the monster within

school of the rejected, outcasts and wierdoes

Sound of my father's voice outside the room startled me bringing me back to reality, that girl in the mirror was me I wasn't dreaming.

"Scarlet! Scarlet! Open the door, I heard you scream what's wrong?" His worried voice echoed through the hallway.

" Nothing, I just slipped in the bathroom" I lied easily, he stayed at the door for a few more minutes, he didn't believe my lie because not many things could make me scream. After a while I heard him walk away, I sighed I relief though there was a part of me that wanted him to stay back and force me to tell him what was wrong.

My hands shook as I struggled to get rid of the bloody clothes, my breathe came in short pants, I was afraid, what had I done? Did I kill someone or I had gotten injured? What had happened? Questions rushed through my head, questions I had no answers to.

I shivered as cold water hit my naked body, I needed to wake up, maybe if I woke up, I would find myself in my clean black pj's, maybe if I woke up, I would find out that this was all a dream. I knew I was lying to myself but I just wanted to believe it was I dream for one more minute.

I scrubbed myself until my skin was raw and painful but I still felt dirty, I still felt disgusted by myself, I knew I couldn't wash away the disgust but I tried, I tried for two hours until my dad called me down for breakfast.

This is the time I missed my mom more, because I could share everything with her, I was close to my dad but he was innocent, he was like an angel. I couldn't tell him what had happened, I was afraid he would think I was a monster, he would not understand, only mom could. But she wasn't here, I knew she was out there helping other people but I needed her too.

3 days passed by but I still woke up with bloody hands each morning. At this point I was sure I had inherited my mother's curse, the black dragon curse. I even tried chaining myself to the bed before I went to sleep but I always found the chains broken in the morning.

The bags under my eyes were more prominent, my complexion had darkened and my black hair which was always in a pony tail hanged limp on my shoulders. The weight of carrying the secret and the guilt weighed on me like a giant ship. As the days passed by the dread in my stomach became unbearable, I was afraid of watching Tv because I didn't want to see news of a m******e I may have caused, I was tired, I didn't want to breath, I wanted to end it all.

My ears picked up the sound of someone rummaging through the kitchen, the person was trying to be subtle but I had sensitive ears, I held my breath, only one person could be in the kitchen at one at night. I threw the blanket off me and rushed to the kitchen, her back was turned to me but I knew it was her, her black long hair was tied in a ponytail that reached her back, her hips swayed as she stirred something on the stove, her black leather jacket hugged her body like a second skin. She walked to the fridge and opened it, her movements were like that of a tiger stalking its prey, but there was not prey in the kitchen, maybe food was her prey, I smiled.

I didn't try to act cool like I normally did around other people, I rushed and hugged her from behind, my arms wrapped around her as I inhaled her scent, she smelled like lemon and a subtle smell of smoke, but it was my favorite scent, I loved her.

" Hello b***h” she drawled, her voice was like music to my ears, I knew she was smirking even without seeing her face.

" I didn't know you had a crush on me" she said as she turned in my arms to look at me. I groaned

" Stop reading my mind mom!" I spat, my eyes glaring at her, but she didn't even flinch or look away, I loved that she wasn't afraid of my red eyes but at this moment I hated it because I wanted to intimidate her.

" Shhh! Your dad and sister are still a sleep"

I hugged her again; I had missed her. " Clingy much?" She said with a wink, but her face turned serious, she knew something was wrong, I loved that with her I didn't have explain myself she always knew if something was wrong even without reading my mind.

" What is it honey?" This time her voice was softer than it has ever been. So, I spilled, I told her all about what had happened without leaving out any details. When I finished, I felt lighter and freer, it felt nice to talk to someone. She listened without interrupting and when I was done, she hugged me.

She didn't say anything, she didn't say everything would be okay like my dad would have said, she just hugged me. She was like that she didn't say things she didn't mean or give promises she couldn't keep. She looked like she was in deep thought so I let her be

" I have something to tell you hon" I knew it was serious because she didn't call me b***h like she usually did. I nodded and waited for her to continue.

" I will tell you tomorrow morning when everyone is awake" she said.

" Just tell me now" I said my eyes pleading with her not to leave me hanging. She scoffed at my failed attempt to look cute.

