please read this chapter with discretion (note: this was written long before S2 was even released, do not attack me for the way Odalia is written.)
"He is absolutely splendid!"
She stares at the well-dressed boy standing before her, wearing a blank and unimpressed expression on her face. She grimaces when the boy glances at her and offers a kind smile, she knows that he means no ill will, but the very reason for their meet has already tainted her view of him.
Her parents were searching for a boy to play a love interest in the script they'd written for their neighborhood festival; a story of a rich, young girl falling in love with a measly peasant boy.
She, of course, was given the lead role.
The couple's first choice was her father's best friend's thirteen-year old son. She has met the child before, but never under these circumstances. She wasn't quite sure how she felt about him playing her love interest, or any boy, really.
A pair of hands tightly grasp her shoulder expectantly, "Isn't he great, Amelia?" She hears her mother's voice addressing her and she gives a brief nod, not trusting herself to speak in fear of being lectured. "Perfect!" Amelia glares at her mother as the woman approaches the lady standing next to the boy, "Why don't we rehearse tonight at our place?"
Amelia grits her teeth upon the thought of the boy stepping foot into their home, and quite possibly, her bedroom.
Her golden eyes meet with the boy's and she sneers at him, worry fills his dark eyes and he looks towards her mother. "Mrs. Blight?" He asks worriedly, sparing her a concerned glance, "Amelia doesn't look-"
The woman brushes him off with a wave of her hand, "She is twelve, she still believes that boys have cooties. She will get over it." She turns to face the boy's mother and smiles sweetly, gesturing for the other woman to follow her. "Now, Mrs. Kryston, shall we talk about our rehearsal schedule?"
Amelia scowls at her mother's back as she walks away, rage boiling up inside of her like a volcano and threatening to erupt. How dare she? She bites the inside of her lip to keep from shouting at the woman and locks her anger beneath the surface.
Irritation sweeps through her when a hand is placed on her shoulder, she turns and she looks the boy directly in the eyes, rolling her shoulder and stepping away from him abruptly. "Never touch me." She warns with an annoyed glare.
The boy stares at her for a moment before nodding respectfully.
"Amelia! Come!"
The named girl sighs heavily. Why exactly did he have to play her love interest? His older sister was quite pretty, and she wants to be an actress, wouldn't she be more suitable for the role?
"Yes, Mother."
She has to trust her mother.
Three weeks later was the night of the performance, her family arrived early to ensure that the props and costumes were up to tier. Amelia's younger siblings are left in a room together while she is sent to practice for her rehearsal. With her mother hovering over her shoulder, the child tried her best to put her heart into it.
The time for the play came agonizingly slow and Amelia felt like she crawled through the performance, she was tired and she just wanted to climb into bed and sleep.
Once the play came to a close, the crowd went wild with cheers and praise, but Amelia never once felt satisfied, only relieved and ready to return home. Unfortunately, they stayed for hours after the play.
Her mother claimed that she and the boy would make an adorable couple once they were older, insisting that he had a thing for her judging by the look on his face. The thought of dating him romantically causes her stomach to churn with queasiness.
She never said anything. She was young. Perhaps she would develop feelings for him once she was older.
After a year, Amelia was pressured into accepting the boy's offer to take her out on a date, and despite having not enjoyed herself, she begrudgingly accepted to be his girlfriend; her siblings, especially her little brother and sister, often teased her about supposedly liking the boy when she accepted.
There was always an unexplainable nausea in her belly when she looked at him. Thankfully, the boy never forced her into anything. He'd even make sure it was completely okay with her before asking his parents to pay for their second date. It wasn't okay with her, she only said yes because her mother was staring holes into her back.
He somehow knew.
"Whoo! What a rush!"
Amelia glances over at him boredly as he pumps his fist in the air, he looks at her and his arms sink back down to his sides, "Amelia, are you sure you're alright?" He makes no move to touch her, much to her gratitude.
