Revenant Girl

Chapter III—Friend From The Past

Ever since the chandelier accident, Jesse was afraid of stepping out of her chambers. It seemed that there was someone that wanted her dead, but who? She had never offended anyone (except Mr. Calvin) and never did bad things to anyone (again, except for Mr. Calvin. There was one time where she drew an ugly doodle of him on her textbook, and he took offense on that doodle.) Most certainly, nobody should hate her to such a malicious degree.

Suddenly, Jesse recalled the doll's words. (The hateful face of your daddy.)

...No.

Jesse didn't want to believe it. But there was a possibility. Her father had never liked her from the moment she was born, and he somehow harbours a strong disdain towards her. He blames Jesse for his wife's sickness and eventual demise. And that was the sole reason he had for hating her. Despising her, loathing her, anything you could imagine.

Her father would blame Jesse for anything. Any misfortune or accident would be blamed on her. There was once where he condemned her for a tiny cut he obtained on his hand, which was absolutely ridiculous.

Jesse could see the scorn in her father's eyes whenever he looked her way. She didn't really receive those looks when she was younger, but after her mother died, she noticed that the hateful glares came more frequently.

Come to think of it, Jesse did have many close calls with death after her mother's passing. Harming potions, poisoned cakes, falling chandeliers…

As much as Jesse wanted to deny it, she couldn't. All the pieces were clicking into place, and she could now see the full picture.

(Daddy wants me dead.)

…

Harshly sucking in a breath, Jesse inched forward while lifting her right leg. Just before her feet touched the ground, she retreated.

Gripping the handles of the door, Jesse started breaking out in cold sweat. She closed her eyes and took a shaky breath to calm herself down before trying again. This time, she had managed to get both feet out of the room, but after a few seconds she let out a yelp and scurried back behind the doors.

It was not because Jesse was being a huge wuss, it was because she was afraid of the danger that would befall her once she was out of her chambers. What if a splash potion of poison fell on her head? What if an anvil crushed her while she strolled down the hallways? What if a poisonous snake was lurking in the dark corners, pouncing on her when she least suspected it?

There were too many assassination attempts on her, and Jesse couldn't afford to drop her guard down.

But Jesse promised Reuben that she would visit him frequently. It had been three days since she dropped by the garden. What would Reuben think if she broke her promise?

(Okay. Three, two, one…)

"GYYYYYYYYAAAAAAA!"

Flailing her arms like a madwoman, Jesse shrieked at the top of her lungs as she scurried through the winding hallways. She didn't stop until she reached the gardens, where she landed face-first on the soft grass.

Jesse stayed in that position for a while, trying to regulate her breathing. Something then poked at her arm. She looked up to see the excited face of Reuben.

"Reuben! I… huff… made it… huff…"

"Oink!" Reuben jumped up and down in delight.

Jesse shakily got on her feet and dusted off blades of grass that clung onto her dress and hair. "Alright, I'm ready to play! What do you wanna play first?"

They played and played until they lost track of time, until someone yelled her name.

"Jesseeee!" The owner of the voice sounded familiar. Could it be…?

What was her name again? Lucrezia? Golidia? Orivia?

The female rushed towards Jesse with break-necking speed and gave her a bone-crushing hug.

Oh, now she remembered. "Olivia!"

Olivia grinned as she released Jesse from the hug and faced her, placing her hands on her small shoulders. "Haha… how long has it been since I last saw you?"

"Five years."

"Oh. No wonder you looked so different. For a moment there I wasn't able to recognise you! I was all like, 'who's that girl and why does she look a tad bit familiar?'"

Jesse giggled. "You wouldn't forget, would you? You're the smartest person I know… in exception to mommy, who is number one of course."

Olivia sighed as she let her arms slip from her shoulders. A wave of nostalgia wafted in the air. "Yeah. Those were good times."

At the age of fourteen, Olivia had become the Queen's apprentice after impressing her during the yearly contest held in Redstonia. She had built a very impressive robot-like contraption that was able to move on its own and was able to pick up blocks and build. The Queen had taken interest in the invention that towered above the others, and she was surprised to discover that a little girl had built it all by herself.

