//------------------------------// // Revelations // Story: Abuse // by Hazel_Hester777 //------------------------------// Over the years, Hazel and Hester have been blossoming. The little fight with Hazel and Rosette has died down and are back as friends again. Hester soon developed some type of attitude that was mostly being overprotective. Hazel soon was able to be near the top of the class, she was Top 5 on the list. It meant a lot, not just for her grades, but possibly for her life. Still, no matter what happened, the treatment from her mother Deceptive Beauty would never cease. Her brother Trey Strongheart hadn’t been doing well. He rarely ever spoke to the family. All he does now was eat and sleep, and play video games. Hester believes that it was his way of escaping the pain, by escaping even life here. Sometimes the younger siblings would envy him as he found a way out. Her sister Spring Meadows faired nearly no better. Even her lovelife was on the line. Spring now had to wear clothes that seemed rather obscene by the young, at one point she was in the dress of a prostitute. Deceptive’s idea was to plan an arranged marriage between her and a handsome, rich man. When she saw her daughter’s boyfriend wasn’t what she wanted, she made them broke up. Spring cried and ran into her room, but Deceptive broke the door by kicking it. Now, she’s nothing more than a broken-down pawn. Hazel and Hester haven’t been better. Hester was trapped into a dark room, separated from her Partner, causing severe pain to both. Deceptive soon found out about a Familiar’s abilities to sometimes have visions about the future so she would scare Hester into giving her numbers form dreams. When denied, she causes extreme pain to her and Hazel. Hazel was almost broken. Every time that Hester was locked in the room, she didn’t just feel physical pain, but also emotional and psychological. She couldn’t show that Deceptive was breaking her down, so she would run in her room and sob right there. Her mother would even hurt her physically, by pinching, slapping, hitting with a newspaper like a dog, even drowning at two points. It even resulted in blood; Hazel walked out with a bleeding nose. Deceptive Beauty mostly despised innocence. She saw a child’s imaginative power and innocence as something to be destroyed. Made sense since she was dating around for boyfriends and would even drag Hazel along for the ride, while she was still a toddler. Hazel wasn’t even allowed to speak on the dates she was dragged around for; Deceptive would bruise her hand by crushing it tightly. For the two who were still fighting, let it not be said that all this didn’t come with a few dark results that may stay there for their lives. Hazel soon developed Bipolar Disorder from the trauma; luckily it was a mild type so it wouldn’t be too obvious. Hester, due to trauma caused by being trapped in dark rooms for so long, had developed Schizophrenia. Due to how they knew how Deceptive would react, they kept their problems a secret, only letting it out when alone. Hester was thinking about Hazel as she was trapped in that dark room. She really hated the isolation and darkness, but she was more worried for her Partner. When she’s not with her, she knew that there is a lot of pain being caused to her. Still, she didn’t give up. Unlike Deceptive, Hester saw a child’s innocence and imaginative power as something to be treasured and is something pure. She knew that there was barely any hope for the older siblings but her Partner still had a chance. When she is let out of the room, she immediately goes to her Partner to comfort her. It helped to have a Familiar with her. Hester would comfort her and help her heal. When they knew that Deceptive and the others were asleep, she would stroke her Partner’s hair as she slept and would whisper to her the same comforting words to help ensure good sleep, “You’re broken. I’m here; I’m still your friend. You still believe that, right?” Hazel would mostly give a purr from that. Hester smiled at herself. “I will put you back together” That was Hester’s promise to Hazel. She would always be there for her. She would always protect her. She would find a way to help her, and her siblings. What was crucial was that she stayed with her Partner at all times to make sure no harm would come to her. One day, the day seemed to have finally arrived. Deceptive Beauty soon put up a restaurant nearby the school of the Partner-Familiar duo. She had the two send out around tickets to the opening. The older two were kept around in the restaurant to prepare to be the chefs alongside the mother. Deceptive also got a dog to help, named Whiz, who was half-Rottweiler, half-Dachshund. But then there was something else; Trey, Spring, Hazel, and Hester were not just pawns for the restaurant’s debut, but also for entertainment. And it never helped that the first two were adults and the third was a bit