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Post by LexingtonDeville1984 on Jun 6, 2018 13:09:27 GMT -6
With Bella preoccupied with her first family therapy session, Ryan walked home with an extra spring in his step. Today had gone a lot better than what he had originally hoped - yet he still didn’t get any shred of an apology from his sullen stepsister for witnessing him standing up for young Jacob earlier. It didn’t matter, though. Ryan knew he did the right thing. And the icing on the cake was that he wouldn’t be getting detention.
"Family therapy? Pffft." Ryan snorted contemptuously, dismissing Bella’s fragile sanity as a fake facade to hide her true personality. "She needs more than that."
After emerging in Jackson Street, where the house was situated, Ryan walked up the driveway and onto the front porch. Unlocking the front door with the house keys, he entered, stepping over a handful of junk mail that he ignored. Closing the door behind him, he breathed one short sigh of relief.
"Peace and quiet. For an hour. Better make the most of it." The relieved Brit declared, kicking off his boots and disappearing upstairs. Dumping his bag on his bed, he decided it was time to blare out some loud old school heavy metal to celebrate a good day - knocking out jocks always gave him reasons to be happy.
He selected Megadeth’s classic 1986 album, Peace Sells.... But Who’s Buying? and placed it into his hi-fi. Once the disc started to play and the familiar opening riff of Wake Up Dead kicked in, a smirk crossed his face and he lightly began to headbang.
And besides, who was going to stop him? Turning up the volume, he ensured the whole house, and even the entire street, got the thunderously intense sound of old-school thrash metal. He had all evening until Bella came home with Anna. So it was time to give the day one last send-off in the best possible way.
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Post by Bella Raven - Crow Woman on Jun 8, 2018 1:52:52 GMT -6
3:31 PM
Meanwhile, inside the Derry Psychological Service Center, Anna and I spent not even an hour in her office, talking about complicated psychology topics about teenage behaviours, commutations, and all that bulls**t.
My mother, of all people, had the nerve to put me in this position and I’m her one and only daughter. She was supposed to trust me and believe me. But now she claims that I lost those two promises from her until I improve myself through this so called family therapy session. Though it was supposed to be a 2 hour session until 5:00 PM, it felt like an eternity.
At least the time flew fast at school, but only because I spent most of my first day avoiding everybody around me and isolating myself outside the cafeteria by sitting alone on the balcony above the school sign during lunch hour.
As each class ended, everyone, especially preps, would give me the most disgusted stares as if they were witnessing a serial killer taking class, which is why they would bully me. Not just physically, but mentally. One male student asked me in the most disturbing manner, “Hey witch, would you like to ride this broomstick?” and pointed down at his pants as I would rushed though the crowded hallway, anxious to avoid more bullies by hiding inside the girls bathroom until the next bell rings. I was always the last student to enter the class late.
The worst part is that I couldn’t tell Mom or Ryan about it. They’ll think I’m just making it up to gain more attention. So whenever I’m in REAL trouble, I don’t know who else to turn to……I’m truly on my own here. And as much I hate to admit this, even to myself, but……I’m scared….I really am….Scared of being alone forever.
It was bad enough that I’m grounded, imprisoned in my own home because of Ryan and his anger issues, now I’m forced to sit inside this asylum like some kind of lunatic because they refuse to believe that a clown from the house in Neibolt Street tried to abduct me. Last night in my nightmare, it looked like IT wanted to devour me, as if the more IT shows my fears, the more IT wants me.
Anyway, the tape continued to record our private family session as Anna sat on an armchair beside me where I was still remained on the chaise longue, staring up at the clock above me. It kept ticking, which seems loud to me because this office is so quiet. I could even hear my thoughts screaming on how much I hated this therapy already.
“Patient 5: Isabella Thomas, age: 14, Session based on Family Therapy. It seems that Isabella is refusing to accept the consequences of her own actions. As a mother, I attempt to understand in hope for her to regain her family’s trust again.” Anna spoke through the tape recorder in her hand. putting it away in her bag beside her armchair, discovering that I’m one of those teenagers who don’t want to spend time with either family or friends, i.e. shunning all social activities except social media, while isolating myself from society.
“I can hear you, mom.” I snarled rudely in sarcasm.
“Why do you think it’s alright to put yourself above others, Bella?” Anna asked me.
I stared back at her with a silent stare.
“You always told me to look after myself. Now all of the sudden that’s a crime too?” I retorted, my voice seemingly disinterested.
“You’re not a little girl anymore and you’re not the only child anymore. You always told me that you want to be treated like an adult. No matter how you choose to portray yourself, you have to realize that not everything goes your way.” Anna reminded me
The therapy was going to continue for another hour and a half……
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Post by LexingtonDeville1984 on Jun 10, 2018 10:21:35 GMT -6
Back at the family home, Ryan continued to unwind amidst the cacophony of pounding drums, buzzsaw guitar riffs and searing solos. After listening to most of Peace Sells.... But Who’s Buying? for 10 minutes, he ejected the disc and placed it back in it’s casing. It was time for something a little heavier.
"Now, let’s get a little heavier." He mused, scanning through his collection of heavy metal CD’s. There was no shortage of intensity, and Ryan knew which sounds always whet his appetite for extremity. After 5 minutes of deciding, he made his choice.
He selected Hell Awaits by Slayer. Placing it into his Hi-Fi, he played the eponymous title track. Demonic and sinister chanting, spoken backwards, came out of the speakers, backed up by powerful guitar riffs before he roared Welcome Back! at the top of his lungs.
