AN: Comps and Prompts down the bottom.
oO Warnings: Conversion Camp, Bad Language & Minor Physical Abuse Oo
she was lightning in the storm
AlwaysPadfoot
The power had gone out several minutes ago.
Susan had been reading when the lamp on her bedside table flickered wildly before giving out entirely. Feeling as though she'd been flung into the opening scene of a horror movie, Susan had no intention of staying in her room alone.
With the power, reading whilst listening to the rain pound against the windows and the thunder rumble overhead had been quite atmospheric. Without it, it was mildly terrifying.
But at least, minus electricity, the cameras would be off. Susan probably wouldn't leave otherwise; she'd really grown tired of being punished undeservingly. Only yesterday evening, she'd been yelled at because her knife and fork weren't quite together after she'd finished eating.
Every girl here was treated like a five year old and it felt like there was no end in sight. For Susan, there probably wasn't, because she had promised herself she would never let them break her. Apparently, girls only got to leave when they were fixed.
Fumbling around in the dark for the candle on her bedside table, Susan pulled it towards her. She had a small box of matches in the drawer, which seemed to be far easier to find than the candle. Pressing the head to the sandpaper, she struck the match and the room was dully alight with an orange glow.
Susan let the match burn for a long moment. It was only when the flames licked her fingertips that she lit the candle.
The pink cylinder of wax gave off a pungent aroma of rosemary so powerful that Susan would have liked nothing more than to blow it out. Unfortunately, this house being in the middle of the countryside like it was, there was no other light apart from the flame in front of her. Susan had never even realised just how dark the country was until she was relocated to this place.
Pocketing the box of matches, Susan got to her feet with the candle in one hand and crept across to the door. She avoided the squeaky floorboards and pulled open the door.
The candlelight illuminated the framed cross stitch on the wall opposite Susan's room. She wrinkled her nose at the words above the stitched bride and groom underneath — marriage is between a man and a woman. Rolling her eyes, Susan resisted the temptation to set the wall hanging alight. Instead, she turned and walked left down the corridor.
This place was the home that had pushed Susan into double digits. All her life, she'd spent her time jumping between foster families, and she was sure that her social worker had put her here to get rid of her. Home number ten officially; conversion camp in reality. Susan hadn't slept properly since arriving — convinced someone would come into her room during the night.
In the corridor, the atmosphere felt tense somehow. Darkness shrouded her, the flickering candle doing barely anything in the way of lighting the way forward. Hesitant, Susan kept close to the wall just in case she was caught.
She didn't really know where she was venturing to, mind — freedom, maybe.
Susan was just considering her options when she noticed a soft glow coming from underneath a door to her right. Lifting the candle up to read the name on the door, Susan's heart softened slightly — Daphne Greengrass.
Ever since Daphne arrived last week, Susan had found herself crushing on the blonde. There was something about the way she walked — something about her — that had Susan hooked almost instantly. If she had to pick one thing, it would be Daphne's smile. Susan had barely caught a glimpse, but just the flicker of a smile at breakfast a few days back was enough to stick in her mind.
The next thing she knew, Susan was knocking softly on the door and pushing it open.
The first thing Susan noticed was the ornate fireplace on the right hand side wall. Upon her own arrival here, this room was the one she'd asked to switch to, only to be firmly told no.
Suddenly, a firm thud made Susan peer around the door to look across to the bed. Daphne Greengrass looked instantly relieved when they met one another's gazes. She frowned and eyed Susan curiously, a tangerine-coloured journal lying shut in her lap. The expression of mistrust that filled her face felt unfamiliar.
"I should have known," Daphne sighed.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Susan asked.
"You're a troublemaker."
Susan scoffed, frowning at Daphne. "Learn to value yourself, which means fight for your happiness, by the way."
The blonde scowled at her. Daphne's blue eyes seemed to take on a silver glint in the flicker of both her candles and Susan's. Feeling like an unwelcome guest, Susan was poised to leave the room when Daphne spoke up again. "Close the door before we get caught. Honestly."
Susan did as she was told. Noticing the embroidered sign on the back of the door, she rolled her eyes and scoffed.
"Real love is always heteronormative," Susan read with a hint of disgust in her voice.
Daphne sucked in a breath. "Real love is always chaotic."
"No shit," Susan muttered. "Why aren't you asleep?"
"I had a feeling someone might come disturb me."
"Bet you didn't think it would be me."
Rolling her eyes, the blonde uncrossed her legs and put the bright orange journal on her bedside table.
For a long moment, neither girl spoke. Susan set her candle down and tentatively perched at the foot of Daphne's bed. She wanted to ask so many questions, but Susan thought it wise not to bombard her. Daphne had dark circles under her eyes — like she got even less sleep than Susan.
"So, what's your story, Greengrass?"
Daphne didn't quite meet her eyes when she responded. "My parents want a nice straight daughter. You?"
"My father left, my mother died. And my social worker sent me here," Susan said, counting them off on her fingers. "No big deal. I'm too difficult to know what to do with, apparently."
Scooting a little closer, Susan felt the bed dip as Daphne moved beside her. She was so close that Susan found her senses briefly overpowered by the smell Daphne's strawberry shampoo — she'd had nothing on arrival so Susan had been given generic shampoo. Daphne's smell was like heaven. Susan's eyes stayed closed for a long moment as she breathed Daphne in.
