Post by synn on Mar 23, 2023 0:55:03 GMT -5
Brooke, still panting heavily, looked over at the weird girl who taught her about fear.
“Why are you so obsessed with fear, anyway?” she said through rapid breaths.
The demon smiled, a toothy smile.
“Obsessed? Far from it.”
She sat in the creaking chair in the kitchen unit, there was something cooking in the pot on the stove.
“Let it be known little one, YOU sought ME out. YOU came here looking for me, and you can’t even handle Fred.”
“Is that the guy from the other unit?”
“Would I be mentioning him otherwise?”
Brooke bit her lip. Juniper had one upped her there.
“He’s a bit creepy. I thought he was going to assault me. You never know these days. Us females have to protect ourselves.”
She took the mace canister out of her bra and set it on the table. Juniper’s head cocked to the side, like a dogs would.
“And THAT was your defense?”
“I wouldn’t have brought it out otherwise.” Brooke had a smug smile on her face.
GOTCHA!
The demon laughed. She reached over and picked up the small canister, observing it. She studied it for far longer than her blonde counterpart expected her to.
“Never seen one before?”
“Oh, I have seen one, dearie, but I am trying to figure out why you think you need it.”
“I just said, I need to protect mys—”
“You aren’t confident enough in your abilities to do that? You were a division 1 gymnast and a damn professional wrestler, are you not?”
“Well–I–yeah…but…”
“But nothing.”
She tosses the canister in the garbage can next to the sink.
“The best way to beat fear is to embrace fear. That little can, it gives you an out. It gives you an excuse to let fear control you.”
“So what did you expect me to do if he assaulted me?”
“Kill him.”
“WHAT?!”
“Surely you could, you have the skillset. What is holding you back?”
“Ummm…….it’s another human being I—”
“Fear. The answer is fear. Fear is why you wouldn’t.”
The timer on the stovetop dinged. She got up, and walked over to the steaming pot.
“Are you hungry?”
“You expect me to eat after that? After….this?!”
Juniper stirs the pot with a large wooden ladle. Brooke studied her for a moment in silence. She was trying to figure out the girl who came to her aid when Jenny Myst was bullying her. She was trying to figure out the only female on the roster who had been nice to her. Why?
She changed the topic.
“It does smell good. What are you making?”
Juniper stirred it again, as Brooke came over to look inside the pot. She gasped and stepped back.
It was a full squirrel. In the broth were some carrots and peas.
“I didn’t expect company, so I only have one. I could get another, if you'd like. Or I can cut this up. Do you want a leg or tail?”
Brooke was trying to hold bag a gag, she didn’t want to offend this crazy broad.
“It’s okay, I’ll just grab something on the way back to the hotel.”
“Suit yourself.”
She grabbed a plate, and poured the steamy pot into a strainer into the sink. The body of the rodent hit the strainer with a sickening thud.
Brooke noticed she was shivering. Her hairs were standing up on her arms, but it was from the temperature this time. She covered her chest, in case she was a little pokey.
The girl didn’t seem to notice.
Brooke walked over to the thermostat.
61! SIXTY FRICKIN ONE!
Apparently, her ‘friend’ did notice.
“Cold?”
“Extremely. Why is it so damn cold in here?”
“I am from Alaska, Brooke.”
“So?”
“It’s too hot outside. I don’t know how you stand it. The humidity here is brutal. I don’t know how you stand it, personally.”
She realized this was a hill she wasn’t ready to climb. She would just have to get used to being cold.
“And the windows are all blacked out. It’s such a beautiful day.”
“Beauty is a perspective.” She had a plastic knife and fork, and was currently trying to eat the tough rodent meat with it.
“You probably think you’re beautiful, don’t you?”
Brooke was a bit taken aback at the question.
“I have always been told I am, yes.”
Juniper scoffed.
“But do YOU think you are?”
“Yes. I do.”
“If you didn’t think you were, would you look in the mirror?”
She had already went through two plastic knives. She was never going to be able to cut that meat with that!
“I mean….no.”
“Then why would I want to look at something I don’t think is beautiful?”
Brooke looked down for a moment, then shot her head up.
“Do you hate yourself?”
This made the girl pause. She stopped her futile cutting attempt.
“Hate is a strong word.”
“Do you?”
“No. I don’t. I hate her.”
“Her?”
“The demon. SYNN.
“Without SYNN, I wouldn’t be here right now?”
“Add that to this list…..”
She picked up the squirrel and took a bite, deciding against the plastic cutlery.
“I can leave.”