Ryan had every right to feel this way. Without a miserable, attention-seeking, goth stepsister to whine and complain about the noise levels, it was little more than a loud heavy metal concert in his own house. Besides, his first day at school had been a success. Knocking out the head jock, then leaving Bella on the door step of the local psychological center, conspired to make him undeniably gleeful.
He began to headbang again, just as the song kicked into its trademark breakneck speed. Slayer was one of Ryan’s favourite bands. And their intensity spoke to the angry part of his mind on many occasions. For the charismatic young Brit, heavy metal was a hugely calming influence on his soul.
_____________________________________________________________________
Back at the Derry Psychological Service Center, Bella was becoming more and more disinterested by the hour. She had to comply though, even if it felt like she’d been in her mother’s office for a full day.
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Post by Bella Raven - Crow Woman on Jun 12, 2018 2:35:40 GMT -6
4:30 PM
Inside Anna’s office, it was now 30 minutes until this boring session is finally over for the day. Anna and I continued to talk on the subject of my recent behaviour which included pathological lying, to seek attraction.
“Pathological Lying?” I asked puzzled.
“Someone who lies contently to seek attention, Bella.” Anna spoke, revealing that pathological liars will often tell unbelievable stories, and the lies they contain may seem absolutely pointless.
In fact, Anna read that a pathological liar may even tell lies that are self-incriminating. While almost everyone exaggerates stories sometimes, someone with a problem does it much of the time. If you find yourself with your jaw falling open every time someone tells you a story, it's probably because it's not true. If this happens regularly, the person may be a pathological liar.
“I’m not a liar!” I claimed.
Anna placed her index finger on her lips to advice me to lower my voice.
“Bella, you can’t keep denying your mistakes. Why do you think it is right to have everything your way?” Anna asked me, still calmly sitting on her arm chair beside me as I still laid onto the chaise longue.
“I told you, I’m looking out for myself. I’m pretty sure Ryan can take care of himself too. He doesn’t need me. Just like I don’t need him.” I snarled, folding my arms across my chest.
“There will be times when you two need each other more than you realise because that’s what family’s do, Bella….” Anna continued, advising me on changing my behaviour, but I briefly tuned her out, feeling very annoyed at this whole thing as I rolled my eyes towards the window beside me.
My eyes widened with a mix of horror and shock at the sight of a lone red balloonfloating randomly in front of the window outside.
“Mom! Look!” I gasped, startling Anna in my horrified tone of voice.
“What is it, Bella?” Anna asked suddenly, believing that I may have saw something horrible happening outside the building. Like an accident.
“It’s one of that clown’s balloons!” I warned, pointing out the window towards the floating object..
“Bella, what are you talking about?” Anna asked, confused by my bizarre outburst. The balloon was right in front of us.
“Mom! It’s right there! How can you not see it!?” I asked frantically, gazed back at the red balloon flowing as it popped, blood splattering onto the window. This caused me to scream in horror and jump out of the chaise longue.
“Did you just see that!?” I gasped.
“See what, Bella? Please calm down, you’re scaring the other patients.” Anna warned, advising me against causing another scene, as if I’m the only one that can see the red balloon and nobody else.
“Calm down?! Look at the blood! It just popped out that balloon!” I panicked, the fresh crimson lifeforce tracing letters that read, “Come float with me.”
“Oh my God! Its coming after me!” I gasped, leaning against the wall, away from the window.
“Who’s coming after you, Bella?” Anna asked, rising up from her seat and gripping onto my arms for comfort to calm me down, worried that what I’m saying was true.
“The clown!” I cried in horror. Anna realised that this first session wasn’t going as well as she had hoped.
“This is going to be tougher than I thought.” Anna thought to herself.
—————————————————————
Back home in Jackson Street, Ryan continued to listen to Hell Awaits by Slayer that was playing from his bedroom upstairs. It was turned up so loud that it not only echoed across the house, but soon half of the neighbourhood could hear it as well.
The elderly lady from next door walked out of her house, across the sidewalk and up onto the porch of our house, banging on the door with her fist while screaming, “Turn off that devil’s music off or I’ll call the police!”
She hoped this would get Ryan’s attention.
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Post by LexingtonDeville1984 on Jun 12, 2018 12:48:12 GMT -6
Amidst the noise levels of heavy metal, Ryan heard several loud knocks on the front door. Pausing his music, he opened his bedroom window and leaned out, spotting an elderly middle-aged woman. The type of middle-aged woman who wouldn’t look out of place at her local church service on a Sunday afternoon, or sitting in her rocking chair knitting while providing for her ten pairs of cats.
"Yeah, what?" Ryan scoffed, the calm and decent side of his personality momentarily taking a leave of absence as he looked down at the woman from his window.
"I said turn that unholy racket off! Satan’s influence is not welcome in my neighbourhood!" The woman preached, trying to lecture Ryan on what constitutes as disturbing the peace. She had silverly grey hair, and wore typical middle aged clothing. She appeared to be in possession of a crucifix - signs of worshipping an antiquated religion.
"Oh, piss off. I don’t need some killjoy telling me what to do with my life. I’m metal and proud." Ryan yelled proudly. "So go and pray to your false prophet and lecture someone who cares."
