(Cover art belongs to the wonderfully talented Minori1997 (Christina) on Deviantart. Please check out her works if you can; she's an awesome artist!)
Dear Diary,
It's been a year since Dad died, and I'm still so sad. He meant so much to me, and I still love him. It's even worse that I'm stuck with Mom. But the worst part is, he was the only one who tried to help me get away from Shifty. You know how much I hate him. Always hitting me. Calling me "Dandruff Girl". And I see him every night outside, throwing rocks at my window. I know what he comes over for, and that's to try and seduce me. Again. I'm never gonna let him. Never.
So, since you're the only one I can talk to, I wanna tell you my biggest wish again. I'm sure you're sick of me writing the same thing on every page, but I can't help but keep wishing for a better life, outta this city. I just want someone to care that I'm alive. But I know that'll never happen. It's like what Mom says. Who'd love an ugly dandruff girl like me?
I want a friend. No. More than just a friend. I want a new boyfriend. A boy who likes me for who I am. Not because they're dad employed my mom. Or because they want to rape me. I just want a boyfriend who cares. Who talks to me. Who calls me pretty. Who loves me.
"FELICIA! DOWNSTAIRS! BREAKFAST!"
And the poor girl, with wavy red locks and bright auburn eyes, looked back down to her diary. She blew the eraser shavings off the paper and sighed. She stood up briefly and picked up her pencil again.
I have to go now. Mom's calling me. I'll talk to you later. Love, Felicia Carter.
"FELICIA! I'M NOT GETTING ANY YOUNGER!"
She sighed again and began to walk towards her door.
"Alright, I'm coming! I'm getting dressed first."
She walked over to her closet and looked through her wardrobe. She eyed all the ugly looking clothes, from old and worn sweaters to faded denim jeans. She finally settled on her usual outfit, and she took down a blue t-shirt and a pair of jeans, and slipped them on quickly.
And before she left the room, she looked at a picture on her desk. It was of a younger her, in the arms of a tall and muscular man, also with red hair and a bit of a beard. She missed her father so much, as he was the supposedly only one who really cared about her. At least, after he died.
She kissed her two fingers and placed them on the picture, then sprinted down the stairs.
A middle aged woman, also with red hair but curled into a bun on her scalp, was on her laptop as she sat at the table. She was wearing a black dress and dress shoes on her wrinkled feet. Her line covered face was scrunched as she was getting annoyed from her slacking daughter.
Felicia ran into the kitchen and grabbed a skillet from the dishwasher, then placed it on the stove and turned the knob, letting the blue colored fire rise from the gas. She opened the refrigerator door, then got out a carton of eggs and gently lifted the lid. Then, she reached into the crisper and brought out a tub of butter, and stuck a knife in the yellow substance. She tossed the pat into the skillet and she took out two eggs and cracked them open, letting the yellow goo drip from the white shells and onto the freshly hot pan.
And her mother watched her with wicked eyes.
"About time, Felicia."
She turned her head towards her mother.
"Sorry. I was writing in my diary."
Her mother scoffed as she looked back at her computer screen.
"A 17 year old girl, still writing in a diary. Are you ever gonna grow up?"
She shook her head, letting the flakes fall onto her shoulders.
"Who else am I supposed to talk to?"
Her mother was very annoyed with her. She thought her daughter was a disgrace, as she was a lonely outcast, shy to make friends and too stubborn to follow any of her mothers desires, including losing her virginity to her boyfriend.
She closed the lid of her laptop.
"You could talk to Dylan more."
Felicia rolled her eyes.
"No. You know I hate Shifty, Mom."
Her mother arched her brows.
"Stop calling him Shifty. His name is Dylan and that's what you're gonna call him."
Felicia turned off the stove and stomped hard.
"Why do you treat him better than me?! I'm your daughter, for god's sake!"
Her mother pounded the table and stood up.
"Felicia Carter! That man is a saint, a hero to many, and you know it! And plus, his father is my boss, you know that. He won't get off my ass about his son and you, and I can't handle his complaining. Just let him take you once. You can't be a virgin all your life."
