Our Lady of the Heart Catholic School
New York City
May 24, 1923
Afternoon
A lovely spring day cast its beauty upon the city. The trees were ablaze with the richest green, flowers were on their best colorful display, and bird song could be heard if one could tune out the sound of running motors and blaring horns. It was simply a wonderful day. Spring was also a time of excitement for youngsters since the school year was nearly at its end and summer vacation was imminent. Decoration Day Weekend* was all that stood between America's schoolchildren and their homeward stretch to three months of freedom.
Trips to lakes or beaches, boating, fishing, swimming, and camping were the main topics of discussion for schoolkids across the country. The students of Manhattan's Our Lady of the Heart Catholic School were no different. Summer's approach added an extra spark to the energy of the younger students as they enjoyed their recess period at the school playground. At that time of day, it was the first and second-graders turn to run around and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. Nuns in white habits milled about the playground observing their blue uniform clad charges as they played on the merry-go-round, swing set, outdoor gymnasium, hopscotch squares, or simply drew colorful pictures on the concrete with chalk sticks.
Rayne was one of those chalk artists, and she was drawing a flower garden alongside her friend, Hazel Dermott, who was the daughter of one of Eliza and Rayne's neighbors who lived on the same floor as they did at their Inwood apartment building. Rayne looked up from the daisy she had just finished coloring when she saw a butterfly land on the tall black iron fence that surrounded the school playground. Intrigued as always by the sight of these dainty and beautiful insects, Rayne rose from the concrete and carefully approached the butterfly in her uncomfortable black leather shoes. The butterfly did not fly away as Rayne drew closer to it, giving her the opportunity to analyze the butterfly's features. Velvety black body and wings with fiery red streaks, black and white dots, four tiny bright blue triangles (two at the bottom of each wing), and a pair of black and white striped antennas with feathery tops.
These features helped Rayne to identify what kind of butterfly this was. Red Admiral. Rayne knew this because she had a butterfly collection that contained a Red Admiral she had caught around her grandparents' farm last summer. That Red Admiral had orange streaks unlike this one that was living and resting on the sun-warmed iron fencing. Too bad Rayne did not have her butterfly capture kit, otherwise she would have attempted to catch this true Red Admiral and add it to her collection.
"Hey! Give that back!"
Rayne swiveled her head to her right where the whining voice had come from. Jonny O'Leary. A first grader. He too had been drawing on the concrete, but his drawing had been interrupted by two girls who were second graders like Rayne. Their names were Greta Stouffer and Agnes Fuller and they both shared trouble as their middle name.
Greta was the dominant of the two and she had the figure and personality to match: big-boned, rectangle-faced, mean dark eyes, a loud voice, and rude manners, her only "innocent" feature being her braided brown pigtails. Agnes was the meek follower who was quieter than a church mouse and always kept her head down while traversing the school halls. Large round glasses framing two beady eyes resting on a pug nose combined with a freckled face and bobbed sandy brown hair completed Agnes's mousy look. The only time Agnes ever showed any sign of liveliness was when she partook in Greta's bullying of their underclassmen whether it be stealing lunches, ruining homework, or simply making life hard for their fellow students like they were doing now.
Agnes was standing on Jonny's right holding his outstretched arm, her back conveniently obscuring what she and Greta were doing from the nuns' view. Rayne carefully crept up behind Agnes and Jonny and she saw Greta taunting the boy with the green chalk stick she had taken from the young boy.
"Give it back. Give it back." Greta said mockingly. "How about a please? The nuns won't be happy if you forget your manners."
"You took it! You're a thief!"
Greta cruelly smirked at Jonny before rubbing the chalk stick on his right sleeve, leaving light green chalk markings on the dark blue fabric. "Stop it!" whimpered the intimidated and teary-eyed Jonny.
"What are you whinnin about?" snarled Greta. "It'll wash out."
"Yeah, don't be a crybaby." added Agnes with a smug grin.