"I'm fine," she lies, avoiding eye contact with him and fixing her attention on anything around the amusement park but him, "so, um, what's… Wow."
Amelia's words trails off into a whisper as a girl walks by them, she watches her intently with her mouth slightly agape. The girl's long, wavy red hair flies delicately behind her in the wind. She's wearing a crop top t-shirt with shredded shorts that show off her toned, pale and slender legs, her features are narrow, yet sharp with bright, lime green eyes.
Her friend laughs from somewhere behind her and his voice suddenly appears at her side. "Yes, she is very wow, I agree."
Amelia's mouth moves before she can comprehend that she's speaking; "She's hot."
Her friend never judged her, he only laughed his agreement and called off the date, suggesting that they spend the rest of the day as friends. He promised that it would stay their secret, and he never once considered exposing her to their parents.
A few months later, she developed a crush on an older girl at her school, the only person she told about her infatuation was her friend, he was the only one she trusted. He congratulated her and tried to convince her to ask the girl on a date, but she chickened out and decided to admire the girl from afar.
Her excuse? 'What if it isn't a crush?'
Trusting her friend turned out to be the worst mistake she's ever made, he told the girl of her crush and in turn, the girl reported it to her parents.
"We will NOT have a lesbian for a daughter! You know that homosexuality is a sin."
A loud slap pops through the room, followed by a thud as Amelia's body collides harshly with the floor. Tears gathering in her eyes, she looks up at her mother and her heart twists upon seeing the absolute hatred and disgust on the woman's face. Her father, however, remained silent, not daring to look at her.
"Mother…"
The look of rage on her mother's face when she was addressed causes her to cower away, but her mother kneels down and grabs her chin roughly, forcing her to keep direct eye contact. "No, you may not call me Mother until you have atoned for your disgusting ways. I'm not accepting this. Not ever! I'd rather have a dead daughter than a gay child!"
Her whole world had come crashing down around her like a landslide. The shining light she would usually see around her mother and father was gone, replaced by darkness that causes bitterness to swell inside of her.
Her mother meant it, and she would never think otherwise. Her father offers her a sympathetic look as her mother angrily left, but he didn't say a word and followed behind the woman.
As her mother leaves, Amelia sees the horrified expressions of her three siblings peeking around the corner.
She didn't have the strength to look them in the eyes.
Her mother never bothered to celebrate her fourteenth birthday, Amelia didn't even receive a 'happy birthday' from her mother, but her father wished her in private and brought her a gift. She thanks him, but a part of her resents him for never standing up to her in front of her mother when she needed him most, she resents him for allowing her to walk through Hell alone.
But, thanks to him giving her the cold shoulder, Amelia quickly learns how to shield her emotions and begins to rebel. She stops dying her hair to fit her mother's color-coordinated rule, and she begins to choose her own clothes, breaking away from the certain 'look' that their family has.
She found music that she thoroughly enjoyed, songs about girls that are sung by girls. When her youngest sister insisted on wanting to spend time with her, Amelia showed Amity some of her favorite songs and grinned when the ten-year old's eyes lit up like fireworks.
"Oh, you like these songs?" Amelia asks with a large grin, giggling when the child nods meekly, as if she wasn't supposed to like them. "You know they're songs about sapphics, right?" Amity sends her a questioning look, "Sapphic is another word for girls who romantically like other girls, better used when one or both are not lesbian."
Amity's eyes grow wide with fear upon hearing the last word, "Les- no. I can't- Mother says that-"
Amelia cuts her off, "Fuck what Odalia says," her sister wears an unsure expression and Amelia sighs, placing her hand on her sister's shoulder. "It's okay to like other girls, don't listen to our mother… If you have any problems, come to me. I'll protect you."
She would keep that promise to the best of her ability.
Some time before her fifteenth birthday, Amelia got a girlfriend whom she believed she harbored feelings for; her first thing she does to go against her parents, or more specifically, her mother, was kissing the girl in front of her mother's very eyes.
