the other girl up and down as she uncomfortably shifted. Deciding to stand up with her hands on her hips.

Ignoring the way her head began to grow light.

“I mean, how many calories must that have?” Cindy laughed, smartly. Sure, she wasn’t sure what calories fully were, but she knew they were bad, and you obviously could not have too many! “It has to be bad for you.. I mean..-” 

.

.

.

A wave of nausea washed over Cindy, her body swaying to the side, making another uncomfortable laugh erupt from her throat. It was painful. Painful enough to make Lily step back. “I mean, everyone’s getting infected with your fatness, aren’t they? I can’t even stand how disgusting you are!” Cindy spat out again, keeping herself still with her body beginning to tremble.

This wasn’t how it was meant to go.

Cindy was meant to bark. Lily was meant to cower. Cindy was meant to bite. Lily was meant to collapse and cry. That's how it went. That's how her script played out.

That’s how her mommy’s script played out.

“..Cindy-”

“Shut up!” Cindy barked, using one foot to push herself up higher, despite the shake visible as she glared. “Hah, what? Can you not even speak now that your brother isn’t here anymore? All you can say is my name? Good, we all know you’re jealous!” The words spilled out more and more, feeling like vomit erupting from her throat as she forced them out more and more, trying to suffocate the emptiness in her stomach with the vile, bile rising words she slapped onto Lily.

“...He’s probably dead-!” Cindy finally let out, confidently standing tall as she glowered over Lily, watching her lip tremble. 

The same way her body was.

That shaky grip on the bag in her hand.

The same one she had on the wall.

But, not every script went how it was expected to. Improvisation has always been common in plays. Especially when one of the cast is injured.

“Don’t- Don’t you dare say that about my brother!” Lily barked back, throwing the donut to the ground, yelling as she ran to attack Cindy.

It was unexpected. The rush of blue after her. The feeling of her body slamming against the ground. Lily held her down onto the ground, hot tears burning into her skin. Cindy couldn’t hear the words she barked and branded her with. It was bullcrap anyway- It was wrong- It was off-script!

..But when an actress tries to perform despite her injury, it always ends badly, and the curtains have to slowly close on the scene.

Much like Cindy’s vision fading to black, unable to feel as the girl above her was dragged off, unable to hear the screams fading into sobs, then silence. She didn’t hear the ambulance sirens, or the doctors, or Ms. Applegate’s grating voice. 

No, in the darkness and silence of her hunger and her mind, Cindy heard nothing.

…

“Do you know how much this will cost us, Cynthia?” The words cut through her mind, Cindy pushing herself up by her elbows to meet her mothers gaze. A cigarette dangled from her lips, the ash a stark contrast to the fake pearls along her neck, the ankle monitor on her leg hidden by the flared jeans she wore. The woman’s eyes were plastered with make up and age, wild eyes and black mascara. A sharp exhale of smoke met Cindy’s nose and mouth, which quickly got coughed up in the pristine white hospital room.

“I- I’m sorry..!” Cindy bit out, her knees slightly raised up as she watched her mothers jaw tighten. “I was just-”

“You were what?! Making me look a fool in front of everyone? Not eating to prove a point? Is your mommy’s cooking not good enough?! Is your mommy not good enough?!” The woman barked, Cindy cowering back. “..Tch. Just like your father.” She exhaled the smoke again, blowing it away from her daughter, yet it still found its way to her nose. 

Cindy’s eyes began to water, sniffling in the smoke on accident. “No! That's not what I-”

“You better marry a rich man one day.” Her mother cut her off, not daring to take another glance at her pathetic excuse of a daughter. “I want you to repay every penny I spent on you. I want you to be what I couldn’t, okay, sweetheart?’

“..Yes, mommy..”

Chapter Text

Carla always enjoyed cars.

She liked sitting in the back of buses as they drove her to school, sitting in taxis after school when she got suspended, being picked up by a relative after family dinners went wrong.. Carla liked that. She also wanted to drive one herself. But of course, she was 5! She couldn’t drive…

Not without a couple precautions.

See, Carla is a smart girl. She knew she wasn’t tall enough to reach the pedals, or old enough to borrow her mothers car keys, or that she wasn’t qualified to drive. So, she did what any smart girl would do.

