Hi everyone! I'm Coconut or Coco or whatever. This is my first time posting on here, but I really hope you like this first chapter and I'm actually already done with Chapter 2, so that ought to be up soon.
rather unfortunately, I don't own anything :'( oh well...
warnings: Burning, Electroshock, Whipping via belt, Character death, General Abuse,
If you like this, fav, follow and all that. Any questions, message me. Here we go!
It's always smells so damp in here. Probably a side effect of being so far underground.
The older of the two women pushed the younger, still just a teen, roughly into the solitary wooden chair.
It's also always been very dark. Probably because there is only a small fire in the corner bringing in any illumination.
The woman tightened the braces around the teen's upper arms, leaving her forearms and hands free to move. But she knew better and kept her hands on the ends of the armrests.
The chair wasn't entirely uncomfortable. Solid wood, but worn from use. There were worse things the teen could have been stuck sitting in.
The woman then went to the fire and pulled out two lengths of thin chain. One end of each of the foot long chains were cool, but the rest blazed with heat.
Staring at the red hot chains, the teen simply sat and waited. She knew what was going to happen. This was a regular Saturday afternoon for them. No sense in trying to fight at this point, that would only make the inevitable worse.
The woman hooked the chains to nails on the sides of the arm rests. Then she paused, holding the chains just off to the side. The teen could feel the heat from the chains scalding her skin, making her scarred wrists sweat.
The woman leaned in to whisper in the teen's ear.
"Oh, Darling. You know I don't like this." The teen bit back a scoff.
"But you and what you do... It's a sin. And that makes you an abomination. I can't let you burn in hell." Can't say I'd return the favor, thought the teen. The woman continued, "Just know that I love you, and I do this to help you." Liar, thought the teen.
With that the woman pulled away from the her ear. She clenched her teeth, determined to stay silent.
The woman thrust her hands down and wrapped the red hot chains around the teen's wrists.
The scream was long and loud.
Ten years later
When Laura got a call from LaF saying that they and Perry had something important to tell her and Danny, two words rang through her head.
Fucking finally.
LaF refused to elaborate what their special news was, but that didn't matter, Laura knew this was coming. Known it for about 6 years now.
She remembered her first year of college. She had just been a 19 year old girl who'd never left home until she went off to college. She had no idea what she was doing, and had called on her floor Don, Perry, frequently.
But Perry was never seen without LaFontaine attached to her hip. They spent so much time together that Laura, convinced they were together, jokingly asked them "When are you two getting married?" The way LaF had literally choked on their own spit had been hilarious.
-
"Wha- wait- what are you talking about Laura?" LaF sputtered between coughs.
"Wait, aren't you two dating?" Laura had asked, sincerely confused.
"What! NO! We're not!" Perry cried, her face an impressive shade of pink.
Oh, how time changes things. By the end of the next year LaF and Perry were happily together and in love. They were that one couple that everyone knows is gonna get married one day.
That plus the fact that Laura had seen LaF looking at engagement rings at the mall kinda sealed the deal in Laura's mind.
After hanging up the phone Laura sat back in her chair and thought back on these last 6 years. Perry would graduate that first year, but then continue into med school until she got her doctorate. She works in a children's hospital as a pediatrician now. Danny graduated that same year with a masters in English literature. But instead of becoming a teacher, Danny made it as a pro soccer player. LaF graduated 2 years later with a doctorate in Microbiology, and a minor in forensics. They currently worked at the local precinct and researched out of the Lab they had built under their's and Perry's house. Laura being the youngest graduated last, 1 year after LaFontaine, just 2 years ago. She got her degree in Journalism and currently works freelance.
Laura shook her head and chuckled as she thought of the first time she saw her friends in college. Perry was at her orientation and like always, LaF was right by her side. Danny had been her TA for her AP Literature Class, and man, did she have a crush on the towering ginger. They actually dated for a while after Laura graduated. But unfortunately that ended a few months ago and Danny still didn't seem to be over... Things.