Felicia raised the fried eggs off the skillet and placed them on a plate, then slammed the plate in front of her mother and walked over to the chair with an angry look on her face. She threw her dark pink colored sweatshirt over her head and stuck her arms through the sleeves.
She turned to her mother.
"I can't believe you want him to rape me! I can't believe you'd put your job over your own daughter!"
Her mother took a bite out of the egg and stared at the poor girl.
"No ugly dandruff girl's my daughter. I treat you just fine."
And Felicias eyes began to water as she ran out the door, leaving her mother alone, eating her eggs and sipping her glass of orange juice. But she was sure to call out to her daughter.
"You better come back home after school! I mean it!"
And the lonely girl walked the streets, heading for school and feeling empty inside. It was bad enough that she had no father, but her only other family hated her and treated her like common garbage. She hated her mother, even if it was frowned upon.
But there was one other that she hated even more.
She continued to walk along the sidewalk, holding her backpack strap close as she used her free hand to wipe the tears from her eyes.
"Why does she hate me? What'd I ever do to her?"
But her sorrow was replaced with rage, as she heard the motor of a bike behind her.
"Crap…"
And stopping right in front of her was a young man, wearing a pressed black leather jacket and a white fedora on his head. He smiled as she tried to avoid him, only for him to drive onto the sidewalk and get off the bike.
"Hey baby."
She tried not to make eye contact.
"Well, I've got my bike, and these hot lips, ready for you. So get on. I'll drive you to school."
She tried walking away, still not talking. He stepped in front of her.
"Come on. Don't be like that. No need to ignore me. Besides…"
He dropped his smile.
"I said 'get on the bike'."
She finally looked at him.
"Just leave me alone. I'm walking to school."
He smiled devilishly and insulted her.
"You think you can, you being so weak and helpless? You know you need me by you, in case you run into a monster or something."
He cupped his hands and made puppy dog eyes, much to her displeasure. He spoke in his feminine voice, imitating her the best he could.
"Oh, help me! I'm Felicia and I'm stuck and scared out here in the big, bad city! Help me, oh, help me Shifty!"
She arched her brows and stepped beside him, attempting to walk away from him, only to have him follow right behind her.
"Just go away! Die, already! I hate you!"
He smiled as he grabbed her shoulders.
"You really want me blabbing to my dad about you not satisfying me? Wouldn't want you and your mama on the streets, digging through trash cans, would we?"
She reached behind him and grabbed his crotch, then squeezed hard, making him lose his grip.
"PISS OFF!"
And he growled and grabbed her arm, then spun her around and ran his hand across her face, making her squeal in pain. He then dragged her over to the bike, as much as she struggled. He placed her on the back as he got on the front.
"Never do that again, bitch."
He kick-started the bike and began to roll away, only for her to quickly get off the bike and run off. He sighed as he turned his bike around and drove after her. She was so scared and in so much pain. But her efforts were in vain, as he stopped in front of her and grabbed her roughly. She had no choice but to abide by him.
She was forced to ride with him to school.
She held her red cheek as Shifty was fondling the back of her hair in class. She was annoyed by him alright, but she knew she could not do anything about him, or face the wrath of either him or her mother.
While the class was taking a test, she was busy sketching her drawings. It was her favorite hobby, next to writing in her diary. She did not know what the outcome will be when she finishes the sketch, but she wants to make it clean and neat, so she rubbed off the errors with her good eraser.
But she jolted as she felt Shifty reach over to her and whisper in her ear.
"Hey… Wanna get outta here?"
She ignored him as she let her head hit the desk. He smiled evilly.
"Ok… How about the bathroom instead?"
She immediately jolted her head up.
"Mr. Lump!"
A middle aged man with a slight small light blue goatee, matching the color of his hair, was standing before the class. He was wearing earrings in the shape of moose antlers, and a sweater vest that wrapped around his body.
"Yes, Felicia?"
She hated being a tattletale, but it was worth it.
"Can I please go to the nurse? I got a headache…"
He smiled.
