CH2 – Welcoming the Dragons

A/N: Brace yourselves.

Disclaimer – I do not own skins, but oh, how I wish I did

I was running. All I was did was running. And I could hear Anthea calling to me. But did I really care? No. I didn't care. Nothing mattered as long as I was safe. The hill in front of me approached faster than it should've but as I got closer I realized that there were steps ascending to the top, leading into some kind of crypt. It looked safe enough, I guessed, so I kept running.

"JADE!" It was more of a strangled scream, a plea for help almost. Upon hearing it I tripped over the stairs. I attempted to get up but it felt as if from my knees down were screwed into the ground. Instead, I started to crawl. Crawl towards my temple of hope.

"JADE!" The voice pleaded again, sounding more demonic than last time. I forced myself to keep moving. "PHOENIX JADE STONEM, YOU COME BACK HERE THIS INSTANT!"

My heart froze. My mother. My self hating neglecting bitch of a mother had called me by my full name. It was enough for me to contemplate turning around. I gave into temptation, so wishing that I hadn't.

Staring back at me was a dragon - A vibrant purple dragon with deep blue eyes, much like Effy's, Tony's and my own. Its wings were never-ending fountains of blood, starting at gashes in its front legs (or arms… whatever they were.)

At noticing her majestic blood wings, my own arms tensed and I felt a warm sensation trickling down my arms. I looked into my own self inflicted wounds, realizing that the sensation was blood. My blood. Blood from the cuts I created the night I ran.

"Jade… Look at you… You're beautiful," Anthea's voice cooed into my ear in a demonic rasp. My blood was defying gravity, making its way up my arm and over my shoulder to the tip of my shoulder blades where they started to form wings of my own.

"NO!" I screamed back at her. "You did this to me! You pushed me here. Into this denial. You made me do this," I motioned to my arms, "You and dad. All of it's because of you."

Screaming at my own mother I felt myself transforming into a creature such as herself. Until I felt a familiar hand on my shoulder, pulling me back to my human form, retracting the blood back into my arms. I shivered at the contact.

In the exact replicated tone as earlier that night, "Don't you see what you're putting her through!" Effy's voice sounded so distant. She may as well have been standing behind our mother it was so distant. But she was here, standing next to me, the soft skin of her hand resting on my shoulder. It gave me the strength to keep moving. I scrambled backwards up the stairs, leaving them to their own little banter.

That time when I tried to stand, it worked. I kept running towards safety. Reaching the little crypt at the top of the hill, I plunged myself through the door. I heard a roar before the unmistakable sound of rock scraping rock. Turning in shock, I realized I was trapped in this enclosed space and my claustrophobia wasn't helping me to not panic.

I looked around frantically for another exit and did at least four 360degree turns until I found a staircase. It was littered with empty wine bottles, empty beer cans - empty everything to do with alcohol, not to mention dirty clothes. I was repulsive, but I had no choice.

At the top of the repulsive staircase was a single door. I pondered turning around and leaving but as I started to go back down the staircase, I heard the unmistakable arguing of my parents. I wasn't going to walk into that, no matter what the circumstances were. So I turned back and walked through the small door and was suddenly greeted with the warmth and familiarity of my bedroom.

The bed was still littered with tissues but something was different. No. Not something. EVERYTHING was different, everything but the tissues and razors on the bed. This was Effy's room, or my room with Effy's things… My room when it was Effy's?

"What the fuck are you doing in here?" the lisped voice was irritated.

Katie? What the hell was Katie doing in my, no, Effy's room? And why the hell couldn't I see her.

"Who is it Katiekins?"

Effy! Oh god no… please don't tell me I had walked in on them shagging.

"It's your fucking sister!" Katie's shrill bitchiness ran through my ears again.

Effy's head shot up from the other side of the bed, on the floor obviously, her hair sporting that 'Just got shagged by Katie Fitch' look, which was much scruffier than usual. I shuddered at the thought of them shagging on the floor next to the bed; where I had slept on many occasions. Eugh.

