Why did I think that tossing my wet clothes onto the floor was a good idea? Jaden was really starting to regret not hanging up her clothes to dry to be ready for the morning. When Barbie handed her the bunched up clothes from the floor, the mage winched at how cold and damp they felt as she turned them back from being inside out. There was no way she'd be able to get comfortable in these.
So, shrugging more so to herself than to Barbie, Jaden tossed them aside, back onto the floor, (still not learning to hang them up). She felt it would be better if she just remained naked than suffer wearing chilly clothes. The only downside to this was that she'd have to suffer with Mickey's creepy staring for the time being.
With that notion at the forefront of her mind, Jaden eventually lifted herself up from the bed and walked into the small kitchen area. Not even wanting to give the mouse the time of day, Jaden turned her back towards him and got to cooking the pancakes in silence, preferring not to engage in conversation with Mickey whilst she was in her current state of undress. She wasn't planning on making anything for herself but then quickly changed her mind when she envisioned the lecture that Barbie would most likely give her, trying to convince Jaden to eat at least something. Sighing in defeat, Jaden added enough mixture to the bowl to make herself one pancake alongside Mickey's and Barbie's. She wasn't really that hungry, but decided she'd rather avoid the lecture if she could.
Whilst Jaden busied herself with the cooking, Barbie found herself a seat at the kitchen counter, letting the pleasant, delicious smells of baking pancakes fill her nostrils. As Barbie gazed off into the distance at Jaden's curtain of dirty blonde hair flowing gloriously down her exposed back, Barbie felt a faint vibrating coming from her back jeans pocket. Reaching out to pull her phone from her pocket, Barbie noticed she had received a few messages from Brooklyn, alongside an angry text from Ken. Not wanting to ruin this fabulous morning because of Ken's antics, Barbie ignored the vengeful message in favour of the one coming from her girlfriend, who she knew would want all the gossip over what had happened last night.
It seemed Brooklyn had a very productive evening last night, Barbie pondered to herself, reading over the text messages a few more times in her mind. It appeared that Brooklyn had come up with a few more ideas on how to help Jaden with her living situation. Barbie smiled at her phone, her heart fluttering in her chest at the kindness and dedication her girlfriend had towards others in need. Barbie marvelled at just how lucky she was to have Brooklyn in her life and, was thankful that she had a heart that was big enough to let Jaden experience some of that good will too.
Locking her phone and slipping it back into her pocket, Barbie went back to watching Jaden work. She decided she was going to keep this little bit of information to herself and Brooklyn for the time being, give Jaden a surprise she wasn't going to forget in a hurry. They weren't going to let her continue to live like this, not anymore.
Once Jaden was done with the pancakes, she served them onto separate plates. Sliding one to Mickey across the kitchen counter without a word, Jaden picked up her own and Barbie's, indicating to the blonde with a nod of her head to go over to the bed. As soon as both were seated, Jaden handed Barbie her plate, who accepted it with a heart-felt thanks and began to dig into her food.
Eventually, Barbie couldn't help but notice that Jaden only had one pancake as opposed to two like herself and Mickey. She frowned slightly at the lack of food. "Only one pancake? Not hungry, I take it?"
"Not really…" Jaden answered lowly, hoping to avoid the subject altogether. However, when Jaden's eyes lifted to meet Barbie's own, she sighed at the obvious concern etched all over her face. Hating herself now more than ever, Jaden made the hasty decision to voice what was on her mind before she could take the thought back and suffer in silence. "I feel like I should apologise for yesterday, with the panic attack and the drowning. I opened up to you and said some things I shouldn't have. You shouldn't have to deal with my problems, after all. I shouldn't have let things get so bad, it was a moment of weakness and it won't happen again." Jaden cast her eyes downward onto the messy, crinkled bedsheets, the heat of shame burring her face with embarrassment. She was already regretting opening up her heart to Barbie but knew she couldn't take it back now. If anything, she knew that Barbie deserved an honest answer, she owed her that much if nothing else.
