‡ Promise 15: The Three Sins ‡

-As told by Lily-

hrough the woods, the girl named "Fray" pulls me, with surprising strength. She's a lot shorter than me and looks a lot younger, yet she seems to have many years of experience that would widely surpass my own. In other words, she seems like an old woman, trapped in a child's body. This is both creepy and fascinating to me. After a while of sprinting, she stops in a clearing in the woods, far away from Keith and the tall cloaked man.
As if we were having a slumber party, she sat down in the grass and waited for me to sit down, so she may tell me a big secret. "Well, now." she nods, her accent bold and her eyes bright with excitement, "You wish to die, do you?" "No," I reply, "I only want to be friends. Why can't demons and human co-exist? Is it really that strange?" "They just can't," she answers my question, "And yes, the concept is very odd. From the dawn of time, demons and the dead never played with the living, and vice versa. We have maimed and killed each other, but for friendship certainly not!"
"But why?" I whined, hating that I sound like a little kid. "I don't know why." she shrugs, "It's just the way things are, you see. There is only one way the living can join forces with the likes of us... it's to die. But then, if the living dies, they're not the living anymore, are they?" She giggles at her own observation. "Yeah, well," I frown, "I don't see why I can't just say hello and hang out with Mr. Rolmir, every now and then, without dying." "It matters not what you can and can not see." she waves, "What is, has been, and will continue to be. Que serra serra and all that."
"Well," I frown, "You're not a demon. How did you get in, just by dying?" "Clever one, you are." she sighs, "Yes, I am not a demon. But I just didn't simply die, either. I gained my place in my Master's kingdom, after committing the Three Sins, yes." "Three sins?" I asks. "Yes," she grins, "I've named it so, because it sounds 'cool'. Really, the word 'sin' has no meaning to us of the dead. It's a mortal's word, you see. But I have committed three acts, to earn my place in Rolmir's Kingdom, yes."
I wanted to ask, but was afraid what the answers would be. Sensing this, she went on to explaining them more willingly, not caring if I could handle it or not. "The Three Sins," she cheerfully continues, "Are as follows: Madness, Murder, and Suicide. I wanted to be of the darkness, since a little girl, and this want drove me into utter madness. My family was of high status and couldn't stomach to send their daughter to the asylum, but instead locked me in a room, hidden deep within the manor.
"But you see, it would've done them well to forget all pride and send me away, for I did escape and began my murder spree. Well, it would have been well for them, but not for me if they had sent me away." She grumbles over that observation, as the fear rises in me, Murder spree?. She laughs, noticing my fear, "Don't worry, love. Bad men and women, they were, criminals. I did the world a good, in my lust for darkness, yes? But with no evidence, only with the facts that I could see, many thought the slain were innocent. Only were they ever wrong. I knew of the dark things they have done!"
I inch away, a little, my heart pounding. "Well, now." she says, thinking to herself, "What did I forget? Yes, the last sin! Suicide. After the mounting bodies started to pile and suspicions were turning towards my parents, I felt heartache, because I was no closer to darkness as I wished to be. I threw one last tea party with my dolls and in the middle of the event, I hung myself from the ceiling! That was the last of my mortal life, you see. I've been freed to exist among the dead.
"You see, deary, the only way to reach the dark kingdom is to take drastic steps! They don't allow 'groupies' in, yes. Even if you piss off Master and he rips you into bloody pieces, well, you still wouldn't have your way, would you? You see, you haven't really proved yourself worthy in any way, have you? So, you'd die and your soul will be whisked away to that other place, that souls do go. But it will be a place unlike ours, a waste really, if you ask me."
"So," I said, my voice getting louder, "The only way for me to say 'hello' to Keith is to go crazy, murder a bunch of people, and then kill myself!?" "Well, no." she shrugs, "It doesn't have to be in that order! You could murder, go mental, then commit suicide. Or you could skip being mental, murder and steal, and next executed by mortal law. Or there's always the old fashioned way, organize a mass suicide pact, with the intent of dying for the darkness." "This is retarded!" I frown, "Why go through all of that, when I can just wave to Keith over the damn hedges!? Why can't he just wave back and be nice!?"
"Because he can't!" she roars, causing me to lean backwards, "He's a demon and demons do not be friends with mortals! Just deal with it! And, personally, my Master can't stand humans. He hates the part of him that is! So, you're asking him to forget his own distastes, just for you, for your own amusement? You don't have that right!" We sit in silence for a while. "If it makes you feel any better," she says, suddenly, "The dead can sometimes make friends with the living. It's frowned upon, but it's been known to happen anyway. I rather like chatting with you."