Olivia had won the first prize at the contest with ease, and her place as protégé of the most talented redstone engineer was assured. She then resided in the castle, having an entire tower all to herself. Olivia worked extremely hard and devoted most of her time working on her inventions. However, the Queen had told Olivia not to spend the rest of her life locked up in her room. You need to balance your life. All work and no play is unhealthy, she said.

Olivia had tried to go out and socialise, but she always returned upset and disappointed. Since she was the Queen's protégé, the people did not treat her like a normal person anymore. Like loyal lapdogs they followed wherever she went, praised her endlessly and even worshipped her. Olivia then found out that her 'friends' that all clung onto her like a leech weren't true friends from the beginning. They were attention whores who befriended her just for the sake of climbing up the social ladder.

It was a few months after her failed friendship fiasco that she met Jesse. The Queen had mentioned that she had a daughter, and would sometimes go on and on about how she would groom her to become a great redstone engineer.

It takes a lot of patience to teach that girl, I can't believe that I gave birth to a non-redstone child, but no matter. I think she's a late bloomer or something. It's only natural for the most talented engineers to show their talents later in life. Unless she is more like her father, then damn it all. The Queen said. Olivia agreed with her just because she was her teacher.

Deciding to meet the princess, Olivia found her at the gardens carrying something in her arms. She then realised it was an injured rabbit. They rushed into town to get medical aid for the rabbit, but it died from its injuries before the vet could treat it. The princess was very upset and cried her heart out. Olivia comforted her in the best way she could (she wasn't really much of a comforter). After that, they started meeting up more frequently and they became best friends. During Olivia's free time, they would either play games or she would coach Jesse on redstone engineering.

When the Queen passed away, Olivia had moved out and returned back to Redstonia. Jesse was reluctant to let her best friend go, but Olivia promised that she would write to her. They had been secretly keeping in contact since her father didn't like it when she sent or received letters.

"Let's not dwell on the past, Olivia." Jesse said, not wanting to spoil the mood. "C'mon, why not you tell me everything about your life back at Redstonia. Oh, and if you have a boyfriend don't hesitate to mention him too."

Olivia just punched Jesse on the shoulder playfully.

…

The tears were pouring from her eyes at an uncontrollable rate, and her sobs were loud. She tried to silence herself by covering her mouth, but it proved to be useless as the sobs came even harder than ever. She hugged her godfather tightly, burying her face into his clothes. She stained the expensive fabric with her tears and mucous, but her godfather didn't seem to mind. Instead he held her even tighter as tears started to fall from his eyes.

Many strangers came to give ten year old Jesse and her father their condolences, including Uncle Gabriel and Uncle Ivor. Her father had a stoic expression, giving a curt nod to the people that were queuing up to give their deepest sympathies.

Someone tapped Jesse on the shoulder. "Hey, sorry for interrupting."

"It's quite alright, Olivia." Her godfather said, "is there anything you need?"

Olivia nodded solemnly as she sniffed. "Actually, I would like to speak to Jesse alone."

Jesse followed Olivia into a quiet and deserted area. Olivia then knelt down so she was directly facing Jesse. "I won't beat around the bush, so I'm going straight to the point. After the funeral procession is over, I'm heading back to Redstonia."

Jesse gasped. "No! You can't leave me!"

Olivia forced a chuckle as she ruffled the girl's black hair. "It's alright. You still have Axel and your father."

"B-but Axel and daddy are never free!" Jesse retorted back.

"I'm sure that they are trying their best to clear their schedule to spend time with you. They're good people."

After hearing this, Jesse wanted to puke. She wanted to scream and shout and make a hissy fit, but she couldn't. A good girl shouldn't be doing those sort of things. She was all grown up now.

Okay, Jesse understood that Axel was genuinely busy. It would be a miracle if he manages to finish work and have an hour to spare. But her father? He wouldn't even look at her or acknowledge her presence. If she tried to get his attention by tugging his leg, he would just shrug her off or yell at her to go away. He only did the opposite when her mother was around, but she was alive no longer.

"B-b-but daddy won't even look at me!"

Olivia frowned, trying to come up with a solution to her problem. Finally, she said, "why not do something nice to him? Like, get him a gift? Or maybe you two could do something fun together. Have a picnic. Play some games."