“Hah,” Carla smirked, taping the rest of the wooden ends to the backs of her legs, making two little stilts to walk on. They dug into her legs tight enough to ensure they wouldn’t wobble when she walked or drove, a sly expression slithering onto her face as she strode over to the car.

Not before she swiped the car keys and drivers license off the table. It slid under her hand like a whisper of lies climbing up her arm and tucking into her jacket like a cat clawing into its owner. Carla took a sharp breath in, staring down at the horrific photo on the license and sighing as she fully slid it into her pocket, scampering out the door with the moonlight beaming down on her. 

A criminal in the night pulling open the driver's side door, climbing in shakily with the wind pressing over her hair and face, slamming the door a little too loud for the time. Her eyes anxiously found the time displayed above the radio. 

2:13am.

Carla had school tomorrow. And new business endeavours with Felix, then Monty, if they hadn’t already closed it alone without her. The idea of that made a glimmer of annoyance appear quick onto her face. That annoyance caused her hand to find the keys in her pocket, lodging them into the ignition. The car jolted to life, shaking her in that seat far too big for her.

With the car shifting to life through her movements, the air in front of her went foggy as she exhaled into the cold air. It was exhilarating as it was dangerous. But those two things tended to go hand in hand for Carla. Eventually, Carla managed to figure out how the gearshift works, guiding it with rough hand movements so the car would start, the engine properly roaring to life sending a shiver of excitement down her spine.

Now, one of the most difficult parts. She thought, at least. The wooden stilts strapped to her legs found their way to the peddles, the small contact hitting the back of her knee lightly. Her jeans felt suddenly coarse against her skin, the car beginning to move as she pulled out of the driveway, continuing to shake as she managed to get herself onto the road through too much turning and changing the gearshift far more than necessary.

The stability of the straight road felt a lot better than the previous state she was in with getting out the driveway, finally having the free idea of being able to push her foot down and go straight down the road with her leg slightly shaking over the pedal. Every little bump and shake of the car made her stomach churn, every corner she took felt like another road she was driving straight into..

But it felt more exciting. 

Every corner she swerved made her body jolt with more life than ever before, cheering as she sped up way past the speed limit, going 70 miles in a 40 zone. It's good it was night, or else the police would be right behind her. She wondered how many crimes she could get away with if she just waited until the dark sparks of the night, when the light had finally left the world..

Then again, she was 5 and using wooden stilts to drive a car.

Despite the fun she was having, Carla’s hands gripped tighter around the wheel, watching as the mph increased by the second, the car swerving uncontrollably. 

SKRRRRTT-

…

The glass shattered. Ripples of crystal moonlight shining in her tearful eyes. Sparks of crimson bursting like little roses spreading across her skin. Cries echoing through the sky like whispers to a deadly siren stealing her breath.

Carla’s body shot up, planks of wood digging into her skin. Splints formed into stab wounds as she got pressed into her seat further, body shaking in raw agony as she fought the urge to scream more. Everything hurts. Her mind began to feel dizzy as she tried to recount her wounds.

Blood began to seep into her mothers car, red stains falling onto the seat as she tried to stand up, wood bending and snapping more into her skin, forcing her to cry back and fall into her seat. The crimson liquid continued to fall down her legs, entire body shaking in complete agony.

Everything began to feel fuzzy, her arms reaching up to grasp onto something, anything, her hands managing to find the glass covered door handle. All her weakened strength forced into opening this one last hope she had for survival, the door swinging open wildly. Wind hit her face quick and sharp as her body toppled onto the ground, dirt and gravel digging in and marking her skin. Blood stuck the sharp rocks to her skin more, another cry forcing itself out her throat as she clawed to try and find salvation.

Her nails dug into the dirt as her body scraped across the ground, blood trailing behind her, away from the abandoned and smoking car..

..Smoking..?

..Cars weren’t meant to-

.

.

.

.

“A young girl, aged only 5 years old was found dead in a car crash. Police presume she attempted to drive the vehicle herself. The parents are being questioned, but for now, we can only pay our respects to 5 year old Carla. A life taken far too soon.”

Chapter Text

No one ever believed Emmy.

It was true. After all, Emmy was the social freak with flowers in her hair and a smile that burnt the room like the sun did to flowers with no water. Emmy was.. Rather outcasted. Alice never liked her, Austin gave her odd looks from across the pick up area, Davey never bothered with anyone except Linda.