Barbie's heart constricted at Jaden's truthful reply. The fact that she thought she'd have to apologise for something like this made her want to cry for Jaden. This was obviously a woman who had been punished for this type of thing before, a punishment that was so traumatic and was so engraved in her brain that her natural instinct to protect herself from harm was causing her to apologise profusely to the person before they could deal out any further damage. What was even more so heart-breaking for Barbie to realise that it was almost like this was Jaden's way of saying goodbye. That this encounter would be the last time Barbie would ever get to see her again. She had to choose her words carefully here, so as not to scare her away and instead welcome Jaden into her life with open, loving arms. It was terrifying to think that one wrong word could spell the end of their relationship right here and now.
Her voice took on a soft approach, almost like talking to a small child who needed reassurance. "You don't have to apologise for that, Jay. I get that you've been through a lot, but I'm here for you. Whatever you may need, whether it be a serious chat, a hug or something more meaningful, I'll be right beside you. I promise."
Jaden didn't quite know what to say to that. She was left in stunned silence for several seconds at Barbie's sincerity and genuine honesty. Jaden wasn't used to such compassion and understanding in her life, it was something that was so foreign and unusual that she never quite knew how to reply to sympathy such as this. But that didn't mean that she didn't try. "I…thanks. But if I'm being completely honest with you Barbie, I'm afraid of getting close to you, well, more like afraid of getting hurt, so it was difficult for me to come out and admit something as big as that. But still, I'm glad you're here." It was the best she could currently offer, and although she knew that Barbie would understand she wasn't great with these types of confessions, it still didn't make her feel any better.
Barbie reached out a hand to hold Jaden's, giving it a light stroke with her thumb to somewhat ground her back to reality. "I would never hurt you, Jaden." She murmured softly, a flash of hurt registering in her eyes.
The scoff that came from Jaden sounded harsher than she intended, but got her point across clearly. "Yeah, I've heard that a thousand times…" She then shook her head, wanting this conversation to end already.
Seeing how uncomfortable she was getting, Barbie didn't directly reply to that, but keeping the discussion somewhat on track, steered in a different direction. "I'm honestly surprised that you don't see a therapist for all this pain." She directly suggested, wondering if that was such a good idea.
Jaden gave her a small chuckle. "I did. Got kicked out the door for flirting with her, but not before she declared that I was insane and making shit up. To be fair, she wasn't far wrong. I mean, I did lose my sanity for a time, so who's to say that it won't happen again?" She couldn't help but laugh at the memory, from the way the therapists eyes widened at the mention of Jaden having to fight off a dragon, from the closed off body language of her folded arms when Jaden flew a few flirty lines at her. It was something that she was sure Barbie wouldn't find very amusing to be joking about, but if it helped her cope with the humiliation, then what was the harm in it?
The response from Barbie however, was gentle and supportive, her hold on Jaden's hand gripping slightly tighter. "I'll make sure you won't lose your sanity…dare I ask what she thought you were making up?" She questioned curiously.
"She said that magic isn't real and I'm being delusional. So as I left, I set her desk on fire, proving that magic is real. I was let off with a warning, but had to pay for the damages, apart from the mental damage I must have caused to that poor bitch." Jaden said nonchalantly.
Barbie supressed a chuckle. "If you wanted to prove magic is real, perhaps setting the desk on fire wouldn't have been a good way to go about it." Despite the criticalness of her words, her tone wasn't judgmental.
Jaden shrugged. "I was angry. I didn't even want to be there in the first place. Magic has done nothing but make my life hell and saying that it isn't real and it being all in my head, yeah she was lucky that I only burned her desk." The mage attempted to keep the scorn out of her voice, but what wasn't in her tone was in her body language, from the shaking of her body and the clenching of her free hand into a fist. This didn't seem to be lost on Barbie, who continued her stroking of Jaden's hand to a much more prompt degree, to which Jaden was grateful for.
