Raven dropped the book she had borrowed off in the library on her way home. She needed to fill Clair in on everything about the princess's visit to their class. She wandered over to the stairwell quickly, feeling herself bouncing with excitement.
"Raven!" Raven paused at the top of the stairs to glance around. Her happy giddiness turned into a hard knot in her stomach as Rosila's lap dogs hurried over to her.
"Yes?" Raven asked nervously glancing around. She wondered where their leader was as Rosila seemed to be out of sight. Honey and Ginger paused to catch their breath, smiling at each other.
"We wanted to talk with you. It's about Rosila." Honey told her as Raven fidgeted. Ginger nodded seriously as her curls bounced on her head. Raven realized they were waiting for her to say something and swallowed hard.
"Oh?" Raven ventured as they bounced in unison. She realized that the twins in sync behavior was creepy as all hell.
"Let's be honest with each other. Rose is a bitch, and nobody likes her. The boy's only like her because she is pretty, and the adults only pity her because her mother is a whore. If the three of us work together we can get her out of our lives for good." Ginger told her as Honey nodded.
"We did always like you best." Honey added, looping her arm through Ravens. Raven frowned at the two of them confused.
"You do?" Raven asked. She was always pretty sure that Honey and Ginger actually liked to bully her more than Rosila did and never did any physical harm to her because Rosila didn't allow it. But Rosila wasn't here. Raven felt her gut tighten as Honey pulled her down the stairs smiling her fake smiles and nodding. Rosila's fake smiles were better.
"You are nice to everyone while Rosila just bosses us around. She says she isn't interested in dating, but then I see her around with Tanner all of the time!" Ginger hissed as Honey nodded.
"So, you like me better because I would never end up dating the most popular guy in class?" Raven wondered as she considered it. She had always gotten the vibe that Tanner stalked Rosila and tried to pressure her into dating him. Not the other way around. Rosila was eighteen now and considered an adult. Free to marry and start a family or work. This would be her final year in the class alongside Raven and a few others.
"Exactly. So, we were thinking if we help each other out, we could get rid of Rosila at the ball. If she marries a foreign prince she will leave and never come back." Ginger growled bitterly as Honey nodded. Raven followed them as they wandered into the woods, away from the village and farmland. Any time she tried to pull away, Honey would tighten her grip making Raven flinch.
"That will leave Tanner to us." Honey giggled as Raven chuckled with them nervously.
"So then how do I help Rosila snag a prince?" Raven asked unsure. She already had decided to avoid them at the ball as much as she could. Were they asking her to not go at all?
"Oh, that's the easy part." Ginger assured her. Raven frowned confused as Honey twisted her arm painfully, forcing her down into the ground. "We simply make you the ugliest of them all." Ginger giggled as Honey sat on her, forcing Raven down into the mud and roots.
Raven began to panic trying to force herself back up, so she could run away. The fabric of her skirt caught in the bushes as the mud beneath her gave her no leverage. Honey still had her arm in a grip, pulling it back so Raven couldn't use it or get good enough leverage. It felt like she was going to try and pull it out of the socket.
"Oh, shut up. We are doing this for you." Honey hissed as she scooted forward so that most of her weight was on Ravens rib cage, causing her to take shallow breaths. Raven tried to scream, only letting out a deflated squeak into the mud. No one would hear her cries for help.
Dad! Raven thought helplessly wishing he would come to her aid as the lack of air caused her to pass out. She only caught a glimpse of the rusty blade Ginger held, before her vision went dark.
* * * * * * *
Rosila frowned as she wandered away from the stairs into the forest. It was only early spring, making her smile at the flower buds getting ready to bloom. She crouched down to pet them gently wondering where Raven had run off too. Perhaps she had made it home safe.
She stood pouting at the forest wondering if she was imagining things. Ginger and Honey were a dark pair, always eager for violence. Spitting words with venom were never enough for them. If they had plans for Raven, she had no doubt they would take things too far.
"Ha, ha. She is going to be in for a surprise when she wakes up!" Ginger laughed obnoxiously as Rosila quickly hid behind a tree.
