fic: False Endings [tester chapter/prologue]
Title: Happy False Endings
Author: breathe_it_in94
Fandom: AU Demi/Selena, unknown pairings
Chapter: Prologue/?
Rating: M/NC-17 for violence, language, and maybe sexual content
Summary: Just because an ending's happy, doesn't mean it was true.
Disclaimer: I don't own Demi, Selena, Braison, Miley, or any other adult characters probably. I own just the plot, and most of the kids.
A/N: I'm putting this as the prologue, but it's really just a tester chapter to see who would actually read it. So comment and let me know if I should continue or not? Thanks!
“Demi, can you tell us a bedtime story?”
You look up from the bed you were making, caught lost in your thoughts once more. The girl’s eyes are gray, darker now in the dim light. Her short hair, covered halfway by her black skullcap, is tangled and slightly frizzy. She hasn’t brushed it yet. Her blanket is draped over her shoulders; one hand clutches it, the other is inching towards her mouth, thumb extended. She hasn’t washed her face either; dirt is smudged on her cheeks from earlier today.
You don’t say anything for a while as her question registers in your muddled mind. Then you raise an eyebrow. “It’s late,” you say flatly.
The girl’s expression doesn’t change, but she pushes her free hand towards you, pinky finger out. “I’ll make my bed tomorrow without complaining. Promise,” she says just as tonelessly. You look on for a few more moments before hooking your pinky with hers.
Keeping your fingers together, she walks you to the center of the floor. You sit down, legs crossed, and she sits in front of you in the same way.
“Come on,” you call out, loud enough for everyone to hear. “One story. Then bed. Come on, everyone.”
They come quickly, gathering around you to make a circle. Thirteen of them. You look around at each of their faces, catching each of their gazes. You speak quietly to make them listen.
The beginning you give them is truthful: a girl was separated from her parents and siblings.
The middle you give them is also true: the girl wandered alone for years, trying to survive.
The ending you give them is a happy one: the girl found her family and lived happily ever after.
But just because an ending’s happy, doesn’t mean it’s true.
“Good, everyone?” you say once the story’s done. They all have smiles on their faces, none of them exactly tired. “Good,” you say. “Now off to bed. Night, everyone.”
The girl on your right starts it off as she does every night like this. She stands and presses her lips to your cheek before walking away with a “Night, Demi.” The others follow in a line, each one repeating the two words, except for one, and then they all are in bed. This is a ritual they started; you tried to make them stop at first, but you gave up.
You stand, walk back to your bed, and finish making it. You sit on top of the blanket and bring your bag over to you. You pull out the shotgun, make sure it’s loaded, but not cocked, and place it on its side by your bed. You take your .22 and close your bag. The silver pistol is set beside you, your bag placed over it.
“Braison,” you call, looking across the room for the boy.
“Got it,” he calls, holding his similar pistol up for you to see before placing it under his bag as well. Your eyes meet, and you send that silent message to him. He nods, and then you find yourself lost in the emptiness of space yet again, as he lays down and your line of sight is clear. “Night, Demi,” he says again, this time in a near whisper.
It takes you more than a few moments to pull yourself from that emptiness. You blink suddenly as something wet trails down your cheek. You glance around once more, and once you see they are all asleep, you lay down yourself, your face towards the small fire you had all gathered around earlier. You stare into the flames, your thoughts lost in the bright dance, until you drift into that half-asleep state you’re in every night. One hand under your bag. Both hands on a gun.