Keeping his window open, he turned his music back on, starting at the second chorus and subsequent guitar solo, turning it up again, but not as loud as possible. Ryan then leaned back out of the window, flashing the devil horns like any other metalhead would.
"Guess you can’t call the police if it’s at my level. Now piss off." Ryan smirked, flipping her a two-fingered salute as he closed his window and resumed headbanging. Being a metalhead meant he carried the stigma of the music being "evil" and "Satanic" to try and scare parents into banning their children from listening to heavy metal. Ever since it’s humble blue-collar origins in Ryan’s home country of England, specifically Birmingham in 1970, it has evolved and outlasted various other musical trends. Which is what appealed to him greatly.
"Miserable old bint. Bet she probably listens to Adele." He surmised, forgetting this momentary confrontation. Still, he had plenty of time till Anna returned home with Bella. If she was fully rehabilitated and not the attention-seeking goth she was born to be.
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Post by Bella Raven - Crow Woman on Jun 14, 2018 4:40:42 GMT -6
“Bella, look at me.” Anna spoke, calmly advising me to take a few deep breath while she walked me back towards the chaise longue for me to sit back down. She sat down beside me, comforting me with her arms around my shoulders before I looked back at her with a frightened expression still present across my ghostly pale face.
“No one is coming after you.” She calmly said, “I talked to Officer Miller this morning and asked him to check out that house in Neibolt Street. He reported back to me and said that he didn’t see anyone in that house that was dressed up as a clown because no one has lived in that house for years.” She spoke.
The revelation that nobody had lived in that house for years was not possible. I saw that clown just yesterday.
“Wait a minute…..Did you say, Officer Miller?” I asked.
“You know him?” Anna asked.
“No, but I know someone by that last name…..Joseph Miller. The boy from the missing poster……He must be Joseph’s father.” I assumed, recalling the missing poster of a missing child - a young 8 year old boy who was last seen a week ago.
“A missing child?” Anna asked, confused by my strange discovery.
“That kid’s been missing for the past this week now. And nobody seems to care about his disappearance.” I admitted. Normally when a child goes missing after 24 hours, there would’ve been a search party until they were found. But this town was just as careless as……Me.
Now I felt sick to my stomach by just thinking about how careless I can be at times when things don’t go my way because I only care about myself. But now I’ve started to feel this very uncomfortable feeling of guilt for my selfishness and ungrateful behavior. Now I started to know how it feels and that it’s painful on the inside.
“The point is, Bella, is that lying will give you attention, but for all the wrong reasons. If you want people to believe you, you need to earn their respect and trust again. After all, a good deed erases a bad deed.” Anna advised, ending our first family therapy session for today.
“There’s not point in any of this, Mom. Because no matter what I say is never true.” I sighed dramatically, which only caused Anna to only sigh in return, deeply frustrated.
5:00 PM
“I thought this day would never end.” I grumbled, this session of horror now finally over as I waited for Anna to gather her paperwork and files into her bag, along with the recording tape of oir first session before we walked out of her office. She closed the building for the night, having been entrusted with the keys.
Outside, the autumn skies across Derry were once again growing darker as the sunset was mixed with yellowish orange colours, the clouds a mixture of red/orange and the evening blue slwolt turning dark as the streetlights lit up the streets across downtown Derry.
I silently followed Anna towards her car in the parking lot, climbing into the passenger seat. Anna started up the engine of the car and drove out of the parking lot, across the bridge away from the town and back towards Jackson Street.
“Remember that we will continue this discussion everyday after school.” Anna calmly reminded me.
We drove past the Neibolt Street house, which gave me the chills as I stared out the windowm out of curiosity, hoping to see if I spotted that clown again.
“Bella, did you hear me?” Anna asked. which caused me to turn away from the window and I responded back with a nod, “Yes, mom.”
“Anything happen today at school?” Anna asked, deeply concerned about my first day of school and why I claimed that my first day was Hell like I described earlier.
“Nothing happened, Mom……Just the same old usual stuff……New classes…..New teachers……New everything.” I lied, continuing to stare out the window, trying not to recall my first day of being harassed and bullied between a group of pervs and snobby, preppy cheerleaders.
“Did you make any new friends?” Anna asked.
The word “Friends” was a strong word for me, considering the fact that I was the target for the opposite.
“I wouldn’t call them friends, Mom.” I snarled, secretly referring to my new bullies at school.
“What’s that supposed to mean? Bella. Is there something you need to tell me?” Anna asked.
“Forget it. It’s nothing.” I snapped, yawning out of exhaustion, trying to erase the subject, anxious to go home and try to sleep this nightmare away.
A moment later, we finally made it back home safe and sound as Anna parked the car in our driveway outside our house, which felt like salvation from the hell between school and Anna’s office.
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Post by LexingtonDeville1984 on Jun 14, 2018 14:50:57 GMT -6
"Home sweet home." Anna chirped, trying to lighten Bella’s mood as she opened the driver’s door.
"Yay." The moody teenage goth mumbled, grabbing her black messenger bag and opening the passenger door. She was in no mood to have a fake smile plastered across her face. She simply wanted to lock herself away in her room and let this day die.
Collecting her handbag of paperwork and important patient examination forms, Anna looked back at her daughter, who simply avoided eye contact by looking down at the ground, hands in her pockets.
Anna opened the front door, greeted by the loud and uncompromising intensity of music from Ryan’s bedroom. His door was fully open, the sounds of Dead Embryonic Cells by Sepultura blaring out from his HiFi. Bella could only roll her eyes in disinterest - as if her first day at school wasn’t a complete disaster already.