After a short while of silence and loving affections, Jaden shrugged herself out of Barbie's hold and placed her plate of the half-eaten pancake onto the floor. She then noticed a book sticking out from under the bed and decided to pick it up. Funny enough, it was a book on construction. Sitting back onto the bed, her back laying against the pillows, Jaden started reading the book with vast interest, knowing it would be a great help for when she got around to building Barbie's house.
Barbie, witnessing the speedy turn of interest, chuckled when she saw what the book was. "Should I be worried?" She joked.
Jaden smiled in return. "Probably. I know nothing about construction, but I'm willing to learn. I would offer that you can stay here whilst I build your house, but…" She glanced around the filthy room, once more feeling embarrassed at the state she was living in. "Yeah, I doubt anyone would want to stay in this shit pit. At least my house in Chicago is a lot better, not that I actually spend much time at home. What with constantly working-"
Jaden's little speech of her previous home life was interrupted when there was a knock on the door, quickly followed by a deafening crash of the wooden front door splintering into tiny pieces as someone brutally kicked the door down.
Hurriedly recovering herself from the momentary fright, Jaden groaned when she saw against the harsh sunlight pouring in through the entrance, that it was Ken who kicked the door down. That asshole better pay for that. Jaden thought with a sudden anger towards the man she had hated right from the very first moment she had laid eyes on him. Why did he have to ruin a perfectly good morning like this? She thought that was what Mickey was for. Jaden saw that Brooklyn was standing right behind Ken, her silhouette outlined against the bright sunshine. She recognised that Brooklyn and Ken were having a heated discussion about something, but what that something was Jaden couldn't understand, as both their voices shouted over each other's in an act to gain dominance over the situation. Although, judging from the feral look in Ken's eyes as he edged closer to Jaden, she had to take a wild guess that this was about Barbie and her supposed cheating on the man.
Just before she could question him further, he dragged Jaden off the bed and began beating on her, ignoring the startled, begging cries coming from Barbie and Brooklyn as they tried to get him to stop. Brooklyn attempted to grab Ken by his muscular shoulders to push him away, but this only escalated Ken's anger further as the sensible part of his brain was trying to take over, to give in to Brooklyn's demand on his body and relax his tense shoulders against her touch. However, that wasn't what he wanted, he wanted to see Jaden hurt, to see her battered and bruised beyond recognition that Barbie would find her too hideous to bare looking at. So, with a rough shake of his shoulders, he threw Brooklyn across the room, the slam that accompanied her body smacking against the concrete wall satisfied him to no end. Barbie, letting out a fearful cry of protest, had rushed immediately over to Brooklyn's side, checking over for any damage the strong man may have caused her.
What Ken hadn't realised in his revulsion fazed brain, was that this was to be the beginning of Barbie's slowly pent-up hatred towards her childhood friend. Before this event, it was just pure frustration she was feeling towards him with his lack of boundaries and inability to grasp that she never wanted to be with him. But now? Seeing him act so violently not only towards her girlfriend and a woman who had shared nothing but kind-heartedness and compassion towards Barbie? He was only heading down an irreversible road where there was no turning back. It was beyond any comprehension to Ken himself that Barbie would even harbour any of these feelings towards him. It just wasn't in her nature to feel any negative emotions aimed at other people. He was as sure of that as he knew his own name.
The force from the earlier blow had taken Jaden completely by surprise, leaving her unable to defend herself amidst the raining of blows that came swiftly and brutally to her exposed face. She had greatly misjudged Ken's ability to seriously fight and, now it was cost her dearly. All of Jaden's taught fighting instincts came screaming to the surface as she tried in vain to make some sort of move against Ken, to turn the tables against him and prove not only to him, but to both the women cowering in the corner of the room that Jaden could hold her own in combat.
But as soon as her arm lifted weakly above her head, Ken saw the opening to grab Jaden tightly by the wrist, pinning the mage onto the floor with an ease that made her earlier attempt to make her first move, pathetic.