Get her father a gift? That was out of the question. Her father never appreciated the gift cards she made for him during his birthdays. She even saw him throw one of her birthday cards in the wastepaper basket with her very own eyes. He kept her mother's gifts, despite calling her gifts 'useless junk' in front of her face. Come to think of it, her parents had always considered each other's gifts 'useless junk'. Sometimes it was 'pieces of crap' or 'dumb shit'.

Jesse considered the latter. Doing something fun together, huh? What about blowing up stuff together? Her father liked explosions and his bombs that he called TNT. Her mother had once scolded her for playing with TNT before, but she wasn't around to restrict her anymore. Maybe if she blew something up, would it get his attention? Maybe even acceptance?

"I think I know what to do! Thanks Olivia!" Jesse said.

Olivia sighed in relief. "Good. Now let's head back."

When they returned, Jesse was surprised to find her godfather missing. Olivia went to ask Jesse's father about his whereabouts, and all he replied was, "that dumb idiot was annoying me with his crying. So I sent him away, end of story."

…

February 14, 488

Yipeeeee, today's Valentine's Day. Hoorayyyy (sarcasm intended). The day of lovey-doveyness and romance and everything. But honestly, it's just another regular day for me. Before we married, we would celebrate Valentine's Day every year, but after marriage he doesn't give a crap anymore.

This year, I'm celebrating it with Jesse. I just watch her as she babbles incoherent nonsense and suck her fingers. I played with her throughout the day.

My mail is full with roses and store bought Valentine cards. I just ordered them to be thrown into the bin.

I hate it when people give me roses. Roses are so common and overused. It's like the people never thought further than 'oh, let's get her a flower'. Not to mention the store bought cards. Ugh.

Goofball doesn't particularly like roses either. I'm just glad that he refers to me as a wildflower instead of a rose. He says that roses are prickly and annoying. Hahaha. Quite true.

April 21, 488

I had a nightmare last night about revealing the truth to him. After that I was executed publicly in the Death Bowl. There were huge explosions, my head was detached from my body and my vision was upside down. I could smell my own blood and hear him laugh at my demise. That was when I woke up.

Honestly speaking, even if someone were to lock me inside a room filled with TNT and threaten to blow it all up with me inside, I wouldn't say it. No way no how.

It's only been a year, and I'm already starting to feel guilty. What if I continue to have nightmares like this? How am I going to survive?

It's only been a year, and I'm starting to feel the effects of my illness. My legs feel as if they're chained to a heavy metal ball. Every time I walk, I feel fatigued. I've been taking medicine to temporarily eliminate the effects from my body. If I stop taking them, I'll feel even worse.

The medicine takes like shit, so I mix it in my tea. That way I won't have to taste the bitterness of the meds three times a day.

June 2nd, 488

I brought Jesse to visit Soren. I'm glad to know that he likes her. In fact, he likes her so much that he wouldn't return Jesse to me.

Admittedly, he's a much better father than that griefer, thus earning his title as Jesse's godfather. Except for the fact that he brainwashes her with his enderman obsession. Soren never let Jesse out of his sight of left her alone. He played with her all day, and he looked pretty upset when it was time for her to leave. I assured him that we would visit often.

I still remember the time when Ivor visited, and Jesse rummaged through his potion bag and nearly drank a potion of harming, thinking it was juice. And I also remember when she yanked his beard. Ppffffttt. It was too funny. I told it to Gabriel and Soren and they couldn't stop teasing him after that. Maybe when Jesse grows older I'll tell her about it, and we all can have a good laugh.

…

"... and then Geraldine spilled the tea all over the manager's pants! Hahaha! It was gold. Everyone was laughing their heads off. She got fired, obviously, but we all gave her a pat on the shoulder for giving what that asshole of a manager deserved."

Olivia plopped her seventh sweet into her mouth before slouching on the couch. Jesse ate a mint sweet and played with the wrapper.

Olivia's life story was… quite entertaining (no boyfriend, unfortunately). She worked for a huge engineering company in Redstonia. According to her, the place was filled with friendly and funny coworkers, hard-to-please bosses and a very unreasonable manager. Jesse wondered how Olivia could handle the tremendous stress in her line of work.

"You just gotta get used to it. I was overwhelmed at first, but after getting the hang of things, it was all a-okay." Olivia said, shrugging her shoulders as she reached for another sweet.

"You really shouldn't be eating that many sweets though." Jesse said as she pointed to the sweet wrapper pile beside her.

