Revamped!

[I'm only publishing because I have a certain chapter to publish on a certain date and it's a couple days away.]

Burned to Cinder: Part Six

The dynamic in the Blackburn Mansion changed drastically ever since Evret died. Levana locked herself away from Cinder and Winter for a bit but especially from Winter. She couldn't bear to look at her since she reminded her of Evret so much, but she couldn't send Winter away since she also wanted some form of Evret's presence to be around. All she kept for herself was the wedding rings.

Winter refused that her father was gone because that now meant she was biologically an orphan. Levana wasn't being the stepmother she was supposed to be since she just lost the love of her life and always had a cold exterior Winter could never chip through. She started having nightmares about her father on the battlefield, bleeding to death and yelling for her help which she couldn't give. Those nightmares slowly bled into reality and she started seeing blood everywhere, from the walls to the streets to the people. She started wearing makeup to cover the fact that she's been crying.

Levana couldn't bear to see Winter like this and she owed it to Evret to take care of Winter since that was their last conversation. Levana and Winter always had a distant relationship and ever since Evret died, it increased but they still relied on each other.

Then, there was Cinder. She barely saw Levana and Winter for the next three years, keeping her distance. She could barely have a conversation without accidentally saying something triggering and when the tears came, Cinder would freeze and not know how to handle those emotions. She didn't like being in a situation she couldn't fix so she didn't put herself in it.

-o-

"You're almost seventeen, Winter. Your father died three years ago and keeping this grief in you isn't healthy…"

Winter looks up at the person who is possibly her fifth therapist. She's lost count of how many couches she's sat on and the blank faces that stared at her. Levana wanted Winter to go into therapy since she wouldn't talk to anyone at home without wailing about the blood that flowed from her nightmares so at least someone would listen and be able to help her.

"Your mind is a tool that can bring you peace."

Winter still sits lethargically.

"Look, Winter, you're here because you're a minor and your stepmother wants you here. I'm here because she hired me. You could either talk or just stare at me blankly. Either way, I get paid." The therapist sits back. "So, tell me what's up."

"I see blood everywhere," Winter finally responds.

He nods slowly, glad to be making progress. "Now, is this the blood of your father from the war? Or the blood of everyone who suffered during the Blackburn regime?"

Winter's heartbeat quickens and cold sweat forms on the edges of her forehead and temples. This wasn't a help session and based on that last rhetorical question, it'll never be. She wants to run but her legs don't budge. Her throat is limp and she can't scream, but when the door slams open, she sees an angered Levana about to explode.

Levana immediately passes Winter and slaps the therapist across the face. She grabs the collar of his shirt with both her hands and holds his face close to her own. Her expression is fierce - eyebrows crossed tightly, eyes on fires, and lips a shade of red that was close to blood.

"The only thing I'll pay for is your funeral," she snarls at him.

-o-

After that wreck of an appointment, Winter walks into her bedroom and closes the door. She heads over to her vanity and pulls out her makeup case, opening it and its many compartments as she hears Levana yelling through the walls at people over the phone due to today's incident at the therapist's office.

Winter rests her head on her elbows as she stares right into the eyes of her reflection. She focuses on her gaze, trying to ignore the blood splatters that her hallucinations place on the walls behind her, the table in front of her, and even her face. Once she blinks, it's gone but there are steaks on her face from where unconscious tears fell. That's she starts applying the primer followed by layers of makeup that didn't look caked on. She manages to capture ever contour of her face with delicate brush strokes, hiding every streak that her tears left. They were Blackburns and had to look perfect on the outside.

She hears a knock on her door. Winter turns around to see Jacin entering and suddenly, she feels happier, lighter. It's almost as if she forgot about everything that happened earlier. If there was one remedy that worked for Winter, it was Jacin. Cinder calls him the equivalent of human valine. Everyone has an addiction and Winter's is Jacin.

"I hope you bought the highlighter I wanted," Winter says excitedly.

Jacin sits on the small bench in front of her bed. He takes the bag he was holding and pulls out some bright yellow and pink markers. Winter sits next to him and gives him an annoyed face.

"Seriously?" Winter questions.

Jacin grins as he pulls out the cosmetic highlighter she wanted. Winter claps out of pure joy as she takes it into her hand and opens it. She feels a sensation of ultimate pleasure by swatching it on her wrist and rotates her arm so she could see it shimmer in the light. Winter gasps excitedly at the sparkle which makes Jacin smile.

"Thank you, thank you!" Winter exclaims. "It's so blinding."

"Be warned," Jacin says, "that highlight combined with that smokey eye will set off a fire alarm."

"But my tears would put it out."