It was lonely, being Emmy. And it got worse when the other girls got pulled out, even the fake friends she had who only wanted her flowers or leaves were gone. It was sad.

Emmy paid it no mind, however, letting the grass indent her skin as she watered the flowers. The red ones were simple and easy to water, she brushed her fingers under the petals for better access to the soil, hands working carefully like she was managing fragile glass. It was sweet, her soft care for these plants. They were her own kids, truly..

So when a certain pigtailed brat strutted over, Emmy’s frustration increased. It didn’t show. But with how she spat on her babies, and took her food, and now came over with a smirk.. It made Emmy tense.

“Oh Kale Kai!” Cindy sang sweetly, bending down with her hands behind her back to gauge the flowers, eyes widening at the pure beauty of the petals. “My my my, first you hide your vegan food from me, now you hoard these beauties? God, Beansprout Brooklyn can you get any more annoying?” Cindy sprung herself back, hair following her movements and swirling around her.

Emmy stayed on her knees in front of the flowers, awkwardly glancing down. “You can have the red ones..!” Emmy chirped, hands instinctively reaching for the red ones.

Only for Cindy’s heel to clamp down on her wrist.

“Mm-mm.” Cindy tutted, kicking the girl's hand aside, scoffing as she winced and checked her hand under the glove. “Red isn’t my colour, Carrot Cathy. I want the blue ones.”

..The blue ones..?

“No-!” Emmy snapped her head to look up at the girl, Cindy’s eyes closing in on her shaken frame, a smirk climbing up her lips as she crouched down to her level.

“And why not, Lettuce Leila?” 

“They’re..” Emmy hesitated, hands fidgeting over her skirt, messing about over the embroidery flowers on the bottom. “They’re covered in this toxin and-”

“Hah! Toxin.. That's new, Eggplant Evelyn. Give me them.” Her words became more solid, Cindy’s patience and desire for such pretty flowers slowly wearing thin as Emmy denied over and over.. What a prude..

“No, I promise I can wash them off with a little water and everything will be fine-” Emmy begged, grabbing her watering can to pour them over-

Only for Cindy to yank them all out the ground in one quick movement, eyes hungry with desire and disgust. 

“And have you ruin my pretty little flowers..? I think not, Hazelnut Harper.” 

“...”

Emmy’s eye gave off a fragile little tick, the can dropping beside her as she quietly laughed and took a step back. Her baby was in that cruel girl's hands. But that baby fought back. She knew her girl was strong.

“Okay.”

It took everything in Emmy not to cry, or warn her again, or to rip her sweethearts out her hands uncaringly. But she didn’t, she knew Cindy would get her long earned karma.

“Have them, Careless Cindy.” 

Emmy spat, as if she was spitting on meat, or another brat staring her face to face.

Cindy didn’t pay any mind to Emmy’s behaviour. But smirked, holding the plants close to her chest, ignoring the red mark growing on her hands as she held them softly. “Thank you, Mint Mary!” She sang again, blowing a kiss to Emmy as she skipped away, the blue blooming across her skin in a red cacophony of karma.

.

.

.

.

Cindy sat down on the grass, picking apart the toxin-covered flowers with ease, slowly forming a little crown with a smile that said she didn’t steal them from an innocent girl… The feeling of her skin getting more itchy and painful is getting rather annoying.. But this wasn’t what Emmy said, no, Emmy was dumb. Emmy was a weird, friendless loser who stayed with all her plants. She didn’t have a boyfriend, or money, or anything that made any of her time worth it around her.

..God, was her throat meant to be closing up that bad..?

Cindy’s fingers let the flowers drop to the ground, her throat shutting off like a valve locking in her throat. Everything began to hurt and close off, her muscles becoming tense and stiff, agony searing through every bone as she slipped onto the ground.

The mud stained her dress, the grass dug into her knees painfully. Her body began to seize, shouts and screams erupting from all directions like an open casting call for her pain. Everything hurt.

Foam felt gross across her cheeks, her arms felt taut at her sides..

Until everything faded with the nurses hands bracing around her body.

Cindy’s eyes only able to shift over to the red flowers.

And the fly trap above them.