"I will sleep with you tonight" she said while dragging me by my arm towards my room, I didn't resist, I didn't want to sleep alone tonight.

" Aren't you going to sleep with your mate, you must miss him, it's been almost a month since you last saw him."

She just shrugged and didn't answer.

" Can I go to ROWS?" this was a thousand time I had asked, she always said No, but I tried again maybe she had changed her mind.

" Let's talk tomorrow” she was just as stubborn as I was. After all, we were mother and daughter.

I woke up at 8:00 and my eyes were automatically drawn to my hands, that had been my habit since I started waking up with bloody hands. This time my hands were clean my head snapped to the left to share my joy with my mom who was supposed to be lying next to me, but she was not there, I almost thought I had dreamt the whole encounter until I smelled a faint lingering smell of her on my bed, she was definitely there with me yesterday. So, I followed her smell to the kitchen.

My mom hated waking up in the morning so I was surprised to see her already up cooking pancakes while dad sat on a stool in the kitchen talking to her, I walked in to the kitchen and kissed my dad's cheek then tapped my mom's back. My dad was the affectionate type he loved hugs and pecks to show love.

" So, mom about what I told you yesterday I ..."

" Let's wait for your sister to come down before we talk honey, we have something to tell you too. " My father cut me off as his hand reached out to take my hands in his trying to comfort me. I smiled back at him.

Minutes later Sheryl came down rubbing her eyes with a scowl on her face, " what is so important that you had to wake me up this early!" She spat her eyes glaring at dad as if she wanted to kill him. Mom cleared her throat to announce her presence, in a second her face turned from that of an angry tiger to that of a happy puppy. She took two stairs at a time as she rushed and threw herself in mom's arms, she could make a good actor.

After we were done eating father cleared his throat and started. " So, we called the family meeting because we have something to tell you..." I almost scoffed. We had already established that.

" How do I say this, so I... uh I ...I mean" he stammered, his mouth opening and closing but no words coming out. His nervously clutched at the material of his trousers. Mom held his hand and gave it a gentle a squeeze.

" You are not our real daughters" she said. For a second, I thought I heard it wrong.

" What? " I asked my voice coming out like a squeak. " You just heard what I just said” mother said with a straight face.

" This doesn't mean we don't love you; we love you very much and we have always thought of you as our real children, we really love you so much..." Dad rambled he would have done that for another hour if Sheryl had not interrupted him

" Do you mean am not a princess" her voice raised a few inches. " What do you mean? " Dad asked confused. " If I am not mom's daughter then that means I am not the dark king's daughter so I am not a princess." She explained.

That was random, I thought, but I was not shocked that my twin cared more about being a princess than the fact that we might have been adopted.

" How? " My voice came out like a whisper.

" You were abandoned in a forest, we found you and adopted you." Mom explained. At that point I hated how she always went straight to the point. The truth hurt; it was as if someone had pierced my heart with a thousand arrows. I wished she had sugarcoated it like dad would. A profound emptiness opened up inside me threatening to swallow me whole. My eyes glistened with unleashed tears as I struggled to swallow the lump in my throat. I could see my father's mouth moving but I didn't hear what he was saying. I stood up and ran.

I ran from my own thoughts. I tried to outran the thought that someone had abandoned me, I ran because I felt rejected, I ran because I was unwanted, I ran because if I stopped, I would die, I ran because my mother didn't find me worth enough to keep, I ran because I didn't want to think that my own mother had thrown me away in the forest. I ran because I felt worthless, I ran because my mother hated having gave birth to a monster and so she wanted me dead. I ran because my mother had gotten rid of me. I ran, I ran until I couldn't anymore, I ran until body fell to the ground out of exhaustion. I stayed on the ground as the thoughts that I had been running away from caught up to me and rushed through my head. I couldn't take it. Tears streamed on my face at if they were trying to make a river.

Suddenly I heard a noise, leaves rustled, my head snapped to the left to see who walking towards me, only to see it was mom walking towards me, how long had she been standing there?

" I followed you here" she said sheepishly, her hand running through her black hair awkwardly, she was bad at comforting people. She hugged me. " I don't know why you were left there but what I know is that with me it was love at first sight, I saw your red eyes and I fell in love. Your twin was crying like a banshee but you were calm almost as if you were too mature for your age. I loved you then and I still love you now, you are not worthless baby, you are a gem, and you know me I don't do things I don't want to; I didn't take you in because I pitied you, I took you because I wanted you as my daughter. Plus, you know I hate babies, that tells you something right?" I didn't reply but her words made me feel better, for someone who didn't know how to comfort people she had outdid herself.