The rush of serotonin she'd felt was indescribable; she and the girl went their separate ways a few weeks later, but Amelia had gotten the confirmation that she'd craved oh-so badly.
She liked girls, and kissing was fun.
When she returned to school, she activated her charm, using cliche and cheesy crap she'd found online as a starter pack. As she became more original and more egoistic, she managed to at least fluster half of the girls in her grade.
A new level of confidence struck her and she slowly began to up her game.
She begins with subtle, at-a-distance flirts and winks, testing the girls' reaction to those before deciding to go a step further by directly flirting with them. She carefully works her way up the ladder, always willing to descend a few steps if the other girl was visibly uncomfortable.
There were quite a few times where she had to backtrack when she saw unsettled looks on their faces, she genuinely apologizes and makes no move to approach again.
Her last step, once she's gained the girl's trust, was pinning the girl against the school's bathroom stall door and kissing her. She harbors no feelings for any of the girls, and oftentimes find that the other end was more passionate; not wanting to break their hearts worse than she will in the end, she never allows it to go too far and breaks it off, leaving her victim flustered and confused as she leaves the stall without looking back.
Several moments, she nearly forgets that she's only fifteen as the situation she's in causes her to feel much older. Who could blame her? She has half of the schoolgirls wrapped around her finger, even some of the straight girls approached her, willing to experiment.
With those, she allows them to choose the pace and offers them several chances to leave, she never kisses them without their complete consent. If she's told to stop, she will without hesitation.
Unsurprisingly, quite a few of them later came out as either pansexual or bisexual. Some admitted that they'd been questioning it for some time, but was fighting their own internalized homophobia.
By sixteen, she was titled the Hexide Heartbreaker. Fortunately, her parents and her family knew nothing about her acts outside of the manor.
"The new girl is here!"
Amelia breaks away from the girl she has pinned against the wall and turns her head, releasing the girl's wrists and stepping away from her. She slides the stall door open watching outside of the bathroom as students gather around someone further down the hall.
'New girl?' Amelia muses, 'Wonder if she's cute.'
Feeling a kiss and teeth scrape across her collarbone, Amelia is jerked back to her senses and she slams the girl back against the wall with her forearm, snarling at her. "You should know the rules by now, Paige ."
The girl is reeled to reality and begins to apologize profusely, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I just- I got caught up in the moment, and-" Amelia retracts her arm from Paige and steps back, already seeing the confession in the brunette's eyes. "...I love you."
She's heard this many times by now. And each time, she has to break their hearts.
"Too bad. I'm not looking for a girlfriend." She murmurs coldly as she turns away, refusing to look back at the girl's heartbroken expression. Amelia sighs, "I'm sorry." She apologizes genuinely before exiting the bathroom, her head bowed as an attempt to hide her eyes.
She was lying. Every confession she's heard is only out of the heat of the moment, it's an empty, meaningless confession, and Amelia knows it. She wants someone to love, she wants someone who truly cares about her, someone she could show vulnerability around and they would never spill her secrets, nor would they judge her.
But, such a person does not exist.
"You must be Hexide's resident heartbreaker?" Amelia lifts her eyes to see a tall, tanned girl approaching her with a curious smirk on her dark features. She's wearing a fresh, bright green jacket and a purple beanie on her head, concealing the unruly brown hair that Amelia knows hides beneath.
This must be the new girl. 'Goddamn it, she's cute.'
"I am!" Amelia answers proudly, retrieving her book out of her locker and shutting it. She could use someone new to play with, and besides, this girl approached her first, she could jump to phase two. "What's your name, cutie?"
The girl chuckles in amusement. "Lucia."
She takes on a sweet, flirty tone and puts extra emphasis on certain words. "Well, Lucia… " She says the name with honey on her tongue, but doesn't seem to faze Lucia. "My schedule is full, but I'm sure I can make an extra space for a beautiful girl like you. Second place, perhaps?" Her voice changes into a persuasive sing-song, "I'll give special treatment, considering you're new and all."
