Everyone has a name right?
Then where was hers?
She usually went by brat or girl...
Sometimes, when they were really angry she was called things that earned herself a sharp backhand across the mouth when she had said them herself...
You would think that she wouldn't attempt to use those words again. Right?
Well she did. They were said under her breath, referring to those around her. They obviously deserved the names more than she did. I mean, how could a ten-year-old have done something so horrible to deserve their ire.
That's right. You read that right she was ten.
Who knew someone so young, could already know so much hate. Both given to her and given by her.
But that was neither here nor there. It was hardly important at the moment since it stopped bothering her a long time ago. The hate was slowly fading into cold apathy.
However, there was something that did still bother her. She was given other names. Ones that were uttered with the utmost disdain. Ones that she hated above all others.
Monster, unnatural and demon.
One caretaker, Ginger, Had taught her how to read. She had been the only good person she had met. The only reason her life wasn't a complete shit show and she was gone…
She read about the monsters in stories. They weren't anything like her. She doesn't kidnap princesses, eat people or lure unfortunate souls to their demise. She was not a murderer or a trickster. Hell, she didn't even steal things, even as her stomach rumbled and her fingers itched at the sight of the delicious looking food her selfish caretakers ate. Despite being relatively good, if not a little annoying. She was being handled like some kind of unpalatable ghoul.
She wasn't even allowed a name. At some point she had even asked why that was so, but the woman she had asked just scoffed and said little beasties like her didn't deserve a name. Not after what she had done. (She still hadn't quite figured out what she had done exactly. All that she really knew was that it had something to do with her parents. Her mother in particular.)
As for her caretakers, she never called them by name or even really bothered to learn them. If she didn't have one then they don't get one either. It may sound childish to you but it was just one more thing she had control over and that list was sadly a small one. Instead she would give them all fun little nicknames. Like spider-bitch, worm or tall dark and creepy.
She tugged on a strand of her obnoxiously long dark red hair. 'It's was the color of dried blood'. They would mumble to each other as she glided past them, head held high, as if their presence meant nothing to her. 'How fitting'. They would hiss.
She hated her hair.
She liked her eyes though. Since they never failed to make those around her nervous and unsettled. They were a piercing yellow and they were slitted like a cats. 'Unnatural'. They said.
'Disgusting'. they mumbled. 'Evil'. They uttered in fear. She had even heard her handlers whispering about how they would glow in the dark, following them as they walked past her. She liked that they feared her. Even if it was only a little.
Her hair, however, was one of the many things she hated about her existence. To her, it represented how little control she had over her life. It stayed ever unchanging. The same damning length. All the way down to her pale little ankles and, of course, the same wretched color. She had tried to cut it dozens of times, She tried even harder after the incident. After that, she had taken a match to it. All that had gotten her was pain and the smell of charred flesh and hair.
Her hair had grown back...Along with the skin her little endeavor had melted off..
She had cried that night. (Partially because of the incident and also, the feeling of nearly having your face roasted off was not particularly a pleasant one. As you can imagine) For the first time since her infancy she had shed tears that soaked her ratty, threadbare pillow through. She cried until she couldn't anymore.
And she wouldn't. Never again would she allow herself to experience such pathetic weakness. Not for them. They did not deserve it. They had enjoyed her tears. Laughed at her crumpled form, defeated, curled in little sobbing ball on the floor. That was the day, 6 months ago, that something in her snapped, That was the day she decided she would become the monster they claimed her to be.
So here she was, drawing on some spare paper she had managed to get her little hands on. It was crinkled and already had some words written on it but hey, it was what she had. Don't knock it.
On the side without the words was a charcoal drawing of what looked like the night sky. Although she had taken some artistic license and gave the moon a face that looked twisted and angry, with some kind of liquid dripping from its crooked smile. She smiled back at her drawing. Hers not nearly as off putting. She was proud of this one. One would not think it was done by a child. They would think it was done by some poor suffering artist. I suppose they would be right. She considered herself an artist and she was suffering by most standards. She had so little to keep her entertained. So, she drew. A lot
This was one of her favorite pastimes. No, not drawing, although that was part of it and she did enjoy it. No, she would draw these pictures and leave them places for people to find and watch their reactions. She always loved the look of disgusted horror they would sport after finding one of her particularly macabre pieces. Her head swayed back and forth like a snake in time to the faint music she could hear through the bars on her window.
Her lovely thoughts were interrupted by the sound of metal door to her cage grinding against the cold concrete floor. 'Oh how wonderful' She thought in a cheery tone. ' Spider-bitch has decided to grace me with her presence once more'. She didn't even have to turn around to know who it was. The god awful stench of the old bats perfume had already invaded her poor nostrils.
