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axesladeLetsee. Msn is a bitch. My muses are trying to find a way to make Tori Amos an honoary muse or kidnap her muses. And I wrote Chapter 7.
Chapter 7
May 20, 1974-5:30 PM
“So, what are you planning to put on the baby’s birth certificate?”
Mandy glanced up from the sink, looking at her mother. She set down the plate she’d been washing.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, since you’re not married, what’ll the little one’s last name be?”
Mandy swallowed, summoning all the strength she could to finally try and make her mother understand that she was different.
“We married in our own way, Ma.”
“Oh? So you took a preacher out to-“
“No preacher.”
Mary put her hands on her hips, glancing at her daughter.
“No preacher?”
“No. We…we swore ourselves to each other under the full moon. That’s all that needed, right?”
“But in the eyes of the Lord-“
“God saw, Ma. And if He doesn’t think we did it the right way, that’s His problem.”
“Well how’s the resta the world s’posed to know-“
Mandy smirked a little, rolling down the collar of her blouse to show the leather collar she had taken to wearing as her own private symbol of their union.
“James got me this for Christmas, he gave it to me the day the baby was conceived. I don’t know how a ring could be more fitting.”
Mary wrinkled her nose.
“It looks like a dog collar.”
Before Mandy could respond, Rich broke in from his spot in the living room.
“Well it fits her, don’t it?”
“Rich! How could ya say that? She’s yer daughter!”
“So you claim.”
James happened to walk downstairs during this exchange, and he walked through the den, glaring at Rich.
“How can you talk to her like that? It’s no wonder Mandy doesn’t want to get married properly, the way married couples around here treat each other.”
“This ain’t none of your business, boy. Besides, we wouldn’t be talkin’ ‘bout marriage if you had been able to keep yer hands to yerself.”
“I started it.”
Everyone glanced at Mandy, who shrugged.
“You think men are the only ones who have urges, right Daddy? I seduced him, right in the open. So you can stop pinning everything on him. I’m just as much to blame.”
Rich laughed.
“Sounds just like you. Dirty little slut.”
James swallowed when he saw Mandy clench her hands into fists.
“Why would you say that, Daddy?”
“The night ya ran away, ‘member? When Ah caught you and the neighbor girl naked together?” Rich laughed a little, standing up and walking into the kitchen.
“Ya know, Ah always kinda wondered about what was goin’ on that night. Ya’ll looked really odd, Ah think she was covered in somethin’.”
“Rich…” Mary stepped forward, trying to get him to stop. He walked past her, grabbing Mandy’s arm.
“But Ah think Ah finally figured it out.”
“Did you?” Mandy whispered breathlessly, watching from the corner of her eye as James snuck behind her father. It didn’t matter, since Rich turned around.
“Ya remember that wolf Ah shot last week?” he asked James, who nodded tensely.
“Yeah, what about it?”
“Well, Ah shot it in the left front leg. Ah just wanna test a theory Ah have” then, he tore away Mandy’s small jean jacket, revealing the jagged circular wound on her left shoulder. Mandy laughed nervously.
“So I’ve got a mark in the same place, what does that prove?”
“The moon’s always full when you and this one go out.”
“It’s prettiest then.”
“Hmm. All right, Ah’m just overreactin’ again, tryin’ to make you into a movie monster instead of the mundane one ya are, right?” Rich smirked, pulling away. Mandy almost let out a sigh when she saw him going to the cutlery drawer. She wasn’t sure what he grabbed, but she wasn’t going to wait to find out.
She started to leave the kitchen, grabbing James’ hand when Rich turned on her with a knife. She heard her mother scream, but didn’t think about it. She wasn’t the one he was going after.
Rich smirked sadistically, holding out the knife.
“Ya wanna prove me wrong?”
Mandy didn’t say anything, squeezing her growing nails into James’ hand to try and regain some of her composure. She thought she smelled something odd, but couldn’t quite place it.
Rich’s hand went out towards her, but she didn’t want to show herself. Not yet, not in front of her mother, the only person in the immediate family who still harbored some love for her. She held her head high, glancing at her father.
“Go ahead, do whatever test you need to do.”
“All right” and before she could even think to pull away, Rich had scraped the knife against her abdomen. She screamed as she realized too late that it was silver. The scream slowly turned to a growl, and she felt her fangs descend and her facial bones rip in pain as she attempted to defend herself, though she was in too much agony to urge the change any further.
Her mother screamed again but this time she didn’t even hear as she threw Rich back against the counter. This jostled the cupboards above it, so dishes dropped on his head. Then she turned away, not wanting her mother to see her like this and eager to find some place to lick her wounds. She looked for James but when he wasn’t in front of her, she turned back and saw him standing over her father. Before the pain in her stomach grew too intense, she heard him mutter something.