taller for her age. It looked like a real-life version of Five Nights Freddy’s. The three kids and the dog were the trapped children, and the mother was the Purple Guy. It only scared Hazel more, making her more prone to breaking down. Still, there was a chance of revealing what was really going on in the family. It was on the third week, when Hazel and her classmates were having Gym class. She was lucky the changing room only consisted of her, Rosette, and Daylight. “You better not think of peeking on me, Hazel!” Rosette reminded her bestie from inside her cubicle. “I would never even think of it!” Hazel responded in her cubicle. “Both of you better hurry up!” Daylight called from outside the two cubicles. She had blonde hair and her eyes were blue. Hazel was a little more concentrated on getting the restraints on her off and hidden without anyone noticing more than anything. She still retained scars from her mother’s blows. Deceptive strapped this thing called a back brace on Hazel. Light brown in color; it had straps that would go on her waist, shoulder blades, and then her spine. It was cloth, but it embeds into her shoulder blades during the first few weeks with it on. Due to this, she can’t raise her arms at full length and it hurts when she carried a heavy backpack for too long. “Peek-a-boo!” Rosette cried as she lifted herself on her tip toes and surprised Hazel from her cubicle. The child let out a scream. When she realized it was just Rosette, she covered herself with her jacket by holding it across her body. She looked like she was caught in her underwear; practically that was really what it was. Luckily, it was only her back brace that was seen. “Not cool! Not cool, man!” she cried out as Rosette lowered herself back into her cubicle, a smirk on her face and laughing. From outside, she could hear Daylight laughing as well. “What’s wrong, Hazel? Feel so molested?” Hazel’s eyes widened with fear from that experience. He breathing was still unsettled. She felt a faint blush creep on her face. No doubt, it was making her feel that way, and by her own best friend nonetheless! You try being her shoes and tell me what it’s like! She snapped out of it when Hester gave her a mental whisper. No time for turning red! Change your clothes. Don’t worry about her; I’ll take care of it later. Hazel nodded before calming down and getting a hold of herself. She put on her shirt to hide her back brace. Still, she heard screaming coming from Daylight. She put her Gym clothes on as fast as she could before Rosette could get another chance. Still, she kept a sweater on to remove later so as to hide her scars. When she got out of her cubicle, she saw Rosette covering her mouth to avoid laughter because of what she was seeing. Hazel herself covered her mouth to avoid it. Daylight just had a wedgy that went all the way up to her head. The embarrassed girl hid in the cubicle to fix herself. Rosette and Hazel stifled their laughter into mere giggles. I told you, my dear Hazel stopped giggling when she heard that form Hester. She did that? But she didn’t see her come out of her. “Daylight, what exactly happened?” she asked. “I was laughing about how Rosette saw you changing, your reaction, and then the next thing I know; someone grabbed my panties and pulled them up to my head!” Daylight yelled from inside. “Did you catch who it was?” Rosette asked when she recovered herself. “No, it’s like no one was there at all!” Hazel’s eyes widened. Was Hester able to learn Invisibility now? If so, why did she use that to get her revenge? Rosette then turned to the black-haired girl. “Sorry about that, Hazel” “It’s fine” “By the way, I couldn’t help but notice something when I peeked on you. Why are you wearing a back brace?” Hazel turned red from that, and then lost it as she felt fear. No one was supposed to know that, or Deceptive would have her head! “What back brace?” “I saw it! You have a back brace strapped on you! Why are you wearing one?” Hazel bit her lip before looking down. “Haze, it’s okay. We’re friends. You can tell me” She couldn’t. If she did, she was good as dead. She got the restraint off her body already to allow her arms to move, but she had to get it back on after the class was over. Still, she felt scared about revealing the truth behind her life and family. Daylight chose that moment to come out of the cubicle. “Okay, I’m done! What were you two talking about?” Rosette still stared at Hazel. The shy girl barely looked up before shaking her head at Daylight. “Nothing” “Okay, then what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Daylight said before dragging Rosette to the group. Hazel bit her lip before following them. A close call! You were lucky today, my dear. You know what would happen to us if she found out! ________________________________________ Later that day… “Okay, girls, that was a good shot! It’s almost time for your next class. You