"Girl". The older woman greeted none to nicely in that scratchy voice of hers The sound never had failed to scrape against her eardrums unpleasantly. She was tall and wrinkly. Her dry, brittle white hair, like a mass of tangled spider webs, was bound atop her head in a tight bun. Her fingers were long and thin like spider legs. Hence the unflattering nickname. The girl vaguely wondered if nicknaming the women after the arachnids was an insult to their species. She vastly prefered the creepy crawlies company over her caretakers after all.
"Ah, always a pleasure." The redheaded little girl greeted in a voice like poison. "However I must ask, isn't it daytime? I thought creatures like you only come out at night." Her eyes widened innocently.
The women snarled and sneered at the girl sitting on the cold stone floor. Spider-Bitch was one of the only people who were not afraid of her in the slightest. She also hated her the most.
The feeling was mutual.
When what the girl said reached the woman's ears, her hand twitched like it was itching to hit her but it remained by her side. She looked as if restraining herself from hurting the child brought her physical pain. Her jaw tightened. "Come up with that yourself, did you?" She said through gritted teeth.
The child gracefully raised a single thin, red, brow. Huh, how odd, spider-bitch had never let an excuse to harm her go to waste before. She narrowed her yellow eyes. What was she up to.
"Of course. I always dedicate time in my day to thinking of ways to make your life as hellish as I possibly can." She giggled. All of that was said in the same sweet and innocent voice as before. "Your misery is very important to me you know."
The angry snarling sound that came from Spider-Bitch was almost time the horrible women did not even try to keep herself nonviolent as a loud thwack bounced of the walls of the small cell.
"Yo- you horrible little monster." the white haired old biddy shrieked as she trembled with badly concealed rage.
There was that word again. Oh how she hated that word. As far as she was concerned they were the monsters not her. After what she had been through in the past 10 years of her life. The smack hardly phased her. She sent a half-hearted glare at the women. Half-hearted because she barely cared anymore.
"If it was up to me, you wouldn't have any time at all to be a little terror. I would have had you disposed of the moment the world was stained by your presence. I hope that smack taught you a little something about manners."
Said little terror's eyes were lit up like molten gold as a corner of her lips curled into a smirk."It tickled." She said simply.
Spider-bitch had nothing to say to that. She just roughly grabbed her by the hair. A popular choice when it came to leading her around. 'Like a leash, another reason to hate my hair'. She thought.
"Your lucky It was requested that I clean you up, otherwise that little lovetap I gave you would have been a lot worse." The redhead snorted, love tap her ass. Although, compared to the usual she supposed it was a 'love tap' and what was all this about cleaning her up? Last time she checked it wasn't a bath day. They were held on sundays. She knew it was wednesday. She shivered. Bath days were very unpleasant. They only ever let her use freezing cold water and it usually left her shivering hours after she was cleaned.
She decided to just roll with it. Even if she asked she doubted she would get a good response.
Her face grew confused when they passed the room that housed the rusted bathtub that was usually used on bath days. Spider-bitch must have noticed her confusion because they paused.
"Someone has…come to collect you. " The older woman smiled cruelly " You are to at least look presentable. Master Baker wishes to impress our guest. Even if it means making you look less like a gutter rat and then we will be rid of you for good." Spider-Bitch seemed really happy about that.
Meanwhile the redheads mind was scrambled up like eggs. What? She didn't even know what to think or feel at the moment. She felt a rough tug of her hair as she and Spider-bitch continued walking down the musty hallways. On one hand she was finally going to leave this place. On the other she was leaving with someone she didn't know. They may even take her somewhere worse. She mentally sighed. Well isn't today turning out just wonderful.
She was eventually led up and out of the place she had known all her short life. Cracked stone gave way to shining marble. Musty walls welcomed elegant wallpaper and beautiful tapestries.
The air so much sweeter than the mold she was accustomed to. Her eyes were wide with reluctant wonder as she was embraced with more color and life than she had ever before. It was like up until now she had lived her life in black in white. She decided then that she never wanted to go back. Even if it killed her.
Once again she was pulled from her thoughts by the scalp.
"Hurry up brat. I will not allow you to waste my valuable time. We do not have all day." Oh, That detestable voice. She will miss it ever so dearly. She must have said this outloud. Sarcasm leaking heavily into her words because the hand in her hair tightened. Managing to pull out a few of the crimson strands. She had to resist the urge to wince.
They traveled through the grand house further before stopping at their desired destination. A sturdy gilded, Wooden door greeted them. Spider-Bitch turned the crystal knob. She gathered that she had been brought to a bathroom and lets just say it was a huge step up from the usual.
Everything was made of shiny royal purple marble accented in gold. The bathtub was a huge shell shaped basin. At one end there was on big fassett surrounded by many little ones. At the other end was a whole bunch of hygiene products like lotions, soaps, shampoos and toothpaste along with a multitude of brushes and towels.
