New Wounds, Old Problems

<i>Even after the battle, Luci still was recovering. Her arm had healed, but the explosion that had tossed her to the tree had accrued after her Aura had faded. She was doing a well enough job hiding it, but there was a scar on her side, one that she was standing in front of the bathroom mirror staring at. It was a gash, healed by the Aura, but jagged pink scar tissue had now been set as a reminder to the battle that had occurred. Her friends were supportive, and she was always so thankful. Cal was angry, but when wasn't she? It wasn't her fault for feeling that way, it was made very clear to Luci that she made a dumb, selfish mistake. And this was the price to pay for it. Her purple-toned eyes were somber at the sight of herself, ears drooped back, as if she were trying to hide them. There with only her jogging top and work out pants, she wondered what life might of been like, without her ears, without that part of her. The inner recesses of her mind were at full work, over the what-if's, the inky blackness seeming in from under the closed door behind her. <b>'Little Rabbit, Little Rabbit. Run, run, run.'</b> There was that voice again, tendrils moving up her body as she continued to stare, eyes widening to the surprise. <b>'You can keep on running, until the drop of the sun.'</b> She wanted to fight, but how could she? It was so big, the blight filling the room with miasma and despair. <b>'You have family, and you have friends. But the weight of their lives are now on your head.'</b> In the mirror, the images of familiar faces seemed to all scream out in pain, writhing and attempting escape, but through the opaque mass, an opening parted, the Skull of that Grimm emerging, drips of darkness dropping and splashing on the floor, the maw slowly opening, and revealing the face of that woman. Wild eyes and a manic grin spread over her, far too wide for a normal human, and her red eyes were surrounded by a sea of black, like a live-preservers, yet they were not there for saving. <b>'Do you think your wolf friend knows how to scream in fear? Oh, I wonder if noble blood tastes sweet? I'm coming for you, Luci. You'll never outrun me.'</b>  Her head jerked as she laughed, the sounds of screams and jovial joy filled the air, taunting and mocking her as she shook. Luci herself screamed out, breaking free from the black mass, and twisted to swing at the wall. Her eyes slammed shut, and she let out a small yelp as her fist made contact with a hard surface. Upon opening her eyes, her knuckles had collided with the wall, but inches from the towel holder. She gritted her teeth and hissed, pulling her hand back and looking at the red skin, not realizing her face had become wet during the transaction, mostly from the tears that were falling down. Why was this happening to her? This evil that floated in her head, from years of mockery and teasing, from thrown rocks and punches. She thought she was safe, but it seemed like this malevolent thought was growing in power. What was causing it? She was too scared to ask, and too scared to tell anyone. She'd seem crazy, maybe she was crazy. The innocent, loving Luci, with the weight of a demon on her shoulders. It grew heavier with doubt, and questions. It fed off of all the insecurities that plagued her, and she was finding it harder to hide it in its cage. "Wouldn't it be easier?" The voice made her open her eyes, standing still with ears up, as if to find the location of it. But, the voice. It sounded like...her. Slowly, she turned towards where she heard it, looking at the mirror, and seeing herself standing there, a reflection of herself, standing there with lifeless eyes, glazed over, and defeated. "None of this would of happened, if you weren't who you were." Luci's eyes narrowed, herself not reflecting this, simply staring at herself. Luci walked closer, standing at the sink as her own eyes widened to her words. "You can't hide it. You can't fight it. They all think the same thing. You know it." Her head shook, "N-No that's not true! They're my friends." The reflection's head tilted, the hair slipping off to the side, "How do you know? Were they relieved when you all came back together? Or were they exacerbated to see you come back? You ran off to be the hero, and came back broken. She knows who you are. She's coming to get you. And you can't stop her. You put all of your friends in danger. Its all your fault." Her head shook again, putting her hand to her chest through the tears, "S-stop it! We can take her on if she shows up! W-We're a team!" The other's head straightened out, "Are we?" Her eyes widened further, a slow sob leaking out of her as the eyes of the other looked down, at something under the frame of the mirror. "If we change, maybe she won't find us. None of them will." She said with her dead, monotone voice, slowly lifting up a pair of scissors into view. Luci gasped, and watched as her reflection started to lift it upwards, towards her own ears. "If we hide what we are, no one will know. We should of done this years ago, Luci. Why do we keep lying to ourselves? We'll never amount to the worth people put into us." The cold metal moved one of her ears in between the