Three friends one day formed a band that would be known throughout the world as one of the only eco-goth rock bands. Unbeknownst to most, their backgrounds were filled with darkness and suffering, but their lives took a turn for the better once they came across four teenagers and their dog. Their pasts, once shrouded in mystery, soon came to the light upon meeting the members of Mystery Incorporated.
A girl of raven hair was drenched in the silver streaks radiating off of the brilliant full moon above her. The time was lost to the girl, for she was too swallowed in her own thoughts to check or care. Her stature rested against a tree upon a hill, the highest one in the ridge. Her arms were placed over her knees - which were brought to her chest - head buried inside her bare arms. The girl, barely a teenager at the time, sat there, alone; her father, a pharmacist, always worked long hours, leaving the girl on her own for most of the time. Her mother was unfortunately deceased. The time spent to herself caused her to wallow in her own sadness and troubles, and with no one to talk to. Thus, most of her time was spent at that sole tree upon the hill, enjoying the one thing that would always be there for her - nature. It calmed her, leaving her in the silence. That is, until it was broken. A rustling noise reached her ears, it reminiscent of leaves being crushed beneath a person's boot.
The noise snapped the ravenette's head from within her arms, it immediately turning to the source, "W-Who's there?" Spoke a susurrant voice, quiet and instilled with fear.
Another girl came into view, a young teenager of a darker complexion, combined with curly, ginger hair, "There's...someone else here?" Her voice contained shock; she wasn't expecting company.
"Y-Yes. I come here often.. It's one of the few calming places for me."
"Ah… It seemed quiet here, so I thought I'd pay it a visit." Concluding their reasonings, they stood in silence for a few passing moments, that is, until the unknown visitor spoke again, "Who are you…?"
"I'm Sally. Sally McKnight." The seated girl spoke, identity finally revealed, "Who are you?"
"Kim. Just...Kim." A nervous hand reached to grab the alternate arm, the redhead almost embarrassed to reveal she was unaware of her surname.
"Kim… That's a nice name!" For once, Sally found herself smiling. There was a connection forged between the two, and Sally could sense it. It wasn't unusual for a Wiccan to sense such a thing, of course.
"Heh, thanks." Shuffling closer, Kim pointed to the tree, tilting her head, "Mind if I sit next to you…?"
Sally placed both hands on the ground to assist herself in scooting over, providing room for the other to seat beside her, "Sure. I don't mind, really."
And so, the redhead situated herself next to the ravenette, positioning herself into a pose ressemblant of the one Sally was in a few minutes prior. Once more, they found themselves in silence, the only noises being the inevitable sounds of nature. Yes, the beautiful melody it played…
"It's rather nice out." The girl of raven hair stated, shattering the silence.
"Yeah, it is…" Whispered the second female; words weren't exactly her specialty. She always was one to be a quiet observer.
"So...Just why exactly are you here? Someone your age shouldn't be out so late at night."
"I..wanted to get away. Needed some alone time. Know what I mean?"
"Heh, yeah, I feel you. Although, I must say, sometimes I get too much alone time. Gets boring."
"Really? I would kill to be by myself… It's the only way for me to be able to express myself and not get judged or ridiculed by my parents… They're far too strict… If I speak, they lash out at me. It isn't fun…"
Sally only blinked, a gasp exhaled at what she was hearing. Sure, her father wasn't around much, but when he was, he was kind to her. Parents that were cruel to their children came as a surprise to her. It seemed so inhumane, "That's horrible… My father is too busy with work to really monitor me that much. I'm by myself for the most part. I kinda wish he was around more…"
Kim's gaze shifted towards the other, it of a sad and weary nature, "I'm lucky I even managed to sneak out without waking them. The punishment surely wouldn't be pretty…" Her line of sight drifted off along with her words, but they were soon directed back at Sally, for she had wrapped her arms around her.
"Don't worry about them. Just worry about now." She spoke in a reassuring manner, tightening her grip around Kim.
Kim's eyes eventually fell shut, the hug returned, "I will."
Time moved forwards, the two seemingly talking for hours together beneath the moon. They would take a brief pause in their conversations to gaze upon the lunar beauty, it dazzling them both. They found themselves laughing at times, growing sad, and overall bonding during their experience. They found a confidant in each other, and felt as if they had finally found someone else who understood. However, they soon found they wouldn't be the only ones who were experiencing a similar childhood.
Sometime during their talks, another sound of leaves crumbling beneath someone's feet reached their ears, their conversation immediately ceased because of it.