Just being in this room made her feel cleaner.
Two younger women came in, after a few moments of just her staring, unsure of how to proceed. They both looked absolutely terrified. 'Good'. She thought giving them a grin. One of the girls flinched and the other looked like she wanted to cry.
It were times like these where she couldn't help but wonder what it was about her that was so off-putting. She had a few theories made from snippets of conversation she had overheard. One was that she really was a demon and her father was satan himself. Another that she killed her mother in childbirth. (apparently her mother and spider-bitch had been close and that was why she held so much resentment towards her.)
"I want her scrubbed Head to toe." Spider bitch hissed. "Make her look as presentable as you are able… The horrid woman shot her one last sneer before turning back the way she came.
She grimaced and felt one of the girls gentle hands around her wrist. She almost growled but managed to choke it down. It was obvious that they were not trying to harm her. She allowed them to do as they liked.
One began to brush the tangles from her thick hair, while the other ran the bath and began to undress her. She glared at her reflection in the polished marble. She was small but that was only due to her age. Despite others efforts she did not end up malnourished. Her skin was pale under all the grime and dirt that coated it but not unhealthily so.
The bathwater was turned off and some of the soaps and salts were poured in. filling the room with the sweet scent of flowers The taller girl gestured for her to get in the bath. You didn't have to tell her twice. She slipped her legs into the silky water. It felt absolutely divine. It was the perfect temperature and so deep it reached her chin when she sat down.
She sat there for a bit until she felt someone tugging on her hair once more. Various gooey substances were being applied to her hair, her skin was scrubbed raw from head to toe. They even tried to cut her claw like nails before they immediately grew back. They ended up just painting them silver. She was anointed with oils and perfumes that made her sensitive nose burn. She was even given the chance to brush her teeth. What surprised her most was that they dressed her in a silk, white dress with little silver and gold butterflies and red roses surrounded by black thorns.
When they were finally finished she looked at her reflection once more in the marble. She hardly recognized herself. Her hair was glossy and fell to her ankles in soft curls. Her skin now shone a milky white, unmarred by the gunk that was washed away. When she met the yellow of her reflections eyes she was reminded of who she really was.
A cellar rat dressed in silks.
Spider bitch came back soon after that. She didn't even comment on her new appearance. She just grabbed her shoulder and began pulling her up some stairs. They continued to walk in silence. Neither wanting conversation.
They soon came upon a set of heavy wooden doors. Spider-bitch wasted no time opening them up and shoving her inside. She once again marveled at the beauty of the space. Instead of walls it was shelves and shelves of books. There were statues and paintings. Her appreciation was interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat.
She spun around to find two people. One sat behind a large desk. He was an old, balding, rather heavy set man. He looked very unsettled as he stole nervous glances at the other occupant.
The other man was a different story.
If you went off looks, you might say he looked like a smarmy car salesman. With his black suit and hidden intentions underneath a charming smile. However, he practically radiated subtle power. Like a snake in the grass that could kill you with one venomous bite.
If there was anyone she would never hope to annoy...
"Hello love. I believe you and I will be seeing a lot of each other from now on." He said in a thick british accent. He took a step towards her resulting in her taking an involuntary step back. He only chuckled. "Smart one. I like that." He turned back to the man behind the desk.
"Well Mr. Baker you get to keep your soul, as promised". The man snapped his fingers and 'Mr. Baker sank with visible relief.
"Almost a shame really, Fluffy here was hoping for a snack." He patted the air next to him and the girl heard an unholy growl from the spot.
She took yet another step back.
The movement must have caught his eye because he spun around to face her. He lifted his arm and performed a pulling motion with his hand that propelled her forward towards him. Her eyes widened. She soon found that she couldn't move her body.
What was he. He wasn't like anyone she had ever met. This raw power she could feel all the way to her toes was like nothing she had ever felt before.
Something inside her resonated with it. It called out to this dark energy that rolled off the man in waves.
"Mr. Baker informed me that you don't have a name." He sent a glare over to the quivering man behind the desk. "I feel as if we should fix that."
He looked back at her with a calculating look as he seemed to evaluate her.
"Regina."
Her eyebrows drew together. She tested out the name, finally having found her voice.
"Regina?" She asked, her voice barely a whisper.
"Your name darling." He grinned and chuckled as if the name was some kind of inside joke he had with himself. Maybe it was. She didn't know.
"You, kitten, are my ace in the hole. The dagger up my sleeve." His grin widened.
"And I." He mock bowed. "Am Crowley. King of the crossroads. A pleasure to make your acquaintance."
Regina felt that was the first name she would be smart to remember.