Atropa felt a tear roll down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away. “I wish I could remember their face. I wish I could have gotten their picture.” She cradled her camera.
The other three at the table were stunned and looked between themselves before Erin broke the silence.
He sniffled, “Dear God, you’re a poet.” Erin dabbed at the corners of his eyes. Darren kicked him under the table. “Ow! I was being serious. What she said was really sweet!” His twin rolled his eyes, “Even when you try to be sincere, you come off like an ass.”
Atropa smiled, “Thanks guys, you’re too kind.” She gasped as lips pressed against her cheek. Atropa looked at the girl beside her. “What was that for?” she asked.
Lilith smiled, “You’re too damn cute for your own good.” She continued to eat her apple, laughing at the shocked expressions of her ‘brothers’.
Chapter VI: First Day Back
Atropa stepped through the threshold of the house. Her mother following closely behind her. She took off her shoes and tried to escape upstairs.
She wasn’t so lucky.
“Living room,” her mother demanded.
Atropa gripped her bag and followed the woman deeper into the home. She sat on the floor, her mother glaring down at her from the couch. Atropa began to feel nauseous as her mother pulled out a sliver lined tome. It looked handmade, with intricate silver patterns and was always polished. The symbols and writings inside were foreign and held no meaning, at least none Atropa could decipher. She’d tried to destroy it before. She’d thrown it in fireplaces, tried to toss it deep into the woods, or in lakes. Nothing ever worked. The book always came back, looking as immaculate as ever.
“How you behaved last night and this morning was unacceptable,” her mother seethed. “Not only did you take the Lord’s name in vain, but you also broke one of my crystal glasses, then this morning, you had the audacity to slam the door!” She flickered through some passages and began to recite.
Atropa screamed. Her body curling in on itself as each word passed her mother’s lips. She cried out, her body seizing in agony. It felt as if her muscles were being pulled apart strand by strand. Tears streamed down her face as she dug her nails into the hardwood floor. She could feel the marks appearing on her skin. The words dug into her flesh and left welts in their wake.
Her mother shouted over her cries. Spitting word after word through clenched teeth. Her smile wide at the girl’s suffering. It was power, pure and untested. Atropa could only rive in pain. The teen’s body twisting and contorting, trying to get away.
She didn’t know how long she laid there, how long it went on for. Time was an intangible concept when it came to her mother’s fury. The sun had gone down though, it must have been hours. Sobs racked her body.
Her mother finally finished and left her to cry. Atropa tried to stand, it hurt like hell but she got through it. She made her way upstairs and to the bathroom. Taking off her sweater, she found the angry red lines covering her body. Some of welts were broken open and bloody. It looked like she had been whipped.
She sniffled and went into the shower, turning the knob all the way to the left. The water was steaming as it came out of the faucet. Every other temperature felt too cold. Her father and mother always complained that her skin looked boiled after she got out, but she didn’t care. The heat was the closest thing to a hug she ever got when she was with them. Atropa sat under the spray and let the water caress her. Besides, if she was all red, no one would notice the marks.
* * *
Lilith could tell something was wrong. Atropa knew she could. The other teen had been staring at her intently all day. Her ruby eyes boring into her, as if seeing what Atropa so desperately tried to hide. Darren and Erin seemed to notice something was off too.
“You look like hell,” Erin said and was swiftly elbowed by his twin. “Ow! What? She does!”
Atropa laughed sadly, “I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night.” The marks were itchy, so she scratched them over her sleeve.
Darren saw rage fill Lilith’s eyes and quickly dragged his brother away. “Come on, Erin,” he urged, “We should get a head start to class.”
Atropa furrowed her brow at the sight of them leaving and looked up at Lilith, who was fuming. “What’s wrong?” she asked nervously.
“What happened to your arm, Atropa?”
The girl froze and looked down. Her sleeve had risen up. She quickly tried to cover it but was stopped by Lilith’s hand.
“What did they do to you?” pale fingers slid over the welts that lined the once unmarked skin.
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” Atropa whispered, a tremor in her voice.
Lilith’s eyes narrowed, “Try me.”
Atropa took a deep breath. “My...my parents have this book.” She stopped, she didn’t want to have this conversation again. The one she had with CPS agents and school counselors, all of which scoffed at her and wrote her down as a teen suppressing trauma. She knew what they did! She knew how they hurt her! She wasn’t making it up! “They, they say things, and for some reason it… hurts me.”
Lilith stood up. “Come on,” she urged, offering her hand.
Atropa hesitantly took it. The taller teen lead her through the halls and out to the greenhouse. It was the fall semester, so it wasn’t being used. They passed by a few teachers on the way out, but none tried to stop them.
Atropa wondered how Lilith was able to get them in the locked building. She didn’t see her use a key. The teen stepped inside when the door was opened for her. Lilith followed, taking her hand once again. The greenhouse smelled of dirt and dying plants. Withered ivy hung from the ceiling and clung to the walls. Lilith brought her to a darkened corner where wilting flowers surrounded them.
“Take off your shirt,” Lilith instructed as she rustled through her bag.
“What?” Atropa wrapped her arms around herself.
