Hey everyone! Thanks to all who reviewed! I can't believe so many people reviewed for this story! Anyways, for those who were curious as to why the title of this story is as it is. It took me half an hour just to choose the title. Pernicious means deadly, while deception, obviously, means lying and cheat. I hope this story is to interest to all of you, and I hope I can entertain you all until the very end. Please review when you are done!
I took a seat on the bitter, rigid mattress while I let reasonless tears fall down my face. Who wouldn't cry in this situation? I didn't cry when I found out I was sentenced for two months in prison for a crime I didn't commit. Even the authorities knew I didn't do anything. However, because they suspected me to be involved in the decision making of the crime scheme, they threw me in jail. I closed my eyes gradually as I tried to forget my troubles, and for once have a good night's sleep.
The dust and cobwebs clung to my face and hands as I pushed my way through the dark hall of the crumbling mansion. Soft, skittering sounds-a multitude of rats-echoed throughout the house. Cautiously I approached the door. The wood, I could see, was splintered from the inside out, by what appeared to be long claw marks. Slowly, carefully, I opened the door. One step into darkness and I screamed piercingly as I plunged into nothingness.
I hadn't screamed when I woke up, but it would have been aggravating if I did, without intention of doing so. All of the night guards would be rushing in, as they did so last time. I could remember it clearly now.
Gertrude, a bubbly woman with a bright attitude, was full of concern and fret, and kept on asking, more like interrogating me if I was alright. Dylan, a solemn, serious man, just watched me intently with his dark gray eyes. Finally, Gary, the head guard, a man of no fun and just seriousness, was irritated at me for walking up the other "juvenile delinquents" or so he called us. He slammed the cell door and ushered the other guards out.
Ever since then, I tried to be cautious whenever I wake up from sleeping. No matter how hard it was, I tried my best to prevent myself from screaming at night.
That was the same dream-more like nightmare-that haunted me every time I dreamt. It wasn't the cobwebs and shadows that haunted me. It was the wood door, splintered by what seemed like claw marks. Ever since I last saw him, it had been challenging for me to accept the fact that he was gone. The claw marks made it worst. The last night I saw him was that dreadful, gruesome night which took his life. It was the night which part of me was destroyed forever.
I hadn't noticed the sunlight peeping through my petit window on the upper end of the wall, until Gertrude had tapped on my cell door. Glancing up at the bubbly woman, I falsely smiled before walking from my seated position on my bed to the cell door.
"Yes?" I asked politely. She smiled broadly before passing me a book. Squeezing my arm to receive the book, I checked the cover. Entitled "Raven's Lethal Secrets", it was covered with navy and amethyst raven shadow figures.
"I know that today is the day you are allowed to write in your journal, so I decided to give it to you," she commented as she beamed.
"Thank you Gertrude. You may go now." I walked back to my bed and rummaged under my pillow to find a silver coated, black pen. It was one of the only thing I had left of him. A tear threatened to shed, but I closed my eyes to prevent it from falling it down my cheek. Opening the book brought memories of the least person I expected to think about.
-Flashback-
"You better not be doing what I think you're doing!" I screamed from the top of my lungs. Racing down the halls, I tried to catch up with the "monster" who had been stealing all of my books. It had been a rough day with many people teasing me about how I looked. It wasn't any different than how I dressed on other days. What made today any different? Today, I tied my shoulder length black hair in a ponytail. I wore a purple halter underneath a black off shoulder along with black hip huggers. On my feet was a pair of purple ankle boots. My wrist was the home of the bracelet he gave me when he was alive. I had never found the courage to take it off. It was a charm bracelet, with raven charms all over the bracelet. He had always known how much I loved ravens.
My eyes started to well up with tears as I started to slow down from my rapid walking. The "monster" must have sensed that I wasn't running after him because I saw him strolling towards me. I tried to keep back my tears, but my ears thought else wise.
He gaped at the tears flowing from my eyes uncontrollably once he was right in front of me. As he brought his hand to wipe my tears, I slapped his feeble hand away.