Rayne couldn't stand it anymore. "Leave him alone! Why are you doing that to him?"
Greta and Agnes turned from their victim to glare at Rayne.
"Why don't you make us?" Greta challenged. Agnes leered at Rayne. Frightened as Rayne was, she was going to stand her ground.
"Why can't you both just stop? What you're doing is wrong and cowardly."
Greta's eyebrows rose and her eyes widened while Agnes's leer fell into disbelief.
"I'm not a coward!" Agnes snapped back.
"Yes, you are. Both of you." Rayne reaffirmed, an adultlike bravery filling her. "Only cowards pick on little boys like you two are doing right now."
A scowling Greta sauntered around Agnes and Jonny towards Rayne until she was nearly nose to nose with her, tossing aside the chalk stick that started all this on the way. Greta was an inch taller than Rayne, and the two girls locked eyes, neither of them moving or making any sign that they were going to yield. All the while this was happening, the nuns who were monitoring the playground were busy attending to a girl who had sustained a concussion after falling off the merry-go-round. Thus, no adult was aware of the ongoing confrontation between Rayne and Greta along with most of the other schoolchildren. Only Hazel, Jonny, and Agnes were paying attention to what was going down.
It was only less than a minute into the confrontation that Greta's angry look morphed into a contemptuous one. Narrowing her eyes, Greta said, "At least my mother isn't a whore." Rayne blinked in surprise.
"What?"
"You heard me, Rayne. Your mother is a whore."
Rayne became defensive, her maturity wavering. She did not know what the word 'whore' meant, but she could tell from the context that it was not a nice word. "No, she isn't."
Greta smiled smugly and revealed her trump card. "Yes, she is. Your mother is a whore. My aunt works at a place where they take care of crazy people and loose women, and she recognized your mom at last year's Christmas pageant. She said that your mother was pregnant with you during her time at the loony bin."
Greta's evil metamorphosis continued, the next phase being her smug smile turning into a wicked grin. "My aunt said that your mother went crazy after she was raped by some stranger."
"Raped?" Rayne uttered confusedly. She had never heard of the word rape before. "What does that mean?"
Greta was more than happy to share the definition, well, her definition, to Rayne. "Rape is a bad thing that happens to women who deserve it. Vater* says it's the women who flirt and dance too much and wear makeup or revealing clothes who get raped."
"No! That's not true!" Rayne protested. "My mama and papa were married. Papa died in an accident before I was born. Mama still wears her wedding ring."
Greta scoffed. "Probably a fake one, just like your 'papa'."
"Greta, stop it!" Rayne pleaded emotionally on the verge of tears.
"Make me, bastard!" Greta sneered. She was on a roll. "Your mamma is a liar and a whore. She's gonna burn in Hell when she dies!"
"Greta, I mean it! I'll... I'll..." Rayne stammered as feelings of frustration, confusion, and anger began to overwhelm her. Out of all these emotions, it was Rayne's anger that was the most powerful and it was growing stronger by the second. Not only that, but something else was building up inside of Rayne. Something even more powerful. Something frightening.
"You'll do what, Rayne? Cry? Ha! You're a bigger crybaby than Jonny!"
Not a single tear fell from Rayne's eyes, but they did change. Greta's nastiness ceased almost immediately when she noticed how Rayne's eye color changed from green to red and that they glowed even in broad daylight. Inwardly, Rayne's rage was escalating her senses. The whole world seemed to slow down around her and her vision seemed to blur around Greta. Rayne's mind became clouded, but a singular, primal desire was goading her on.
It was the desire to kill Greta. Rayne raised her lips slightly, exposing the tips of her long canines, a low menacing growl rolling out from Rayne's mouth over to the now unnerved Greta. Rayne took a step forward and Greta stepped back. Without warning, Rayne lunged at Greta and pinned her down on the concrete. The bully struggled to free herself from her victim turned assailant, but Rayne's steel-like grip made resistance impossible.