"Second place? Aw, and I was going to make you my first priority." Lucia only winks at her, "I'll have to take you up on that someday."
Had she known what Lucia's affect on her would've been, she would have never accepted the girl into her life.
She never managed to charm Lucia like she could easily sweep the other girls off their feet, she'd even brought the girl out on a date to attempt to break through her walls, but, somehow, Amelia found herself being the one to swoon.
The more time she spends around the girl, the more she finds herself staring in admiration, and Lucia knows, she's never thought to mention it.
Amelia's heart thunders loudly in her chest whenever she's around the girl, her pulse quickens and a warmth spreads through her chest. She has a crush. Amelia Blight, the Hexide Heartbreaker, has developed affections for a girl she barely knows.
She decided that the only reason that she's attracted to her was because of how Lucia treated her like a normal person, instead of clamoring over the other girls trying to seduce or win her heart.
One day, they met up at the beach by accident and her new friends offered to spend the rest of the day with her, wanting to provide Amelia with some much-needed company.
It was the first time she'd ever spoken to someone so seriously.
"So, you just walk around town until midnight…?" Lucia asks worriedly, walking alongside the brunette as they stroll down the street with a calm pace. "Bad 'Lia… Something could happen to you!" Amelia's heart stutters and a kaleidoscope of butterflies erupt through her being, she feels like she's floating. A crooked, lopsided grin tugs at her lips and she averts eye contact.
Pulling herself back together, knowing the strings holding her in one piece could snap at any moment, Amelia gives Lucia a nudge with her shoulder and playfully smirks at her. "Aw, are you worrying about me?"
Lucia scoffs, stepping onto the pavement to approach the other side of the street. Amelia can hear a vehicle approaching from the distance, but they're far enough away that they'll be able to cross the road before they come close.
"Anyway, um… Amelia, listen..." Lucia hesitates and looks away, fiddling with her fingers and slowing her pace to walk next to Amelia.
The sound of an engine rumbling grabs the brunette's attention.
Golden eyes dart behind Lucia as the girl begins to talk, her eyes widen and she glances between her friend and the quickly oncoming vehicle. Of course… Lucia's skin color… They're going to try and kill her… Lucia's so invested in her story that she doesn't even hear it coming.
Dread pools in Amelia's belly as fear wracks her being. She can't allow Lucia to get hurt. But, how can she get her out of the way without herself getting injured?
The vehicle is coming closer, and fast.
No, fuck it. She doesn't have time. She doesn't care if she gets hurt.
Time slows down and she turns her head back to Lucia, whose dark eyes are glancing back at her. The world falls deaf and she sees Lucia's mouth shape her name; Amelia kicks off one foot and charges at the girl.
"MOVE!" Reality clicks and the world speeds up, slamming her entire weight into Lucia's front and shoving her out of the way of the oncoming vehicle.
Her hands collide with the rough surface of the street and she feels the wind of the vehicle rushing by behind her, the ground shakes as they pass and Amelia finds herself leaning forward to bury her face into Lucia's neck.
"I'm okay." She hears the tanned girl murmur to her reassuringly, wrapping her strong, long arms around her and holding her delicately. "I'm okay."
Had she hesitated a moment longer, Lucia would be dead. She wouldn't have been able to protect her. Oh, she couldn't bear the thought.
A sob wracks her frame and she nestles deeper into her friend's body, releasing quiet, heart-wrenching cries as grief and agony swells around her heart. She's never felt this before, the strong urge to protect someone even at the cost of her own life, the absolute, shredding, pain she feels upon the mere thought of losing them.