may now head to the changing rooms to get back into your uniforms” the Gym teacher declared after blowing a final whistle and looking at her wristwatch. All around, there were sweating and tired students everywhere. Each grabbed their bags containing their uniforms and headed into the changing rooms. Hazel just couldn’t wait to hide her arms again. Whenever they go Gym class, they students and teacher are too preoccupied with the events that they barely even notice the markings on her arms, making it an advantage for her. “Hazel, there you are!” Rosette called out as she approached her friend. “Oh, hi Rosette. How was Gym for you?” Hazel asked as they headed to their changing rooms. “Exhausting. Can you believe running the entire gym floor for about 20 times?” she wiped a bead of sweat with her sleeve. “Congratulations, I only lasted for about 12” Rosette nodded as she took a drink from her water bottle. When they got to their cubicles, Rosette, tired as she was, noticed the scars on Hazel’s arms. “What happened there?” she asked her. “Hmm?” “Your arms, they have scars” “Oh, um…” she hid her arms again. “It’s nothing” Rosette didn’t have a chance to speak when Hazel went into her cubicle. She herself also went into hers. “Please don’t do that thing from a while ago again” Rosette chuckled. “I won’t” ________________________________________ Then came the weekend. This was the period of the week that though some may be excited about, it was one of those days that Hazel dreaded. On the weekends, unlike those who get to relax, Hazel has to join in entertaining the guests at Deceptive’s restaurant. Though it was rather a bit of a decent restaurant to go to, it was a minefield to shy people. They even had to get into uniform. They were mostly orange for the staff that was in the kitchen. But when it came to the entertainers, the kids and dog, they had to feel some shame. Trey’s outfit was a sailor suit that he hated the most. He was mostly in charge of cooking, but in terms of entertainment, he had to perform Comedy. Spring’s outfit was mostly a green and flowery dress that went well with her high heels. She also wore heavy make-up. As a chef, she as in charge of desserts. She was practically a waitress, and those who were enjoying her company think of her as a dessert. In performances on stage, she did Drama. Hazel felt so embarrassed in her princess-like outfit. It was pink dress with red trimmings and a tiara was resting on her head. She wore white gloves and her hair was kept up in a bun. She had to wear silver-colored heels, much to her pain. She wore make-up that disguised her as an adult when she was only a teenager. She was mostly used for picture-taking and greeting as well as taking people to their seats. On stage performances, she would read poetry with a British accent as her siblings reenacted it. Then came their dog, Whiz. He had to have his fur trimmed in a way that it would not get on the food when he passed by. He wore a waiter’s costume and had a bag that would contain the papers with the orders on his back. When Spring took an order, he was to go to the table and take the order and carry it in his box to the table. He mostly carried around props when it came to entertainment and doesn’t need to be told twice when there’s in need of a trick. Another thing that went on in the restaurant was that the children would change their names to avoid suspicion, upon order by Deceptive. Trey was called Troy. Spring was called Summer. Hazel was called Hazlet. I know what you’re thinking, if they didn’t like the act so much, why do they still do it? Well, they have nearly no choice whatsoever. Deceptive learned about charms and spells. Despite choosing the Anti or Hater side, she managed to find a loophole that would allow her to control her pawns. She found a charm and spell that was designed for some sort of slavery trick. It was called the Aura’s Cell, a green pendant that would quite literally trap the souls of those that it was used on. She used it on her kids and dog, turning them into mindless zombies to be completely obedient into her bidding. It would leave a significant sign that would show, shrunken pupils. But she used contact lens on their eyes to make things less obvious. Her tactic was to get them to go into their suits. And when they were in their outfits, they were put under that spell. The restaurant’s popularity soon soared due to the fun for all ages to enjoy. In fact, many people tried to steal something to find the key of its popularity. They were unsuccessful as Deceptive added another thing into her pawns’ programming. If they find someone who looks like they are here to sabotage something, they will turn into a somewhat feral state and attack. Its bad enough for it coming from a dog, but if it’s a kid, you’re terrified out of your mind. And in Hazel’s case, she’ll even bite. Hester had tried reaching out to Hazel even