Nightshade: A SimLit | Chapter 72: The Worst Kind Of Pain
The moonlight shining through the parted curtains was the only thing illuminating the dark corner of the room. It was one of the rare nights that Tiffany desired Orion, although only in one specific way. It was times like this that he tried to remind himself why he stayed with her -- the threats that she'd make sure he'd never see the kids again if he didn't. He knew he had no option but to endure her torment, yet to him, this was her ultimate cruelty. Her fingers curled around his wrists felt like barbed wire wrapped tightly, snaring him in an agonizing grip. Her touch was repulsive, and when she slid her hands along his torso, he could hardly stomach the anxiety-induced sickness. The only escape was his mind, which wandered aimlessly, or perhaps it was only blank -- he was anywhere but here, thinking of anything other than the act he'd be forced to perform. Despite how many years ago it was, nothing had ever been the same since that day. The day she'd first wrapped her hands around his neck, choking him until the corners of his vision were blurred before sinking her fangs deeply into his veins, draining his life, his dignity... the day she'd pinned him to the bed, ignoring him no matter how much he begged for her to stop. He could still remember how weak he felt, helpless to even try to fight against her. He could still hear her degrading words vividly, feel the tears on his cheeks as though they were still fresh...
Ever since that day, her lips tasted unbearably bitter.
He snapped back to reality at the sound of Tiffany's voice, sounding impatient and irritable. "Why do you always act like this? I'm getting sick of it," she grumbled, sliding her hands to his chest.
"W-What?" Orion stammered.
"You know what." Her eyes narrowed. "It's like I'm making out with a mannequin. Can't you, I don't know, do something? You should just be thankful I'm even interested. At least pretend you're enjoying it..."
The words cut deep and he brought up a shaky hand to place on her arm, gently trying to push it away. "I-I... I can't."
She glanced up at him, noticing that his eyes were starting to water. "You can't what?" Her hands were still placed firmly on his skin, refusing to budge.
"I can't pretend that I want this. H-How do you expect me to?" Orion looked away. "Y-You don't understand... no, you do understand, but you don't care. You go out and sleep with other people all the time, anyway... you don't want me. You're only doing this because you know it hurts..."
Tiffany's voice turned loud and threatening as she leaned in closer. "Are you saying you don't even want me anymore? You really think you have the power to reject me? I don't take no for an answer, Orion--"
"J-Just stop! Please!"
Pushing her away was far from an act of aggression, but he knew that he wouldn't go unpunished for it.
In a house where the walls were thin, nothing went unnoticed by people nearby. The twins were so light that the aging floorboards didn't creak when they stepped out of their room and tiptoed towards their parents' bedroom.
"They're bickering again..." Rocket whispered. "Can you hear what they're saying?"
Meteor looked down at the floor as the muffled voices grew a little louder. "N-No... I don't even know if I want to. D-Do you think we should get Onyx and Amelia?"
Rocket sighed. "No, they're probably asleep. It's not like they can make mom and dad stop, anyway..."
"I can't believe that you would even dare to put your hands on me. What's wrong with you?" Tiffany growled. "You're going to regret that."
"I-I..." Orion was trembling, anticipating the violence that was sure to ensue. "I wasn't trying to hurt you... I'm sorry...!"
To his surprise, she simply began to walk past him, shooting him a menacing glare as she did. "You? Hurt me? You could never do that. But trust me when I say that there is a whole world of pain ahead for you."
Tiffany shuffled to put her pajamas back on and left the room, nearly slamming the door before she noticed Rocket and Meteor standing in front of her. "...what are you doing up so late?"
"W-We couldn't sleep and heard voices and..." Meteor's voice trailed off and he looked away.
She sighed heavily in response and turned toward their room. "Alright, back to bed, both of you."
The three of them silently walked to the bedroom, but before she could shut their door and leave, Rocket turned to look at her. "...why are you and dad always fighting?"
Tiffany was speechless for a moment, but then walked over to one of the beds and sat down. "...come here. I'll tell you, but it's... a complicated kind of thing."
The boys sat on their beds, and Rocket curled his knees to his chest. "Complicated? I-I don't understand, mom... don't you love each other?"
"Of course I love your father," Tiffany began gently, averting her gaze to the floor. She was a skilled manipulator, and she prepared her act quickly. "I never wanted you to find out any of this... but you deserve to know the truth. He's the one that lacks love. He's abusive, and manipulative..."
Meteor's eyes widened in horror. "W-What... what do you mean...?"
"H-He's done so many terrible things to me," she continued. "I only endure his abuse because I love you. If I were to leave, he says he could take you away from me, do you understand? I-I know I may not always be the best mother, but it's only..." She paused to sniffle. "...It's only because I'm so stressed. Your father doesn't love me, or you... he doesn't love anyone. He puts on an act to seem like he's a good person, but a good person could never do the things he does... I'm so sorry... you deserve so much better than for this man to be your father..."
Meteor's eyes filled with tears as he listened, and he glanced to his brother, who looked equally as shocked. Although neither of them could remember their youngest years, they only remembered happy times with Orion. The father that loved them and raised them, the man that had always shown them a gentle smile and a tender heart... had everything they'd ever known been nothing more than a farce? Their feelings that night were the deepest ache that either of them had felt, or would ever feel, in their lifetime.