As the mage's back was slammed against the hard wooden floor, Jaden let out a sharp cry of pain. She struggled against Ken's vice-like grip on her wrist, but found that she wasn't even budging out of his strong hold on her. Battered, bruised and winded, she was nothing but helpless. She felt her eyes widen to their utmost once she realised that Ken was using his other hand to hold one of her knives to her throat, the sharp, glinted steel cold against her bare neck. Upon further inspection Jaden began to panic once she registered that it wasn't the small pocket knife that Ken currently hand in his hand, instead he had managed to get a hold of the one she had stolen from Goofy less than a few days ago. Jaden, currently regretting her previous actions now more than ever, had managed to convince Merlin to give her a vial of poison, which she used to coat the stolen knife with the dripping poison. She had no intention of ever using it on anyone but herself in an act of desperation of escape from this strange dream, wanting to see if this was her only way of ever waking up again to the real world. However, the mage never got around to testing that theory as she got so caught up in other people's problems and ensuring the safety of the valley, that she had completely forgot that she had left the knife down on the floor, where Ken undoubtedly swiped it up in his haste to seriously harm Jaden.
Well, if she wasn't going to use it against herself, it only seemed rather fitting for the enraged man to use it against her now.
Getting her panicked thoughts together, Jaden groaned out in pain. "Great, what did I do this time to deserve this?" She already knew the answer to that question, although she wasn't going to let Ken know that. Utter obliviousness was a better reaction to present than absolute fear.
"You know exactly what you've done!" Ken growled, not appearing to be fooled by Jaden's mask of false emotions.
Jaden narrowed her eyes, continuing to taunt Ken that even being held at knife point wouldn't be enough for Jaden to force out her true feelings. "Do I? The only thing I can think of is that you're still butt hurt over the fact that I went on a date with your so called 'girlfriend', which let's be honest, she isn't." This factual statement had earned Ken a wicked grin from Jaden, who was clearly enjoying his obvious discomfort at the truth presented to him. If she couldn't hit him back with her fists, then words would just have to do.
This however, only caused Ken to press the knife harder against Jaden's neck, a thin trickle of blood dripping down from the tiny cut. "You forced Barbie to have sex with you!" He bellowed, his eyes blazing with fury.
"You think I did what!?" Disgusted, Jaden spat back the blood that had been bubbling inside her mouth back at Ken's face. "I would never force anyone to have sex with me! It's usually the other way around, so why the fuck would I ever do that to anyone!?" She knew even before the words were spoken aloud that she would despise having to admit to this man who was trying to kill her that she had been the victim of sexual abuse. Just thinking about it made her suddenly uncomfortable about being naked and having Ken hovering right on top of her.
Great, it was going to be a while before she could get over this and forget all about it.
A faint gasp coming from the corner of the room caused Jaden's heart to leap into her throat. "Wait, you were…" Barbie began to say, but stopped short when Jaden gave her a look that begged her not to question it further. She hadn't realised that Barbie could hear her.
Ken however, was unmoved by this confession, his anger and hate still very much evident both in his voice and his body language. "Why else would she have sex with you!?" Ken questioned Jaden, pulling the knife away from her neck where he drove the blade into her leg, before dragging it down to her knee and then stabbing her there several times.
The shrill screaming of pain erupting from Jaden as she felt the pointy, sharp pressure to her leg was cut short, her body tensing up in fear when she felt him press himself against her, the unmistakable beginnings of an erection digging into her skin. Pain was suddenly replaced by fear as the horrifying realisation hit her like a ton of bricks. Is he enjoying this? But the question didn't need to be spoken in mind for Jaden to know the answer. Witnessing Jaden's suffering was something that was receiving him a great deal of pleasure in both an emotional sense and a sexual one. As much as it was sickening to see, the idea that sprung to mind was even more revolting. It was something that she was sure she was going to immediately regret, but if it meant keeping this asshole away from Barbie, then it was something she was willing to go through with.
Pushing aside her panic, fear and self-loathing, Jaden lifted her head to murmur in Ken's ear, "Tell you what, if you leave Barbie alone…you can do whatever you want to me." She kept her voice deliberately low, ensuring that Barbie and Brooklyn were unable to hear, all thanks to Ken throwing Brooklyn across the room.
