RIIIIIIING! RIIIIIIING!
"Huh?" Aryca Storm rolled over getting tangled in her sheets. She looked at the clock and groaned, "Its only 4!"
RIIIIIIING! RIIIIIIING!
"Who wakes up this early to call me?" She reached for the phone knocking her lamp over in the process. "Dammit!"
"Aryca?"
"What do you want?" she said, annoyed.
"It's Brent. What was that crash?"
Ignoring his question, "How can you be up this early after staying up all night?"
" I don't have to sleep."
"Well I do. I envy the undead."
"I can wash away that envy for ya. Just say-"
"Don't even finish that sentence Brent, you know how my dad is, if he ever suspected that you were even thinking about putting me through alteration without his consent he would personally de-fang you with his gloved hands."
He laughed, "I know." 'But all I really need is your consent, I don't care about the consequences,' He thought to himself.
"So why did you call?" Her voice jarred him out of his thoughts.
"You don't remember? You said you were going to help out with my dad's 'dinner' party."
Aryca smacked herself on the forehead, "That was today? I totally forgot. I'm sorry. Lemme just get dressed and wake my dad and I'll be right over."
"OK, I'll be waiting."
Aryca heard a click and then a dial tone. She sat up and tried to get out of bed but tripped over her sheets and slammed her hand onto the shattered remains of her lamp, successfully re-opening a scar on her palm.
"Damn! This is turning out to be a 'good' day. I really don't have time for this."
She ripped a piece of cloth from her nightgown and tied it around her hand. "That will have to do for awhile." She headed to her closet. "This will be about twelve hours of work so..." She pulled out her old oversized overalls and a green tube top, "something comfortable should be good enough." She pulled off her nightgown and slid her bathrobe on before she left her room and ran down the hall to her bathroom. She locked the door behind her and let her bathrobe fall to the floor and un-clipped her auburn hair and let it fall to her waist. She pulled back the curtain to her shower, started the water, and hopped in.
"I need to get some more shampoo," the scent of juniper filled the room as Aryca massaged the shampoo into her hair. She rinsed, washed her body in the sent of rain, stood in the cool water for a few more seconds before jumping out.
She gazed at herself in the mirror as she toweled off, noticing her many scars crisscrossing over her belly, arms, and neck. She quickly looked away.
'How would I ever have chance with him looking like this...' Her thoughts trailed off as her memories came flooding back and hot tears welled up in her emerald eyes as she remembered her hellacious past...
***************
"Mommy, where's Daddy going?" Asked Aryca.
"He's going away honey. He doesn't love us." Mary answered.
"He doesn't"
"No honey. But you're going to get a new daddy today"
"But I don't want a new daddy; I want my old daddy."
"Of course you don't, you'll like your new one better."
Mary pulled into the church parking lot.
"Come on sweetie."
"What is this place?"
"This is where your new daddy lives"
"I don't want a new daddy, Mommy."
"Don't argue with me." She took Aryca's hand and pulled he into the building.
The man standing at the altar looked up from his papers
"Ahh, welcome Mary. Who is this fine young lady?" Asked Reverend John.
Aryca stared at the crucifixion, her eyes widening. She seemed in a trance.
"Answer him honey." Mary whispered.
"I bet I could guess your name. Is it Aryca?"
Aryca jumped at the sound of her name.
"Mommy I want to go." Aryca ignored the Reverend.
"Honey, Mr. Smith is going to say a few words to you and then we can go."
"No Mommy. I want to go now."
John grabbed Aryca's hand.
"Come on this won't take long."
He started towards the altar. As they neared the Madonna statue, the flames of the candles flickered black. Aryca collapsed to the floor, covering her ears.
"What's going on!" Shouted Mary.
"Make them stop Mommy! They're scary!"
Mary ran to her daughter.
"What Aryca! What do you hear!"
"Voices! Make them stop, Mommy! Please make them stop!"
"Aryca! There are no voices. You must be hearing things."
"I do, Mommy, I do! They say I need to leave here, That I don't belong! They say if I dont leave they will hurt me-" her voice was cut off by her screams of pain. Deep gashes began appearing on her arms, hands and neck. Her shirt quickly became soaked with blood.
"Get her out of here, Mary!" John yelled
Mary lifted Aryca, still screaming, and ran out to the parking lot. John followed. Aryca ripped herself free from her mothers grip and ran to the car locking her self inside
"What are we going to do with her?" Mary looked to John.
"We need to get her to a hospital."
"No, I mean what are we going to do with her. She is obviously different."
"We could keep her locked away and isolate her from everything and everyone, especially her father."
"We couldn't keep her locked up. Sooner or later she would be stronger than us and break free."
"That's true, but for now... well, look at her." John pointed towards the car.
Aryca was curled into a fetal position hugging her knees. Tears streaked her face and her eyes were staring into nothing.
"She looks so distant."
"Lets hope that its just the pain and the shock ad she doesn't stay that way," John said, "For now, get her to St. Mary's hospital and make sure to sever all contact with her father. Tell no one of these events. I'll think of what to do."
***************
Aryca opened her eyes and remembered where she was. She finished drying off and got dressed. Quickly, she ran a brush through hair and picked back up and them brushed her teeth. As she headed down the hall to wake up her father, her mind slammed the door to her memories, protecting her from her past.