She already began to make her way towards the door. Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe her interest in this weird girl was a waste of time. She clearly didn’t want to make friends…she was just a cold (literally), miserable freak of nature. Her hand grabbed the door handle–she would sanitize after she just needed OUT of this hovel.
“.....you’re just like all the others.”
Brooke turned.
“Excuse me?”
“You’re gonna quit that easy?”
“I am not quitting anything.” She huffed, hands on her hips.
The weird girl was chewing the fatty rodent meat.
“You” chew slop slorp, “are quitting this conversation” slop chomp slurp.
“I am not going to stay here and be insulted!”
“No, you’re just going to go out there and be insulted.”
“Excuse me?”
Juniper pushed back from the table with violent force. She was on top of her with uncanny speed. It seemed like it took her two steps to get from the kitchen to the door. They were face to face.
“From the moment I became aware of your existence, I’ve seen you get pushed around, bullied, taken advantage of. I could smell your fear, taste it, even.”
She sniffed the blonde’s neck.
“You’re scared right now, aren’t you?”
Brooke’s voice cracked. “No. No, I don’t fear you.”
“You don’t need to lie to me, blondie.”
“I’m not!”
SYNN slapped the door, causing Brooke to jump.
“There is nothing wrong with feeling fear. It’s how you use that fear that matters. It’s the package you put it in.”
Brooke could smell the meat on her breath. Small dribble’s of the animals blood ran down her face as she spoke.
“..........as long as you let your fear control you, you’ll never be as successful as you want to be. As long as you let your fear consume you, roaches like Jenny Myst will continue to eat the rotting flesh surrounding your very essence, until you have nothing left. That pretty little face of yours……..”
She sniffs again, hard, before licking Brooke’s face. The blonde winces, seeming disgusted…………truth is, she was intrigued.
“...........I can taste your fear. You won’t last a day in the real world, barbie.”
Brooke felt her hands balling into fists.
“If I wanted to do you harm, you’d already be in a pile on the floor. You left yourself far too open. You’re far too trusting.”
She backed off the girl.
“Far too trusting.”
She sat back down at the table.
Brooke wanted to leave, but something was keeping her there. Something about this girl was fascinating. She walked back over to the table, and sat down across from SYNN.
Neither of them said anything for quite some time, before Brooke spoke up.
“Do you trust me?”
SYNN looked up and their eyes met. Deep, black, lifeless circles.
“Why are you so obsessed with fear, anyway?” she said through rapid breaths.
The demon smiled, a toothy smile.
“Obsessed? Far from it.”
She sat in the creaking chair in the kitchen unit, there was something cooking in the pot on the stove.
“Let it be known little one, YOU sought ME out. YOU came here looking for me, and you can’t even handle Fred.”
“Is that the guy from the other unit?”
“Would I be mentioning him otherwise?”
Brooke bit her lip. Juniper had one upped her there.
“He’s a bit creepy. I thought he was going to assault me. You never know these days. Us females have to protect ourselves.”
She took the mace canister out of her bra and set it on the table. Juniper’s head cocked to the side, like a dogs would.
“And THAT was your defense?”
“I wouldn’t have brought it out otherwise.” Brooke had a smug smile on her face.
GOTCHA!
The demon laughed. She reached over and picked up the small canister, observing it. She studied it for far longer than her blonde counterpart expected her to.
“Never seen one before?”
“Oh, I have seen one, dearie, but I am trying to figure out why you think you need it.”
“I just said, I need to protect mys—”
“You aren’t confident enough in your abilities to do that? You were a division 1 gymnast and a damn professional wrestler, are you not?”
“Well–I–yeah…but…”
“But nothing.”
She tosses the canister in the garbage can next to the sink.
“The best way to beat fear is to embrace fear. That little can, it gives you an out. It gives you an excuse to let fear control you.”
“So what did you expect me to do if he assaulted me?”
“Kill him.”
“WHAT?!”
“Surely you could, you have the skillset. What is holding you back?”
“Ummm…….it’s another human being I—”
“Fear. The answer is fear. Fear is why you wouldn’t.”
The timer on the stovetop dinged. She got up, and walked over to the steaming pot.
“Are you hungry?”
“You expect me to eat after that? After….this?!”
Juniper stirs the pot with a large wooden ladle. Brooke studied her for a moment in silence. She was trying to figure out the girl who came to her aid when Jenny Myst was bullying her. She was trying to figure out the only female on the roster who had been nice to her. Why?
She changed the topic.
“It does smell good. What are you making?”
Juniper stirred it again, as Brooke came over to look inside the pot. She gasped and stepped back.