"Ryan? Are you home?" Anna called out, hoping to hear an affirmative response amongst the relentless barrage of guitars and drums.
The young Brit emerged from his bedroom, appearing on the staircase. "Yeah. Got home a few hours ago." He spoke, voice just barely rising above the tolerable and reasonable music levels. "Guess you didn’t need the straitjacket after all."
Bella scowled up at her brother, unimpressed by his attempt at turning her first family therapy session into a glorified joke.
"Could you turn the music down, please, Ryan? I don’t want the neighbours calling the police." Anna requested, hoping her stepson would relent and give the house a much needed moment of respite.
Ryan huffed and complied, switching off his HiFi. Truth be told, enough time had passed for him to enjoy one of the better days of his life since he became a teenager. Silence washed over the house.
"Fine. I was going to turn it off anyway." He declared, wondering down the staircase and heading into the kitchen, pausing to glance at Bella. "Especially with someone as miserable as that."
"He didn’t mean that." Anna spoke, trying to reassure her silent and gloomy daughter.
"Do you think I care?" Bella hissed, pushing past her mother and disappearing upstairs, closing her bedroom door. She wanted her privacy and the chance to let this dreadful day pass her by. And what better way than an hour of reading from her spellbook collection.
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Post by Bella Raven - Crow Woman on Jun 18, 2018 23:25:19 GMT -6
“So…..How did the family therapy go, Anna?” Ryan asked with a hing of sarcasm as he walked out of the kitchen with a glass of water in his hand, into the living room and sat down comfortably onto the black leather lodge couch, setting down his glass of water onto the coffee table before flipping through channel on the flat screen TV.
Despite how I rudely pushed Anna out of my way just go I can finally return to the solitude of my bedroom where I feel secure from the stress of everyday life as I slammed the door shut behind me.
“I thought I was never going to return home.” I sighed deeply in relief, throwing my messenger bag aside towards my closet door and I crashed onto my bed, letting myself sink into solitude once again, closing my eyes, visualising back to the school’s last bell as Chloe, the captain of the cheerleader squad, the snobby and preppy b***h squad of this generation who insist that people like her are more superior than the average person who work for a living to succeed instead of having everything handed to people like Chloe and her two other skank followers, Samantha and Tiffany.
It was like Junior High School in New York all over again, only much worse, living in a small ghost town with less students while I’m hallucinating into seeing a creepy and demonic clown.
I know I promised Anna that I wasn’t going to use magic on others for my own personal purpose, but I want to prove to Ryan that I’m not a coward as he claims me to be so I got up from my bed and walked towards my book shelf and pulled out a protection spell book with a pentagram star on the front cover.
“Nothing like a little advice of a spell couldn’t fix. And who says magic doesn’t solve problems?” I smirked to myself, laying back down on my bed and flipping through the pages to the right spell to cast on my new enemies for the element of surprises.
Meanwhile in the living room downstairs, Anna sighed deeply, placing her hand on her forehead as a sign of minor frustration due to my refusal of cooperating on our first session earlier. But she eventually sat herself own upon the armchair beside the couch where Ryan was sitting.
“Well, Ryan……I must admit, this is going to be a longer process than I thought.” Anna sighed deeply.
“Maybe next time, you should consider a straitjacket.” Ryan smirked in smarta*s sarcasm.
I knew right away that he was referring to me as I heard it from my bedroom upstairs, through the air vent on my bedroom wall above me that can also travel the sounds of others. I slammed the spell book down on my bed and rose up from my bed, rushing out of my bedroom until I was halfway across the stairs where I saw Mom talking to Ryan in the living room below me.
“I heard that, you hotheaded prick!” I cursed to Ryan.
Both turned their heads and looked up at me, “Why don’t you tell mom about your first day at Derry “Hell” School?” I smirked back.
“Piss off, you little half-pint.” Ryan warned me.
“Mom, didn’t he tell you?” I asked Anna, who seemed confused by my statement.
“Tell me what?” Anna asked.
“Ryan got into a fight at school with three guys and punched one of them in the face! It seems like Ryan can’t go through his first day without causing a scene! Now who’s craving for attention, huh, tough guy?” I revealed, a smirk of satisfaction on my face. hoping I could get Ryan into trouble as payback for having Mom grounded me over the argument with Ryan last night.
“Ryan……Is that true?” Anna asked in hope I was lying about his first fight on the first day of school, a little taken back by my new outburst on my hatred on For the Brit once again.
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Post by LexingtonDeville1984 on Jun 19, 2018 10:56:44 GMT -6
"To set the record straight, it’s true." Ryan responded, glaring up at Bella with a look that could peel wallpaper, before turning his attention back to the concerned parent. "And it wasn’t a fight whatsoever. They were bullying someone younger than me."
"How young?" Anna asked.
"His name was Jacob. He was 13 and Jewish. Poor kid couldn’t fight back. I was standing outside and waiting for Little Miss Moody to drag her lazy and miserable arse out of school, and these three jocks were picking on him." Ryan spoke, every word full of truth. "If it weren’t for my reflexes, his yarmulke would of been on some random school bus."
"That still doesn’t explain why you got into a fight." Anna exclaimed.
"It wasn’t a fight. Half-pint is lying through her teeth again. For her information, I knocked one of them out. And it was outside school hours, so I didn’t get detention either." Ryan spoke, sitting and folding his arms. "So if you’re going to ground me, then please do it. I’ve haven’t got all day."
