PRINCESS OF DARKNESS
What happens when Ruthie meets someone who might just be as diabolical as she is?
RATED PG-13 because of references to homosexuality that, surprisingly, does not involve Simon. By the way, I don't own 7th Heaven or the worldview of the Camden Clan.
Oatmeal.
Thick. Slimy. Covering every single inch off Ruthie Camden's shaking frame.
She was angry. Furious.
She had been humiliated in front of the entire school.
And now, here she stood, standing in front of the mirror in the boys' bathroom, pondering just what revenge would be sweet enough to satisfy her thirst for vengeance.
How had this happened? Who was the culprit?
It was the new girl in school. Jenna Livingston. Or, as Ruthie now referred to her, 'dead meat'.
Jenna hadn't been in school long, but she already had a reputation for being a troublemaker. Ruthie had known this before the oatmeal incident. In fact, Jenna's reputation was part of the reason Ruthie tried to befriend her when she first moved in.
Someone like Jenna would be a nice acquisition to Ruthie. She regularly imagined the trouble she could make with a partner-in-crime.
Ruthie was rejected when she tried to befriend Jenna. This didn't sit well with the Camden girl, and she soon after began to search for deep, dark, nasty secrets to spread about Jenna and her family.
When she could find none, she became frustrated.
And when she opened her locker that fateful Wednesday morning, only for a tub of cold, clammy oatmeal to fall onto her, she became incensed.
She had been so humiliated that, against her better judgment, she decided to run into the girls' room for sanctuary. Unfortunately for her, she could barely see because of the oatmeal that covered her face, and she ran into the boys' bathroom instead.
And that was where she stood, presently.
Steaming.
Embarrassed.
Livid.
Jenna would pay.
If Ruthie could find nothing scandalous about Jenna or her family, she would make something up. Something outrageous. Something sensational. Something so shocking, nobody in the neighborhood would ever look at the Livingston's the same way again, even if they found out it was a lie.
How would she do this?
Ruthie began to ponder this, hours later, as she sat in the Camden home 'watching' Sam and David.
The wheels in her head began to turn. What could possibly shock a town like Glenoak? A town that had been through an amazingly large amount of controversies? A town that would seemingly be so jaded that nothing—NOTHING—could shock them any longer.
Everything had happened to Glenoak.
Everything. Except, that is...
A light bulb clicked on in Ruthie's head. She had an idea.
And boy, was it a great idea.
If there was one thing Ruthie was almost positive Glenoak had never dealt with, it was the big 'H'. Homosexuality.
Granted, some in the neighborhood tended to raise their eyebrows at Simon, but that was just speculation. There was no actual rumor spread about Simon. And even if there was, Eric and Annie would nip it in the bud instantaneously. The Camdens were, in a word, untouchable. The only Camden who ever really attracted the ire of Glenoak was Mary.
But I digress.
The town had a tendency to resemble a lynch mob at times, and Ruthie was certain that 'mob' mentality would take shape if anyone in Glenoak knew of a single person within a thirty mile radius who happened to be even thinking of a same-sex relationship.
Ruthie rubbed her hands together and cackled slightly.
Jenna would pay.
Jenna would definitely pay.
Ruthie peeled a dried piece of oatmeal off of her ear.
It was late. Almost eleven.
Ruthie was lying in bed, plotting how she would get the rumor mill started.
She pondered for barely a minute before she realized she could just tell her father, and it would end up all over Glenoak by the next morning.
It may have been eleven, but Ruthie couldn't wait.
She was thirsting for revenge. Sweet, sweet revenge.
Even though it may not have seemed that way sometimes, Ruthie was a very good actress. She acted many of her emotions. Snap a finger, and she could go from joy to sadness and back again seamlessly.
She slipped into 'worried, sleepless' mode and began to walk downstairs. She had a hunch that her father would be sitting in the den, going over whatever it was that interested him. Her hunch was right.