"Huh?" Aryca Storm rolled over getting tangled in her sheets. She looked at the clock and groaned, "Its only 4!"
RIIIIIIING! RIIIIIIING!
"Who wakes up this early to call me?" She reached for the phone knocking her lamp over in the process. "Dammit!"
"Aryca?"
"What do you want?" she said, annoyed.
"It's Brent. What was that crash?"
Ignoring his question, "How can you be up this early after staying up all night?"
" I don't have to sleep."
"Well I do. I envy the undead."
"I can wash away that envy for ya. Just say-"
"Don't even finish that sentence Brent, you know how my dad is, if he ever suspected that you were even thinking about putting me through alteration without his consent he would personally de-fang you with his gloved hands."
He laughed, "I know." 'But all I really need is your consent, I don't care about the consequences,' He thought to himself.
"So why did you call?" Her voice jarred him out of his thoughts.
"You don't remember? You said you were going to help out with my dad's 'dinner' party."
Aryca smacked herself on the forehead, "That was today? I totally forgot. I'm sorry. Lemme just get dressed and wake my dad and I'll be right over."
"OK, I'll be waiting."
Aryca heard a click and then a dial tone. She sat up and tried to get out of bed but tripped over her sheets and slammed her hand onto the shattered remains of her lamp, successfully re-opening a scar on her palm.
"Damn! This is turning out to be a 'good' day. I really don't have time for this."
She ripped a piece of cloth from her nightgown and tied it around her hand. "That will have to do for awhile." She headed to her closet. "This will be about twelve hours of work so..." She pulled out her old oversized overalls and a green tube top, "something comfortable should be good enough." She pulled off her nightgown and slid her bathrobe on before she left her room and ran down the hall to her bathroom. She locked the door behind her and let her bathrobe fall to the floor and un-clipped her auburn hair and let it fall to her waist. She pulled back the curtain to her shower, started the water, and hopped in.
"I need to get some more shampoo," the scent of juniper filled the room as Aryca massaged the shampoo into her hair. She rinsed, washed her body in the sent of rain, stood in the cool water for a few more seconds before jumping out.
She gazed at herself in the mirror as she toweled off, noticing her many scars crisscrossing over her belly, arms, and neck. She quickly looked away.
'How would I ever have chance with him looking like this...' Her thoughts trailed off as her memories came flooding back and hot tears welled up in her emerald eyes as she remembered her hellacious past...
***************
"Mommy, where's Daddy going?" Asked Aryca.
"He's going away honey. He doesn't love us." Mary answered.
"He doesn't"
"No honey. But you're going to get a new daddy today"
"But I don't want a new daddy; I want my old daddy."
"Of course you don't, you'll like your new one better."
Mary pulled into the church parking lot.
"Come on sweetie."
"What is this place?"
"This is where your new daddy lives"
"I don't want a new daddy, Mommy."
"Don't argue with me." She took Aryca's hand and pulled he into the building.
The man standing at the altar looked up from his papers
"Ahh, welcome Mary. Who is this fine young lady?" Asked Reverend John.
Aryca stared at the crucifixion, her eyes widening. She seemed in a trance.
"Answer him honey." Mary whispered.
"I bet I could guess your name. Is it Aryca?"
Aryca jumped at the sound of her name.
"Mommy I want to go." Aryca ignored the Reverend.
"Honey, Mr. Smith is going to say a few words to you and then we can go."
"No Mommy. I want to go now."
John grabbed Aryca's hand.
"Come on this won't take long."
He started towards the altar. As they neared the Madonna statue, the flames of the candles flickered black. Aryca collapsed to the floor, covering her ears.
"What's going on!" Shouted Mary.
"Make them stop Mommy! They're scary!"
Mary ran to her daughter.
"What Aryca! What do you hear!"
"Voices! Make them stop, Mommy! Please make them stop!"
"Aryca! There are no voices. You must be hearing things."
"I do, Mommy, I do! They say I need to leave here, That I don't belong! They say if I dont leave they will hurt me-" her voice was cut off by her screams of pain. Deep gashes began appearing on her arms, hands and neck. Her shirt quickly became soaked with blood.
"Get her out of here, Mary!" John yelled
Mary lifted Aryca, still screaming, and ran out to the parking lot. John followed. Aryca ripped herself free from her mothers grip and ran to the car locking her self inside
"What are we going to do with her?" Mary looked to John.
"We need to get her to a hospital."
"No, I mean what are we going to do with her. She is obviously different."
"We could keep her locked away and isolate her from everything and everyone, especially her father."
"We couldn't keep her locked up. Sooner or later she would be stronger than us and break free."
"That's true, but for now... well, look at her." John pointed towards the car.
Aryca was curled into a fetal position hugging her knees. Tears streaked her face and her eyes were staring into nothing.
"She looks so distant."
"Lets hope that its just the pain and the shock ad she doesn't stay that way," John said, "For now, get her to St. Mary's hospital and make sure to sever all contact with her father. Tell no one of these events. I'll think of what to do."
***************
Aryca opened her eyes and remembered where she was. She finished drying off and got dressed. Quickly, she ran a brush through hair and picked back up and them brushed her teeth. As she headed down the hall to wake up her father, her mind slammed the door to her memories, protecting her from her past.