Bella anticipated those words from her mom. Words that would feel like victory, like vindication to her soul. She wasn’t expecting these following words.
"Ryan, I’m very proud of you. You did the right thing." Anna spoke, words that deflated her daughter’s hopes like a lead balloon.
"WHAT?!" Bella screamed at the top of her lungs, incensed that her lies weren’t believed again.
"Thanks. I may have went a little far, but I did what I had to do." Ryan admitted, no hint of arrogance in his voice as he ignored his incredulous stepsister and flicked through the channels, finding a music video station that played Ravenous by Arch Enemy, which was the old incarnation of the band before they switched vocalists.
"LIFE IS SO UNFAIR!" Bella screamed again, slamming her bedroom door in anger. She couldn’t believe that her Mom was doing this to her and why her stepbrother told the truth and never got punished. It felt like the whole world was completely against her. She flopped onto her bed, feeling hopeless.
"Someone’s clearly throwing a tantrum." Ryan shrugged, ignoring the ear-piercing scream seconds ago.
"Don’t let her get to you, Ryan. I’ll need you to tell her that dinner will be ready in an hour.” Anna requested, removing her coat as she walked into the kitchen to prepare dinner. This was met by an affirmative nod of the head from the charismatic Brit. He hoped this time that there would be no unsavoury yelling or food being thrown at him like last night.
After all, if his stepsister was too busy worrying about floating with clowns, then he had every reason to be cautious.
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Post by Bella Raven - Crow Woman on Jun 21, 2018 1:59:05 GMT -6
6:00 PM
An hour passed as I rested on my bed, reading and flipping through old fragile pages of my protection spell book, a star pentagram on the hardcover, anxiously trying to find a spell that would ease my stress by performing a vengeful spell on either Chloe and her two skanky followers or Ryan, the more predictable excuse as a stepbrother I ever had or never wish I had.
Until then, I read the first chapter. It revealed the first step on how to protect myself and my home in case that demonic clown decides to return and haunt me.
So far, I found one of the easiest and most useful spells: the circle of protection. It was also helpful in learning how to formally "cast a circle" before any spells, rituals or workings of any kind. This spell works to protect my home and everyone in it from spiritual or even physical invasion. It also works to diffuse negative energies from entering my space.
“Step 1: Cast a circle…..You need salt and when you have salt ready, go outside of your home, preferably on a full moon, and start at your front door.” I read, hopping off my bed and looking out the window to see the evening skies fading into darkness as the full moon revealed itself across the early night sky.
“I can do that.” I said with small confidence, hoping that this spell may not only protect me but my family as well and they’ll soon see that I wasn’t lying if that “thing” dares tries to taunt me again.
So I placed a book mark in the chapter and carried the spell book out of my bedroom with me. I noticed that Ryan’s bedroom door was closed, so I assumed that he was back in his room, listening to that savage trash he calls music.
This give me a chance to begin my spell as I quietly walked down stairs and silently sneaked into the kitchen, snatching a bag of salt from one of the kitchen cabinets, then crept into the living room and opened the front door gently and firmly, without making anymore sudden noises and closed the door behind me. I was now on the front porch of the house.
I spread a line of salt across from the front door of the house on the front porch. I then looked back at the chapter for the next step.
“Step 2: Move in a clockwise motion from your front door around your house, and slowly sprinkle salt around the perimeter of your home. Take care not to pour salt on any ornamental plants and avoid grass as much as possible.” I read, memorising the second step of the protection spell as I took the bag of salt in my other hand and began to create a circle around the house between the front yard and the backyard until the salt formed a circle around it.
Step 3 revealed the final step; which was to chant the protection spell to activate it. I walked back onto the front pouch of the house and gripped the spell book in my hands, taking a deep breath before looking back down at the chapter to revealing the chant of the protection spell. I knew that this was the only way to protect me and my family from the unknown evil forces that haunts this creepy ghost town, so I needed to do this quick before it’s too late.
“Pure salt protect this home and all who reside here. Keep out those who seek to harm, protect us from negativity, anger, and fear……”
But my chant was rudely interrupted when the front door opened from behind me, revealing Ryan, “Bella!”
“Ryan!” I gasped, flinched nervously and accidentally dropping my spellbook onto the porch, picking it back up and turning around to see Ryan standing across from me just, he noticed that he had stepped onto the salt line near the front door.
“Bella, what the hell is this? I was supposed to tell you that dinner was ready and I noticed that you weren’t in my bedroom!” Ryan spoke
“It’s for your own good, Ryan. You and mom.” I admitted.
Ryan narrowed his eyes at my spell book in my one hand and a bag of salt in another before he put two and two together.
“Please don’t be joking....” Ryan muttered, snatching the bag of salt and my spell book out of my hands, which caught me off guard completely. “Not another one of your pathetic spells!”
“Give it back right now! I need it to protect us!” I snapped, reaching my hands up for the spell book that Ryan held up high above his head, out of my reach.
“From what? That imaginary clown you keep talking about?” Ryan asked, “Grow up, half-pint!”
“It will work! I was about to save our asses before you interrupted me! There’s a creepy clown out there and I will prove it to you guys!” I sniped, vowing to prove to Ryan and my mom that what I saw was real, even in my nightmares, was real.