"Ruthie? What are you doing up so late?"
Ruthie expressed her concerns to her father.
Eric watched his daughter intently as she described how... different... Jenna was. How Jenna wore her hair short and spiked, about how Jenna hated boys, about how Jenna idolized Ellen Degeneres... of course, hardly any of this was true.
The only thing Ruthie really knew about Jenna—besides the fact she was a troublemaker—was that she really, really hated her.
After Ruthie finished mentioning all the terrible things Jenna was into, she decided to tell her father about the 'terrible looks' Jenna would give the other girls.
For instance, about how 'she look[ed] at [her] with that sick look in her eye.' Or about how 'she stares at [her and her classmates] in the locker room.' About how 'sick and dirty it ma[de] [her] feel.'
Eric, of course, was sickened. He bought every single word of what his daughter was saying. He was angry.
And when a tear slipped from his daughter's eye, he became furious.
Of course, Eric's rage didn't show outwardly.
Outwardly, he was compassionate and sympathetic.
Outwardly, he held his youngest daughter as she wept, letting her know that she should never feel sick or dirty or anything like that. He stroked her hair and comforted her, while she smiled inwardly.
Her plan was in action, and soon Jenna would be no more.
It was immediate and sweeping.
A powerful blow.
Within days, the entire neighborhood was talking about Jenna Livingston.
People would call her names. The Livingston's were receiving threatening phone calls. Everyone looked at them with that suspicious eye.
People were disgusted by them. The very idea of homosexuality in Glenoak was enough to make residents spastically vomit.
That Sunday, Eric Camden's sermon was about sin. Terrible, taboo sins. Sins were like sickness. People had to be cured of them.
And Eric offered to cure Jenna. He hated this girl, yet he was a minister, and he knew what he had to do. Jenna had looked at his daughter in an oh-so- sinful way, and she needed to be cured immediately.
The Livingston's declined Eric's offer. They knew full well that their daughter was not gay—not that there was anything wrong with it—and they weren't even going to dignify the thought that she was.
The declination of the Livingston's did not help relations between the family and the town. One way or another, people would find out that Joe and Theda Livingston rejected the offer of help from the local minister.
Maybe Eric would tell Annie in bed. Maybe one of the several people living in the Camden house would overhear. Then it would begin to spread. The Camden family was involved directly or indirectly with every single function of the town, be it the police department, fire department, or the school system. Eric could mutter something to his wife while on the edge of sleep, and it would end up plastered on the front page of the newspaper the next morning.
So it was fairly obvious that the Livingston's denial of Eric's help would be big news. Refusing the local minister's aid? People simply did not do this in Glenoak.
Once this bit of information spread across the town, the Livingston's were ostracized even more.
By the next Wednesday, seven days after the oatmeal incident, Ruthie Camden had successfully turned the tables.
Jenna Livingston was miserable. She was being threatened. Called names. Insulted. School was virtually unbearable. Jenna knew who had done this to her.
Ruthie.
By just looking at the Camden spawn, Jenna could tell. This was Ruthie's version of revenge. Spread lies. Terrible lies. Psychological warfare.
Well, Jenna Livingston could play this game.
She could play it very well.
Jenna Livingston was well skilled in this game. Jenna could make up lies. Jenna could spread rumors. Of course, nobody would listen to a single word she ever had to say. However, that didn't mean Jenna couldn't be an anonymous source of information.
It was just after school. Ruthie was washing her hands in the girls' washroom when Jenna burst in. Jenna had been following Ruthie and, after making sure she was alone with her, approached the enemy.
"Camden."
"Livingston."
"I know it was you. I know you started those rumors about me. You have the whole town against me. Against my family. I've been getting death threats."
Ruthie dried her hands.
"Aww. I really feel sorry for you." Ruthie started to walk by Jenna, but was stopped.
"You're not leaving this room."
"I'll cry rape. I'm serious. And if you don't think they'll believe me, then—"
"What drives someone like you, huh?"