in that state, but what she found was an empty mind. She was soulless. Her Partner’s soul was trapped in an impenetrable wall. The young Familiar would cry her way throughout the day. Still, she didn’t lose hope. That very Saturday was when Rosette and her family decided to show up and check out the facilities of her best friend’s restaurant. She thought it was a good idea to see her at work because she seemed friendly and smiling all the time. She really wasn’t prepared for what she really found that fateful day. As she entered the restaurant, she was greeted by her friend. Right then, she knew something was wrong. The outfit Hazel was in was something she knew she would never feel comfortable in. It was the type of outfit that if she was ever caught in it by her friends, she would blush with embarrassment and hide her face from the crowd. But that didn’t happen. She just approached with a smile on her face. It wasn’t a forced smile, it seemed natural. Even more peculiar, she didn’t display her timid and shy nature; she seemed rather confident. “Welcome to Beauteous Restaurant, a place meant for the young and old alike to eat, drink, be merry, and be entertained!” she gave the signature greeting of the restaurant. “I’m Hazlet; please follow me as I guide you to your table” After she spoke, she turned about face and started walking to the table. Rosette and her family just followed her. Oddly enough, as she walked, she did a catwalk like a model. Now something was up; she hated modeling or anything to do with it, and she hates make-up. When they got to their table, she let them sit down before pouring them a glass of water each. She then rang a bell she carried around to signal Spring to come over. “Hey Hazel, you alright?” Rosette asked with worry. She turned her head and smiled. “Of course I am, child. When have I never been?” Rosette’s jaw dropped nearly all the way to the floor. Did her best friend just call her ‘child’? And did she just talk like an adult woman? She stared worriedly at the seemingly-confused girl who stood beside her. “Why do you look upset, child? Can I get you something?” Rosette looked like she was staring at a ghost. “Hazel, it’s me, Rosette. Remember, your best friend?” ________________________________________ In her mind, Hester was watching. She was getting scared all at once as she looked at the mind’s limp figure of Hazel. In her mind, when she was in that spell, her figure was grey and her eyes were lifeless. Forgive me for this, my dear Partner. But I must act now while I have a chance. ________________________________________ Hester gained temporary control of Hazel’s body. Familiars could do this at times, and she knew Hazel would hate this, but this was an emergency. She leaned into Rosette’s ear, and whispered, “Save us, Rosette!” It took a huge amount of her own energy to do an act like that, so it was no surprise that after those words exited her mouth, she retreated back into the safety of Hazel’s body to watch her Partner’s form. Hazel herself just went back into her position form earlier as though nothing happened. And just in time too; Spring had finally arrived to take orders. That was her signal to go and attend to her affairs. “Welcome to Beauteous Restaurant, may I take your order?” she asked while getting ready with her notepad and pen. ________________________________________ “Everyone, please stay in your seats” Deceptive called out on the microphone as she announced it was the Hourly Entertainment Period. “The show shall begin momentarily” Rosette sat down in her seat with her family as they waited for the show. She wanted to see her friend. ‘Save us, Rosette’? What did she mean by that? Was someone controlling them into making them act the way they are? Who did they need saving from? The curtains on the stage parted before the lights turned off. Then, in the darkness, three shadows appeared. One was sitting while the other two were standing. The first light reappeared on Hazel as she sat on a chair with her book of poems in her hands. Two lights then appeared on her brother and sister. Then the act began as Hazel read the poem, her brother and sister reenacted it. Her sister was the protagonist whilst her brother was the antagonist. I was angry with my friend; I told my wrath, my wrath did end. I was angry with my foe: I told it not, my wrath did grow. And I watered it in fears, Night & morning with my tears: And I sunned it with smiles, And with soft deceitful wiles. And it grew both day and night. Till it bore an apple bright. And my foe beheld it shine, And he knew that it was mine. And into my garden stole, When the night had veiled the pole; In the morning glad I see; My foe outstretched beneath the tree By the time the act was over, Hazel closed her book while her brother lay on the stage as though dead and her sister stood above him as though proud. The lights on stage then turned off as