"Amelia…?" Lucia asks quietly, pulling her legs closer and sitting up, Amelia's trapped her in a hug, refusing to let go of her. "I'm okay… What's wrong? Talk to me…"
Amelia reluctantly parts from the embrace, looking the girl in the eyes. Her heart erupts into a thousand butterflies and ascends towards the heavens, seeing that her crush is alright. The words slip out before she can even process what she's saying.
"I love you."
She pushes away and runs home.
Amelia had locked herself in her bedroom and climbed into her bed, she'd ignored her sibling's questions when she burst through the front doors and raced up the staircase as quickly as she could. The brunette secured herself in a cocooned blanket and held her pillow close, trying and failing to hold back the tears threatening to escape.
She'd fallen from her throne, and she would never reclaim it…
How could she, Hexide's resident Heartbreaker, have fallen in love so easily ? She'd locked gates around her heart to ensure that no one would dare to enter, but somehow, this girl had effortlessly walked through and now had full control over her affections.
She would use them against her.
In the morning, Amelia would be building a barricade around her heart again. Nobody will enter again, she'd make sure of it.
Her phone's notification ringtone goes off and Amelia rolls over, grabbing the small device while keeping herself swaddled in her blankets.
Her heart falls.
Lucia: 'Meet me outside at my car. Please.'
So, she untangled herself from her blankets and trudged out the door, pausing only for a moment to greet her youngest sister, who only waves with the tips of her fingers. The child is invested in a pile of homework, hyperfocusing on the papers at hand and completely disregarding the supper that had been brought to her.
Amelia sighs and steps outside, knowing she could do nothing to drag Amity away. Now that Amelia isn't the Perfect Daughter anymore, Emira and Edric have become their favorites, which means they're almost always disappointed in Amity and show it by putting her siblings on a pedestal.
Amelia closes the door behind her and breaks into a jog, rounding the corner of their property and sliding through the gate. She looks to her right and sees Lucia quietly approaching her, she swallows hard and prepares herself for the worst.
"You needed some…" Lucia stops in front of her with an unreadable expression, "...thing? Lucia?"
The tanned girl steps closer and cups Amelia's cheeks softly, her fingers spreading to caress just below her chin and relaxing her with only her touch. Lucia leans in, whispering into the brunette's ear, and Amelia's heart comes to a screeching halt.
"I love you, too."
Lucia's lips meet hers in a willing, passionate kiss. Amelia's brain takes a moment to register what's happening; she's kissing her. Lucia is kissing her .
The other girl pulls away, looking almost dejected. Amelia's heart screams with guilt and she reaches up, grasping the back of her friend-girlfriend's(?) neck and beckoning her closer.
She pulls her into another kiss, pouring all of her unspoken affections into it as her heart and soul ascend towards the skies, leaving only a content, happy feeling being and sparkling through her entire body.
"Say it again." Amelia murmurs with a giggle, "Say it again, say it again…"
"I love you." Lucia hums and leans forward again, speaking between sweet, momentary kisses that send electrical sparks coursing through Amelia's regenerating soul. "I love you, I love you."
Perhaps… This kind of person does exist.
Unfortunately, Lucia was only a two-week transfer student and by the next Monday, she had to return to her former school on the other side of the city. Amelia was prepared not to see her girlfriend until the weekends, but somehow, Lucia managed to show up at Hexide five minutes after the classes are let out for the day.
Much to her surprise, Lucia continues to meet her after school and eventually, all eyes are on them, watching with interest. All of them were curious about the girl who managed to tame the Hexide Heartbreaker's wild heart.
She most definitely didn't mind the public display of affection.
During her Sophomore year, things began to get serious. She found herself and Lucia bickering over some of the smallest, stupidest things that didn't even matter. On instinct, Amelia often did exactly what her father does during arguments and simply walked out, not expecting the other girl to follow her and accept that she'd won.
She'd expected her to at least strike her when she talked back, or even leave, but she never did.
Imagine her surprise when Lucia one day wrapped her arms around her and whispered sweet apologies to her, saying she'd never meant to make her so upset.