"What drives someone like you? I didn't do anything to you and I ended up covered in oatmeal in front of the entire school. You should be careful who you mess with. Dyke." Ruthie giggled at the slur, attracting the ire of Jenna.
Jenna pushed Ruthie up against the wall.
"Don't call me that again."
"You do know, Livingston, that someone could walk into this room right now. You're not exactly a well-liked person, Jenna."
Jenna didn't have time to respond. Little Yasmin took that moment to enter the restroom.
Before Jenna could do anything, Ruthie planted her lips on Jenna's mouth and threw herself to the ground.
"She kissed me!" Ruthie wailed, in distress. "Oh God! She kissed me!"
"What? I did not! I—"
A concerned adult entered the room to see what was going on.
"What's happening in here?"
The adult, who shall remain unnamed, glanced from Ruthie to Jenna to Yasmin, searching for some kind of answer.
"She kissed me!" Ruthie wailed. "Jenna Livingston kissed me! I'm going to be sick!"
Quickly the 'concerned adult' ran over to Ruthie and helped her up off of the ground.
"I didn't kiss her! I didn't kiss her!" Jenna turned to Yasmin. "You! Muslim girl! You saw it, didn't you? I didn't kiss her! She kissed me!"
Yasmin, shocked and confused about the whole thing, refused to comment. She stood there, with a stunned-yet-intrigued look on her face.
"Don't speak, Jenna." The teacher commanded. Quickly, the teacher led Ruthie into a stall where the 'traumatized girl' could throw up.
Jenna couldn't believe this. She turned to Yasmin.
"You have to tell her! She kissed me! She did! Didn't you see it?"
Yasmin gave Jenna a nasty look that said, more than anything else, 'you disgust me'.
The teacher led Ruthie out of the stall and glared at Jenna.
"Jenna, come with me. You too, Jasmine."
"It's Yasmin, ma'am..." Yasmin said, meekly, as the three girls went with the teacher to the principal's office.
From there, things didn't go well for Jenna. Yasmin told the principal she saw Jenna kissing Ruthie. Ruthie told her sob story. Jenna was suspended for five days.
By this time, Jenna Livingston and her family were not only ostracized, but openly hated. The Livingston's couldn't go to the grocery store, the Laundromat, or anywhere else for that matter. Leaving the house meant confronting the lynch mob that had grown by several numbers.
Meanwhile, the Camdens were all being extra nice to Ruthie, considering her ordeal. Ruthie, of course, didn't mind. In fact, she rather enjoyed this treatment. She was virtually on top of the world. Jenna was crushed and she was been treated very well at home. Things had gone quite well for Ruthie Camden.
When Jenna Livingston returned to school the next Thursday, she knew things would be rough. Parents had been sent letters, warning them to let their children know that violence wasn't the answer to anything.
Whether or not the parents heeded the letters was unknown to Jenna, who walked the halls, trying to avoid the glares of the students.
Jenna had been busy over the past seven days. Pondering revenge. Pondering some kind of absolute retribution. How would she get it, though? How would she possibly pay back Ruthie Camden?
Was it possible?
Could she get revenge?
As Jenna entered her classroom, it hit her. It hit her like a ton of bricks.
Jenna knew what to do.
Jenna knew what to do.
It was such a brilliant plan; she had to smother the scream of 'eureka!' that threatened to explode from her mouth.
Jenna could barely stay still during school, just thinking about her dastardly plot.
It was so brilliant. So exceptional. So foolproof.
Jenna remembered when Ruthie's father offered to counsel her. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea. Maybe if Jenna assimilated herself into the Camden family, she could begin to... single-handedly tear them apart.
After school that day, Jenna walked to the church. She knew this was a dangerous thing to try, considering all the enemies she'd made in the past two weeks. However, she carried with her a can of mace, something men in Glenoak had likely never seen. Mace was a dangerous weapon.