She cocked her head to the side, like the slutty, mysterious Effy "Sweet," she whispered softly. Then she dropped the charade "Now clean up your mess." She motioned to the pile of tissues on my, god, HER bed. Her head disappeared behind the bed again.

And now I had to clean listening to them shagging. But there was no noise. I knew I would regret it later, but I leaned over the bed to check they were still there. But they weren't. Instead, I looked back to the tissues and started shoveling them into the bin as the room around me changed again.

Now Tony's room. And the first thing that came into focus was Tony and some girl. Tony making out with some girl against the wardrobe, pulling her shirt up. But this wasn't just any 'some girl.' It was Effy. 15year old Effy - being seduced by her older brother.

God no, this was wrong, I had to get out of there before I saw any more. I ran to the window, blocking out Effy's moaning as Tony drew delicate patterns on her now exposed torso. This was so fucking wrong.

I climbed over the ledge and propelled myself off the wall, landing on the grass with a soft thud. And again I was running, the blood coming out of my cuts once again, only because the air was ripping them open.

I found myself knocking on the door to Naomi's within a matter of seconds. She opened the door and I hurried in, only to find myself in front of the infamous 'Six Seater Table.' The FITCH six seater table, which had absolutely no business in Naomi Campbell's house.

The 5 fitches sat there contently, laughing amongst themselves calm. There was a break in the laughter, and they all turned to look at me, as if I didn't belong, like a foreign animal on a trade boat. There eyes bored into my soul as I felt myself crumpling beneath their gaze, breaking down into a fit of tears, screaming at not only them my surroundings, but myself as well. Until those firm hands encompassed my shoulders.

"Phoenix!" Effy's voice screamed in my ears. But it wasn't coming from anywhere near me and as I reached up to feel her warm touch on my shoulders, my hands felt nothing. "Phoenix, wake up!"

Everything shook as another voice entered the mix.

"What's going on? Is she okay?" it sounded concerned, but it wasn't familiar, at least not yet. But slowly – SLOWLY – all the voices became more distinguishable and the world around me started to fade. My face was encompassed by Effy's warm hands as I felt her wiping away tears that I didn't know where there.

I opened my eyes slowly, fearing that what I saw when my vision un-blurred wouldn't be the place I wanted to be in. But I was safe, and in the arms of Effy Fucking Stonem.

"I love you Ef…" I tried to squeeze out, but my voice was so hoarse, I could barely hear myself, which made me surprised when she replied.

"I love you too Phoenix… more than anyone in the world… and I promise I won't let anything happen to you." She looked close to tears, but held them back. Seeing me struggle killed her inside, and I believed that deep down, she knew she couldn't change my destiny – couldn't change what was happening to me.

"No… You can't… You can't make a promise… a promise you've… already broken…" I spluttered out between raspy breaths and quiet sobs. I don't even know where the words had come from, but somewhere in my subconscious, I knew that she loved him more than she would ever love me. They had something special, and I could feel it. But the thing was… did either of them realize that I had figured it out?

And Effy had to refrain from pulling me into the biggest hug. Had to refrain from telling me I was wrong. But she just couldn't bring herself to admit it to herself even. It was wrong, and we both knew it. I had to help her through this, but not yet. I had to face myself first. I had to understand if it was really true or a figment of my imagination or a memory.

"I… I'm sorry… I love you…" and with that, I got up and locked myself in the bathroom, avoiding Effy's eyes once again, as I knew they would just be filled with tears and the second I gave in, she would try to stop me.

A/N:

Yes, ok, I know, this is a REAAALLY dark chapter, but it's just my way of letting you guys know – This is how fucked up this character is, and this is what her brain does to her. Things will get better before they get worse, but that's just life. Have already started on the next chapter and I am hoping to get it finished and uploaded sometime in the next 3 or 4 days, as I have rehearsals and school and such, but I WILL endeavor. Now… REVIEW! Hahaha, I love you all!

~ Miki