Agnes let go of Jonny to help her friend. But as Greta's accomplice grabbed Rayne, Rayne turned and growled at Agnes, causing the girl to release Rayne and back away from her in fright. Rayne focused her gaze back on Greta, and she grinned predatorily at her bully turned victim. Greta stopped struggling when she saw Rayne's teeth. Four long and sharp canine teeth gleaming with saliva greeted the now trembling girl.
"Oh Gott... Oh Gott..." Greta whimpered in German as she lay at Rayne's mercy.
Rayne grinned triumphantly at Greta, relishing in her terror as Greta had done in the fear of others. Rayne noticed a pulsing vein under Greta's neck and an unbelievable thirst overcame her. Guided by instinct, Rayne lowered her mouth towards a terrified Greta's neck. Greta started screaming then. Her screams drew the attention of one of the nuns who was helping to escort the concussed girl to the school nurse, and the woman ran over to pull Rayne and Greta apart just as the former's teeth were about to touch Greta's neck.
Rayne, furious over being interrupted, glared up at the nun who had separated her from Greta. The nun flinched when she saw Rayne's face and she let her go. As suddenly as it had appeared, the rage subsided, Rayne's vision cleared, and she noticed that the students were now congregating around the spot. Agnes and another nun who had come out of the school helped a shaking and tearful Greta to her feet. The nun, seeing that Rayne's face was now normal, believed that the girl's glowing eyes and teeth were somehow a figment of her imagination, and she shook her head briefly before addressing Rayne over her transgression.
"What were you doing, young lady!" admonished the nun. Hazel and Jonny came to Rayne's defense before she could utter a word.
"She was trying to help Jonny O'Leary, Sister Augustine." explained Hazel. "Greta and Agnes were picking on him."
"That's true! They were." added a grateful Jonny. "Rayne tried to stop them, and Greta started being mean to her."
"No, it's not!" Agnes lied. Thankfully, Sister Augustine, along with the other holy sisters at Our Lady of the Heart, were all aware of Agnes and Greta's unpleasant reputation, and she did not believe Agnes.
"Quiet, young lady." Sister Augustine commanded sternly. Agnes looked down submissively in response to the nun's command. "Regardless of what has happened here just now, all three of you girls will face the consequences." Sister Augustine then turned to address the rest of the students. "As for the rest of you, go line up at the door. Recess is over."
One nun organized the children into two lines for first and second grade each while Sister Augustine and another nun herded Rayne, Greta, and Agnes to the Mother Superior's office. Sister Augustine escorted Rayne with the other two girls trailing behind them with the other nun. Rayne looked over her shoulder and saw Greta flinch when she did.
"Rayne." Sister Augustine had to warn Rayne only once, and she looked straight ahead down the cold halls. While the march to the Mother Superior's office seemed to take forever, the five ladies reached it in no time, and Rayne, Greta, and Agnes girded themselves for what lied ahead for them inside. Sister Augustine knocked on the door and announced her and everyone else's presence to the Mother Superior, who bade the ladies' entry into her office. The Mother Superior was standing at her desk when her fellow holy sisters and the three errant girls entered.
As expected of a religious institution, the Mother Superior's office was sparsely decorated and furnished solely for business, not pleasure. The walls were a warm beige with brown wainscoting. Two open windows looked out over the school gate and city street below. Furniture wise, there were two old dark gray filing cabinets, a bookshelf, two low tables filled with more books, a neatly organized desk containing piles of documents and booklets, a telephone, a lamp, a penholder, and a clock, and three dark wooden chairs – a large carved and cushioned one for the Mother Superior and two plain ones for visitors. Decorations wise, there were only four pieces of ornamentation, and of course they were all religious: a calendar whose May page displayed a painting of the Ascension of Jesus Christ into Heaven, a framed portrait of Pope Pius XI, a gilt framed copy of the Lord's Prayer, and taking center stage behind the Mother Superior's chair was a large crucifix with a realistically carved and painted Messiah displayed on it.