Hearing the deal that was bestowed upon him so willingly, Ken smirked cruelly as he thought this proposal over. He wanted to break this woman laying underneath him for even laying a hand on his girlfriend, and what this malicious woman was offering him was perfect. In fact, he was already running through multiple different scenarios in his mind on how he'd like to break Jaden before he even accepted the deal. Yes, he would take extreme pleasure in making sure that Jaden was sorry for even breathing in Barbie's general direction.
Producing a low groan in his throat, Ken bent his head down to lightly kiss Jaden's neck, immediately noticing and feeling greatly aroused at how her body tensed up at his touch.
"I wonder, can you please a man?" He whispered back into her ear, his breath hot on her neck.
Jaden gave him a small nod, trying not to let her voice shake. "I've been having sex since I was four. I'm pretty sure I know how to please a man."
Ken froze at that statement. Since she was a kid? He felt marginally disgusted that someone would even do that to a defenceless child, the suffering and mental torture someone as young as that must have to face on a daily basis after experiencing something as traumatic as that must be horrific. However, instead of coming to the conclusion that he should be offering support and empathy to the woman in question, Ken shook his head dismissively, not wanting to show any sort of sympathy towards this bitch. In its place, he smiled against the warm spot on her neck he just kissed. "Good. Now, you'll do what I say, no questions asked. I'm going to enjoy breaking you, Jaden."
With that said, he gave her a kiss on the lips, to which Jaden reluctantly kissed him back, knowing she couldn't refuse him and hating every second of it. She didn't want this, but it had to be done. She valued Barbie's safety so much more than her own wellbeing, and if that meant sacrificing some of her own happiness in order to make Barbie happy? Then so be it.
When he finally pulled away from Jaden, he cast her a smile that sent her stomach roiling and her heart pounding in fear. "Meet me at the cave on the beach in two hours." He whispered as he pushed himself off of her. Ripping the knife from her knee and tossing it onto the floor, Ken left the house without another word, but not before throwing a hurtful glare over in Barbie's direction, indicating that he still hadn't forgotten why he was here in the first place. His anger only continued to grow as Barbie had the grace to quickly look away from him, turning her attention back over to the wounded Brooklyn.
Once he left, Jaden let out a sigh as she struggled to hold back the tears. What in the Maker's name had she just done? When was she going to stop striking these nefarious deals that only ended in tragedy and the sake of her sanity? What had she done in her life back in the real world to deserve this treatment? On that she wasn't sure, but whatever it was, the Maker clearly wasn't happy with her.
Slowly sitting herself back up, Jaden groaned. Her head hurt like hell and her leg was still burning from the poison. She could barely hear the approaching footsteps of Barbie and Brooklyn, the two ladies asking if she was okay. She tried to ignore the nerves that was building up in her mind as they sat either side of her, a hand from both of them laying gently on her shoulders.
She fought to keep herself in control, pushing away the fear and anger towards Ken, but having no such luck. She gave a tiny nod, fighting back the pounding pain of her head to let Barbie and Brooklyn know that she was fine, not that she expected either of them to believe it after what they saw Ken do to her, although she hoped it was enough for them to back off any further questions.
Jaden spat out the remaining blood gathering in her mouth. "And I thought I was overprotective…" She made an effort to joke about the situation, attempting to get some sort of control back.
Neither Barbie nor Brooklyn laughed, with Barbie looking over at Jaden with a deep sadness. "You're protective, but I wouldn't say overprotective." Barbie said as she and Brooklyn helped Jaden back up from the floor and moved her over onto the bed.
"How did Ken even know that we had sex?" Jaden asked, turning her head towards Barbie. Both women then looked over to Brooklyn, who held up her hands in surrender.
"Don't look at me. I never told him. He must have overheard me when I told Skipper that you were staying here," Brooklyn addressed to Barbie, "and it wasn't like I knew what you two were up to. For all I know, you two could have been having a naked dance party." She half joked, not putting it past Barbie to do something like that.