" I know you won't believe what I just said so let me show you” her hand pressed on my forehead then it was as if I had been transported in to a dark room, I almost panicked then I remembered dad told me this was what happened when Someone shared their memories with you, in the dark room there was a white door that was open I was drawn towards it, when I walked in, I could see mom’s memories through her eyes.

She was walking with dad in the forest, it was more like dad was walking Infront of her but her eyes were glued on him, dad was talking about something but she was not listening she was just staring at him, she increased her pace and caught up to him, the pressed him against a tree and started kissing him passionately, I could almost feel her excitement and pleasure but luckily, they were interrupted but the sound of a baby crying, she groaned displeased.

" Let's go and see what's happening" dad said “can’t we just ignore it and keep kissing? I want more " mom said. " No babe maybe the child is in trouble " dad said while looking at her through his eye lashes. " But you know I hate kids" mom protested even though she had already given in, she could not deny him when he pulled his puppy eyes look.

Leaves crunched under their feet as they approached the sound, in a clearing there were two babies wrapped in white blankets. One was blonde with brown eyes while the other one had multicolored hair with bright red eyes, the red-eyed child was not crying, instead the baby's hand was stretched out as if she was trying to reach out to her crying twin in an attempt to comfort her. Mom's eyes zeroed to look at the younger me. She zooned out my twin’s cry's and crotched down to take a better look at me then picked me up. When the little red eyes turned and glared at her then looked back at the its twin, mom had already made up her mind.

" Let's take this one home" she said her voice resolute, there was no room for discussion. " Let's take this one home too" dad said with a smile adorning his handsome face. " We are not taking that blonde cry baby anywhere near our house" mom scoffed.

"But babee! "

" No!"

" Are you saying we leave this baby to die because of the cold?" Dad spat, his words coming out like poison.

" We can take it to my orphanage, they will take good take of her. "

" These babies are twins, you know it, their blankets have a similar scent. We cannot separate them; they will be lonely and will always have an emptiness in them. You said so about your twin yourself, am not leaving without this baby! " Dad almost shouted, he was angry. "

"Ok" mom replied.

I felt as if someone had pushed me forcefully out of the dark room then the door was slammed behind me and I was back to the real world.

“Mom! Did you have to show me how much of a horny dog you are!" I exclaimed even though I was smiling. I felt kind of happy that mom had chosen me over my pretty sister, I always felt insecure about my looks in front her because people considered her pretty and my creepy so she never went anywhere with me.

" I wanted to make you understand, and don't you dare tell your sister I was against adopting her at first "

" I won't as long as you allow me to join the ROWS" I bargained

" Do you even know what it stands for? "

I shrugged, I didn't know

" The rejected, outcasts and weirdoes’ school" mom explained

" See, I fit right in, am weird an outcast and rejected by my biological parents " I said.

The ROWS was a school where all supernatural could go to no matter what type of creature they were they didn't discriminate. All supernatural beings that had trouble controlling their dark side could join the school. There were all kind of weirdoes there and I wouldn't have to wear sunglasses to hide my red eyes or dye my hair black to avoid creating attention. There I would be free; I had been begging my mom to take me there since I was twelve but she always said it was too dangerous. She said that people often lost control and attacked each other and she didn't want me hurt. She was the head of the school.

" Before that, I wanted to talk about you, one of your parents is a demon, when I took you, you smelled like a demon and some other creature I don't really know, your demon is acting out because it wants to come out, it must be very strong because yesterday at night it came out and tried to attack me, if it was any other person it would have won, I don't think it's too evil though because when you were out it attacked a village but it was village of rogue assassins and it didn't kill kids so you don't have to feel too guilty, they were murderers, good news, you are joining ROWS tomorrow."

" Mom, when you still had the curse that made you kill people, how did you keep your dragon from acting up?"

" Alcohol, s*x and training"

I ignored the rest of the bad news and decided to only focus on the good. I was excited that I could finally join the school of my dreams and be with people who were just like me. I rushed home to pack