“I need to get to your wounds, so take off your shirt and sit down,” Lilith pointed to the space in front of her.
“Oh,” Atropa sat, her back facing Lilith. She slowly slipped off her sweater and tried to hold in a whimper of pain. The marks on her back hurt the most. She could feel Lilith’s eyes roaming her skin.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered and Atropa felt something wet hit her skin and trail down her spine. She turned and saw the pained expression on Lilith’s face.
For once Lilith was happy Erin was a bumbling idiot that always got himself hurt. She carried the balm with her everywhere because of him. The pale girl took the tin of ointment in hand and opened it. “This’ll feel cold,” she whispered as she pressed some of the mixture onto the marks.
Atropa hissed at the sensation before relief washed over her. She sighed and relaxed into the massage. Her body seemed to instantly heal from the wounds her mother inflicted. Pain slowly slipped away as her skin mended under the gentle caresses. Tears rolled down her cheeks. No one had ever done this for her, taken care of her, healed her. Atropa smiled, “Thank you, Lilith.”
Red eyes trailed down the disappearing welts, “Don’t thank me.”
* * *
Atropa came home to two fuming parents. Which explained why she was forced to walk back. She kicked herself for not taking Lilith’s offer of a ride. Her legs felt like jello from trekking the miles back home. Her mother and father were sitting on the living room couch. They glared at her as she came in. In all honesty, she didn’t have the energy to deal with this. She didn’t know what she did today. On the coffee table, she noticed a mound of ash.
“What did you do to it?” her father stared up at her, fury in his eyes. “What did you do to it?!”
Atropa jumped back and looked at the pair. She grit her teeth, “I haven’t done anything!”
“Who else could have done this?” her mother screeched, pointing to the ashes.
Atropa looked at them, then it in confusion, “What are you talking about?”
“The book, Atropa! How
did you get it and how did you do this to it!” her father pointed an accusing finger, “We know you did it, so for once in your life, stop lying.”
Hot tears pricked at her eyes. “I didn’t touch your stupid book!” she insisted and ran up the stairs.
“Atropa!” her mother called after her.
Said teen turned around, and in a fury pushed her mother down the stairs. The woman fell back, colliding with the man. The pair fell to the floor in a heap, both moaning in pain.
Atropa ran to her room, locking the door behind her. She looked at the dresser against the wall and forced it in front of the door, like a barricade. She covered her ears, her parents were pounding on the wood and screaming. Atropa sobbed and curled under the covers, pressing the pillow over her head and waited for them to stop.
It felt like hours. It had been hours. But the pair finally gave up and went back downstairs. Atropa lifted her head from under the pillow cautiously. She held her breath and made sure they were really gone.
Atropa touched her arm, going to mindlessly feel the bumps. What the hell? She shot up in bed and turned on her light. Her eyes widened at the sight.
There were no marks.
She stripped off her sweater and went to her mirror. The skin on her back was completely clear. There wasn’t a blemish in sight. Even the marks on her chest were healed.
She collapsed onto her bed in amazement. Atropa ran her fingers over where the marks used to be. Confusion took over as she stared blankly at the floor. The pile of unorganized photos still laid there in a heap. She picked up the one of Lilith. It was contorted and other worldly, but it was still Lilith. She climbed back under the covers and turned off the light. The photo pressed against her chest once more. Questions raced through her mind, but slowly faded away. Her heartbeat began to steady and soon she fell asleep.
* * *
The next day she grabbed Lilith by the elbow and dragged the other behind the school. “How’d you do it?” she asked.
The other teen tried to play dumb. “What do you mean, sweetheart?” she moved a piece of hair away from Atropa’s eyes. The other girl slapped it away.
“How did you destroy the book?” Atropa growled.
Lilith frowned, “Don’t ask things you don’t want to know the answer to.”
With tears in her eyes, Atropa stormed off. Lilith didn’t try to chase her, and she was grateful for that. She needed some time to think.
Chapter VII: Another Day
Atropa stomped through the halls. She was confused and didn’t know how to handle anything that was going on. The other students parted for her, like the Red Sea. She knew she was giving of an ‘I’ll rip your head off’ vibe, but she didn’t care. Atropa burst into the library and went toward the back were the bookshelves surrounded and enclosed her. She sighed and rested her head against the wall.
Last night had been a blessing and a curse. On one hand, that fucking book was gone and could no longer be used against her. On the other hand, her parents were now in full panic mode. Then, there was the subject of Lilith. Like how the hell did she get the book and destroy it, and how’d she make the wounds disappear? Atropa frowned, her head pounding as she wracked her brain for answers.
“So, you came back?”
Atropa growled and glared at the blonde. “Today isn’t a good day to fuck with me,” she warned.
Castella stared her down. “What are you?” she asked.
Atropa looked at her, utterly bewildered, “What the hell are you talking about?” She let her bag drop on the floor. “I’m not in the mood, now leave me alone.”
Castella frowned, “I know what you are.” She stalked toward the other. “You can hide it from everyone else, but not from me,” she growled.
“I’m going to hurt you,” Atropa warned, “I’m going to hurt you.”