“Ryan! Have you seen a bag of salt?” Anna called out, who was searching for more salt to fill up the salt shaker on the kitchen table, which had three glasses of milk and three plates filled with home-style meatloaf with maple glaze and and two side dishes of mashed potatoes and broccoli.
“Its okay, Anna. I caught Bella using it to spread it around the house!” Ryan called back, snitching on me.
“What on earth for?” Asked Anna.
“One of her so called protection spells.” Ryan revealed.
“Bella! I told you no use of magic in public!” Anna warned.
“But…….” I started, before Ryan butted in again.
“You heard her…..Dinner’s ready, unless you want to starve." He sneered.
“Shut up, a**hole! You’re not my dad!” I scowled angrily at Ryan, stomping back inside and slamming the front door bind me, pi**ed at the fact that Ryan ruined my chance to protect myself and this family from the evil forces in this town.
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Post by LexingtonDeville1984 on Jun 21, 2018 11:45:03 GMT -6
"Arsehole? I’m not the one spreading salt around the house like a f**king weirdo, Bella!" Ryan shouted, lightly raising his voice as he sat at the table, across from his rude sibling, glaring daggers at her.
"Ryan, please. Remember what I told you. Don’t raise your voice to your stepsister." Anna lectured, hoping for less fireworks and peace between her children on only their second night in Derry. "Let’s just try to have dinner like a normal family."
Ryan didn’t answer, nor did he break eye contact with Bella. Unblinking, he silently picked up his knife and fork, taking a small bite out of dinner. Meatloaf. A dish he despised more than anything else in this country. Grimacing visibly, he forced himself to swallow this unpleasant dish, desperate to vomit it back up. But he couldn’t. It was as if the previous hours of peace and contentment had disappeared. His mouth tasted rotten, but he still forced himself to swallow.
"So, Bella. Now that our first family session is out of the way, why don’t you tell me about your first day at school?" Anna asked, hoping for a better reaction.
"Mom, I told you. It was hell." She grumbled, picking at her food.
"This is why we are doing these therapy sessions, Bella. Now please stop playing with your food." Anna spoke, sternness in her voice.
"Fine. Then I guess you don’t want to know that I was bullied twice today." Bella spoke, playing her victim card. "Some douchebag stopped me in the corridor, pointed to his pants and said "hey, witch, would you like to ride this broomstick? Add the fact that I got threatened by a bunch of cheerleader skanks and everything is just rosey, Mom. Not that you care."
Ryan stayed silent, having given up on eating his dinner. Even a glass of milk was something he didn’t drink at this time. But now, he felt compelled to speak.
"Well why didn’t you tell me? I would of sorted them out for you." Ryan chimed in, hand over his forehead in exasperation.
"By what, Ryan? Knocking them out? I’d like to see you try and hit a girl and then try and get away with it." Bella smirked, trying to sound big.
"Don’t flatter yourself. I don’t hit girls, especially ones with big mouths like you. Besides, I’ve said it before. You can’t fight your way out of a wet paper bag, not even if you tried." The charismatic Brit hissed, laying on the truth.
"Why don’t we find out right now?" Bella urged, clenching one fist.
Like a red flag in front of a bull, Ryan stood up and calmly gestured to the front door. "Okay then, Bella. Come on, then. Beat me up." He offered, arms outstretched.
"Ryan, no. Don’t cross that line." Anna pleaded, knowing the tension between both was palpable. She watched as Ryan walked over to his stepsister, kneeling down to her level.
"Go on. I’ll even offer you the first shot. Right here." Ryan taunted, pointing to his left cheek and offering the trembling goth a free shot to see if she really did have the backbone to throw the first punch.
Bella froze, still trembling as her fist unclenched and she relented, refusing to even stand up for herself for fear of reinforcing her mother’s point. It was here that things took a turn for the worst.
"That’s what I thought. I understand why you put on this fake tough girl personality. You’re simply trying to get away from your past. You’re trying to forget the pain." Ryan spoke, his voice dripping with sheer bile as he pointed to the left side of his temple. "You think that you belong to some sub-genre in society, but you don’t."
Anna knew that her daughter couldn’t take another barrage of verbal venom from her stepson. She simply hoped that Ryan didn’t make it too personal, but there was no fear of that.
"You strive so much against conformity, Bella, yet you don’t have the backbone to actually stand up for yourself and fight. You want pain? Try having a family who grew up poor and had to scratch, claw, and fight for every last scrap of acceptance in their lives while you mope around upstairs like a dog in your little miserable "woe is me" fantasy because no one pays attention to you." Ryan continued, eyes brimming with seething rage as Bella was on the verge of tears.
"Because that’s all it is. You will forever be what you are now: a hollow, empty, pathetic coward." Ryan hissed, his voice cold and unfeeling as he pointed to his left temple again. "Let that sink in for a while. Let that sink in."
Bella was on the verge of complete emotional collapse.
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Post by Bella Raven - Crow Woman on Jun 23, 2018 21:04:15 GMT -6
As much I hate to admit and no matter how much I deny Ryan’s venomous words towards me, it was almost as if he knows me. Who I truly am just by looking at me, without questioning about my persona and my background. I would never believe that Ryan would sink this low just to trigger a nerve so deep that it hurts like a bullet to my heart, which was sinking into the abyss of eternal despair.
From across the kitchen table, I remained rooted to my seat. gripped a knife so tightly into my fist that the palm of my hand began to ooze small drops of blood, bleeding from my hand as I was using it to cut though the thick but soft piece of meat that was called dinner before Ryan officially ruined my appetite, which was the only positive thing about this moment. I hate meatloaf.