the curtains closed. Then the lights in the whole restaurant came back. Deceptive then stood on stage, the microphone in her hand as she called for the curtain call. “Bravo! The trick of the hour! Let’s hear for our cast!” Right then, each appeared and bowed as their names were called. “Your Narrator, Hazlet. Your Protagonist, Summer. Your Antagonist, Troy. And for course, you have your Director, me Deceptive Beauty!” Right after that, the children immediately went behind the curtains again as they readied to hurry back to their positions. Rosette excused herself from her mother by saying she needed to use the restroom. In reality, she only left because now was her chance to catch her glimpse of Hazel and talk to her before the girl went back to her business. It wasn’t hard to find her backstage. Spring and Trey had already left to take care of their own business. Hazel was putting her book back into the shelf by the time Rosette found her. “Hazel!” she called to her. She wasn’t aware that it only made her think she was someone here to sabotage the restaurant. When the black-haired girl turned her head, she saw Rosette as a threat. Eyes turned like a cat’s, as expected, as she let out a snarl. Rosette flinched at that. She snarled at her. Hazel Nut Vine, her best friend, just snarled at her! She’s seen her have these tendencies at school, but those were more tamed and it was to defend her. This was different; it was more feral and she looked like she meant it. Still, she didn’t back down. She walked over to her now-crouching down friend. “Hazel, please. I know you this isn’t you. Fight it!” The only thing it did was make her growl and lunge at her, pinning her to the wall. Rosette looked up to see that some sort of monster had taken over the place of her shy best friend. The eyes that were once filled with a shy and timid demeanor had been replaced by rage and ferocity. Hazel was baring her sharp fangs that had been developing since Grade 5. Rosette knew that she was serious. She tried to struggle against her force, but she was surprisingly strong. She knew that it would mean she was about to get hurt by her friend. Still, she saw a hint of distress in her eyes, as though calling for help. She had to help her find the strength to break free. “Hazel, I know you’re in there! Whatever’s controlling you, fight it!” ________________________________________ From inside the black-haired girl’s mind, Hester heard it and was trying to get her Partner to regain control of her body. “Come on, my dear!” she kept shaking her figure. “Your friend’s in trouble!” Hazel’s grey figure only hung limp. ________________________________________ Hazel hissed in response. Rosette’s eyes begin to water from the sight. “Hazel, please” ________________________________________ Hester didn’t give up. She then dragged her Partner’s figure to the area where she was able to view what went on outside. She then lifted her head to see. Hazel’s eyes went around as though dizzy. Eventually they stayed still in one place, right at the screen. Then something happened. When Hazel saw Rosette’s scared face and how she was about to bite her, her eyes returned back to life. “Rose…ette…” she choked out. Hester then noticed that Hazel’s figure, her colors, was coming back. Before long, her colors all returned as life inside her eyes came back. Hazel took a deep breath as she regained control of her body. ________________________________________ Rosette cringed in fear and she shut her eyes tightly as Hazel prepared to bite her. She swore those fangs were so sharp that one bite in the neck could kill someone in an instant. She couldn’t believe she was practically gonna die at the hands of her own best friend. She closed her eyes for her fate when all of the sudden, the force applied on her was gone. She opened her eyes slowly to see that Hazel’s eyes had returned to normal and now displayed a scared emotion. She then backed up, allowing Rosette to move. Her eyes then filled with tears as the make-up applied on her began to get smudged. “Hazel…” Before she could get a chance to talk to her, the scared girl ran off. Rosette didn’t waste a second as she chased after her. They dashed through the halls. One was running due to the fear that she lost her friend. The other was running to catch up and help her friend. Still, as she ran, she couldn’t believe what just happened. A while back it seemed there was no hope that she could reach out to her, but at the last minute, she came out of her state just in time. Finally, Hazel ran into the restroom for employees and hid in a cubicle. Rosette went in after her. The shorter girl looked around and followed the sounds of someone crying. She finally found the cubicle that Hazel was hiding in. Putting her ear against the wall of the cubicle, she heard the sounds of her friend sobbing uncontrollably. She was hesitant, but she knocked on the door. “Hazel? It’s