The soft sound of crickets chirping, a cool autumn breeze... late night walks were always soothing. It had become a bit of a routine for Alexander and Brynn lately. As a result of getting older, she wasn't as active as she used to be, but she still enjoyed getting out of the house and breathing in the fresh air.
"So, you talked to Amelia earlier today, right?" Brynn asked as they walked along the sidewalk.
Alexander nodded. "Yeah, she said everyone's doing okay, but things are kind of busy with kids around. She said her art's selling really well right now, too." He grinned. "Onyx is writing yet another romance novel. I don't think he could write another genre if his life depended on it."
She smiled. "We should really go visit them sometime soon."
"Yeah," he agreed. "Next time I get a vacation day off of work, we'll surprise them with a visit."
"You always want to surprise them with visits. We never tell them we're coming over." Brynn raised an eyebrow playfully. "You should give them more time to ready themselves for you to be around."
"Hey, what is that supposed to mean?" Alexander laughed. "I just like being full of surprises."
"Well, that you are--"
Her sentence was interrupted with a pained yelp as she fell to the ground and landed on her backside. For a moment, even she wasn't sure what happened, but a sharp pain radiating from her ankle up her calf made her realize it must have something to do with her leg.
"Brynn!?" Alexander scrambled over and dropped down beside of her. "What's wrong? Are you okay...!?"
She nodded. "Y-Yeah, I just... stepped the wrong way and did something to my leg, I think... either that or I lost my balance and twisted my ankle on the way down."
He sighed heavily, glancing away for a moment. "Y-You can't scare me like that..."
"Scare you? If anyone's startled, it's me." She tried to laugh, but it was clear her smile was more of a grimace.
"Here, let me help you..." Alexander came closer.
"No, no, I'm perfectly fine." Brynn started to try to stand up. "It barely even hurts."
Not caring about her objections, he lifted her off of the ground with a bit of a struggle that he tried not to make obvious. "You're not walking. I'm carrying you and making sure you're not really injured."
"But-"
"No buts."
Knowing she was fighting a losing battle, Brynn just smiled playfully. "Alright. But I have to say... I'm surprised you were even able to lift me off of the ground. You're so out of shape."
For once, Alexander didn't make a witty remark back and simply snickered before heading toward the house, deep down just as surprised as she was.
"Does it hurt when I press here? What about here?"
"Alexander..." Brynn sighed. "I-I mean yeah, I guess it kind of hurts everywhere. But I just sprained something, it's not broken or anything. I'm fine."
"I'm just making sure. You worried me to death. But if you're sure you're okay, then... I'm glad."
She sighed. "You don't have to worry so much about me. I get that us elders are more prone to injuries and falls, but I'm not that fragile yet."
. Elders. The word embedded in his brain and wouldn't dislodge. Alexander quickly let go of her leg and turned away, searching for words but none came.
"...what's wrong?" Brynn frowned and adjusted her seated position.
"You say you're not that fragile," he began shakily, "but your life itself is very fragile to me, Brynn."
There was a long silence between them before she carefully spoke, as if her voice itself was gasoline pouring onto a fire. "Alexander--"
He interrupted. "No, listen to me. I just... I really can't take this anymore. Watching you wither away, like a plucked flower in a vase..."
"Not this again..." Brynn's eyebrows furrowed and she looked down, squeezing her eyes tightly shut. "We've already had this discussion, Alexander."
"Yeah, a long time ago. Are you saying you've never even reconsidered...?" He frowned.
She nodded hesitantly. "I'm still not becoming a vampire. That isn't what I want... why do you keep pushing me to do it?"
"I-It doesn't even have to be that now! What about the anti-aging serum--"
"I don't want to be immortal!" Brynn exclaimed. "I just want to be a normal human, that's what I'm always going to want to be, so please stop making me feel so guilty about it...!"
"You should feel guilty!" Alexander snapped, whirling around to look at her. "You're so selfish! You only ever think about what you want! After this many years of marriage, you still just can't stand to think about being stuck with me for eternity, I guess! You'd just... rather die! Did you ever stop to consider how this is going to make me feel? It's like you don't even care how much you're hurting me!"
Brynn gasped, flinching the slightest bit as he lashed out. "...Alexander... I..."
His eyes filled with tears. "You don't understand! You can't understand..." He choked back a sob, his voice finally softening. "W-what am I going to do when you're gone? How am I supposed to recover from losing someone I love so much...?"
Without a word, Brynn reached out and pulled him into an embrace, which he returned almost desperately. Blinking back her own tears, she rubbed his back soothingly. "I never meant to make you feel like this... I don't want to hurt you, Alexander. But understand... I was born human. I was born to die. That's the inescapable outcome of life, Alexander..."
"I can't lose you," he sobbed. "I won't be able to take it..."
"No one is ever truly lost as long as they're not forgotten. That's the beautiful thing about your immortality... through you, I will live forever. You'll be okay... everything's going to be okay."
Alexander fell silent, tightening his grip around her. He could only cry harder at the realization that there would never be any changing her mind, that he'd have to carry the burden of pain that she'd leave behind for the rest of eternity. It was only then, for the first time in all of these years, that it became truly clear in his mind: She was human. She was mortal. She was going to die. And he could do nothing to stop it. Perhaps acknowledging this was the beginning of acceptance.
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