"I don't like it when we fight." Amelia admits quietly, turning around to lean into Lucia's embrace more comfortably.
"I don't either." Lucia agrees, she steps away from her and gently grasps the brunette's arms, "Wanna go walking?"
Walking the streets of their city became a regular thing, goofing off and wasting time until Amelia had to go home. She would often see Lucia on her phone, texting someone, and she'd be lying if she hadn't become at least a little bit worried. So, she asked and the girl responded that she was only letting her mother know where she was and that she was alright.
"Your Mother cares about where you are?" Amelia asks, astonished.
Lucia sends her a strange look, lifting one brow in confusion. "Of course." She replies, "If I don't tell her where I am, she'll be worried sick. Your Mom checks in on you, right?"
This is something she'd never wanted to tell anybody; she could trust Lucia, though. "Odalia disowned me when I was thirteen," she confesses without emotion, averting eye contact with her girlfriend. "I am not allowed to call her 'Mother' anymore, and my Father doesn't bother."
Lucia only smiles and rests her hand on her shoulder supportively, "Come," she says softly, "I want you to meet somebody."
She brought her to meet a woman named Eda Clawthorne, and upon first meeting, Amelia immediately decided that she liked her. Turns out, she'd been disowned by her family, too. The only family she has left worth calling family is her sister, whom she rarely sees considering she became a law enforcer, and Eda didn't care too much for the law.
The woman wasn't exactly motherly, but she practically radiated the 'cool aunt' vibe; she took her in almost instantly and taught her how to cook her own meals, made time for her and even showed her how to ride a motorcycle. She became the parental figure Amelia needed. Though, she would never admit it, she had begun to look up to the woman.
After learning that Amelia hasn't celebrated her birthday in years, Eda even gave her a little party of her own. Of course, she passed it off as if it were Lucia's idea, and Lucia accepted it to save a little bit of the woman's pride.
Her life had changed around for the better, and she was actually looking forward to the day she can finally move out of her parents' home. Eda helped her find a job at seventeen and Amelia started putting back money to spend on herself.
Before she knew it, she was eighteen and had bought her own motorcycle with a little help from Eda.
She kept it from her parents by leaving it at Eda's place, and made sure not to ride around or anywhere near her parents' neighborhood. Amelia upgraded the motorcycle by making the primary color a dark maroon with a black seat and painting the lesbian flag like flames across the body of it.
At school, many of her classmates had begun to talk about eventually settling down and having families. Most of them planned to marry whomever would be their Senior Prom date.
As Prom was just around the corner, Amelia's parents had re-entered her life by force and were pestering her to find a date, preferably a man. It was yet another thing she could add to her list to piss her mother off, because she already knows who she's going to ask; she's going to ask the beautiful girl cradled in her arms.
Once she wakes up, of course. As of right now, she looks far too peaceful to even consider disturbing her.
Unsurprisingly, Lucia willingly accepts and asks when Prom is; receiving a date and time, she promises that she'll be there. Matching outfits is something they both knew would never happen, but so long as they're happy and having fun, why does it matter how they dress?
Prom comes and goes quickly, several pictures were taken during the occasion by one of their classmates, Wionna Park. Sometime during the photoshoot, Lucia managed to befriend them and a few days afterwards, they began to hang around the couple.
A year later, when she was nineteen, things spiraled downhill like the equivalent to a landslide, or an avalanche.
Her younger siblings were now in Highschool and were only a few grades below her, it was only a matter of time before they found Lucia with Amelia. She only hoped that would respect her privacy and keep their mouths shut.
She was wrong to have hoped for such a thing…
"What the hell is this?!" Her mother shouts as she shoves the phone into her face, Amelia growls and leans back so that she could see the picture she was being shown, "Emira and Edric told me that you were hanging around some girl! A colored girl! Explain!"