"Okay." I said, not knowing what else to say. The last thing I wanted to do was piss off the crazy-girl again. "The sun will be rising soon." she says, more to her dolls than to me, "We should head back, yes." The ragdoll sniffled and the teddy-bear cooed. "A-are those your only dolls?" I ask, a little nervous. "No," she waves, "I have two-hundred babies, deary. I take Teddy with me, everywhere, but Rupert is just a bad boy!" She brutally re-stabs it, blood spatters everywhere, and it shrieks and shudders.
I look away, trying not to puke, from the sight of it's wiggling pained body. "That should teach you to stay home," she nods, "Like a good boy, like the others!" Teddy, as he hangs over his mother's shoulders gives Rupert a disgusted look. "Yeah," I mutter, "I'm going to go home now. Before my mother finds out that I'm missing." This was a total lie, because my mother hardly checks in on me, but I needed a quick excuse to leave.
"I see," she grins, "Well, until later, then." "Yeah." I said, walking away slowly, hoping that she wouldn't attack. As soon as I was a safe distance from her, I ran like hell, all the way back to the fence. I hopped over it, afraid that maybe she was chasing me with another knife to plunge into my back, like she had carelessly done to her "baby". But as I reached my kitchen door and the rising sunlight hit my face, I knew she was gone.
I headed for my room and slept for most of the day, twisting and turning from the nightmares of living dolls and knives. It was three in the afternoon, when I finally sat up in bed, my stomach growling. I wonder how I could have an appetite, with the images of blood, weeping creatures, and flesh peeling away from a claw still etched in my head. It's weird, but it all seems kind of normal to me now, yet terrifying at the same time. I put on my purple robe, with black spiderweb patterns, and head for the kitchen.
"Hello there, sleepy-head." greeted my mother, as I entered the kitchen. I noticed she was sitting with a strange woman, at the kitchen table, both each had a glass of orange juice. I felt embarrassed for some reason, standing there in my robe, and closed it closer to myself. "Hello." I said, politely. "Hi." she nods. "Julia," says my mother, "This is my daughter, Lily. Lily, Ms. Julia is also from New York. She just moved here today, in the house next to us, on the left." "Well," she smiles, "As I've said, it's just temporary. I'm house-sitting for my aunt, who really lives there."
She was pretty, long red hair, and New York trendy style. She hardly seems to fit in a small backwater town like this. And I instantly understood how she must feel. "Must sucks to be here." I said, "I was forced to live in this town, how about you?" "Lily." frowns my mother, but Ms. Julia suddenly perks up. "The same," she nods, "Well, sorta. You see, I promised my sick aunt I would watch her house for a couple of months. And I never break a promise. So, I'm stuck here too. But I'm glad I found a few 'kindred spirits' here, so to speak."
"Well," my mother frowns, "This isn't a bad place. It's cleaner, more peaceful, and safer than the city. Creativity has room to grow here, you know?" "Yes," nods Ms. Julia, "I agree with all of that. I'm just a city-girl, deep in my heart, though. I need the noise and the lights. But, I respect the lifestyle of this town. It is nice and peaceful." That was good enough for my mom, though I couldn't tell if Julia was just being polite or was sincere. "I'm starving." I sigh, taking a seat across from them. "Breakfast is in the fridge." says my mom, "Just heat it up in the microwave.
"It was nice meeting you, Julia, but I have to get back to work. The orders are just pouring in, non-stop." "I understand." Julia nods, standing, "I'll drop by some other time." "Oh, no." giggles my mom, "Stay and finish your juice, by all means. Lily can show you out. Besides, you two are not much far apart in age. You may stay and talk for a while." "Thank you." nods Ms. Julia. As my mother leaves the kitchen, I ask her, "How old are you?" "Twenty-seven." she answered. I roll my eyes, "'Not much far apart in age', huh? Yeah, right! My mother's..." A made a whistling noise, motioning a fork near my head in a small circle.
"I don't know." Julia sighs, "I think your mother is sweet. She reminds me of my great-Grammy." "What, senile?" I said, then instantly felt the weight of my comment, "Oh, I didn't mean to suggest that your grandmother was-" "Oh, great-Grammy was senile, that's for sure." Julia giggles, "But no, that's not what I meant." A moment of awkward silence. "So," I said, pulling my nuked breakfast from the microwave, "Is the city still the same or did it crumble into ruins, as my presence disappeared?"
"It's still there." she assures, "Just a few buildings fell." "Really?" I ask, wondering which buildings. "I'm kidding." she grins. "Oh, right." I blush, "I knew that." We talked for a while, speaking on the hot-spots and landmarks of the city, and the people. I miss the people there, most of all. Julia peers out the kitchen door's window, towards the woods, as a sudden shift of darkness could be felt. "You feel it too?" she asks me, before I could ask her, "It's evil, in it's purest of forms."