“Bella! You’re bleeding!” Anna gasped in shock, seeing my hand covered in crimson liquid because Ryan’s words still stunned me. I didn’t even flinch at the pain on my hand because what Ryan said to me that expressed my true persona, which was more painful than anything I’ve ever gone through.
When I looked at Ryan, I see my father, who would always remind me in the past that no matter how hard I try, I’ll never succeed because I’m not normal no matter, how much I wanted to be.
In fact, I recalled my father’s birthday when I performed a harmless magic trick by turning his cigarette into an earthworm that he was holding in his hand. This freaked him out and he dashed away from me to a downtown bar. I ran into my bedroom crying that night when Anna tried to calm me down, telling me that I performed a great magic show for my father. She would tell me that my father was always wrong about me, that I’m perfect just the way I am, and that she promised to give me a better life away from the life that I grew up in New York. But I never wanted to leave because New York was my home and always will be, no matter where I am. My father may have been a coldhearted murderer he was, but I can never deny that he was right about me not being normal.
There was another long moment of silence before I released the grip on my knife that landed on the kitchen table beside the unfinished plate, several blood stains on the sharp edge. I still remained rooted to my seat with a blank stare into Ryan’s raging green eyes that sent chills to my spine. but not as much I as what I’ve been through since last night. I tighten my lips together while fighting back the tears..
All I could do was stare right back at him with a mixed expression and a stone cold stare, trying so hard not to look or feel completely intimidated by Ryan’s reaction towards me. Anna once taught me on how to approach some people with a calm persona without letting people trying to get under my skin. Right now, Ryan was on the verge on becoming my skin rash.
“You’ve obviously been through a lot, Ryan……” I inhaled, exhaling as calm as possible which surprised Anna that I haven’t snapped.....Yet.
“But are you strong enough to point that high-powered perception at yourself? What about it? Why don't you - why don't you look at yourself and write down what you see? Or maybe you're just afraid like me.” I spoke, daring Ryan to prove that he’s not afraid to express his opinions about others but I want to test him if he’s so d*** brave enough to express his true persona around people that he socialises with. Maybe he was just afraid of being judged because he’s not from our country, maybe he’s deeply a coward like myself, maybe he’s too predicable to admit it.
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Post by LexingtonDeville1984 on Jun 24, 2018 8:51:28 GMT -6
Ryan didn’t even react to Bella’s patronising arrogance, which was frighteningly calm. He simply stared right back, unblinking, like a viper at his stepsister. Rage was building up in his soul, and Bella was on the verge of pulling the trigger.
"Don’t even think of patronising me, Bella. Ever. My mind is not a place that you want to visit." Ryan warned, still refusing to budge as Anna fretted over the inevitable outcome between her two children. She wanted them to stop and bury the hatchet, but she had no idea what Ryan was about to unleash upon her daughter.
"Ryan, please. Your dinner is getting cold." Anna pleaded.
The Englishman didn’t listen.
"But if you’re so interested in seeing what makes me tick, then why don’t we find out?" Ryan suggested to Bella. This completely knocked her confidence sideways as her brother actually requested an attempt from her to try and play psychologist and patient, just like Anna was with Bella earlier.
"Y...you’re bluffing, Ryan." Bella stammered, still trying to sound brave.
"Do I look like I’m bluffing?" He asked, visibly unimpressed. "You should know all about predictability. Because you ARE predictable. You didn’t know what it was like to be 8 years old, running around the garden wearing tiger face-paint after your parents took you to the funfair. To be that innocent 8 year old boy, who had his whole life ahead of him in his home country. When deep down, his parents couldn’t stand the sight of each other, but they tried to make it work." Ryan spoke, each word dripping with conviction and honesty.
Anna was stunned. She thought Ryan would make this argument personal, but not this time.
"You didn’t know what it was like to be told that your parents are divorcing and having to be told by an honest father what it meant. To see your parents unable to agree on joint custody and visitation rights. To leave the airport with a kind-hearted woman and fly out into the big wide world, leaving all that you grew up with behind." Ryan continued, his green eyes displaying a surprisingly vulnerable side behind the intensity.
"Is this supposed to make me feel sorry for you?" Bella sneered, starting to push her luck.
"You didn’t know what it’s like to be 13 years old and standing in the rain while watching your brother being put in the ground. To feel cold and empty inside." The vulnerable 16 year old spoke, his voice breaking as every word came from the heart. "Where were you when James was being buried? Where were you when Anna told me time will heal the pain that I carry everyday of my life?"
Bella didn’t respond. So Ryan went in for the kill.
"I’ll tell you where you were. Sitting on your arse at home with your one and only friend, happy that I wasn’t around to take all the attention away from you while I mourned his loss." Ryan spoke, pointing to the dog tags around his neck. "My brother served his country with pride, unlike you. The only thing you serve is yourself. Because you’re selfish."
Bella’s mood changed. She was being verbally eviscerated.
"I have never asked for anything in my life, but you give nothing and expect everything in return. Every time I tried to be nice to any New Yorker, you and your people made me feel like an outcast in a country I never asked to be part of." Ryan continued, refusing to be drawn into bringing her family into it.
"That’s enough, Ryan. Now please finish your meatloaf." Anna asked, to which Ryan turned and looked at her, shaking his head, before turning back to Bella.