The mood suddenly shifts in the room from exciting to depressing. Winter sighs as she puts the highlighter down on her bed and she slumps forwards. Jacin puts a hand on her arm, trying to hold her hand and she leans on his shoulder. He knows that his friend is hurt and broken. She used distractions like makeup as an irrelevant subject, blotting her face when she would be at the verge of crying. She had to hide herself from the outside world, afraid of breaking because she never knew if the blood could be wiped away.

"You know," Jacin whispers, "you're pretty when you cry but I won't make that happen."

Winter smirks as she looks back up at him, taking his hand in hers.

"You don't need all that makeup," Jacin tells her.

"A girl who wears her lipstick has her spades together," Winter responds.

Winter puckers her lips in an attempt to mock him and Jacin laughs to himself as he stares down at her lips. She backs away and shoved him a little as a joke before reaching into his pocket and grabbing his phone. Jacin tries to take it back but Winter's already opened the camera and is taking endless selfies with him and his unamused face in the background. They truly liked each other but didn't go as boyfriend and girlfriend since Jacin didn't see the importance of statuses when it came to feelings. They established this fact a year ago.

"This one's cute!" Winter exclaims as she lies down on his lap and chooses one of the hundreds of selfies they just took. "I'm posting this one."

Jacin finally takes his phone back. "Live in the moment, don't post it on social media."

"Remember the moment, do post it. "

Jacin can't argue with that logic. "We look stupid."

"Stupidly awesome." That's her caption.

Jacin smiles. "You're suddenly in a crazy good mood."

"I'm actually just crazy."

-o-

Meanwhile, downstairs at the Blackburn Mansion are Iko, Cinder, and Kinney sitting on the couch. Iko and Kinney are at the ends and Cinder is in the middle although this was supposed to be a two-person couch. They both know about what happened to Winter at therapy since she came home crying and ran up to her room which was then followed by Jacin running up there, while the three of them just sat there silently.

"Not to be rude," Kinney says to Cinder, "but you're the worst cousin ever."

"Step-cousin," Cinder corrects.

"I don't give a spade about the technicality. You both are in the same family tree despite different DNA! You're practically sisters."

"I don't need any family advice from you, Kinney. I can't fix Winter's mind."

"Winter doesn't need to be fixed, Cinder! She needs to be loved."

"I do love her, she's my step-cousin."

"If you repeat that enough times, you can almost make yourself believe it."

Cinder tenses and is ready to punch him. "Don't you dare -"

Iko immediately throws her upper half onto Cinder's lap to avoid the violence. "Okay! Let's move on…"

"Watch out or I will kick that robust butt of yours," Cinder says, pushing Iko onto the floor.

"Hey!" Iko exclaims as she gets back up but sits on the coffee table in front of them instead. "Yell at Kinney, not me. I see you as our friendly neighbourhood cyborg."

Cinder rolls her eyes. She has gotten so used to being called a cyborg that it's stuck and she likes it. It's not that Cinder has any emotions because she does, she doesn't know how to deal with them or how to deal with those of others. Levana says that makes her a Blackburn.

Iko takes a breath. "Cinder, what Kinney is probably trying to say is that although some people discover who they're while broken down, sometimes suffering is just suffering. That's all. It doesn't always entice to build character in any way because it just hurts. Kinney, what Cinder is probably trying to say is that addressing Winter with kind words and caresses like tools to an object would restore a sense of control."

Cinder and Kinney are silent as they think over Iko's words. They weren't about to say those statements, but Iko made them sound better. Cinder and Kinney both look at each other and mutter apologies to one another.

"I'm always right," Iko says happily.

Then, they hear footsteps coming down the stairs. They turn around and see Winter and Jacin coming down. Immediately, they greet them with genuine smiles and offer them seats on the already-occupied couch. Winter takes a seat on the arm and Jacin just stands beside them.

"Next week is the Lunar Eclipse which means that it will be incredibly dark," Iko says.

"Oh no…" Jacin mutters, knowing what will come next. "Where's the party this time?"

"Orion's Beach. It's the best place to see all the darkness and despite how dark it is, it'll be a lit party. Everyone we know will be there."

"I don't think we should…" Winter says.

"Yeah," Cinder agrees. "Who knows what Levana would say."

"Levana says yes," Levana tells them.

They all shoot their heads around and see Levana standing behind them. They have no idea of how long she's been standing there and how she got there without being detected by anyone. She stands beside Jacin and looks at the others.

"I think a party would do you all good," Levana says, patting down on Winter's curls. "This will be the last summer before Andromeda Academy starts enforcing a more intensive military regimen with dorming and you should have fun. Go dance in the sand, have a drink or two, look at fireworks. Enjoy it."

"Are you scheming something?" Cinder asks her.

"Of course not. Go have some fun and be happy for a while."

Winter notices that although Levana was talking to everyone, she was locking eyes with her.

[Orion's Beach is a biggie…]