Author's Note: I never understood why people made Mr. Maclay so mean and horrible. I bet he was a VERY strict bapist man who did hit, but not really beat. I think he really did love his daughter Tara but just showed it in a different way. Also saying she was a demon, heh. Anyway, I'm going to base Mr. Maclay on my own father a bit.
Untitled
Prelude: Elementary to 6th grade
Elementary school was a breeze. The schooling part of it anyway. All she had to do was just attend, pay attention, and do the work. She'd get the perfect attendence award, student of the week or month, honors, everything good. She was always the perfect student, very attentive and quiet. However, underneath all the good behavior and ideal role model for all the young students, slept a scared and insecure girl.
Tara Maclay was one in a million. Her father and the rest of her family, except her mother, told her that she had an evil demon sleeping inside her. That it came from the women. She would be an ugly, evil, demon by the age of 20. That her practicing the magick and witchcraft would make it worse. It was all evil.
So says her father, Dale Maclay, a devoted man of the Baptist church in Colorado Springs, CO. To Tara, her father was not a bad man. Just an angry man. She loved him and she knew he loved her, he just frightened her beyond anything. She was more afraid of his anger than of being a demon. Dale Maclay favored Donold, Tara's brother, over Tara, that was undeniable, but she knew despite his out lashes and the occasional hits, she could see in his eyes that he loved her.
Throughout her elementary school life and sixth grade, right as she came home, she'd go straight to her room and start on her homework. It seemed so easy and simple to Tara. She'd always finish all of it within 10-30 minutes.
Once she was finished, she'd go down stairs to help her mother cook or clean while her father was at work and her brother was outside with his friends. Tara never had friends, her friend was her mother. When the housework was finished, Tara and her mother, Amber Maclay (A/N: Seemed to make sense to me to name Tara's mother Amber, lol... Get the connection?) would go into the basement so Amber could teach Tara what it takes to be a white witch. To be noble, peaceful, and to respect the powers.
"Always pay your respects to the Goddess, Tara. Treat her right and she will protect you." Amber would always tell her and with a smile.
"I promise." Tara looked up at her mother with pale, ice blue eyes.
After their magick lesson came her piano and violin lessons. She practiced each instrument for an hour each. She felt such a calm and peaceful feeling from the music she produced.
Once that was done, Tara would practice her drawing and painting. Another way she could express her feelings was through her surreal and abstract art. She never kept her work though. If Dale had ever caught her doing actitivities aside from her music or housework, she feared to think. Whenever she did so something outside of that, he'd yell at her. Sometimes he'd grab her arms and jerk her. Then there were the times he would strike her. Donny would just watch, almost in amusment. When Amber would intervine, if Dale was angry enough, she would get the back of his hand also.
Despite having her mother as her companion, Tara began to feel the lonelieness. She wanted friends of her own age, kids like her. But they'd never be like her, would they? They never spent their lunch hour reading books or drawing in a sketch book or practice witchcraft or have a demon sleeping inside of them.
Tara graduated elementary school with honors. "My little girl is growing up," Dale told her with a proud smile on his face and glitter in his eyes, "You're going to be a smart and wonderful woman. You're going to make the perfect woman."
"Thank you, daddy." Tara smiled to him as he hugged her.
"Tara," Amber spoke as Dale let go of Tara and stepped aside, "I'm so proud of you, sweetie. Never was there a time I have been more proud." tears started to swell in her eyes.
Then came middle school and the lonelieness continue to grow. Now, being in middle school, it was worse. The kids were turning into preteens who were cruel just so they could feel better. Tara would look around, see nothing. No one had a mind of their own. Everyone thought the same though. Had the same opinions.
In class, Tara would sit in the corner in the back. When her classwork was finished, she'd either read or draw.
One day, near the end of 6th grade, during lunch as she drew in her sketch book, a couple of 8th grade girls, bullies, came up to her, "Hey it's the girl who doesn't talk!" said the light brown haired girl with the short hair.
"Yeah, she's so weird, always buried behind a book or drawing," the girl with the dirty blonde, longer hair, said, reaching for Tara's sketch book, "What do you draw anyway?" she took the sketch book.
"Hey," Tara reached back for her sketch book, but the bigger girl with the short hair pushed her back.
"Whoa! What the hell do you think you're doing?" she pushed Tara again, "It's our book now, weirdo." The two girls laughed at Tara and walked away tearing out pictures and drawing over others.
Tara looked until they were lost in the crowd. Tears build in her eyes and flowed down her cheeks. She gathered her bag and books and went to class early.
Finally her first year of middle school was over and done with. She had hoped that she could've made one friend, but she didn't. Dale had given her hell because she didn't join the orchestra at her school and joined the art club instead. 7th grade would be better. It has to. She preyed to the Goddess for a better year and hoped she had done everything to deserve a better year. She also decided to join the band as well as art club in 7th grade. That way everyone will be happy, her father, her mother, and herself. It just has to be better.
Author's Note: Well there we go! 2:40 in the AM! Lol, I know it went through 11 years of life there but... The real story doesn't start til 7th grade anyway cause that's when Tara will meet a friend! Yey! Also, the name Dale I just came up with... C'mon it's almost 3AM! Also I know there will be some stuff about 6th grade being in middle school, that's how it was for me so I'm writing what I know. I live in LA Cali, so I'm just writing what the grades were for me. :-)