Laura liked Danny, she really did; Danny was brave and strong and all kinds of righteous, but she had gotten a bit too controlling like her over-protective Dad.
Needing some space, Laura ended things with the redhead. She tried to remain friendly, but Danny always acted extremely uncomfortable around her. She hoped for LaF's and Perry's sake she'd be amicable tonight.
Pulling out of her desk, Laura swiveled in her chair and faced the living room of her apartment. It was on the small side, although it still had two bedrooms. Her roommate, Betty, had actually just moved out leaving Laura with an empty, and quite frankly, expensive extra room.
Laura got up from her chair and walked around to her bedroom, passing frame after frame of popular newspapers that had featured her articles, as well as various certificates and awards. All of which had been the product of long hours at her desk sipping away at hot chocolate and munching cookies.
She opened the door to her bedroom and walked over to her closet. Pulling the sliding doors aside, Laura looked at her choices. They were just hanging out so no need to do anything super special. But they were celebrating what is most likely an engagement, so she wanted to look nice. Also they were going to the only halfway decent club in town, The Pit. The place was kinda creepy and was underground. Honestly the only thing that made the place cool was their party lights and DJ station, courtesy of techy-nerds from the local Alchemy Club.
Using her "keen fashion sense" Laura quickly found an outfit and laid it out on her bed before going into her bathroom to get ready for the night.
On the other side of town, a young woman with black hair and clothes to match, stared out the window of the bus as it drove down the road. She looked down and fiddles with the studded leather cuffs on her wrists, an old nervous habit she'd never outgrown.
She didn't know why she was nervous though. She'd been to many towns and many cities. She didn't know anything about this place, but something felt weird. Something felt different, and it was putting her on edge.
With a screech and a puff, the bus stopped at a station. The bus driver turned around to face her. "Okay kiddo, time to get off."
The dark haired girl rose from her seat and stretched her legs, fixing the waistline of her black leather pants. She pushed up the sleeves of her red plaid shirt before putting her duffel across her back and picking up her guitar case. She carefully maneuvered herself off the bus, throwing the bus driver a distasteful glare after hopping off.
Returning her glare, the bus driver grunted out a quick "Welcome to Styria". Then he closed the doors and muttered "asshole" under his breath as he drove away to the garage.
She knew she was being rude, but she couldn't find it in herself to care. Besides, in her experience, people who got too close got hurt. Best push them away.
Looking up the brunette saw that the sky was clear, but sunset couldn't be more than an hour or two off. She needed to find a place to sleep.
Shouldn't rain tonight, she thought, a nice park bench will do. She started looking around. She'd never been to Styria before, but, then again that was the point. Being on the run doesn't work all that well if you keep visiting the same towns over and over again.
Just then her stomach growled. She pulled her wallet out of her duffel bag and checked for any money.
$1.43. Shit. Or should I just..? She thought reaching into her duffle for a heavy locked box.
"No" she said aloud. That money was only for emergencies now.
"Looks like I need to find a city corner" she mumbled to herself.
With that she hefted her duffel bag and grabbed her guitar. With one last huff of distaste, she turned and made for the city center.
Feeling her flesh singe and burn, the teen tried to calm her screams.
It was always like this. She'd vow to stay silent but the second the burning chains came down her mouth erupted in a blood curdling scream of pain.
She knew the backs her wrists would be scarred. Again.
She was no stranger to scars, her body was covered in them. But the woman was smart enough to keep all of the teen's scars where they were easily covered. Her wrists were the trickiest to cover, but her cuffs did the job.
The teen wasn't bothered by a fresh set of scars. She was simply happy she had been allowed to keep her hands palm-down. The inverse would have been even more excruciating.
The teen's eyes stung with tears she refused to shed. She would not cry in front of her. The teen looked up and glared through her pain.
"Surely Darling. You must understand."
"I will never understand, Mother." The teen spat.
The teen thought back to the day she first met the woman. It had been shortly after one of the worst days of her entire life.