"Yes, of course. Just come back soon."
She stood up as she looked behind her, at the horrible man people claimed to be her boyfriend, and stuck her tongue out at him, leading him to scoff and wink at her. Disgusted, she walked out the door and headed for the nurses office.
"Got a bit of swelling on your cheek, honey. Someone hit you?"
A woman with pink hair and wearing a hospital uniform was examining Felicia closely.
"No… Just… Allergies, I think…"
The woman walked over to her cabinet and looked through her medicine. She pulled out a bottle of pills and brought it to the redhead.
"Take one of these and then lie down for a bit, alright? Maybe a bit of rest will do you some good."
She smiled as she opened the cap, and let the pill fall onto her palm. She quickly popped the pill in her mouth and swallowed it dry, feeling relieved as she fell back onto the bed. She felt safe in her dreams, though one dream continued to haunt her.
It was the only dream she had in her head.
She envisioned herself running down a long and dark chasm, alone and afraid. She did not know where she was, or where she was heading. All she knew was something, or someone, was chasing her. She cried more and more as she continued to run, until she ran right into a huge figure, about twice as tall as she was. It was pitch black, but she could easily make out the black leather jacket and white fedora hat.
She felt Shifty grab her and two other men, also colored in black darkness, hold her arms down. She struggled all she could as the men all licked their lips in lust, awaiting their reward for catching the girl. One looked exactly like Shifty, just without a fedora. And one had long hair and an eye-patch on his right eye, and a hook on his left hand.
The dream Shifty smiled.
"Her ass is mine. You guys share the other holes."
They both chuckled as she continued to thrash about, not wanting any part of this whatsoever.
"Help! Somebody! Please! Anybody!"
But then, she heard a different voice. One she never heard before.
"I command you to release that fair maiden!"
A man, coated in white and wearing a robe over his head, hiding his face, was standing before them, They all looked ready to fight as they all brought out swords from the void of darkness around them. The white figure did the same, but with a sword of light.
"Have at thee!"
Felicia kept her eyes shut as she cried more and more, hearing the sound of clashing metal and the squashing of human flesh. But as she opened her eyes finally, she saw the white figure tower above her before he kneeled down to her.
"Art thou alright, my fair princess?"
She was still trembling in fear.
"I… I t-think so… Th-thank you… Are… Y-you my knight in sh-shining armor?"
The figure nodded.
"Perhaps. I saw those demons attacking you, and I saved thee. I couldn't bare to watch a beautiful maiden be violated, and you are the fairest lady my eyes have ever doth seen."
She raised her brows and held her chest, feeling flattered.
"I… I am? R-really? Thank you. And thank you for destroying those demons. You really are a hero."
"I thank thee, but I'm afraid you've got me misunderstood."
And he reached up and grabbed the hood of his robe, and pulled it back revealing his face. And she was shocked to see his neon yellow eyes and razor sharp teeth, looking just as menacing as the demons from before.
And his voice was deeper and more inhuman.
"For I am a demon as well, and I find thee as delicious as you are beautiful."
She instantly got scared again.
"W-what?! No! Please don't eat me!"
He bent down to her and grabbed her throat.
"Do not move and your death will be easy."
And she screamed all she could as he saw him get closer and closer, licking his sharp white teeth. And she finally snapped her eyes open and found herself once again in the nurses office. She panted as she rubbed the sweat off her forehead, and felt her rapidly beating heart.
She got up out of the bed and walked over to the nurse.
"I'm… Better now… Think I'm gonna go back to class now…"
The woman smiled.
"Alright, then. Just come back if you feel light-headed."
Felicia nodded as she walked back to class, keeping the visuals from her dream fresh in her mind.
"The White Demon… Why do I keep having that same dream over and over? Do I even know that man? Is he even real?"
She kept wondering as she walked back into class, and sat down in her desk, with Mr. Lump finishing up his lessons. She brought out her sketchpad once again and continued to draw.