“If she or my child die, I’ll make you wish she’d killed you” he said as Mary started cleaning Rich’s wounds. Then he turned back, catching her as she collapsed into darkness.
May 20, 1974-5:30 PM
“So, what are you planning to put on the baby’s birth certificate?”
Mandy glanced up from the sink, looking at her mother. She set down the plate she’d been washing.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, since you’re not married, what’ll the little one’s last name be?”
Mandy swallowed, summoning all the strength she could to finally try and make her mother understand that she was different.
“We married in our own way, Ma.”
“Oh? So you took a preacher out to-“
“No preacher.”
Mary put her hands on her hips, glancing at her daughter.
“No preacher?”
“No. We…we swore ourselves to each other under the full moon. That’s all that needed, right?”
“But in the eyes of the Lord-“
“God saw, Ma. And if He doesn’t think we did it the right way, that’s His problem.”
“Well how’s the resta the world s’posed to know-“
Mandy smirked a little, rolling down the collar of her blouse to show the leather collar she had taken to wearing as her own private symbol of their union.
“James got me this for Christmas, he gave it to me the day the baby was conceived. I don’t know how a ring could be more fitting.”
Mary wrinkled her nose.
“It looks like a dog collar.”
Before Mandy could respond, Rich broke in from his spot in the living room.
“Well it fits her, don’t it?”
“Rich! How could ya say that? She’s yer daughter!”
“So you claim.”
James happened to walk downstairs during this exchange, and he walked through the den, glaring at Rich.
“How can you talk to her like that? It’s no wonder Mandy doesn’t want to get married properly, the way married couples around here treat each other.”
“This ain’t none of your business, boy. Besides, we wouldn’t be talkin’ ‘bout marriage if you had been able to keep yer hands to yerself.”
“I started it.”
Everyone glanced at Mandy, who shrugged.
“You think men are the only ones who have urges, right Daddy? I seduced him, right in the open. So you can stop pinning everything on him. I’m just as much to blame.”
Rich laughed.
“Sounds just like you. Dirty little slut.”
James swallowed when he saw Mandy clench her hands into fists.
“Why would you say that, Daddy?”
“The night ya ran away, ‘member? When Ah caught you and the neighbor girl naked together?” Rich laughed a little, standing up and walking into the kitchen.
“Ya know, Ah always kinda wondered about what was goin’ on that night. Ya’ll looked really odd, Ah think she was covered in somethin’.”
“Rich…” Mary stepped forward, trying to get him to stop. He walked past her, grabbing Mandy’s arm.
“But Ah think Ah finally figured it out.”
“Did you?” Mandy whispered breathlessly, watching from the corner of her eye as James snuck behind her father. It didn’t matter, since Rich turned around.
“Ya remember that wolf Ah shot last week?” he asked James, who nodded tensely.
“Yeah, what about it?”
“Well, Ah shot it in the left front leg. Ah just wanna test a theory Ah have” then, he tore away Mandy’s small jean jacket, revealing the jagged circular wound on her left shoulder. Mandy laughed nervously.
“So I’ve got a mark in the same place, what does that prove?”
“The moon’s always full when you and this one go out.”
“It’s prettiest then.”
“Hmm. All right, Ah’m just overreactin’ again, tryin’ to make you into a movie monster instead of the mundane one ya are, right?” Rich smirked, pulling away. Mandy almost let out a sigh when she saw him going to the cutlery drawer. She wasn’t sure what he grabbed, but she wasn’t going to wait to find out.
She started to leave the kitchen, grabbing James’ hand when Rich turned on her with a knife. She heard her mother scream, but didn’t think about it. She wasn’t the one he was going after.
Rich smirked sadistically, holding out the knife.
“Ya wanna prove me wrong?”
Mandy didn’t say anything, squeezing her growing nails into James’ hand to try and regain some of her composure. She thought she smelled something odd, but couldn’t quite place it.
Rich’s hand went out towards her, but she didn’t want to show herself. Not yet, not in front of her mother, the only person in the immediate family who still harbored some love for her. She held her head high, glancing at her father.
“Go ahead, do whatever test you need to do.”
“All right” and before she could even think to pull away, Rich had scraped the knife against her abdomen. She screamed as she realized too late that it was silver. The scream slowly turned to a growl, and she felt her fangs descend and her facial bones rip in pain as she attempted to defend herself, though she was in too much agony to urge the change any further.
Her mother screamed again but this time she didn’t even hear as she threw Rich back against the counter. This jostled the cupboards above it, so dishes dropped on his head. Then she turned away, not wanting her mother to see her like this and eager to find some place to lick her wounds. She looked for James but when he wasn’t in front of her, she turned back and saw him standing over her father. Before the pain in her stomach grew too intense, she heard him mutter something.
“If she or my child die, I’ll make you wish she’d killed you” he said as Mary started cleaning Rich’s wounds. Then he turned back, catching her as she collapsed into darkness.