An hour later Laura checks herself one last time in the mirror. She was dressed in a simple outfit, pink-cream colored short sleeved blouse and her favorite pair of jeans. Her hair was straightened and her makeup so minimal it was almost non-existent.
Laura chuckled lightly and thought back to her old roommate Betty. Her roommate wouldn't have let her leave without piling on the makeup and putting her in a sequined outfit.
There was a knock on the door and Laura emerges from her bedroom to answer the door. Outside her door LaFerry, as Laura had taken to calling the dynamic duo, were holding hands and smiling.
Laura opened her door and hugged her friends before letting them in.
"So what's the oh-so-exciting news?"
"Oh Laura," laughed Perry, "something tells me you've probably already guessed, but we need to wait for the others before we make it official."
"Haha yea, you're righ- wait, others? I thought it was just us and Danny?" Laura said turning to LaF.
"Oh, uh, yea. Danny's bringing a...a friend." Perry said, slightly uncomfortable.
And LaF, always the truth speaker and never one to withhold information blurted "She's bringing a date."
"Also Kirsch is coming." Perry said trying to alleviate the sudden awkwardness. Laura laughed at her effort.
"Guys, it's ok. Me and Danny are over, and I'm over her. No need to walk on egg shells." It was true, Laura was over her. There certainly had been a time that she was head over heels for the girl. But that time had passed.
Perry let out a breath she'd been holding and then looked up and smiled.
"Well good. No hard feelings, 'cause tonight, WE CELEBRATE!" shouted LaF with one of the biggest smiles Laura had ever seen on their face as they jumped up and down.
"Calm down weirdo." Perr said grabbing their shoulders and then fixing their hair.
"Control freak." They said giving Perry a kiss on the lips.
Perry blushed when she pulled away. Turning towards Laura, quickly saying "sorry."
"We were having a moment" said LaF with a sheepish smile as they put their arm around Perry.
"Keep having that moment. I'll go get my bag and we can leave." Laura said with a smile.
Yea, they are so getting married, Laura chuckled as she came back in to her living room to find LaF and Perry sitting together on her couch.
"Okay, I'm ready to go."
They jumped from the couch, blushing lightly and linking their arms as they all left Laura's apartment.
Down the street and around a corner, the woman with dark hair walked on the sidewalk, trying to find a good intersection.
It was starting to get dark and not many people were out walking. Finding an intersection with a few small business still open, she plopped her duffle on the ground next to a bench. Setting her guitar case on the bench she opened it and pulled out her guitar.
She'd only had it for about 2 years, and it was still in good condition. During her first 2 years running, she had lived off the enormous amount of money she'd stolen from Mother before leaving. She still had a lot of money left, but she wasn't going to waste any of that. She kept it locked away in a box for emergencies.
She had started singing on corners on her 3rd year, with a beat up ukulele that she'd bought off a homeless man. The man had been emaciated and in desperate need of a good meal. The thing would have only gone for $50 brand new, but she bought it for $100. She may be rude but she wasn't heartless, and she happily gave the man the money.
Sure enough that ukulele soon played its last tune. Her 5th year, she had to put the ukulele down, but she picked up an equally beat up guitar at a yard sale just outside of the town she was staying in.
Saving money in any way she could, skipping meals, skipping a night in a comfy motel, she made enough money to get herself one luxury. On her 7th year, she bought herself a brand new guitar. And now on her 9th, almost 10th, year she pulled out and admired her guitar.
It was an Ibanez cutaway acoustic with an electric setup. 6-strings with silver frets and trim. The edges of the body were black, but the center was a blood red sunburst. Her strap was black leather with white rose thorn decal going down the middle. The front end of the strap had a silver charm hooked on it. The charm was a simple black panther with roses under its front and back paws. The panther was stretched out, and it's head and right front paw was turned out to the side, it's muzzle pulled back in a snarl. The other end had the exact same image printed in white on the leather, and the thorns down the middle of the strap linked right into roses on the panther decal.