"Damn, now I wished we did have a naked dance party." Jaden muttered under her breath, loud enough for both women to hear.
Brooklyn managed to fish out a first aid kit from under the bed, giving it to Barbie so that she could get started on treating Jaden's injured leg. Brooklyn hesitated to say her next sentence, unsure if this was a good time to bring it up. "You mentioned something about being forced into having sex…" She trailed off, already regretting having brought it up.
The pain that flashed across Jaden's eyes caused Brooklyn to wince, but Jaden brushed her off. "Did I? Let's forget I even mentioned that, shall we? That's not something I'm willing to share, ever." The mage gave Barbie a serious look, one that expressed concern and concealed anger. "So, Barbie, if you don't mind me asking, did Ken, ever…do anything to you?"
Barbie frowned at the question whilst cleaning up the blood from Jaden's leg. "As in? Have sex with me? No. As I've told you, I only see him as a…oh, no. He never tried anything with me, though it wouldn't surprise me if he'd ever thought about it. Why do you ask?"
"Just curious…but just so you know, I would never force you to have sex with me." She added, wanting to prove to her that she was nothing like the sleazy man.
Barbie smiled at that and took Jaden's hand in her own, frowning as she felt the mage tense up. "I know, and I'd never do it you either, Jay." She then finished up with Jaden's leg, tying the bandage tightly around the open wound.
The mage inspected the bandages with a critical eye, her career as a paramedic coming to the surface. She had done a better job than what Jaden would have done, as Jaden would not have even bothered to do it up properly in an act of wanting to cause herself more pain. Suddenly anxious to get out and do something to distract her mind until she had to go and meet up with Ken, she hurriedly got dressed, feeling a bit better now that she was fully clothed, an unusual feeling of hers. The encounter with Ken must have spooked her more than she realised.
Not knowing how to effectively pass the time, she paced back and forth whilst drinking her whiskey. She had something she wanted to get off her chest, but had no idea on how to say it. Turning to face Barbie and Brooklyn, Jaden took a deep breath, deciding to get it out and over with. "I owe you both for saving my life and while I'm grateful for that…there's a part of me that kind of wished you hadn't. It's hard to be grateful for something like that when you're suicidal."
"Wait, you're suicidal?" Brooklyn asked, a hand covering her mouth as she let out a gasp of shock.
Jaden sighed and looked away. "I already told you I don't give a damn about myself. I stopped caring a long time ago. I tried to commit suicide so many times that I've lost count. I throw myself into danger in the hopes that I would die…fuck, I really should stop talking about this…"
When Barbie went to reach out a hand towards Jaden in an effort to comfort her, Jaden turned away from Barbie, who failed to see the first string of tears flow down her face, but what she did hear instead, was the crack of Jaden's helpless voice. "I'm sorry…I just need some time to be alone…"
Jaden then left the house before they could ask any more questions, but most importantly before she started to spill any more personal stuff. She took a long walk around the valley, hoping against hope that neither Barbie or Brooklyn had decided to follow her. She was hoping to clear her mind and prepare herself for whatever Ken had planned for her. She'd have to play along with whatever he had in mind for her, no matter how painful and disturbing it may seem if it meant that he would leave Barbie alone. She couldn't afford to piss him off now, she had too much at stake here.
If only Barbie and Brooklyn back at the house knew what was to befall her. If Ken hadn't decided to throw Brooklyn across the room, maybe things would have been different. And as Mickey Mouse, whom had heard the entire exchange between Jaden and Ken, was left abandoned and forgotten about in the corner of the kitchen shaking like a leaf, he was still trying to fully take in what kind of deal Jaden had exactly gotten herself into, and what this currently meant for the kind woman who had always delivered him breakfast every morning.
The entire village had been awakened from all the shouting and noise of a lovers spat, their peaceful morning disturbed by this turn of events.
The valley had never seen such violence on this grand a scale.