Rosette” She only heard sobbing. “Go away! I’m a bad child! A bad one!” “Hazel, please. Please come out. We can talk about it” There was sniffling being heard inside. Then the clack of a door was heard. Rosette backed up to see her friend. The door opened and she saw Hazel still crying. Her eyeliner and blush were now smudged from her tears. The crying girl looked down in shame as she sobbed. “I’m…sorry…” she choked out from the sobs. “I’m so…sorry…” Rosette knew that tone anywhere. That was her Hazel. She knew that she was scared about how she could’ve hurt or even killed her own best friend. “I didn’t mean…to hurt you…Rosette…” She was surprised when her victim pulled her in for a hug. She forgave her? She could’ve killed her, but she still forgave her? She felt the calmness in the hug. There was assurance in it as she felt Rosette apt her back. Scared, but not wanting to seem hostile, Hazel slowly raised her arms to return the hug. They were in that state for a bit, and then Rosette let her go. Rosette lifted her friend’s face so they were eye to eye. She gave her a warm smile. “You’re not…mad at me?” “Hazel, I knew my own best friend would never want to hurt me” The shy girl let out a sigh of relief. Rosette led her to a nearby bench in the restroom and they sat down together. “Tell me, who made you do this?” Hazel sighed. It was time to reveal the truth behind the family. ________________________________________ For the past few minutes, Hazel had been confessing about the works that her mother had done to her and the family. How she took away her confidence. How she broke her sister. How she was kept intact by Hester. How her mother was controlling them through a pendant. “It has our souls” she added. “But mostly only my brother and sister’s. I managed to retain mine because the effects of the pendant only control those with disorders, not take their souls” “That would explain the feral behavior. I knew something was up” “Because I wasn’t acting like myself?” “No, because you would never dress like a princess in a crowd without feeling shy or scared” Hazel then noticed her outfit before covering her face. From the trails that her tears peeled away the make-up, one could see a blush of embarrassment creep up on her face as she let out an ‘Eeep!’ Rosette chuckled. “Yep, that’s my Hazel, always hates the make-up” “What are we gonna do? My mom would kill me when she sees that I smudged my make-up! She’ll find out how half my soul managed to stay in my body!” “Relax!” Rosette then pulled out a small make-up kit. Hazel’s jaw dropped. “How do you carry that around?” “I have my ways” she said before grabbing a wet tissue and handing it to Hazel. “First, clean up your old make-up” Hazel nodded before doing as she was told. “I’m sorry about almost biting you” “It’s alright. By the way, how did you find a way to regain control?” “You can thank Hester for that. She saw everything from her being a Familiar so she dragged my limp soul to where she viewed everything. When I saw what was happening, I was just filled with enough courage to break out of my confinement and regain control over my body” Hazel said as she wiped her face clean. Rosette nodded. “Good thing you got a Familiar who could do that” “Yeah” she then cringed. “What’s wrong?” Hazel’s eyes turned white, then back to normal as she regained herself. “We have to be quick. It won’t be long before I go back into that zombie-like state called Hazlet” Rosette grabbed a brush and had Hazel sit still. “Then hold still and we’ll get you back in your disguise in no time” ________________________________________ The duo was lucky that it was Hazel’s rest break that time. Rosette was quick in her work and she finished working on Hazel in a matter of about five minutes. Before long, she looked like her Hazlet self. “That is so cool” Hazel said while she looked into the mirror. “Thank you” “My pleasure. Though, I have to ask, you said the pendant, when used on one with a disorder, only controls them but didn’t take their soul, right?” “Yes?” “You have a disorder??” “Yep. The whole trauma had caused me to develop Mild Bipolar Disorder. Hester is a bit Schizophrenic” “How come we didn’t notice it at school?” “Mine’s mild so it can’t be too obvious, and Hester could hide. We only ever let it out when alone. Promise you tell anyone?” “I promise. Let’s go” Both hurried back to their posts just in time as Hazel went back into her Hazlet manner. Rosette managed to make it back to her family just in time as well. “Where were you?” her mother asked. “Talking to my friend” ________________________________________ Hazel’s figure began to turn grey again. She smiled at Hester. “You did well, Hest. You did well” “My pleasure. Don’t worry, our freedom is near” “I’ll hold you to that” Hazel said before her eyes turned lifeless again and she was completely grey. Hester pulled her friend close for a hug. “I promise you”