Something's on my mind… this chapter might be rated M


Chapter 10

Lovely

His breaths are sweet but shallow. Occasionally there'll be a whistling sound emitting from his throat, something she does not quite favor. He's unconscious, rightfully so, and thus unaware of the panic fueled rage that fills the aura of the room, emitting from the sister that's currently keeping a close eye on his small form. She's upset, and rightfully so… dark thoughts from her past have seen the opened window the current scenario presented, and they enjoy being back. An itch she believed would never return has resurfaced and now she's fighting it as it finds its original place in her wrists. A deep breath clears her head for a moment, but only for a moment.

"Ops! Sorry, I almost didn't see ya!"

Her scowl grows deep as Sophie's voice echoes through her memories. Teeth are exposed as she growls silently in the quiet room. Edd doesn't notice. She doesn't mind. Let him rest. She'll take care of his demons – all of them. She will gather all of her own, the one's she's always tried to escape; she will gather them all, set them all free, to destroy all of his. There will be no mercy for them. They don't deserve it.

"I almost didn't see ya!"

She bites her lip hard, ignores the pain, the copper taste. She ignores it all as the voice echoes in her head, teasing her, testing her – begging her. What does it beg for? A reaction, response; come on and do something about this horrible thing we've done! Do something about us! React to us! React! Something wet drops, lands on her hand in her lap. She looks down. Blood. She bit through her lip.

"I always draw blood."

She stares at the drop resting on her hand. The itch increases urgently in her writs at the sight of the color – the color of life – begging her for the same treatment. She resists. There are more important matters to take care of. With that thought she stands up. Edd's still unconscious, his body resting, recovering from the treatment. She doesn't even want to imagine what his mind might be like at this point. Her gaze momentarily finds the skull on his desk. There's a small crack in it, something she didn't notice before. A sign? Of what? A broken skull or a broken mind? Both?

She leaves his bedroom, silently closing the door though not all the way shut. Her socks make it hard to hear her tread down the carpeted floor, down the stairs. The living room is dark; she forgot to turn on the lights when she came home, carrying Edd. No matter. There's no need for light to make a phone call.

The phone sits proudly and neatly on its own little table in the living room, its own little pedestal. Perfectly dusted, like always. Reaching over, she lifts it up to her ear before typing in the numbers. It rings. First signal, second signal, third… just before the forth someone picks up. Weird noises can be heard on the other side of the line, noises she can't describe nor identify. Voices can be heard, muffled but ever so present. They're not talking to her so she doesn't speak, doesn't respond. Then-

"Hello, this is the Sampson residence, Maggie speaking. Who am I talking to?"

The conversation is short and soon enough Eddy and Ed are knocking on their front door. She sighs, turns on the lights and heads over to let them in. Their eyes are filled with confusion and worry. She doesn't blame them; she has the same eyes.

Voices can be heard, muffled but still ever so present. It wakes Edd up from his quiet yet hurtful rest, and he unsteadily sits up in his bed. For a moment he wonders where he is, the darkness making it hard for him to see properly. He's in his bedroom. Then he wonders how he got here... he doesn't really remember anything after meeting with the school council, heading towards the entrance of the Junior High to wait for… someone…

A headache sets in the moment he tries to remember. There had been commotion, he thinks… other people there who dragged him away, maybe. He gets dizzy when he tries to shake his head clear, falls to his bed and stares tiredly up into the ceiling. His eyes land on the label with "ceiling" written on it. It draws a smile from him, remembering the question Mel had asked him the day before: Why is there a skull in your bedroom? Not; what's with all of the labels? No… she hadn't asked about them, but rather the skull, something that always seems to be the other way around when it comes to people seeing his bedroom for the first time. Why? He doesn't know. Maybe she's different from other people? She sure does seem to be different from Eddy's brother. Just as scary… but… maybe not as dangerous?

A sudden chill runs down his spine as the memories finally reach him. He had a meeting with the school council, went to meet Mel at the entrance of the Junior High when the same jocks had found him in the hallways, dragged him off and given him the same treatment as always – though this time it might've been a little worse; he's never had problem with his memories before… he was supposed to meet Mel at the Junior High; she was on her way there, she must've found him when she realized he took a long time to get there… found him where they left him and then brought him here to rest up… did she see them?!

