All the Best People are Crazy

.x.X.x.

~CrazyPlotQueen~

"Athena, sweetie, could you come here for a moment?"

Athena perked up at the sound of her mother's voice, her eyebrow arching in curiosity at what her mother could have wanted. The girl was making dinner for her family, because for the first time in four years, she was finally home. Athena Sienna had been captured in her village by a tribe of bandits at ten years old, and had been held captive for four long, gruesome years.

She had finally escaped just three weeks ago, through...less than admirable means.

The girl shook her head, not wanting to think of her bloody time with them. First things first, she had to deal with her family.

"Coming, Mother!" She chirped, stepping away from her dinner preparations. Heading towards the living room, Athena had been surprised when she came back to find that not much had changed. The Sienna home still had the comforting and nurturing feel to it, with warm pieces of furniture and family pictures, from when Athena was young, were still framed on the wall.

Entering the living room, the girl was surprised to see the whole family sitting around. Athena's father and mother, and her older brother and sister, Skye and Costello. The murmurs in the room quieted down when she entered, and everyone's attention turned to her.

"Honey, why don't you sit down? We may be talking for a little bit," Her mother gave her a kind smile.

She gave her own sunny grin to her, skipped over, and sat right next to Skye.

"Is something wrong?" Athena asked, her face a mixture of caring and understanding.

"Well...we've noticed, since you've come back, you've been a little...different. Acting and talking different," Her father shifted uncomfortably. "We've noticed you don't have the same affinity for church and religion you had. And...Costello saw you burning some of your bibles."

"Really?" Athena feigned distress. During her time with the bandits, she had determined God was dead. How else would she have been kidnapped? The Devil was more reliable than anything else, so why not appreciate that fact? But, more imperative, Costello had sold her out. Athena resolved to teach him a lesson he'd never forget.

"A little more alarming, we saw you with some type of substance the other day. It doesn't seem healthy, Athena," Skye said gently, rubbing her little sister's shoulder.

Athena's smile dropped slightly; Well, it wasn't like she had smoked pot in the woods yesterday. She did do it on the front porch, in plain view of everyone. In hindsight, maybe it wasn't the best idea for a young girl to be doing drugs outside.

"And," Costello interrupted, his bottom lip quivering, "I saw you kill Smokey!"

"Now, now. I'm sure Athena wouldn't ever harm anyone in this family. The wolves probably got him last night," Her father consoled him, shaking his head.

Smokey was the Sienna's beloved cat. He was ancient, being around from before Athena herself was born. Smokey was a needy and cowardly cat, he had to always see a human to feel safe. It was annoying to Athena. The girl had enough of the damn cat and his needy behavior. So last night, she strangled it and had some fun with a piece of barbed wire. By the time she was done with the body, there wasn't too much left of him.

Hmm. Maybe this was concerning, she thought to herself.

" I saw her kill him, dad," Costello whined, glancing at his sister nervously. "From my window."

"But I loved Smokey," Her bottom lip trembled. Time to feign innocence.

"Cos," Her mother chided, shooting him a look, then turning back to her daughter. "Regardless of what happened, sweetie, we think it might be best if you get some mental help. After all, you were traumatized in a bandit clan for four years…"

"I agree. We want the best for you, Athena," Her father went over to the table and handed his daughter a brochure. Radley Asylum, she read. A picture of a large building was on the front. Athena didn't read anything else, she was too busy trying not to leap across the room and strangle her mother. They had betrayed her. They all had betrayed her. Her family, who was supposed to support her at every turn, was sending her away to some Mental Asylum?

No. There would be consequences. If Karma would not give them their dues, Athena would give it to them herself.

Wasn't a family supposed to be supportive? Supposed to help her through every twist and turn of her life? They would pay for trying to lock her up. They would die. She wasn't crazy!

"If you think it's best, I'll go," Athena slipped a bright smile onto her face, and her family relaxed. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to finish dinner." The girl bounced up from her spot next to Skye, and skipped off into the kitchen, hearing little whispers of conversation when she left.

Athena's fake smile that was plastered on her face dropped immediately, her long, lilac fingernails tapped absentmindedly against the marble countertops. Her silver eyes zeroed in on the large knife she had been using before, and she slowly picked it up.

"Oh, mother?" Athena called out, a sly grin stretching on her face as she gazed at the blade. "Could you come here for a moment?"

Athena lurked in the shadows of the village, a hood on to cover her identity as she watched the firemen put out the fire that had ravaged her home. She wasn't too worried about people recognizing her; she looked so different from the little girl they knew long ago, people wouldn't have known it was Athena Sienna when they saw her figure.

"We only found four bodies in the wreckage," One of the firemen said to another.

"Weren't there supposed to be five people living in that house?"

"I guess so. The body's probably buried in there somewhere. We'll find it tomorrow, once the smoke has cleared."

Athena smiled secretly to herself, turning to leave. She felt alive. More alive than she ever had before. Killing someone was a wondrous feeling.

Perhaps Athena Sienna had actually died in that house, and had been reborn. She was no longer a little girl. No longer the little girl the bandits and her family thought. Today, she would begin her new life. And she would do whatever she liked.

A slow smile slipped onto her lips; she wouldn't dwell on ethics and morales any longer. Insanity was fun. And so was murder.