"Another one?" Sally immediately inquired, eyes drifting about to locate the source.
"I wonder who it could be, now…" Kim whispered, unconsciously shifting closer to the other in slight fear.
A girl with blonde hair concealed in pigtails revealed herself, seemingly stomping her way to the top of the hill, mumbling incoherent phrases beneath her breath. Once reaching the top, her angered gaze fell upon the two in front of the tree, "Hey! What do ya' think you're doing here?" The stranger immediately growled, irritated by the secondary and tertiary presences.
"We were just talking. Sheesh, no need to get so worked up about it." Countered Sally. Kim merely remained silent, growing uncomfortable at the shouting; it reminded her too much of the scenes with her parents.
The stranger's hand pressed against her face, a sigh being exhaled in response, "Ugh, look, sorry. Things aren't too good right now. Bit irritated because of it, if you know what I'm saying."
Her apology was merely brushed off by a wave from the ravenette, "It's all right, don't worry about it. We understand what you're going through." Her words accompanied a nod of agreement from the ginger.
"You do? Wow, color me surprised. Never thought anyone else could."
"Just what all is happening with you?"
"My siblings… Ugh, they're so annoying. They keep bothering me and trying to start fights with me. It gets so old after a while."
"Younger?"
"No, older. Far older. They use that to their advantage. Sometimes, too much…" She shivered upon completing her words, indicating memories were arising that she did not want to revisit.
Sally once more found herself in shock. First, she heard of abuse from someone's parents from Kim. Now, she heard about sibling abuse from this stranger. Come to think of it…she had yet to learn her name, "...Who might you be?"
"Jude. Jude Flynn." Was blatantly stated by the blonde.
Kim, mustering the courage to speak, looked towards Jude, blinking a few times, "I...I know a similar feeling, except with my parents…"
Jude's eyebrows raised, visage containing indicators of surprisal, "Huh… So you know how it feels."
Her only response was a nod before silence befell the trio. It seemed to be a common occurrence. The blonde was the one to break the silence this time, "So, sorry again about before. Is it too much of a bother if I joined you two?"
"Not at all. Here, you can sit next to me." Sally motioned to the free area to her left, so that she would be between Jude and Kim.
Jude hastily sat beside her, leaning against the tree in an aloof fashion. Soon, the three began to talk just like Sally and Kim did before, them starting to find various similarities between each other, aside from their unwanted situations at home. They all shared a common liking in nature, music, folklore, and in Sally's Wiccan background. The chatter between the trio went on for another great wealth of time, so long that the orange colors began to streak the sky, the sun beginning to rise.
"Well, it's getting late…" Stated Kim, disheartened in how she would have to return home, it evident in how slowly she stood up.
"Yeah, I better get going soon. Who knows what on earth could be awaiting me back at the house." Groaned Jude as she rose to her feet.
"Now, now, girls. Don't get so glum. We have each other, right? That's all we need." Sally was the one to be optimistic about the situation, looking at each of the girls once she straightened out.
"Yeah, so?" An eyebrow of the blonde's was raised, confused at what Sally was getting at.
"We can always come back here together, sometime. Sound like a plan, huh?" The ravenette pointed an index finger skyward, hand nearby her cheek as she gave a wink.
"That doesn't sound too bad." Kim smiled at Sally, most certainly agreeing with her. She enjoyed the positive presence.
"You got it, Sally." Jude crossed her arms smugly in front of her, chuckling slightly.
"All right, girls. I'll see you tomorrow." Sally placed her hand in the middle of the three of them, the other girls placing their hands over hers to mark their newfound friendship and arrangement.
"And that's how we all came to know each other." Thorn snickered alongside her words, looking at the members of Mystery Incorporated after sharing their pasts.
"Wow.." Daphne started, "That's horrible, what you all had to go through."
"Zooinks! I have no idea if Scoobs and I could even manage to get through that!" Shaggy looked at his dog, which in turn looked back at him, responding with a 'Ruh-ruh' in agreement.
"Ah, don't worry about it. Everything's better with our respective situations." Luna flashed a smile, more open and talkative than her child self.
Dusk chimed in with a loud laugh, "Yeah, we're totally cool now!"
"That's definitely reassuring." Fred nervously scratched the back of his head with a smile to match.
"Wait a minute… You never told us how you came to be a band!" Velma capitalized on the fellow member's commentary, curiosity welling inside.
Thorn winked, the other two of the band snickering in unison, "Well, you'll just have to wait and see.~"