"What are you doing?" I asked viciously, through grinding my teeth.
He gazed at me wide eyed while trying to apprehend the situation. "Rochelle, what are you doing? One minute ago, you were chasing me down the halls for your books. The next minute you're crying. What's the matter?"
I absentmindedly fiddled with my bracelet which caught his attention. A tear from my eye fell onto the raven charm, when he touched the bracelet. Staring at it for a few minutes, he kept on fiddling with it before he looked up at me. I stepped back gradually when I saw his eyes. His sea green eyes had turned bloodshot red instantly, and he had a facial expression of fury and anger. Instantaneously, he grabbed my wrist with much pressure that it hurt my wrist. I didn't know what had gotten into him.
"What's wrong?" I asked him this time. He growled which was very unlike him, and he grabbed my wrist tighter.
"What's wrong? What's wrong? I'll tell what's wrong! Tell me where you got that from!" he hissed at me, before tightening his grip around my wrist.
The charms on the bracelet started the dig in my skin, and all I could do was cry out in pain. I gasped in horror when I saw blood seeping through his hand, but he didn't notice. "Please," I yowled in pain, "let go of my hand. You're hurting me."
"I will let go out your hand when I get an answer!" he squeezed tighter, before glaring at me dangerously. All he was waiting for was an answer. With him acting this way, he would definitely get an answer.
"I got this from my best friend, alright? This is one of the only things I have of him. Please, stop hurting me. You got your answer, so please let go." He let go reluctantly and tears started to brim my eyes again as I saw my blood covered wrist.
He, on the other hand, collapsed onto the ground and started panting. Before realizing what had taken over him, he stood and reached out to touch my arm, but I wisped my arm away.
"What's the matter with you? I thought you were nice!" I exclaimed through the echoing halls as everyone was in the gymnasium for the school play performance.
"Roe, I didn't mean to…I didn't know…I didn't know what made me do that." He replied despondently at the sight of my bloody wrist.
"What do you mean you didn't know what made you do it?" I roared at him, loud enough for there to be ringing in my ears. "Why were you angry when you saw my bracelet?"
His facial expression turned miserable, and his voice crackled when he tried to speak, "I gave a bracelet like that to my best friend. I haven't seen her in two years. I thought you had stolen it.
" He turned around, avoiding me. From behind his back, he asked, "What happened to your friend?"
My eyes softened as I could feel the misery in his voice. I tried to keep my voice steady when I spoke, but it always crackled here and there. "He died." I hesitated while biting my lip. Instantly he turned around and gaped at me in shock. I continued, "He was the only one who I felt I could talk to, even though he was a pain in the neck. He gave me this to represent our strong friendship."
I wanted to say that his death didn't affect me a great deal, but I couldn't. The truth was that a part of me was ripped away when he died. I kept my tears back successfully this time, and anger took over my emotions. I couldn't stand how he had treated me just because he thought I stole his best friend's bracelet.
"GARFIELD LOGAN, YOU ARE AN INSENSITIVE JERK! JUST BECAUSE I HAVE A BRACELET LIKE YOUR BEST FRIEND, IT DIDN'T MEAN YOU HAD TO HURT ME AND MAKE MY WRIST BLEED! FROM NOW ON, I AM NOT PART OF YOUR GANG AND I AM NOT YOUR FRIEND!!" My loud voice had echoed through the halls, and that had marked the end of our friendship. I stalked off; leaving Gar heartbroken and dejected, only because he had hurt me, physically and emotionally.
-End of Flashback-
However, the end of our friendship had only proved to be temporary but Gar's appearance yesterday. After, I had stopped hanging out with Gar and his friends; I had been a loner, until I met him. He was the person who made my life terrible and dreadful. He had deceived me detrimentally, by destroying who I was.
Shaking the thought of Gar and him out of my head, I glimpsed at the first word of my diary before someone had called me. Looking up, I saw Dylan, the solemn, serious man, watching me. As usual, I knew what he had meant. By staying in jail for the couple of weeks I had, I had already got used to the routine. Whenever Dylan called me, it meant I had to go and work outside along with the other prisoners. I stuck my diary underneath my pillow, before scurrying after Dylan.
