mentions of d3ath A wicked grin comes across her face as she watches the flames rise up higher and higher. Not enough. She raises her hand, seemingly “pulling” the fire, as she called it, to an even higher height. Then she drops it. She unleashes it. The flames, not normal yellow ones, but blue ones, hotter and deadlier, burn down the rows of wooden houses, taking the lives of countless people. Well, it’s not my fault I’m doing this. I’m just doing what’s required. And anyway, you all deserved this. Also, it’s fun. She wasn’t always like this. She wasn’t always evil. In fact, turning evil was her greatest fear. Her greatest enemy. But that fear was the reason she turned into the thing she dreaded the most. 6 years ago: 5:0oam. Time to wake up. She slowly rises up from the soft, silky bed. She walks to the wooden door, then stops. She hears the flames crackling. The loud, booming laughter of the soldiers filling the air. Please not again. She knows they aren’t dangerous. At least, not to her, since she’s the princess, after all. But sometimes, she wishes she wasn’t. She hates it when everyone expects too much from her, then when she can’t do it, they get mad. She hates it when they force her to do things she didn’t want to. But she’s too scared to disobey. She was told that the rebels, the outcasts, were evil people, and if she didn’t follow, she’d become one too. She slowly goes down the stairs, then passes through the many halls and corridors of the castle until she finally reaches the battlegrounds. Time to practice. Again. So sick of this. She cringes at the sight of her tutor, an old man who looks too weak to lift even a pan, but in reality, is one of the most feared people in the kingdom. He demonstrated a technique, motioned for her to follow. She did. After hours of repeating until she finally got it, her tutor led her into a darker and more isolated place. She gasped when she saw what was in front of her. Oh no. Please no. Why does it have to be her? Leaning on the dirty wall, hands and feet tied up, was her friend. Her only friend, who, to her, was almost like a sister. “Kill,” the man said, his eyes cold and merciless. He stared at her with a look that could kill. She had no choice but to kill the girl. After all, she didn’t want to be “evil”. I’m sorry. She pulled her own hands close to her chest, then extended them, shooting a bolt of lightning in the process. A scream pierced the air. Silence. A wicked grin flashed across her tutor’s face, almost similar to the one she would show years later; the only difference is that hers would be much, much more wicked. Present: She smiles as she surveys the damage she has done. This is what you deserve. Deep inside, she knows that what she’s doing is wrong. That it’s evil. But she won’t listen to herself anymore. She’s so used to doing what others tell her to that she forgot about her conscience, her feelings. No emotions come to play when she’s ordered to do something. Her feelings are dead. Just kill, kill, kill. No more mercy. No more empathy. Follow, follow follow. Burn, burn, burn, burn. They’ve made her into a monster, a cruel, twisted, being with no more feelings. No more heart. At least, that’s what she thinks. That’s what they made her think. But she’s the one who’s in control of herself, not them. And she knows it. She’s just too scared to listen to herself, because when she last did, someone she loved got hurt. 5 years ago: She’s 12 years old now. She’s been told by her father to “grow up”. She just nods. But deep inside, she’s thinking ‘Grow up? When you’ve already took away my whole childhood since I was 7? When you’ve taught me how to inflict pain and how to block my emotions when I was 10? When you’ve taught me how to kill a friend when I was 11?’ She’s too scared too speak up. She was told that, when she does, a big consequence will happen to her. So, she obeys, as always. 5:00am. Time to wake up and to become a cruel monster again. She goes out into the battlegrounds. Same routine as always. Practice, hurt (or kill, depends), practice. She is greeted by her tutor, that wicked, heartless man. She thinks that today would just be a normal, brutal day. Just like all other days. But she’s wrong. There’s something that will happen that will change her life. That will leave a big hole in her heart. Present: She walks along the road, looking down at the debris and corpses. Hope you all learned your lesson. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees a woman trying to get her child to safety. She just laughs, after all, all those people, they deserve it. They hurt her. They revealed her weaknesses, her scars. They broke her. Or was she the one who broke herself? Was she the one who caused all of this? She sighs, trying to snub off the thoughts. She goes back to the castle.
7:00pm. She’s in her room now. She puts her hand in her cloak. She takes out a photograph of her and her little brother that was taken years ago. When everything was still okay. When she was still okay. A tear falls on the paper, wetting it. Then a couple more fall. She looks at the mirror, taking in her tear-stained face. She takes a deep breath, then screams as she shoots a bolt of lightning at her angry reflection. She then kneels on the ground, face buried in her hands. She’s alone now. She’s broken now. She can’t heal herself like she used to before. She can’t patch up the wounds anymore. They’ve taught her to deal with the pain, to just let it be, as they said it’ll make her stronger. But it didn’t. It just made her weaker. More prone to bleeding. More sensitive. 5 years ago: Practice is done now. It’s raining, and she sneaks out to the palace garden. She sticks her tongue out, tasting the little droplets of rain as they fall. She licks her lips then bursts out laughing. Her little brother runs out of the bushes. His face is covered in mud, and so is his clothes. She runs over to him, then happily asks if he needs help. He laughs, then nods. The two siblings run to the gates. The girl takes out a key, then opens it. They go out, then lock it so no one will notice they’re gone. The girl leads her little brother to the forest. The two happily run on the mucky path, admiring the big oak trees, mud splattering as their bare feet step on the ground. They stop once they come across a lake. The rain is softer now, creating ripples as it lands on the water. The two siblings look at each other, then smile. They jump in the water. 4 years ago: 9:00pm. She looks out the window, hand touching the glass. Long ago, the sound of the pitter-patter of the rain softly landing on the roof made her smile. But now, it just brings tears to her eyes. It’s all your fault. She wishes she never did it. She wishes she never brought him there. You could have stopped it. She remembers it all like it just happened yesterday. The king screaming angrily at them, the silhouette of the blade slowly falling on the frightened little boy, the tears, the anger, the pain, everything. 5 years ago: The king angrily slams his fist on the table. “Just because you are my daughter doesn’t mean you’re exempted from the rules!” he shouts. The girl just looks on the floor. She’s scared. He’s going to kill her. As she starts to cry, a shrill voice splits the air. Her little brother. “You can’t kill her dad! I’m the one who asked to go there,” he lies. The king wickedly smiles. 4 years ago: You could have defended him. She tries to snub of the taunting voices in her head, but they won’t go away. The pain is unbearable. You’re nothing but a worthless, evil little girl! She cries as she lets the dark thoughts take control. You’re evil now. Accept it.