If she was honest with herself, she really didn't like guitar. She'd have much preferred bass guitar, and even that wasn't her favorite instrument. And she also didn't particularly like some of the pop songs she sang on street corners.
But banging away on a bass to a punk rock song wouldn't earn her money for her next meal.
And even if guitar wasn't her favorite instrument, she cherished her guitar. She'd put in a lot of time on corners and in bars to make enough money to buy it.
Putting the strap on her guitar the woman chuckled as she remembered a time a man had tried to steal her guitar. When she'd caught up to the man she'd grabbed his collar and backhanded him in the face with her studded cuffs. The man reeled back holding his nose and had fallen into a park trash can. She had just laughed as she walked away.
When the teen had only been 7 years old, she and her parents had been in a terrible car accident. They had been hit but a truck being driven by an alcoholic driver who had just gotten his paycheck. Her parent had been killed instantly, she was the only survivor.
She spent months in the hospital recovering. Funnily enough though, she retained no scars from this accident.
When she was ready to be released, she didn't know where she was going to go. She had no other family and she was far too young to be on her own. That was when she met Marcus.
Marcus Dekan had been one of her father's closest friends, so when he died, Marcus took the girl to live with him. She had liked him, he had been a warm and gentle man with round laugh to match his stomach. He had cared for her like she was his own.
His son, William Dekan, was nice, but if she was honest with herself, he'd always seemed extremely creepy. She'd be sitting under a tree on the grounds, reading a book, and would look up to see him standing or leaning against another tree watching her.
His wife, Lilith, had demanded that the girl call her Mother. She always seemed like she was born in the wrong century. She was such a righteous and religious woman that she should have been born into the age of kings and queens. The girl's mother had been much the same, having already started her lessons in piano, etiquette, and foreign languages, but her mother had also been gentle and kind.
Her father had been German, and her mother had been French. They had both left their homelands and learned English. The girl's first language had actually been German, but her mother made sure that she learned English for school. She had also installed a great thirst for knowledge in the 7 year old.
When she lost her parents, she continued to study hard, reading book after book. She learned to speak German, French, and English fluently. She learned a great many things, hoping her parents would be proud of her.
When Laura, LaF, and Perry walked into The Pit, it was only just getting dark outside and the club was practically empty. The Pit wasn't a big place. The doors opened up to a sunken dance floor, the "pit" for which the place was named. To the left lay the bar, and in the back were some booths. During the day, the dance floor would be covered with small tables but in the evening the floor was cleared and the DJ booth was wheeled in from the back room.
Laura and Perry headed to their usual table, a booth in the back corner, and sat down while Lafontaine ordered some drinks from the bar. Soon after LaF returned from the bar, Kirsch showed up.
"Hey guys, guess what!" He said excitedly.
"What's up Kirsch?" Laura asked, happy to see him smiling.
"Oh not much really….. I just went on an awesome first date the other day!"
"Really? Oh sweetie, that's fantastic" Perry said.
"Thanks Perr."
"So what did you guys go do?" LaF asked.
"What's her name?" Said Laura.
"Her name's Natalie. She's a girl from work. We went out for coffee and I asked her to dinner." He paused to smile. "We, uh, went to that French bistro, you know, the one up the street from the library?"
"Aw that's so sweet." Cooed Laura, smiling at Kirsch and his puppy like adorableness.
"But yea, had a really nice date the other day. She really pretty, and she's so short! It's adorable. Kinda like you Laura." The smile fell off Laura's face.
"Kirsch!" Laura whined. "How come you always pick on me for being so short!" She reached over to hit his arm playfully. She was happy for him though, they all hadn't seen him so animated since SJ.
"Oh come on Laura, I'm just messing with you. Besides, LaF and Danny do it just as often."
Just then LaF looked up and said "Speak of the devil."
Laura turned to see Danny walking past the bar, arm in arm with her date.
Betty. Laura's old roommate.
Marcus had been a good man, and had taken good care of the girl after she lost her parents. He had been kind and gentle like her mother, wise and strong like her father.
She cried just as much for his loss as she had for her parents.