The Mother Superior, a rotund middle-aged woman, looked even more intimidating and authoritative with the effigy of the Holy Son behind her. All three young girls were cowed by the woman.
"What is the issue, Sister Augustine?" asked the Mother Superior, her dark eyes glancing from Augustine to the girls and back to Augustine again, her tone indicating that she wanted a straight to the point answer, no beating around the bush whatsoever. Sister Augustine answered as expected.
"Mother Daniel," Sister Augustine began deferentially to her superior, "Greta and Agnes were bullying Jonathan O'Leary and Rayne Malloye on the playground today and Rayne attacked Greta. She tried to bite her!"
Mother Daniel's eyes widened with surprise.
"Bite her?"
"Yes. Apparently, Greta pushed Rayne too far and she attacked her. Regardless, Mother, trying to bite someone is both uncivilized and inexcusable."
"I am well aware of that, Sister Augustine." retorted Mother Daniel, formally admonishing Sister Augustine for stating the obvious. "Where is Mr. Jonathan O'Leary?"
"Sister Isaac is with him, Mother." spoke the other nun who had accompanied Greta and Agnes. "Greta smeared chalk on Jonathan's sleeve and Sister Isaac said she was going to try and wash it out."
Mother Daniel fixed Greta with a reproachful glare that made the girl hang her head low and tremble. The Mother Superior addressed the other nun. "Check on Mr. O'Leary and have him sent here if Sister Isaac is done cleaning his uniform, Sister Lawrence. Were there any other witnesses to this transgression?"
"Yes," nodded Sister Augustine. "Hazel Dermott."
"Bring her here, too." commanded Mother Daniel. "I want to hear everyone's side about this incident."
Sister Lawrence left to do as she was told. Mother Daniel initiated her interrogation of Rayne, Greta, and Agnes. She questioned the girls one on one and Greta was the first. Rayne and Agnes sat on either side of Sister Augustine outside the Mother Superior's office on a bench. Not a word was said between the three, but muffled voices could be heard coming from the door. Sister Lawrence returned with Jonny and Hazel by the time Greta's questioning had concluded.
Agnes was next, then Rayne, Hazel, and finally Jonny. Rayne had argued her case to Mother Daniel as best she could. She told the Mother Superior about how Greta and Agnes were taunting Jonny and later her, the nasty things Greta had said to her about her mother, and how Rayne lost her temper and tackled Greta to the ground. As for the part where she tried to bite Greta's neck, Rayne had no explanation for that. Too young to articulate what she was feeling and thinking at the time she tried to bite Greta, all Rayne could say was that she "really, really wanted to bite Greta for some reason".
Mother Daniel nodded slightly during the parts of Rayne's discourse that she agreed with and frowned at the parts that she didn't, the latter which was frequent. The head nun leaned back in her chair after Rayne had finished looking unimpressed and just as hard as ever. She curtly dismissed Rayne with a wave of her hand and called in Hazel. Hazel and Jonny were sent back to class after they were questioned, and Rayne, Greta, and Agnes were called back into the office. Mother Daniel rose from her desk and walked over to the office window after the girls were assembled before her again.
"I have listened to all of you, and what I have learned is both grim and disappointing." The girls' heads were all hanging low, the Mother Superior's words weighing down on them. "Bullying a little boy who was only drawing out on the playground. Ruining his school uniform. Making wild and cruel accusations against one of your peers; that same peer becoming savage and trying to bite her tormentor..."
Mother Daniel turned around from the window to address the girls directly. Greta wanted to protest that what her aunt had told her about Rayne's mother was true but knew better and kept quiet. She feared that Rayne would go after her again even in full view of the nuns if she insisted on saying that Eliza Malloye was a rape victim and former mental patient.