Amelia scowls at the image of herself and her girlfriend, a photo taken oh-so discreetly by her twin siblings. In the picture, she's leaning into Lucia's embrace, she has her pinned against the wall while the girl is draping her green jacket around her shoulders with an amused, cocky grin on her face.
"She's my girlfriend, what the fuck do you think it is?" Amelia turns away from Odalia, "It's not up-" She's cut off by a hand roughly grabbing the back of her shirt, her collar becomes tight around her neck and she snatched back; her shoulder collides with the china cabinet forcefully, shattering one of the glass windows and knocking over the expensive plates inside.
The glass definitely broke some skin…
Amelia pushes herself up and faces Odalia again, ire flickering in her eyes as pain sears through her side and shoulder. Her mother lifts a cane to her throat, keeping her at bay. "Do you recall what I did to you when you told me you were gay?"
She grits her teeth. Of course she does, how could she forget?
"Would you like me to start treating your sister that way?" A scary grin pulls across the woman's lips and Amelia's body begins to tremble with both dread and rage. "How about I have your little girlfriend-"
The girl swiftly grabs the end of the cane and jabs it forward with all of the strength she could muster, slamming the heavy end of it into the woman's jaw with an audible pop. Amelia easily rips the cane out of Odalia's grasp when she flinches, wielding it as a weapon and stepping forward. "You stay your bitchass away from them." Amelia warns calmly, pointing the cane at the woman. "You're lucky that I don't-"
"Amelia?"
She turns her head and her posture slackens, seeing Emira and Edric leaning around the corner, watching her with horror on their faces. They'd seen her attack their mother, and apparently for no reason. "No," she steps towards them, unconsciously letting the cane drop, but her siblings only move away from her, "Em, Ed, wait-"
Their eyes widen again and a shriek sounding like her name escapes her brother's mouth, she barely has time to register the noise before she feels something heavy cracking across her skull.
"You'll come get me…?"
Amelia's in pain. Her body aches all over and her head is throbbing, she's pretty sure that her eye is swelling up as well. She'd managed to fight back after her mother attempted to knock her out with her cane, but they were separated by her father forcing himself between them and gently advising her to return to her room to treat her wounds.
"Of course… I'll let you know when I'm pulling into the driveway. In the meantime, stay safe, okay?" Lucia murmurs from the other end of the line, sounding distraught and worried. Amelia promised that she was alright, but her girlfriend didn't seem to believe her.
The call disconnects and Amelia moves her attention to the window, impatiently waiting for the familiar golden headlights to pull into the driveway.
She didn't have any fighting spirit left.
Her siblings saw her as a bad guy, they were terrified of her. Her father never came to check up on her, despite knowing that she could've been severely injured. Her mother, additionally, essentially threatened the lives of the ones she loved, while mercilessly beating her in the process.
She couldn't endure it any longer.
There was nothing left for her here.
Amelia lifts her head, seeing the headlights coming down the road, and she slides out of her bed with a singular bag in hand. She pauses and takes one last look at her bedroom, an indescribable feeling of freedom swelling in her chest. She spins on her heel and quickly strolls down the hall-
A door open and she stops in her tracks, her gaze meeting with a tired Amity's. Confusion crosses the child's face and Amelia's brows pull together in hesitation, recalling the promise that she'd made to her. She wants to protect her, she needs to, but… she doesn't have the strength.
"Amelia?" She mutters sleepily. "Where are you going?"
Amelia cracks a tiny, sorrowful smile and moves towards her, pulling her into a one-armed embrace. "I'm leaving for a little while, okay? I'll come back for you… I promise." She kneels down to look her in the eyes, guilt twisting in her chest like a thousand knives. "Go back to sleep before Odal- Mother finds out that you're awake. You know she won't be happy."
Hesitation flashes across Amity's face, but she nods and silently returns to her room, shutting the door behind her.
As soon as the door shuts, Amelia breaks into a quiet sprint and jogs down the staircase as discreetly as she could manage. She unlocks the large, oak doors and quietly slips outside.