"Oh, relax! I was pretty tired after my long journey here, and I need all the sugar I can get to keep me going."

Tired? If she was so tired, where did she get the energy to give her a bone-crushing hug?

"Say, Jesse. How's it going with your father?" Olivia asked casually.

At this, Jesse's entire body froze. The sweet wrapper that she was holding onto slipped from her grasp and landed on the floor. How was she going to answer this tough question?

"Well, uhm… we're doing okay. Sorta."

"Cool! Whaddya do together?"

"Uhhh… we… uhm… explode things together!"

"Seriously?"

"Yeah! We blow up… unwanted structures! And sometimes we even have grief-offs at the Death Bowl!"

"Ohhh. Who would win?"

"Daddy, of course. He's the master at those sorta stuff."

"Do you do any redstone?"

"Nah. Not really my strong point."

"Huh, just like what your mother said. You do take on more of the father's side."

To be perfectly frank, Jesse was equally bad at griefing and redstone. She couldn't use TNT properly to save her life. The last time she tried to blow up a wall, she misfired the TNT. If it wasn't for Axel to happen to be there at the right place and time, she would have been bloody chunks of flesh and blood long ago.

She was still okay at the redstone sector. She could only do basic circuits and nothing more. The most impressive circuit she had done so far in her life was a row of sand being pushed up and down by pistons. Her mother had hoped that Jesse took more of her side than her father's. However, it seemed that she didn't took either parent's side.

"That's… cool." Jesse said. She wanted to talk about how she suspected that her father wanted to kill her. Maybe Olivia could sneak her out of the castle and Jesse could live with her in Redstonia.

Jesse took a deep breath. It was now or never.

"Olivia… if I were to…"

Olivia leaned forward. "Yes?"

"... If I were to… uhh… if I… had nowhere to go, would you…

take me in?" Jesse mentally kicked herself for not being specific.

For a moment, both of them were silent. Then Olivia snickered, and not long it escalated to full-on laughter.

"Oh my Notch, Jesse! Are you really that paranoid? Come on, you're filthy stinking rich! You are the heir to this entire castle and you're worried about not having a roof over your head? I think you're tired." She grabbed a handful of sweets and thrusted it in Jesse's palm. "Eat it all up. You need it."

…

It had only been two days since Olivia arrived, but she had to return home.

"Why?" Jesse whined. "You just got here!"

Olivia shrugged. "Well, some dope messed up something, and I need to go back to settle it. I'm sorry."

Jesse pouted and made her best puppy eyes. "Can't you stay just a bittt longer? Just half an hour?"

The young adult shook her head. "No can do. Duties come first."

Jesse gave up and slumped her shoulders.

Olivia felt sorry for her. She bent down to her level and offered a comforting smile. "C'mon. When I have more free time I'll definitely come and visit, okay?"

Being a good girl, Jesse nodded her head and held back tears as Olivia stepped out of her chambers.

…

Jesse stood outside the portal room as her father was preparing to leave on some business trip or whatever. She hid behind the door, watching silently through a gap while fiddling with her hair.

Just then, her father turned around and said, "I know you're hiding there, Jesse. Now come out."

Jesse's blood turned cold at the sound of his voice. Her head screamed at her to run for her life, but it was as if her legs were possessed as she obediently emerged from her hiding place and approached her father.

He knelt down to her height and looked at her directly in the eye. "Daddy's going to settle some business outside, so promise me that you'll behave yourself while I'm gone, okay?"

Cold beads of sweat trickled down her forehead as she swallowed a lump in her throat. Was he actually being… nice to her for once?

(No, daddy hates me. He's gonna kill me. I bet he's gonna send an assassin to my room and slit my throat while I'm sleeping, or—)

Her father smiled and ruffled her hair before he stood up and stepped into the portal.

Jesse just stood there with her eyes widened in disbelief. She was convinced that her father was up to something sinister, or an imposter took his place. There was no way in a thousand years that her father would treat her with kindness and compassion. Something was very wrong, and Jesse was not eager to find out what.

Heyy.

Not sure if cover art will be released in time cause life gets in the way. I'll try my best to get the cover art and character designs out so you guys can properly visualise the characters.

I have considered doing an ask blog for !Princess Jesse, but not right now cause again, life gets in the way. Though I would probably start on it after early November when exams are over.