Author's Note:
First shot at a FF and a self-insert.
Going to start off by saying that I am taking a different approach to the self-insert, whereas many write a character in that has played the game, my character has not played the game. I just thought I'd spice it up with a twist.
M-rated.
Prologue
A muted image played on the television with captions reading, "Japan's economic downturn..."
Dawn turned off the television as her niece, Axelle, continued to draw on the coffee table. Sheets of paper scattered across the wood surface along with markers and crayons.
Axelle was four years old and energetic like most children her age. Her red tresses were just below her shoulders and her green eyes glistened like subtle jewels. She paid no attention to the dull things, found escape through playing with her toys, and took joy in illustrating her imagination and memories onto paper.
It was just her and her mother, Aisling, living in that one bedroom apartment. Her mother went to school full-time at the community college just fifteen minutes away, and worked part-time at the local pet shop; however, it wasn't enough to provide for two people since Aisling paid for her own education.
Ever since Axelle was born, Dawn assisted her sister by babysitting on the weekdays and occasionally lending her money. Though it was a loan in Aisling's eyes, to her it was just helping a sister out.
Dawn loved it. She and her husband tried having their own child for a couple of years, but managed at nothing. For now, she asserted her motherly affection to her niece.
Axelle loved having her aunt coming over to babysit. She loved the security her mother gave her.
Axelle glanced at her aunt, "When's Mommy coming back?"
"Any second now, sweetie," she replied, checking her watch. "It's five-thirty. She'll be home soon."
The little girl ran over to her with a drawing. "Look, Aunt Dawn!"
She took the drawing from the child. "That's nice, Axelle." It was a picture of her niece and sister together with red flowers on the border.
"Do you think she'll like it?"
"Of course, sweetie. Do you want to put it on the fridge with the others?"
"Mm, no. I want to wait until-"
Her mother entered. Shutting the door behind her, Aisling dropped her backpack and purse onto the floor. Aisling shared the similar features with her daughter. She let out a heavy sigh as Axelle charged at her with a firm hug. "Mommy, you're back!"
"I am, Axe. What's this?"
"It's us with a bunch of flowers all around," she gave her mother the picture.
Dawn approached them while putting on her sweater. "Well, I cooked you some dinner. It's sitting in the oven. Fifteen minutes," she said to her little sister.
"All right. Thanks. See you tomorrow, Dawn."
She kissed Aisling's cheek and hugged Axelle. "You be good, okay?"
Axelle giggled, "Yeah..."
Dawn grabbed her purse and left.
After Aisling locked the door, she entered the kitchen and placed her daughter's drawing on the table. Axelle followed her mother, glancing at her picture just lying there.
Her mother started the oven and set the timer. She opened the fridge to pull out the milk. "Did you eat yet, Axe?"
"No, not yet," she climbed onto a chair and watched as her mother pull the top off the milk carton. Aisling sniffed the carton and nodded, reading the expiration date.
"Two more days," she sighed.
She replaced the carton in the fridge and opted for a glass of water.
"Mommy, is-"
There was loud pounding on the door, startling them both.
Aisling shot a cold stare at her daughter. Axelle ran off to the bedroom quickly. Inside, she could vaguely see a man knocking on the front door.
Her mother opened the door and Hall entered swiftly.
She looked at him, vexed. "What are you doing here?"
"I want to see my daughter."
"Well, I'm sorry, but she just left. Dawn took her to her house."
"Funny, I didn't see her take Axelle."
"Are you spying on us, again?"
"No, I just want to see our daughter..." he shut the front door and grabbed her chin softly, "Plus, I missed you."
She shoved his hand away. "She isn't here."
Axelle listened in the corner of the room as her father shouted at her mother. The pain in her mother's voice was like a knife scratching against glass. It pierced into her heart painfully. Sitting in the dark, she almost felt vulnerable to the man who seeded and emotionally abused her mother.
The neighbors were used to it as it would only last several minutes. Not hours like in their last apartment.
A loud thud crashed onto the bedroom door.
Axelle jumped and turned away.
"Unlock the fucking door!"
"Stop it, Hall!"
Their voices were faint again. She looked at the door and could see the shadows on the floor. One of them left, the other one followed.