Jenna, luckily for her, arrived at the church without incident.
She asked around for where she could find Reverend Camden, and had no trouble at all located the patriarch of the family she wished to destroy.
"Reverend?" She asked, watching as Eric Camden looked up with surprise.
"Jenna Livingston."
From there, it began. Jenna opened up about her 'sexuality', seeking 'guidance' and 'help' from Reverend Camden. Eric, of course, did what he could to steer Jenna on the 'path to righteousness' and away from the 'path to destruction'.
This went on for an hour.
At the end of the 'session', Jenna decided to ask for a favor.
"Reverend Camden, you've helped me so much. Soon, I hope I'll be able to be a good, holy Christian again. But..."
"But what, Jenna?"
"But I wish I could spend some more time with people like you. I want to know how I should be. I want to... spend time with your family, Reverend."
"Spend time with my family?"
"Yes, sir. I want to be a better person, and—from what I've heard—there's no family in Glenoak better than yours."
"What a flattering comment, Jenna. I certainly wouldn't mind if you joined the Camden's for dinner some day in the future."
"Oh, that's wonderful to hear, sir! How soon?"
"You'll have to ask your parents first."
"Of course."
"I suppose you could join us for Sunday dinner. You should invite your parents as well. Maybe our families can get off to the right foot." Eric said the last sentence more to himself than to Jenna. It sounded like a good idea to him.
But how would Ruthie take it? He wondered. Well... I've always taught forgiveness... if I've done my job, then Ruthie should be okay with the whole situation.
Eric nodded to himself, silently hoping this was the case..
Sunday dinner, pending the decision of Jenna's parents, was on.
And Jenna never had problems manipulating her mother and father.
Eric Camden walked into his youngest daughter's room that night. Ruthie had been working on her homework, but put it away as soon as she saw her father enter.
"Ruthie... we need to talk."
"Okay."
Ruthie made room for Eric on the bed. He sat next to his daughter and laid out the situation.
"I invited Jenna Livingston over for Sunday dinner, Ruthie. Are you... going to be okay with that?"
Ruthie was genuinely surprised. Quickly, though, she took charge of the situation. She played it cool. Ideas were already formulating in her mind about how to destroy Jenna in front of the entire Camden clan.
"I... I guess... God always said forgive, right?"
"Yes. I'm proud of you, Ruthie." Now Ruthie was extremely surprised. "I expected you to react differently to this."
Eric smiled warmly at his daughter, who returned the favor. Of course, there were no warm feelings in Ruthie Camden.
She was intrigued—and not in a good way—about Jenna's upcoming visit to the Camden household.
What was she trying to do?
Ruthie thought about this for a while. She couldn't think of any plot Jenna might conceive. However, she knew her enemy was going to try something. Whatever it was, however, Ruthie knew she would be ready for it.
Ruthie and Jenna shared the same dining room that Sunday evening. Jenna had very easily convinced her parents to eat at the Camden's, while Ruthie had been concocting a battle plan to defeat whatever was thrown at her.
Things stayed strangely calm throughout the dinner.
Ruthie eyed Jenna, barely blinking, making sure her adversary wasn't trying anything. Jenna was very personable to the Camdens—except for Ruthie, of course—and 'charming'. Of course, this was all an act. Jenna hated the Camdens simply for having the same DNA as Ruthie did.
Jenna explained her story to the family, about how she had been corrupted by shows like 'Ellen' and 'The Ellen Show', not to mention 'The Ellen Degeneres Show'. Terrible programs, these were, to the Camdens. It was no wonder Jenna had taken a turn for the worse.
"I'm starting to get better now, though. And it's all thanks to Reverend Camden." Jenna smiled. It was a 'warm moment'. Ruthie was not happy about this. Jenna had taken a bad situation and turned it around.
Now, she was some sort of admirable little girl, recovering from a great evil.
Jenna was smart. Ruthie knew it.
Ruthie just didn't know how smart Jenna was.