That seemed to make Castella pause. She looked her up and down. “If you do, they’ll use the book again,” she grinned, “You can’t do shit.” She reached out and smacked Atropa across the face.
The blow itself didn’t hurt, she’d had worse. It was the shock that caught her off guard. Castella had moved so fast, Atropa didn’t even see it coming. She blinked, one of her contacts dislodging from her watering eyes. She could hear the girl laughing above her. Atropa stared up at her. Purple locked with fake green. “Get sick, and die,” she said, a smile spreading across her face.
Castella paused. A churning sensation began in the pit of her stomach. She wretched and bile spewed from her mouth. Her eyes remained on Atropa’s. She couldn’t look away, not even when her vision became flooded with tears. She was too young to fight it, too inexperienced to free herself. Vomit continued to flow out of her. Her body growing weak until she collapsed on the floor.
Atropa watched her fall into the pool. She pressed herself against the wall and quickly covered her eye with her hair. There was no way she was going to pick the contact out of whatever the other girl had thrown up. She grabbed her bag and ran. She kept moving until she was outside. Gasping for air, she pressed her back against the cool bricks.
Atropa sunk to the ground and dug her hands into her hair. She sobbed, feeling her body trembling from the amount of power she had unleashed. Breathing became harder as she hiccuped.
“Atropa?” Erin called. Lilith said she’d be around here. Erin felt her distress and followed it. “Atropa?” The blonde turned the corner and found the panicking teen. He kneeled down and pulled out some napkins from his bag. “Oh shit, what happened?” He wiped at her face and tried to calm the hysterical girl.
Atropa whined but let the blond help her. “I’m sorry,” she tried to pull herself together, taking a deep breath. “I...I,” Atropa shook her head. God, had she killed Castella? What if she killed her?!
Darren ran over, “Oh, you found her!” He kneeled beside Atropa. “Hey, hey, breathe for us,” he felt her heart rate steadying by the second. They sat beside her and soothed her until she stopped crying.
“This place is going to kill me,” Atropa rubbed at her eyes. “I haven’t cried since I was little and then I get here and I’m practically sobbing every day.”
Darren frowned and wrapped an arm around her, his brother followed suit. “They say this place is magical. That no secrets can stay buried here because the eyes of God and Satan are always watching,” he began, hoping to distract the teen.
“What do you mean?” Atropa asked.
Erin explained, “The town is filled with demons by day and angels by night.”
“One on your left,” Darren added.
“And one on your right,” Erin finished.
Atropa laughed, “And you called me a poet.”
The twins smiled, happy they were able to cheer the girl up. “It’s not ours,” Erin admitted. “It’s the town’s old slogan. They changed it a long time ago. Too offensive to the pearl clutching public.” Darren stood and offered his hand to the girl, his brother did the same, “Come on, princess.”
Atropa took their hands and stood up. “Thanks, you guys,” she gave them both a hug and they all headed back toward the school. Lilith was waiting for them, a knowing smile on her face.
* * *
Castella didn’t come to school the next day, nor the one after that. In fact, a week went by and no one saw heads or tails of the blonde. Atropa’s house didn’t get any calls. No one from the school pulled her into the office to have a ‘chat’. She was surprised but also very relieved.
Her parents were packing. Something had come up and they both were called to go to a new Excavation site. They’d have to leave by the end of the month. They didn’t tell Atropa the details, not that she really cared. All that matter was that they were going to be gone for a while. She was ecstatic.
Since the book was destroyed, they seemed more on edge then ever. Their only line of defense was gone, and now they had nothing to hang over her head.
“You’ll be fine here by yourself?”
“Yes, mother,” Atropa answered and p
oked at her father’s latest kitchen experiment. She detested when they would cook. No matter what it was, she always got sick or tired afterwards.
Atropa looked between her parents, who were staring at her intensely. She looked down at her food, stomach churning. “I’m going to bed,” she announced and left the room. When her bedroom door closed, she could hear them arguing downstairs.
She made sure to lock her door and push the dresser in front of it.
* * *
Atropa hung out with Lilith and the twins more and more. The four bonding over the strangest things. It was frustrating that every picture she took of them all was distorted, but she doubted she’d be able to forget them. The group made their way through the woods by Atropa’s house. “Come on, it’s over here!” she cheered.
The twins didn’t have the heart to tell her they’ve known about the graveyard longer then she’s been alive. Lilith followed closely to the skipping girl, simply happy to be in her presence.
The four of them came upon the headstones and tip toed their way to the gnarled oak in the middle.
“I like this place,” Erin whispered as he rested against the tree. The other three silently agreed. Atropa rested her head on Lilith’s shoulder. Darren nudged his twin. “Hey,” he said to get the girls attentions, “We’re going to go explore some more.” He pulled his griping twin away from the pair.
Atropa watched them leave, confused but glad to be alone with Lilith. “Thank you,” she said after a beat of silence.
Lilith quirked an eyebrow, “For what?”
“For using that balm on me. For destroying the book, which I still don’t know how you accomplished,” Atropa paused at the sound of Lilith’s laughed. She took the girl’s hand, “...for being my friend.”
Child of the Morning Star Page 3