"You will all be punished by having your knuckles rapped with a ruler." Mother Daniel pointed at Greta and Agnes as she continued with her statement. "You two, the instigators, will have your fingers rapped three times." She then pointed at Rayne. "And you, Miss Rayne, while a victim of these two, still acted violent and uncivilized towards Greta."
"Uncivilized?" Rayne thought. "How could anyone be civil with someone as mean as Greta? How?"
The Mother Superior gestured towards her desk. "Sister Augustine, move the chairs. Greta, kneel in front of my desk and stretch your fingers out over the edge."
Greta swallowed hard but obeyed Mother Daniel's instructions after the chairs were moved. Mother Daniel procured her ruler from her desk, and she stood on Greta's right. Rayne and Agnes looked away when the Mother Superior raised the ruler high over her head and brought it down first on the knuckles of Greta's right hand. The Mother rapped all of Greta's knuckles three times, and the girl whimpered and resisted the urge to cry out after each strike. Agnes was already in tears when it was her turn and Greta was led away from the desk, and she sobbed throughout the punishment.
Rayne's clenched and unclenched her hands in sync to every smack she heard from the repeated blows of the ruler on young skin and bone. She was trembling when it was her turn to face Mother Daniel's discipline. Frightened, though her eyes were tearless, Rayne knelt on the cold black and white tiled floor, moisture from Greta and Agnes's tears soaking through her skirt. Rayne closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable; at least she would receive only two blows instead of three. Rayne gritted her teeth as the blows were delivered twice to her knuckles; they hurt, but it was a pain that Rayne could handle.
Two whacks rendered Rayne's fingers red and a bit swollen. Rayne was stone-faced while Greta and Agnes were still crying by the time Mother Daniel was done punishing them. "Take them to the school nurse to have their fingers soaked in ice water, Sister Augustine." Mother Daniel commanded as she put away her ruler. She then addressed the girls.
"You girls will all be dismissed today. I am going to call your parents to let them know of what has happened and to come pick you up."
Sister Augustine nodded and shepherded Rayne, Greta, and Agnes to the school nurse as Mother Daniel started dialing her telephone. Eliza Malloye, Mrs. Stouffer, and one of Agnes's older sisters arrived at Our Lady of the Heart over twenty minutes after they were called. The women and girls all gathered in Mother Daniel's office where she briefly discussed what had happened earlier that day (excluding Greta's "tall tales" about Rayne and her mother) and delivered an ultimatum to Rayne, Greta, and Agnes. Due to this incident having occurred near to the beginning of summer vacation, the girls could not be suspended since that would not really be a punishment with the school year almost over, but they could have detention on the last day of school. Detention would be served unless Rayne, Greta, and Agnes all apologized to each other.
Not wanting detention, the girls apologized, albeit weakly and insincerely, to each other. It was only after Mother Daniel made the girls repeat their apology a little louder and clearer that they were dismissed and could put this day behind them. But Eliza and Rayne did not leave right away. Waiting until Greta, Agnes, and their relatives were further down the hall and out of earshot, Eliza faced the Mother Superior. Her expression was one of restrained anger.
"Why didn't you expel those girls, Mother? They're nothing but trouble."
Mother Daniel sighed.
"Mrs. Malloye, I may not have any children of my own, but I do consider myself a mother to the children who attend Our Lady of the Heart. And as a mother, and as you should well understand, we all want what is best for our children. I do not see expelling Greta and Agnes as being the best thing for them."
"Then why keep them?" Eliza demanded more than questioned.
"To be frank with you, Mrs. Malloye, it is because those two girls do not come from very stable homes. Our Lady of the Heart is the one true solid foundation that they have in their young lives, and I would hate to have them separated from that."
"What's wrong with their homes?" Rayne asked out of pure innocent curiosity rather than out of a spiteful need to know what misfortune plagued her tormentors at home. Mother Daniel considered Rayne's question before deciding to answer her, no doubt hoping to soften any lingering animosity that Rayne held for Greta and Agnes.