It was a full squirrel. In the broth were some carrots and peas.
“I didn’t expect company, so I only have one. I could get another, if you'd like. Or I can cut this up. Do you want a leg or tail?”
Brooke was trying to hold bag a gag, she didn’t want to offend this crazy broad.
“It’s okay, I’ll just grab something on the way back to the hotel.”
“Suit yourself.”
She grabbed a plate, and poured the steamy pot into a strainer into the sink. The body of the rodent hit the strainer with a sickening thud.
Brooke noticed she was shivering. Her hairs were standing up on her arms, but it was from the temperature this time. She covered her chest, in case she was a little pokey.
The girl didn’t seem to notice.
Brooke walked over to the thermostat.
61! SIXTY FRICKIN ONE!
Apparently, her ‘friend’ did notice.
“Cold?”
“Extremely. Why is it so damn cold in here?”
“I am from Alaska, Brooke.”
“So?”
“It’s too hot outside. I don’t know how you stand it. The humidity here is brutal. I don’t know how you stand it, personally.”
She realized this was a hill she wasn’t ready to climb. She would just have to get used to being cold.
“And the windows are all blacked out. It’s such a beautiful day.”
“Beauty is a perspective.” She had a plastic knife and fork, and was currently trying to eat the tough rodent meat with it.
“You probably think you’re beautiful, don’t you?”
Brooke was a bit taken aback at the question.
“I have always been told I am, yes.”
Juniper scoffed.
“But do YOU think you are?”
“Yes. I do.”
“If you didn’t think you were, would you look in the mirror?”
She had already went through two plastic knives. She was never going to be able to cut that meat with that!
“I mean….no.”
“Then why would I want to look at something I don’t think is beautiful?”
Brooke looked down for a moment, then shot her head up.
“Do you hate yourself?”
This made the girl pause. She stopped her futile cutting attempt.
“Hate is a strong word.”
“Do you?”
“No. I don’t. I hate her.”
“Her?”
“The demon. SYNN.
“Without SYNN, I wouldn’t be here right now?”
“Add that to this list…..”
She picked up the squirrel and took a bite, deciding against the plastic cutlery.
“I can leave.”
She already began to make her way towards the door. Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe her interest in this weird girl was a waste of time. She clearly didn’t want to make friends…she was just a cold (literally), miserable freak of nature. Her hand grabbed the door handle–she would sanitize after she just needed OUT of this hovel.
“.....you’re just like all the others.”
Brooke turned.
“Excuse me?”
“You’re gonna quit that easy?”
“I am not quitting anything.” She huffed, hands on her hips.
The weird girl was chewing the fatty rodent meat.
“You” chew slop slorp, “are quitting this conversation” slop chomp slurp.
“I am not going to stay here and be insulted!”
“No, you’re just going to go out there and be insulted.”
“Excuse me?”
Juniper pushed back from the table with violent force. She was on top of her with uncanny speed. It seemed like it took her two steps to get from the kitchen to the door. They were face to face.
“From the moment I became aware of your existence, I’ve seen you get pushed around, bullied, taken advantage of. I could smell your fear, taste it, even.”
She sniffed the blonde’s neck.
“You’re scared right now, aren’t you?”
Brooke’s voice cracked. “No. No, I don’t fear you.”
“You don’t need to lie to me, blondie.”
“I’m not!”
SYNN slapped the door, causing Brooke to jump.
“There is nothing wrong with feeling fear. It’s how you use that fear that matters. It’s the package you put it in.”
Brooke could smell the meat on her breath. Small dribble’s of the animals blood ran down her face as she spoke.
“..........as long as you let your fear control you, you’ll never be as successful as you want to be. As long as you let your fear consume you, roaches like Jenny Myst will continue to eat the rotting flesh surrounding your very essence, until you have nothing left. That pretty little face of yours……..”
She sniffs again, hard, before licking Brooke’s face. The blonde winces, seeming disgusted…………truth is, she was intrigued.
“...........I can taste your fear. You won’t last a day in the real world, barbie.”
Brooke felt her hands balling into fists.
“If I wanted to do you harm, you’d already be in a pile on the floor. You left yourself far too open. You’re far too trusting.”
She backed off the girl.
“Far too trusting.”
She sat back down at the table.
Brooke wanted to leave, but something was keeping her there. Something about this girl was fascinating. She walked back over to the table, and sat down across from SYNN.
Neither of them said anything for quite some time, before Brooke spoke up.
“Do you trust me?”
SYNN looked up and their eyes met. Deep, black, lifeless circles.