After the bell rang, she walked out the door carefully, trying to avoid Shiftys attention. He peered around a corner and noticed her walking, and ran after her. She peered behind her shoulder and looked at the man in leather attempting to stop her. She dropped her backpack to lose weight and she sprinted off, trying to get away.
Shifty picked up her backpack and heaved it over his shoulder.
"Dumb bitch… She'll be back… She always comes back…"
She had to escaped the city, just to be alone like she normally was. She ran for the outskirts of the city and headed for the forest that marked the border into the wilderness. She swallowed her fear of wild animals and ran into the woods, dodging trees and keeping her head fixed on what was in front of her.
But then, she realized that she was lost. And she sighed.
"Great…"
She looked back.
"Guess I gotta just go back the way I came…"
But then she remembered what awaited her.
"On second thought… Maybe there's something interesting out here…"
She continued to walk deeper into the forest. She shook a bit from the fear of something popping out and attacking her, as she would expect from being here in such an uncivilized area. She has never been in the forest on her own before, and she had heard rumors about things that have been spotted deep in the trees.
What she did not know is that she was not alone. For up in a tree, watching her walk, was a dark figure sitting on a branch. He smiled a sharp toothed smile as he licked his hungry lips, and he quietly fell from the tree and slowly followed the red haired girl.
She trembled a bit at the sounds of small animals running in front of her. She was hoping none of the animals were hungry for flesh. She took more and more steps as she looked for anything interesting. Her curiosity would pay off, as she eventually came across a rare sight; an area of cut down trees, and in the middle was a wooden cabin, standing alone.
She was shocked at the sight of the cabin and went in for a closer look. She had no idea if there was a human being around or not, and she never heard stories of a person living in the woods. She briefly looked in the cabin. Nothing really that recognizable stood out, as it was dark inside it.
She walked back outside and looked around briefly, shaking from fear.
"H-Hello?"
She started walking around the area, looking for any sign of life.
"H-Hello? Anyone?"
She walked back over to the cabin.
"I… Guess there's nobody out here…"
But suddenly, she was grabbed and pushed into the side of the cabin. Standing before her was a slightly muscular man, pale and looking very dirty. He was wearing cut off grey shorts, a stained dark black shirt and a dark green jacket, matching his dark green hair.
But what stood out the most was his neon yellow eyes and razor sharp teeth. And he spoke in an all too familiar voice to her.
"Guess again…"
She gasped in shock as she felt his tight grip on her shoulders.
"Who sent you out here? Why you trespassing on my property? Huh?"
She did not speak as she just stood in shock, feeling like she has met an angel.
"That… That voice… It… It's him…"
"DID I FREAKING STUTTER?! Explain why you're out here!"
She still remained silent. And he became annoyed as he reached in his pocket and brought out a menacing weapon; a large knife, sharpened and blood-splattered.
He brought it to her chest and let the tip touch her white skin.
"I don't got time for this, bitch! You got 3 seconds to tell me why you're out here, or I'll show you what your heart looks like."
She shook more and more as she felt the knife on her skin.
"A… Knife… P-Please! I-I'm just a girl! I swear!"
He was livid.
"Wrong answer."
And he plunged the blade into her skin, and she let out a loud yell. Her stomach leaked red water as she fell to the earth, unconscious. He chuckled a bit as he licked the blade, tasting the sweet nectar from her abdomen. He looked down at the girl.
"Stupid ass bitch. Look likes I'm eating good tonight."
He grabbed her legs and was about to drag her away, but then he looked at her face, and suddenly felt something other than evil.
"Actually… She's… Kinda…"
And he let go of her legs and held his head. He shut his eyes and let the light simmer into his brain, allowing his good side to emerge. He opened his eyes to reveal their new emerald color, and he looked down at the girl. And he was so ashamed already.
His voice was much smoother in tone now.
"Oh… Oh my god… I'm so sorry, girl… Gotta help her…"
He once again grabbed her legs and pulled her into his cabin, and she was fast asleep again, but she had no dreams in her head. Just pitch black darkness.
And regret for coming out here in the first place.
(There's a new poll about the choices for the next story on my profile. I'd appreciate it if you'd vote.)