"To make a long story short, young lady, Greta does not get along with her stepmother, and Agnes suffers from neglect. Greta's stepmother is reportedly harsh and cold towards her, making Greta feel unwelcome in her own home. Sadder still, Greta's father seems unwilling to rectify this situation between his wife and daughter."
"What does rectify mean?" asked Rayne.
"Rectify means to fix, Miss Rayne. And as for Agnes – are you two in the same class together?"
Rayne shook her head.
"Well, Agnes's mother just had another baby not too long ago. Her fourteenth to be exact. Agnes is her parents' ninth child. She and her family live in a tiny, cramped apartment where privacy and quiet are almost unheard of. Agnes is ignored by her mother and older sisters who help take care of the little ones in that household, and her father and older brothers work long hours to try and keep their large family afloat.
Poor girl is starved for affection and attention and she's willing to get it from anyone no matter how immoral that person is. Those girls have enough trouble in their lives, and I do not want to give them anymore grief and stress by having them expelled. Have I painted a sufficient picture for you two to understand my reason for keeping Greta and Agnes here?"
Mother and daughter both nodded, but Eliza's fury still hadn't been assuaged. "I do understand, Mother Daniel," replied Eliza, "but that still does not excuse Greta and Agnes's behavior."
Mother Daniel frowned in disappointment that Eliza was not accepting her exposition as Gospel. "And what Greta did today certainly did not warrant her to be subdued and nearly bitten like prey. By all accounts, Mrs. Malloye, you have raised your daughter well in a loving household, a fatherless one, but still no less loving. However, fathers are necessary in the rearing of a healthy and happy child. Fathers provide guidance and discipline that some mothers are unable to give, and I believe that Rayne will benefit greatly from having a stepfather in her life if you were to marry that man you are courting, Mrs. Malloye."
Now that was uncalled for. How Eliza raised Rayne was none of this cowled bitch's business. Eliza glared at Mother Daniel, her hand reaching for the doorknob. "I believe I have raised my daughter well enough if I do say so myself, Mother Daniel." Eliza replied defensively.
"Rayne's father may be gone, but she is still a happy little girl and would be the same even if he were still alive." Eliza hated using that lie. No way in hell would Rayne's life be enriched with the presence of her true father, a violent rapist. Eliza turned the knob. "Now if you excuse us, Rayne and I will be heading home now. Good day to you, Mother Daniel."
She opened the door, herding Rayne out into the hall and following suit, closing the door behind her. Mother Daniel sighed, glad that the situation had been dealt with and that the last family member and errant girl was gone. But then she noticed something on the doorframe. Squinting from her seat, the Mother Superior rose from her chair and approached the door. Four fresh pale claw marks had been made on the old wood.
Mother Daniel traced the marks in perturbed wonder with her fingertips. Did Rayne make those marks? How could a little girl's nails be that sharp? Did she have cat claws in addition to the fangs that Greta claimed Rayne had? The last half of the school day was wearing down, and Mother Daniel shook her head and resumed her duties, promising herself to deal with the scratch marks later.
From the Garment District to Inwood
Late Afternoon
Needing to return to work after picking Rayne up from Our Lady of the Heart, Eliza dropped her daughter at Theresa's place in the Garment District before returning to the office to finish off her shift. Rayne was morose throughout her brief stay with her Aunt Theresa, and she was still glum when her mother came to pick her up to take home. Theresa told her sister that she had tried to talk to Rayne, but the sad girl withdrew into herself and refused to divulge the vile accusations that Greta had made about her mother. Eliza swore that she would get Rayne to open up about it later today once they got home to Inwood. Mother and daughter's trip home was unusually silent, wherein most days Eliza and Rayne's homeward trek would be peppered with how their days went at work and school.