The front door slammed shut and Axelle looked out of the window carefully. Her father was leaving as some of the neighbors peaked out of their windows.
It was the first time, Hall became physically aggressive since they had moved there.
"Honey, open the door."
Aisling wiped her tears and picked up the broken pieces of her cell phone from the floor as Axelle opened the bedroom door. The little girl watched her mother and looked back at the dent in the door.
"What the hell was I thinking?" Aisling whispered to herself.
"Mommy?"
"Pack your things. We're spending the night at your aunt's."
"Mommy-"
"Do it, Axelle," she looked at her daughter firmly, "Please."
At her sister's house, Aisling took refuge for the evening in the spare room with the computer. Axelle was already asleep, comfortable and at peace.
"I didn't want him yelling outside of the apartment, bothering the others." Aisling said.
"I've told you so many times now. Get a restraining order on that son of a bitch."
"But, Dawn, I..."
"You can't, Aisling. I don't believe this. You can't still love that asshole after all he's done. You said it yourself. You were going to call the police until he broke the shit out of your phone." she paused, "Listen, I'm late. We'll talk in the morning."
Dawn left to teach her evening classes at the university, an hour's drive away.
An hour passed, and Aisling was writing into her journal at the desk. She was still shocked and terrified from earlier to a point she became frustrated at herself. Clenching her brow, she closed her journal and placed it on the bed beside Axelle.
She turned on the computer. Waiting for it to load, she searched through her brother-in-law's crate of games. "I really need to get my mind off this crap."
She found the case of Mass Effect, and opened it. Empty.
"Where is it?" she looked around on the desk, and realized it was already in the hard drive. She pushed it in carefully and checked her saves. Deleted. "Great..."
She could hear the door opening, and left to see who it was.
Her brother-in-law looked at her, "Hey, Aisling. Is everything okay?"
"Fine, but did you delete my saves for Mass?"
"I had to reboot that computer. Never made any back-ups. Sorry."
"It's fine. I wasn't too far in the game anyway."
The doorbell rang and he checked through the peephole. He nodded at Aisling who approached the door.
Hall was standing outside.
She backed away from the door. "What now?"
"Forget about him. He'll leave... eventually. And if he starts screaming, call the cops."
"I think I need a drink."
"C'mon, I'll join you."
They headed toward the kitchen while Hall remained outside, ringing the doorbell.
Back in the bedroom, the computer monitor flickered off and on while the game continued to run.
Axelle turned onto her side and touched her mother's journal.
After a couple of shots of whiskey between Aisling and her brother-in-law, Hall finally left.
The silence of the doorbell comforted the mother. "It's getting late. Night," she said as she left.
"All right. Sleep well."
When Aisling entered the bedroom, she halted at the sight of the broken window and her daughter not in bed. Shattered glass lied atop the wrinkled and ruined blanket. The computer monitor blacked out. She rushed toward the window, thrusting her head outside. "Axelle? Axelle?" she screamed, "Axelle!"
Author's Note:
Well... how is this a self-insert, you dope wanna-be writer?
I'll tell you by saying the many things my self-insert (or practically, my own persona even) and I have in common:
- impatient, impulsive, brash, stubborn... vengeful
- dry humor, can/will be indifferent just to avoid conflict
- quick to help out a friend under the right circumstances
- empathetic to only a small circle of friends
- creative, romanticist, sensitive, faithful, eager to learn new things
Some other traits I gave to my self-insert:
- I'm claustrophobic, so dislikes crowds
- I tend to put myself under unneeded stress, headaches pending
- don't really consider myself good-looking (decent) and I'm always startled to hear people's opinions about how [hot, fine, pretty] I look – I still don't believe them
- trust issues, slow to warm up to new people
- I heart technology and I'm happy to call myself a nerd, so I've incorporated "gadgets" for my self-insert
Like I said, I wanted to take a different approach. The plot will thicken and I want to surprise you.
Dr. Axelle Ross is also a fictional character used in my original works, and has been modified and adapted for this FanFiction work. © 7th_Phoenix | Sumary Prom
Disclaimer: All works of BioWare belong to BioWare.