A Childhood Incident

So, a part of Jade's backstory is a bit...hazy. In her description, it's said that she has a long, horizontal scar running across her cheek, from an incident when she was a child. Some were confused about it. So, I decided to try and write what had happened. To give some background, Jade used to be called a witch child because of her odd looks, and because she couldn't touch anyone without making them pass out, or become very weak. At home, she would be beaten by her father. But, she made a friend (that she slowly started to fall in love with) that had the same situation at home. They stayed friends for a little, until one night...

  For being eleven years old, I was pretty good at sewing. I took the thread and tied a knot, before snipping it. Then, I wiped the blood from the needle. “There you are,” I murmured to Darel, finishing up putting some bandages and ointment on his back, and wiped my hands on my skirt. I stood and put my stuff away. I had always been good at sewing, having been injured a lot, it was good that I was a fast learner.

“Do you want to tell me what happened?” I asked, turning my head slightly in his direction. He shook his head, slowly sitting up. Pain flickered across his face.

“N-No.” We fell back into silence, and I walked back over to the small mattress on the floor, and sat down with him. Quietly, I leaned into him, being careful not to hurt him. He flinched away slightly. “Are— Are you gonna do that thing to me? The weakening thing?” He asked quietly. I sighed and pulled away completely, leaning forward and resting my head in my hands.

“Only if I make contact with you, like, skin to skin.” I murmured. He sniffed. “Okay.” I heard soft knocking at the front door and froze. It can’t be him. He wouldn’t knock. I looked at Darel, who had also stopped moving, even breathing. He looked terrified.

“H-He’s in my head.” He whispered faintly. I stopped breathing. Darel told me about a man that could do that. His father. I stood sharply, forcing myself to breathe. “Is he here?” I asked, turning to him. He slowly shook his head, and I could see him visibly shaking.

“He sent Nate.” I also heard of him. I’ve seen him a few times, noticing his definite younger age. I furrowed my brow. Why is he so afraid of his younger brother…? The knocking became more persistent, and I saw Darel flinch, his entire body jerk slightly. His breathing was labored. I stepped to the door.

“I-I’ll go get it.” I murmured, flexing my hands. If I needed to, I could get Nate to pass out. After all, he was only nine. Darel jumped up, ignoring his back. “N-No!” The knocking got louder. “You need to st-stay back. Don’t let him near you.” I bit my lip, and turned, opening my bedroom door and stepping into the hallway. Darel hurried after, bumping into the wall, trying to grab me. I moved out of the way.

“Darel, you’re hurt. I can handle your little brother, I promise.” I gave him a faint smile, and he stared at me, his green eyes wild. “N-No, you don’t understand, he’ll get to you, he’ll make you feel things, a-and if my d-d-dad comes….” He trailed off, shaking. I shook my head.

“I’ll be okay.” I ran down the stairs, taking them two at a time, and walked to the door. The knocking had stopped, but I felt a flush of fear run through me, down my spine. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. He makes me feel things. I took a deep breath and raised a shaking hand, before opening the door.

A little kid stood on the other side, his icy blue eyes staring right at me, a small smirk on his face. His hair was cut perfectly, framing his face. He was level with me (I never was that tall), and he stepped over the doorframe.

“So you’re the girl my brother has a crush on.” He said, sizing me up. I remembered how I was when I was nine. Nothing like this. My cheeks flushed, and I glanced away, to Darel at the top of the stairs. He was against the wall, terror lighting up on his face. Nate also noticed him, turning his attention to him.

“Dad’s not really happy that you left. He grounded you, remember?” He said, his voice icy. Darel seemed rooted to the spot at the top of the stairs, his hand wrapped tightly around the railing. I glared back at Nate. “Stop it, you guys are siblings. You shouldn’t treat each other like this.” I said, clenching my fists. Suddenly, the anger was replaced with fear and I gasped slightly, feeling my entire body go cold. He smirked at me.

“I don’t like how you talk to me.” I saw a glint, and looked down, seeing a knife in his hand. “Maybe I should teach you a lesson.” Suddenly, Darel was stumbling down the stairs, gritting his teeth together.

“No! Don’t touch her!” He fell into Nate, knocking them both down, and Nate growled, shoving him off. “I’m not going to do it.” All of a sudden, a shadow was cast over all of us, and I looked up, seeing a tall, dark man, standing in the doorway. My breath caught in my throat, as my eyes met dark ones, staring right at me. Nate grinned, and threw the knife. The man caught it between his fingers, his eyes not leaving mine.

“He is. Hey, dad.” Darel stood shakily, silent. Finally, their father moved his attention from me, to Darel. “Worthless. Didn’t I tell you to go to your room?” He said, his voice low, gruff. It scared me. Darel opened his mouth to explain, but his father kept going. “I’ll punish you at home. But for now…” He looked back at me, and his eyes blazed.

“You’re no longer allowed to see this.” I cringed, but kept my ground, my fists clenched. Darel spoke, his voice weak. “Wh-Why not?” Nate threw his small fist, and it connected with Darel’s gut, sending him to the ground. I pulled my eyes from Darel’s father’s, and growled at Nate.

“Hey!” I started to crouch down to Darel to ask if he was okay, but suddenly, there was a foot in my stomach, and I hit the wall, blacking out for a moment as the pain rang through my head. I slid to the ground, trying to breathe. Everything was spinning.

“Nate, take care of your brother. It seems the brat wants to be punished now.” I saw Nate advance towards Darel, as he tried to push himself onto his elbows. Then, I felt my hair being yanked up, and I yelped, being pulled up to eye level with Darel’s father. Up close, I could see all the creases on his face, scars, his piercing eyes.

“There’s plans for you.” He smiled darkly, and he raised his other hand, the knife glinting. It brushed gently across my cheek, making me shudder. My father never went this far. Behind me, I heard the sickening sound of Nate’s fist connecting with Darel’s flesh, over and over, and Darel’s whimpers. The knife pressed into my cheek.

I reacted without thinking, pulling my glove off my pale hand, touching his hand with mine. Suddenly, memories flashed in my head, making me gasp. Test tubes, a bloody belt, a strange mark with a sword and a snake. A man with a crazed look in his eye. 

Darel’s father hissed, yanking his hand away from me, and I fell to the ground. Suddenly, he seemed weaker slightly, the spark in his eyes fainter. The fight next to us had stopped, Nate looking at me.

“It’s true…” He whispered, awe on his face. I can’t believe it. She really can… I blinked, looking at his lips. They weren’t moving. Wh-What? I looked at Darel, who had a split lip and a bruised jaw, and bloody knuckles. Jade…Jade oh god no… He looked scared, but he wasn’t scared of me. I covered my ears, trying to shove out the voices. What was happening? I remembered Darel’s father, who was still on his feet amazingly, and incredibly angry.

“Take rat home.” He growled, and Nate swallowed, grabbing Darel, and pulled him out. “J-Jade!” He yelped, reaching out to me. But he soon disappeared, and I was left alone with Darel’s father. He raised his fist, and brought it down. I saw the glint of the knife before I registered that it had sliced into my cheek. When my senses caught up with me, I screamed, feeling the blood run down my cheek, my neck.

He grabbed my shirt, pulled me close. “That was a warning. Stay away from Darel.” He whispered, his voice making me shudder. He was so angry. “I have plans for you, witch.” He let me go and I stumbled back, hitting the wall. He wiped the bloody knife off on his coat, and turned and left. I stood there, my knees weak, barely holding me up. Raising a shaking hand up, I gingerly touched my cheek, feeling fresh blood run down it. Tears pricked my eyes.

“O-Oh god.” I whispered. “What did I just d-do?”