I had never noticed how pleasant and sunny the days could be in the summer. As I rushed behind Dylan to the outdoors, I had time to intake what the pleasant day had to offer. I had time to notice the glorious green color of the grass and the cerulean color of the sky and to breathe the crisp, clean summer air. It wasn't too hot, however it wasn't cool. I sighed, knowing that today wouldn't be any different than any other day. Dylan and I finally reached where I had to collect the garbage, as I did every other day. He left me in the mist of other girls, who were collecting the garbage in their designated territory.
I sighed deeply before putting on my gloves and leaning on the ground to pick up the closest garbage near me, a pop can. As I chucked the pop can into my garbage bag, I noticed a miniscule, scrawny girl stomping towards me. I tried not to roll my eyes, as I knew what was going to happen. Every day ever since I came here, this burly girl has always teased and taunted me. She always made fun of my hair, eyes, and skin-anything she could think of. Why, you might ask, does she do this? To be honest, I have no idea why she does this and why she always picks on me. Turning my back towards her direction, I tried to make it seem as if I didn't notice her.
"Hey Roth," taunted a voice behind me. I instantly knew she had arrived and pivoted on my toes towards her. She was this lean girl with blonde hair and cobalt blue eyes.
"What?" I asked irritated as this was one day I had hoped she would not bother me. However, I guess wishing sometimes never works.
"Your black hair is so out of style." She inspected me as she walked around me and continued, "Seems like they don't allow you to shower because your hair's a mess."
I rolled my eyes and continued to examine the ground for more waste. She had used that line about ten times now, and counting.
"Your eyes, ewwww! How can people stand to look at you with purple eyes like that!" she ranted on and on about my eyes until I interjected.
"There not purple eyes, Kailie, they are amethyst eyes. Nevertheless, I don't think you know what amethyst means, so it might as well be safe to stick with purple." I smiled triumphantly before leaning down to pick a candy wrapper. Every single garbage counts for our supervisors. If we miss even a single candy wrapper, we would have to do extra hours of community service.
She growled at me before continuing on her insults, "Don't you get enough to eat? Your pale skin hurts my eyes to even look at them. I, on the other hand, get the best food, giving my skin its radiant glow!" She strode around me, acting as if she was a model.
I decided to ignore her this time as it was getting annoying beyond belief. Escaping past her annoying self, I kept on looking for any garbage to look. Once I leant down, I noticed my scar on my right wrist. It was the scar of when Gar grabbed my wrist, and his bracelet tore into my skin. Tears fell down my cheek and I picked up the banana peel and threw it into the garbage.
All of a sudden, a loud, piercing voice threw me off track of where I was in my responsibility. Instantly knowing who it was, I knew it was time to tell her how lame her insults were getting. Once she was right behind me, I exclaimed, "Kailie, you need new insults. There lame and getting old, sorry to say."
Kailie glared at me before interjecting, "Well, if you think like that, I can easily get better insults. Your mother must be as ugly and lame as you are. No wonder your father left her for someone else."
My head shot up when she said that. No one, I mean no one, should talk about my mother like that. I roared and darted forward to tackle Kailie to the ground. When she was directly underneath me, I made it clear to her, "No one talks about my mother like that, you…you fake, you phony! You will never be as pretty as my mother was!"
I escaped from the community service grounds to avoid getting caught from the supervisors. I rushed past the guards, through the hallways, directly into my cell. I collapsed onto my bed, soaking my pillow with my tears. All I could think of now was my mother. Kailie had disturbed a very sensitive and emotional memory of my past. A flashback of the last day I had spent with my mother flashed through my mind.
The flashback with Arella would be in the next chapter! Please review if you want to find out what happened to Arella!
(As of now, I will be saying bye with a quote that I absolutely love at the end of the chapters in every story of mine.)
Forgiveness is the scent that the rose leaves on the heel that crushes it.
-Rosefire
