Marceline is five and she can remember when things were good. Mommy would drive her to ballet practice, Marshall would play with her, and when Daddy came home from work he would scoop her into his arms.
Mommy doesn't drive her anywhere now; she stays in bed all day. Marshall just turned eight and is always out looking for food. Daddy sits by Mommy's side and cries.
Marceline misses when they'd all go out for ice cream. She asked Marshall if he could get her some but it made him mad.
Marceline sighs, the stuffed monkey or bear or whatever it was supposed to be that Mommy made her is resting in her lap.
She overhears her brother complaining about the freaks again. It's been awhile since she's been outside, but she saw one once. He looked like food.
Marceline's stomach growled.
Marceline is seven and Daddy has been missing for over a month now. Marshall is gone most of the time. He tells them he's looking for food but he usually comes home empty handed.
Mommy is still sick and Marceline doesn't feel so good a lot.
Mommy likes to teach her things; how to read and write, history, and math. She likes learning.
Marceline doesn't like to look in mirror. She looks so pale and if she takes her shirt off she can see her ribs.
Her searches for food almost always end in failure.
Marceline is ten now and her mother has been dead for a year now. Her Daddy is still gone. Marshall took her to live with a group of kids with him. None of them have parents either.
Marceline likes being with other people. She hadn't realized how lonely it was not having friends. They all take turns finding food. Sometimes they have to kill wild animals. She likes those meals the best.
Most of them are sick.
Marceline is eleven and has a crush on one of the boys in the gang. He's tall and he gave her part of his meal.
Weeks later he dies of the plague.
Marceline is twelve and her Daddy is back, only he's not her Daddy anymore. He's scary now. Everyone's pale, but his skin has a bluish tint to it and there's something wrong with his eyes.
He doesn't scoop her up into his arms. He doesn't hug her. He just stares at her.
It feels like forever until he finally speaks to her. It all feels so wrong.
Her Daddy is one of the freaks now.
She can't bring herself to tell Marshall.
Marceline is thirteen and thinks she might be in love with the girl with the drums. The girl with the drums is sixteen and is sleeping with their leader. The girl is nice to her; she's teaching her how to play the guitar.
Marceline is terrible at it and it hurts. The girl encourages her though and so she keeps trying.
Marceline thinks she could fall in love with music.
Marceline is fourteen and can't believe what she's found. She can't wait to find Marshall so he can have some. She remembers them from when she was little.
She didn't find Marshall though so she returns to the small room where she left her prize. Her Daddy's in there, gorging himself on her fries.
"Why Daddy?"
Marceline is fifteen and can't remember a time when she felt well. Her chest always seems to hurt and she's lucky if there's no blood in her coughs. She feels weak.
She's tired and hungry.
Marceline is sixteen and Marshall is dead, killed by one of the freaks. Marceline feels dead inside. She thinks that, soon, she'll be dead on the outside.
She coughs once more.
Marceline is seventeen. Most of her gang is dead or changed. She hates the magic and wishes it had never come. She wishes for her family and her friends.
Marceline is eighteen.
She hardly leaves her bed anymore. She's too tired and everything hurts too much.
It reminds her of Mommy.
Daddy is back. He bathes her and feeds her. She wishes he'd rub her head like he did when she was little and sick.
Daddy comes back one day with a strange man. Another freak.
"You don't want to die, do you?" Daddy asks.
Marceline shakes her head.
The strange man comes over and holds her gently by the shoulders. Daddy takes her hand into his.
The strange man bites her.
There's pain.
Marceline feels strong again.
Marceline is eighteen.