Rayne walked straight to her room as soon as she and Eliza returned home, closing her door, and flinging herself on her bed to curl up with her teddy bear as her mother put away her handbag and hat. The open windows of the apartment let in the late spring air and the white golden rays of a sun that was beginning to set. Beeping cars and the sounds of pedestrian traffic could be heard coming from below. Eliza stood in her small living room for a moment steeling herself for the talk she was going to have with her daughter. Surveying her cozy surroundings gave Eliza some comfort.
Everything was neat, clean, and in its place. Just as she had promised herself when she first moved into this apartment eight years ago, Eliza had added more decorations to the place. On the round table in front of the couch was an ornate glass vase containing water and pink roses, and the white tablecloth on the kitchen table had been embroidered with violets and larkspurs, which were the respective birth flowers of Eliza and Rayne. The portrait of the now late Pope Benedict XV had been changed out after his death last year in 1922 with that of his successor Pius XI, and there were more framed photographs decorating the side-table and the rest of the apartment; some of them had been taken with a Kodak "Brownie" camera and most of them obviously depicted Rayne. Three year old Rayne standing next to the tiny Douglas fir tree that her mother had set up in their living room during the holiday season of 1918, a tree that was only a foot taller than wee, little Rayne herself; a grinning six year old Rayne carrying three big ears of corn picked right off the stalks at her grandparents' farm during the summer of 1921, and Eliza's favorite photograph was from Rayne's first communion ceremony last year.
In that photo, Rayne was standing in a studio backdrop next to a small table covered with a lace tablecloth, a framed picture of Jesus, and a vase full of lilies. Rayne was dressed like a little bride in all white with a flowery headband and veil holding a prayerbook in her left hand and a tall lit candle in her right. But instead of a cherubic face, Rayne's expression was one of pure boredom and impatience. First communion ceremonies are formal and can last for over an hour, far too long for a young child to be cooped up indoors in the middle of summer wearing fancy clothes, and Rayne had complained endlessly that day about how her veil made her head feel hot and that her shoes were uncomfortable. Eliza cracked up when she saw her daughter's photo because it reminded her of her own first communion over two decades ago (except she was able to keep her displeasure hidden whereas Rayne did not bother to conceal hers).
Even now amidst today's drama did that photograph elicit a chuckle from Eliza. It made her happy, and she wanted Rayne to be happy again. Taking a deep breath, Eliza walked over to her daughter's room. Rayne did not stir when she heard her mother's approaching footsteps, a sound that seemed to cancel out all the noise coming from outside through her bedroom window. Eliza rapped on the door.
"Rayne, honey. Can I come in?"
Silence. Just as expected. Eliza came in anyway. Rayne still did not rise from her fetal position on the bed. Regarding her only child's behavior sadly, Eliza walked over and sat down on the edge of Rayne's bed.
"How are your fingers?" Eliza asked as she laid a motherly hand on Rayne's arm. Still no response. "Rayne, why aren't you talking to me? What exactly did Greta say to you today at the playground?"
"Nasty things about you." Rayne finally responded. Her voice was low and muffled, and Eliza could tell that her daughter had been crying. Eliza patted Rayne's bicep in earnest.
"Sit up, honey. Let me see your face. Come on."
Rayne obeyed her mother, slowly sitting up and showing her face. Rayne's face was red, her eyes puffy and shiny, tear trails glimmering on her cheeks. She looked so pitiful. Eliza wrapped her arm around Rayne's shoulders and drew her close to her.
"Oh, honey...," Eliza murmured. "What nasty things did Greta say about me that got you so upset? Don't be afraid to repeat exactly what she said."
"She called you a whore. What's that?" Eliza's mouth fell open in disbelief that seven year old Greta Stouffer said that word let alone know it in the first place. "She also said another word I never heard of before. Rape. What does that mean?"
"They're both bad things, Rayne..." Eliza stammered, not really wanting to give further details. "But my God! I'm surprised Mother Daniel didn't rap Greta's fingers more for saying those words!"