"Why did you come in here?" The blonde asked the question with a hint of curiosity in her voice.
Opening her eyes again, Susan could see Daphne studying her in her peripheral vision. She could feel her cheeks warming with a blush — it had been far too long since Susan had last had a crush.
"You know, I wanted this room," Susan said, avoiding the question entirely.
"Really…?"
Susan was about to entertain that question when she felt Daphne's fingers touch her hand. Feeling a zing of electricity, she turned, her eyes wide. Daphne had a half-smile on her face as her fingers laced between Susan's.
"I have a crush on you," Susan blurted. "I should have told you sooner, I know, but…"
She trailed off as Daphne's smile grew.
"You knew?"
"You're not exactly subtle, Susan." Daphne laughed softly. "You didn't need to tell me; it was obvious."
Susan scoffed, her cheeks pink. She had no idea she'd been that obvious. Hoping that she hadn't been so obvious that other people knew, she turned to face Daphne, not letting go of the girl's hand as she did.
"Well, if I'd told you sooner," Susan began, feeling brave as she leaned in close, "then I would have been able to do this sooner."
Susan pressed her lips to Daphne's firmly. The blonde pulled her close when they kissed, her free hand resting on Susan's thigh. Both of them got lost in the moment. Unconcerned by the fact someone could catch them, Daphne's hand had just started to make its way upwards when a loud clap of thunder caused them to break apart.
"Fuck," Susan mumbled. "Nothing beats a first kiss."
Then, out in the corridor, there was the distinctive sound of heavy footfall.
"Shit, I could kill these bastards," Daphne whispered frustratedly.
Susan sighed, pulling away. "I don't have the heart for murder right now, but I have a plan."
She was at the door before Daphne could even come to her senses. "Wait, no, what are you doing?"
Winking, Susan opened the door. She felt her face change, her personality shift to one she'd adopted specially for the people like those who worked in this shithole. Almost immediately, the beam of a torch shone in her face.
"What are you doing, Bones?"
The gravelly voice of Amycus Carrow, one of the staff members here, was fairly distinctive.
Susan pushed the torch aside. "Are you trying to blind me?"
Before she could back off, Amycus grabbed hold of her upper arm so tight Susan knew he'd leave a bruise, and hissed. "Come here, you useless chit."
"I'm not totally useless. I can be used as a bad example," Susan retorted.
His fingers tightened, nails digging into her skin. "What are you doing out of your room in the middle of the night?"
Susan shrugged the best she could and decided to lie. "Nightmares and stuff. I can't sleep because of the thunderstorm."
"You're a nasty little liar."
Amycus turned, pulling Susan sharply towards the stairs. Her feet automatically protested, digging into the thick carpet. Unfortunately, Amycus' grip was tight and Susan knew if she fought properly, she would be punished for it. Looking back over her shoulder, she saw a gap in Daphne's door. The soft candlelight illuminated her figure from behind. Daphne looked like she was going to protest, but Susan just shook her head firmly.
She had taken the fall; she would deal with the consequences to save Daphne from getting into trouble.
Besides, Susan had a kiss to distract her.
Comps and Prompts
QL Round Four: CHASER 3: Use the title A dark and stormy night written by your Chaser 1 for inspiration [10. (emotion) apathetic, 11. (dialogue) "I should have told you sooner.", 15. (object) candle]
IHC: 479. Item — Candle
365: 228. Quote - "Learn to value yourself, which means fight for your happiness." Ayn Rand
SC — Days of the Year — June 15 2018 - Smile Power Day: Write about someone thinking their crush's smile is their best feature.
SC — Summer Prompts — (dialogue) "Nothing beats a first kiss."
SC — Colour Prompts — Tangerine
SC — Birthstones — Carnelian - (dialogue) "Real love is always chaotic."
SC — Flowers — Foxglove - (word) Heart
SC - Fire Element - (object) Fireplace
SC — Shays Musical Challenge — 49. Come From Away - write about an unexpected visitor.
WC - Character Appreciation - 26. (Trait) Self-sacrificing
WC - Disney Challenge - C8. Sleepy - Write about someone with insomnia.
WC - Shannons Showcase - 8. (AU) Foster Care/Foster Child [BONUS]
WC - Book Club - Pine Sap: (trait) insomniac, (word) hesitant, (dialogue) "I don't have the heart for murder."
WC - Showtime - 41. It's Quiet Uptown - (action) holding hands
WC - CYB - D2. "I should've known.", P1. Susan/Daphne, W5, Freedom
WC - Lyric Alley - 32. My father left, my mother died
WC - Ami's Audio Admirations - 5. The Maze — Write about someone who is trapped somewhere.
WC - Sophie's Shelf - Vault 69: Prompt: (restriction) Only one male character
WC - Emy's Emporium - I3: (trait) resilient
WC - Angel's Arcade - Riku: (color) silver, (word set) darkness, change, mistrust, (trait) aggressive
WC - Lo's Lowdown - Q6: "I'm not totally useless. I can be used as a bad example."
Word Count: 1673