"That is why I spent all those nights wandering the streets. That’s why I broke a bully’s face at school when they disrespected my brother’s name. That’s why you’re nothing more than an entitled little brat who uses her victim card to get whatever she wants." Ryan spoke, leaning in close to Bella, intensity amped up.
"You were supposed to be the monster. But now I’m the f**king beast. There’s blood on your hands from what you’ve made me do in the past." Ryan hissed, laying on the cutting words. "Every time I take a bully out, I get a little piece of that life back. So don’t you dare pretend to understand that you know pain. Because you don’t."
Ryan finished, not breaking eye contact as he returned to his chair, his words still resonating in his stepsister’s ears. He pushed his half-eaten dinner aside, much to Anna’s chagrin.
"Throw this away, will you, Anna? I’m not hungry anymore." Ryan declared softly, in no mood to fight,
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Post by Bella Raven - Crow Woman on Jun 26, 2018 23:27:26 GMT -6
There were no words to describe the fear and emotional pain that I felt from Ryan’s words as I remained rooted to my seat, my one hand gripped onto my another hand that was covered with a napkin to stem the bleeding on my palm, though the blood was slowly staining through the napkin.I refused to move. to even save myself from the situation that I’ve put myself in because of my own self-pity. When in reality, Ryan has had a much harder life than I expected. This even stunned Anna, her eyes widening in shock by Ryan’s emotional, yet sinister confession towards me.
“Ryan! This has gone far enough! How is this supposed to help?” Anna asked. Ryan sat in silence, hands clasped - right hand over left knuckle - and eyes closed, like he was almost praying. She then turned her attention back to me, witnessing the utter stare of fear across my face, staring back at Ryan as I was absolutely speechless with no comeback to fight my way out of this mess that I got myself into without knowing the consequences when trying to get personal with someone. I eventually realised that it was one of my biggest mistakes of my life.
“You’re not a beast…..You’re just a bully yourself!” I sobbed, tears pouring from my frightened blue eyes and my lips biting together. Ryan’s eyes opened, cold and piercing as he silently stared into my soul again
“I’ve seen you two get into outrageous agreements in the past, but not like this.” Anna sighed, deeply disappointed in both of us as she rose herself up from her seat and walked across the kitchen to reach for a first aid kit from the top of the refrigerator. Once she picked it up, she walled back to the kitchen table beside me.
“Ryan, we’ll talk later. Bella, give me your hand.” Anna reassured, gripping onto my bleeding hand to cover the cut on my palm with a bandage after spraying some antiseptic cream on it to relieve infection.
“Ow!” I complained, still being treated by my mother like a baby in Ryan’s eyes.
“Please hold still, Bella. I’m almost done.” Anna advised me after wrapping my palm with a bandage.
“That’s right, Bella. Let Anna treat you like a baby since you don’t know how to take care yourself either, you spoiled rotten b***h” Ryan snarled, which was the final strike for me to tolerate for this night. I snatched my hand away from Anna and rose up from my seat finally.
“F*** YOU!” I screamed my last two words to Ryan, still in fearful tears as I sobbed my way out of the kitchen, across the living room and up the stairs towards my bedroom. I slammed the door so hard that a small vibration across the upstairs hallway caused a recent family portrait of Anna, Ryan, and myself to fall off the wall. The glass of the frame shattered onto the floor, a sign that this family has officially fallen to pieces and that it may never be pieced back together again with so much hate revolving around me and my stepbrother.
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Post by LexingtonDeville1984 on Jun 27, 2018 13:15:47 GMT -6
Ryan sat in silence, hands still clasped and eyes closed as Bella slammed her door. This was enough for him to get up from his seat and walk over to the stairs, refusing to let his stepsister have the last word.
"Oh, I’m sorry. I don’t have TEN BUCKS ON ME! YOU AREN’T EVEN WORTH S**T!" He roared, loud enough so that Bella could hear him. Ryan had found that hatred, that venom, deep inside his soul. Once that moment passed, he exhaled and inhaled, fighting the internal rage to punch a hole through the wall and break his fist.
Anna was still speechless, witnessing her adopted son sit on the stairs, head in hands. The stress had clearly gotten to him, and it was showing. Normally, he was charismatic and fearless, but now he felt empty, tired, and inhuman. She walked over, seeing that Ryan at his wits end. All the pain that he had poured out to Bella came from the heart, but now it meant nothing. He felt dead inside.
"Ryan, I don’t know what happened, but this isn’t you." Anna said, trying to find the right words in hope that he wouldn’t react angrily.
"Doesn’t matter. Nothing I ever do just isn’t good enough. Just like I said." He softly spoke, drained of all angry thoughts. Bella’s victim mentality and constant need to act like a child had broken him. Not even threatening her would make him feel better. Enough was enough.
"It’s not a question of doing the right thing, Ryan. It’s about knowing when to stop." Anna lectured. "You saw the look on Bella’s face. She was hurt by what you said.
"So now its a crime to tell the truth?" Ryan asked, his voice softly breaking as he looked up at Anna, clear pain behind his eyes.
Ryan rose up, still trying to calm down. "I need some air." He decided, opening the front door and stepping out into the early evening air, standing on the front drive. A small breeze washed over him, providing him with some manner of clarity. All manner of thoughts ran through his head - from breaking down Bella’s bedroom to leaving this country on a plane back home to England, desperate to leave this depressingly dull s**thole called Derry.
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