"Lucia…" She greets gratefully, unaware of her little sister peeking out of her bedroom window above her.
Lucia smiles sadly, "Let's go."
As predicted, her mother filed an abduction report, using the security footage as evidence. Lucia's vehicle was located on the other side of the city, crashed into a ditch and abandoned.
They disappeared.
"Aren't you Amelia Blight?"
"Who the fuck's asking?"
Lucia should have never stepped between them.
Amelia had known what would happen the very moment the policeman put his hand on his pistol, ordering Lucia to step away from Amelia and put her hands in the air. Amelia came to her defense and got her girlfriend behind her, attempting to protect her.
When Amelia refused to come with them, wanting to know exactly what charges they had against her girlfriend to take her into custody, the policeman threatened to arrest her for uncooperative mannerisms. Unafraid of him, she'd replied with a cocky response and the man approached with handcuffs, about to place her under arrest.
Lucia wouldn't allow him to come close, wary of the unreadable look in his eyes when he looked at Amelia.
Things escalated quickly, going from a simple arrest to a suspected abduction, using Lucia's protectiveness over her as an excuse to claim that she was becoming hostile, holding Amelia hostage.
"Dispatch, we have a girl being held hostage by a colored person on road 527, Anderson street. Requesting backup."
Lucia scoffs, "Hostage? Are you kidding me?" She sighs and leans against the wall, "We'll be here a while," she reaches into her pocket, "you know what? I'm gonna-"
Time slowed down. Amelia saw the policeman rapidly lifting his pistol and pointing it at her girlfriend just as she removed her phone from her pocket.
Three loud, ear shattering bangs erupt through the air.
"NO!" A shriek escapes her lips as she attempts to put herself between Lucia and the incoming bullets. She's too slow to move.
When reality clicks around her again, her girlfriend is gone. Forever.
Anguish swells in her chest and she turns back to the policeman, stepping over Lucia's body as he approaches, gun still in hand. He's reaching for handcuffs.
He'd killed someone.
He didn't even care.
Tears obscure her vision, the distress within her gets overpowering, throbbing and making every last bit of her being shake from its strength. She wants to collapse, cry, she wants to scream and wail. She wants to reverse time.
She wants to be the one who had taken the hit. He'd killed her. Things weren't supposed to end up like this. Her thoughts are incohesive, the only words repeating through her mind was 'he killed her'.
"Miss Blight-" The police officer says calmly.
Rage snaps at a lightning-fast speed, resembling a bullet shooting through her body and leaving only anger in its wake. She reaches behind her and into her back pocket, retrieving a pocket knife and flipping it open.
He's not wearing any protective gear. He turns away from her.
"We will be taking you home-"
"You killed her!"
She lunges forward with an ungodly scream, catching the man completely off guard and taking advantage of his momentary vulnerability by thrusting her blade through. She feels the rip of flesh against her knife, embedding itself into the man's aorta. She twists the hilt of it to ensure that it guarantees the most excruciating pain.
The man doubles over in shock.
She snatches the knife out just as another vehicle pulls up. The blade barely manages to penetrate his flesh before two more gunshots emit through the air.
The next thing she's conscious of, there's pain in her shoulder and in her abdomen. She's laying on the ground, she can feel life slowly leaving her.
She'd been shot, but she was still alive.
She can hear ambulance sirens, part of her knows that her life can't be saved.
Through blurry eyes, she locates Lucia across from her. She can barely make her out, but she's recognizable. Lifting a nearly limp hand, she reaches over and lays her hand into Lucia's, weakly intertwining her fingers with hers.
"Don't you dare…" She wheezes out, "...leave without me, Noceda…" She gives her hand a squeeze, "Wait… for me."
As her vision begins to swim with darkness, a bright light fills her vision, a warmth embraces her, and a sweet, familiar voice whispers to her.
"I'm here."