blade, stopping as it was centered, near the base of her ears. "They don't want us. Just give up and hide, like we should've done. Let the world see what they want to see." The scissors snapped shut, and Luci let out a quick scream, her eyes shutting tightly, and she shivered in the darkness. But, after a moment, they slowly blinked open, letting out a scared little noise as she looked at the mirror. It was her reflection again, but, there was a pair of scissors in her hand, ready to remove the pink-furred ears that sat atop her head. She let out a cry and threw them away, as if they were a disgusting bug, and let them clatter into the bathtub as she threw herself into the wall and slowly slid down. Her bruised hand took hold of the other one, her entire body shaking as she looked down at her fingers, watching them quiver in fear. What was she about to do? Was it that easy? Her fingers curled inwards, and the weak fist pressed against her eye as she let out a small series of little hiccuping sobs, slowly bringing her knees up and hugging them. Could she really do this? All was quiet now, save for her mind running with thoughts again. But the torment was paused, her inner demons having their meal, and she was left to clean up the scraps. She wouldn't leave the restroom of their temporary dorm for some time, only emerging after she found the energy to stand up, and change back into her usual attire. However, the jacket was zipped up this time, the scar nagging at her, reminding her of that day, trying to pull her back into the bathroom. But, she stood near the door, holding the scissors in her hand, the small shake in her wrist present, as if trying to fight against nothing. It was probably a waste, but they were tossed into a trash can near the door, and she leaned her forehead against the wall above it, one hand holding her ear that was up for the chopping block. "T-They want me. T-they need me." The silent mantra to herself, letting herself feel the soft fur to comfort herself, just like her mother did when she was scared.</i> "There's my little jackpot. Why are you hiding in here, dear?" Her eyes looked up from within the closet, hiding among the stuffed animals and toys, holding the pink rabbit in her arms as her ears drooped down. She was so small, her mother moving to sit on her knees before her and reaching slowly to help pull the child out of her hiding hold. Luci put her weight against her mother's chest, letting her soft hands graze at her cheeks, wiping the tears away from Luci's face as she squeezed the toy tighter. "T-they were mean again. Ronnie pulled my ears again." She said quietly, sniffing as she hid her face in the synthetic fur. "Oh Luci, why didn't you tell us? I'm going to have a word with your father about this boy." "He said you didn't want me." She went quiet, Luci sitting in her mother's arms as she slowly look up at her. "T-They said I was a mistake. I-Is it true, mommy? D-Did you and daddy not want me?" There was a grimace from Luci's mother, a pain to hear such vile words from her own daughter, planted by ignorant children. Her hand moved from her cheek, to one of her small, pink ears, rubbing the center softly with her thumb, a gentle caress she's done since her little cinna-bun was a baby. "Don't listen to them. That's not true. You're our little miracle. We wouldn't have given you up for the world." It was clear she was holding back a bubbling rage, perhaps the action of soothing Luci was having some effect on herself, as she was doing her best to sooth her child. "This world is a scary place, Lucinda. Its filled with monsters, and bad people. But, if you listen to them, it becomes harder to ignore the bad. But, you were our little ray of hope. When we thought we couldn't live our dreams, you arrived." She stopped and tilted Luci's head up to look up at her mother, remembering red lips smiling, with the hidden emotion she was missing at such a young age. "Our little jackpot." Luci lifted her arm up to wipe her face, before reaching up and holding onto her neck in the tightest hug her small arms could offer. And she was embraced back, they two sitting there for a moment before they both felt an extra set of arms wrap around them. "If you two start crying, I will too. And then our dinner will get cold." His voice was always so rough, but it was always warm and welcoming. Her mom and dad. The only two she knew. And she felt safe. She felt wanted. <i>Luci's eyes opened, and she took in a deep breath as she stood up straight, and wiped her eyes quickly with her gloved hands. She couldn't give up. Not now. Not ever. She slowly turned to face the door, picking up the weapons that sat beside the others, her teams weapons, and strapped them to her hips. High Roller and Handicapper. The two pieces of her parents that were with her during the long fights and battles. She wanted to be like them. She wanted to make everyone happy. Just like she did. After readying herself, and combing her hair with her fingers, she put on her best smile, and exited the door, the image of Luci staring at the door from the hallway mirror, blood dripping down her face as the rabbit disappeared down the hallway. <b>'You can't run forever, Rabbit.'</b>