"Just wait until Rosila sees what we did. She will have to stop dating Tanner and marry a prince." Honey giggled as the sisters made their way back to the stairs.
"I'm not dating anyone. Especially that pig head." Rosila hissed under her breath. She paused when she remembered something Ginger had said. When she wakes up...
"Raven." Rosila muttered, dashing in the direction the twins had come from. They weren't always the brightest pair making it easy to retrace their steps once she was heading in the right direction.
Rosila growled under her breath wondering what they had done. She hated all of them. The girls were just fakes, jealous of her beauty while the boys, and even some grown men, lusted after her body.
She wasn't interested in dating anyone. At least anyone from Trayson. She didn't even care if he was of noble blood. She just wanted someone to take her away from this goddamn place. Or for someone to give her an excuse to run away and never look back.
She panted as she stared at the lose black hair swimming around in the mud. The girl she had admired was lying unconscious face down in the mud, her hair cut short, and her clothes torn to shreds. Rosila found herself kneeling beside her, rolling Raven onto her back. She sighed in relief when Raven was breathing.
"Those bumbling idiots!" Rosila hissed under her breath glancing over her shoulder. She couldn't see anything through the tree line and struggled with her reasoning. "I can't be caught helping you. If she finds out... I'm sorry." Rosila said, getting to her feet and walking away. She paused glancing back at the outcast, red cuts standing out against her pale skin. Rosila stomped around in a circle angrily.
"I told them. I told them never to lay a hand on you. Why would they do something like this? I mean I know I haven't been very nice to you, but that's because I hate you. They have no reason to hate you like I do. If you weren't born things would have been different. I could have been happy. But he chose your mother over mine." Rosila growled as Raven simply laid there. Rosila sighed realizing she was being a fool. Raven didn't know how their father had caused her mother so much grief and misery.
She was forced to listen to her mother as she drunkenly blamed Raven's mother for stealing away the love of her life. If Rosila didn't carry on the grudge then her mother tormented her as only her mother could, by blaming her instead. Rosila wandered back over to Raven brushing the mud off her face as she lifted her head into her lap.
"How is it you can find parents that don't even belong to you, but love you as their own? While I... My parents don't even want me. They blame me for everything that went wrong. Not that it's really your fault. I just needed someone to blame.
“But don't worry. I have decided I am going to find myself someone at this ball and run away from Trayson for good. Then we will be free of each other." Rosila told her as she ran her fingers through her sister's hair. Jet black, short, and now uneven. Short hair was not a flattering look on her she decided.
Rosila flinched when the rain began to trickle, splattering both Raven and her. They needed to either get help or find shelter. Help was out of the question Rosila decided, glancing around. Just a little deeper into the forest sat a hollow trunk. Rosila nodded, getting to her feet and grunting as she tried to drag Raven over to their temporary shelter.
"Geeze, how can you be so heavy? You're not even fat." Rosila grunted as she struggled. Most of Raven’s clothing had been shredded beyond repair and Rosila blushed when her top fell off. So, pale next to her tan skin. Rosila laid Raven down in the small shelter, covering her with her shawl to keep her warm.
She curled up by the entrance and decided to keep watch. Only to find herself dozing lightly. The tree was warm and comforting, making Rosila smile softly. Plants would always be better than any other living thing Rosila decided. She startled awake to find the rain had picked up and the sky was dark.
"Raven!" A man shouted in the distance making Rosila get to her feet. Someone was looking for Raven. Chances were, that someone was her military father, Hank. Rosila waited as Hank shouted again, sounding like he was further away. If he was going the wrong way, he would never find Raven. Rosila glanced at her half-sister that had remained unchanged and dashed out into the rain.
She followed Hank's voice, slowing when she realized if he saw her, her mother would know she helped Raven. She caught a glimpse of a man carrying a lantern as he searched the woods for his daughter. He was wandering away in the wrong direction, peering through the rain.
Rosila growled grabbing a rock and throwing it to his side, hitting the tree. She just had to help Raven without getting caught she decided. Hank turned her way, and she ran back through the forest as he yelled after her.
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