"She also called you a loose woman and that you're going to rot in Hell when you die." Fresh tears welled up in Rayne's big, sad, and frightened eyes. If Eliza had been taken aback before, she was aghast now. What an evil little bitch Greta was! A real piece of work.
"Honey, please try not to let what Greta told you get to you. If you do, you're letting her win. Don't let her win."
"But why would she say those things about you, mama?" Rayne asked through her tears. "She said her aunt saw you at some place where they put crazy people and loose women. I don't understand any of it..."
Eliza felt the blood drain from her face. Greta Stouffer has an aunt who works at Pleasant Brook? Eliza's breathing became labored, and she felt her heartrate quicken. Old demons were resurfacing, and Eliza could not contain them. Tears were starting to shine in Eliza's own eyes this time.
"Just- just ignore Greta, Rayne." Eliza repeated in an antsy way. "Just try to ignore all that she said -"
"I can't! I HATE HER!"
Rayne gripped her teddy bear at both ends and tore it in half with one pull. Eliza jumped in surprise at her daughter's outburst. Rayne's voice was deep and menacing, just like the Monster's... Her mother gaped at the bisected teddy bear; a gift Theresa had bought for Rayne when Eliza was pregnant with her.
"Rayne!" Eliza gasped. "What have you done?!"
Rayne looked up from her ruined toy to her mother. Eliza gasped deeply and all but leapt off the bed in fright. Rayne's emerald eyes were now glowing a bright red, her fangs were on full display courtesy of her bared teeth, and her fingernails were long and claw-like. Those features, that voice. They all took Eliza back to the night when Rayne was conceived. The awful night when the Monster raped her...
Animalistic panting emitted from a hyperventilating Rayne's lips as she stared at her terrified mother with her glowing eyes. Eliza stood frozen to the spot, terror holding her in place. But just as suddenly as Rayne's demonic transformation had taken place, she reverted to her normal self. Tears fell anew from the girl's green eyes, and her lips quivered.
"Mommy," whimpered Rayne in a normal, frightened, childish voice, "what is happening to me?"
Rayne sobbed then, clutching the torn pieces of the teddy bear close to her chest. Eliza snapped out of her fear at the sound of her child's distress, and she ran to her. Wrapping her trembling arms around Rayne, mother and daughter both wept together. Rayne and Eliza laid down on the bed together and stayed there through the rest of the waning hours of the afternoon, both lost in the throes of their own pain. It would be dusk when Eliza and Rayne finally rose from that bed.
*Decoration Day: Old name for Memorial Day.
*Vater: German for father
What has Changed:
1. Name(s): Sister Clarice (Origins) - Sister Augustine (Rebirth).
Harriet (Antebellum Thirties) - Hazel Dermott (Rebirth) - Mentioned once in the original sequel.
2. Named some of the nuns, added more background to Greta and Agnes, and introduced new characters.
3. The original chapter was called "Unwanted Butterfly"(will be the name of the next chapter). The original scene was inspired from the first chapter of Kaine's Dreams, a short story from the video game series Nier (2010). Both Rayne and Kaine share the same voice actress, Laura Bailey, and the two characters possess many similarities: they both dress provocatively (Kaine especially), are foul-mouthed, enjoy killing, are skilled acrobats and fighters who dual-wield swords, both are half-human (Kaine is half-Shade, but this was from fusing with a Shade rather than having been born that way; she's also intersex, too), have tragic pasts, loathe the species that they are half of, and wish to avenge the loss of a loved one (Kaine's grandmother was killed by a Shade).
4. According to the Butterfly Identification website, Red Admirals can either represent a powerful soul/spirit, or an evil and dangerous one depending on the culture. When I first published the story, the butterfly Rayne observes was a Blue Xerces, and after the pre-2023 rewrite, it was a Monarch butterfly.