He gasps loudly at the thought of her not only finding him like that, but also spotting the people who left him like that, flies out of his bed only to get his feet caught up in the blanket and land face first into the floor. With a thud he lands on his nose and groans loudly from the pain. Footsteps on carpeted floor hurries up the stairs, getting closer to his door… he's not fast enough to get up before the door opens up. There's a short moment of silence before he can feel hands gently tracing his form on the floor, trying to find the easiest and gentlest way to pick him up. He's lifted up so that his torso leans against a shoulder and arms are placed securely around him as he's being lifted from the floor. He can hear Eddy in the background, calling his name and asking if he's ok. Opening his eyes he can see both Eddy and Ed standing in the doorway to his room, looking concerned and worried beyond belief. Why did she call them?

Mel places Edd gently on the bed again before leaning away to inspect his nose. He had been lying with his face on the floor when she opened the door, suggesting he tried to get out of bed and fell, landing face first. Gently placing both hands on each side his face, it doesn't take long to see the blood running down from his nose. God.

"Double-D!" Ed cries behind her before storming up to him. "Did the monster under the bed try to eat your face?!"

"N-No, Ed…" Edd says, stuttering slightly from both pain and confusion. Mel's hands remains on his face as she inspects him for any other injuries. He awkwardly makes eye contact with her a few times before she lets go with a frown on her face.

"I gotta get the medkit again." She mumbles with a low tone to her voice. She stands up and turns towards Eddy. "Keep an eye on him." She tells him and once she receives a nod from him in response she heads out the bedroom, to fetch the medkit in the bathroom, again.

Once she's out of the bedroom, Eddy approaches Double-D on the bed. "Hey Double-D. How're you feeling?" He says carefully, remembering the conversation he had with Mel earlier. "Mel called not too long and said she found you unconscious outside the High School's entrance. Did they… uh… did they get to you again…?"

Double-D looks at his shorter friend, confusion written on his face. "U-um…" Hadn't Mel seen them? Did she just find him and not see anything else? "W-well… I…" The door opens again and Mel steps inside with the medkit in hand. A knot forms in his throat and makes it impossible for him to speak, so instead he nods for an answer.

Its clear Eddy didn't like that answer, as he frowns the moment Edd nods. "Man…" He doesn't say much more as Mel reclaims her spot at the bed, medkit in hand.

The three boys remain silent as the teenage girl opens the medkit once more and pulls out the tape, cotton tissues and gloves. She pulls on the gloves before starting to dry off the blood that's run down his lips and chin. With her eyes on him, she carefully places her thumb and forefinger on his nose and gives it a light squeeze before slowly and carefully wiggles it, to see and test if it's broken. He doesn't flinch to that extent, nor is she able to "move" his nose around. Relief washes over her when she determines that it is indeed not broken, just bruised. With that determined she reaches over for another tissue to dry off some more blood that started running down from her squeezing and wiggling of his nose, before using the tape to give the bruised up nose support to heal.

"I-I really don't think that's necessary." Edd's thin voice says, but he immediately leaves it be when Mel looks at him with a raised eyebrow.

With two pieces of medical tape on the red and bruised nose, Mel gently grabs his jaw to move his head to the left and then to the right, just to see if she's missed anything. It's a bit hard to work like this on someone who's sitting on a bed while you stand on your knees in front of them, but she doesn't complain. She lets out a breath when she sees that there's nothing left to do; except drying off this little extra blood that runs down from his nose. "You know, as much as I like the color red, I really don't like seeing it on your face like this." She says whilst drying it off. "It doesn't suit you."

Edd looks at her, confused. "Y-You don't think I look good in red?" He asks.

"Maybe in clothing you'd look good with it, but not when it's smudged out all over your face like this." She says as she puts the items back into the medkit, closes it and stands up. "That being said; how about we try and make sure it won't happen again?"

Unsure of what she means exactly, Edd nods uncertainly. It seems like Mel knows he's uncertain, but she doesn't say or do anything about it. She leaves the bedroom again to return to medkit to its designated place in the bathroom. When she returns she finds all three boys sitting in the bed next to each other, Edd in the middle. After a moment of watching them she starts feeling a little awkward. Clearing her throat she gathers their attention.

"So, Edd…" She says, looking directly at him. "…about school... your friends tried to convince me that you would like to attend it tomorrow, despite the whole-"

"Why, of course I will attend school tomorrow!" He says with a tone that would suggest he's been insulted. "Why would you even question that? I need to keep my perfect attendance record!"

Mel looks at him, looks at Eddy for a moment only to be met with a grin of some kind, before she looks back at her brother. Surprise is written all over her face. "Well… I don't want to sound mean or scary or anything like that but…" She scratches the back of her head. "You are aware that you basically have one foot in the grave at the moment, right?"

"That's not an excuse!" Edd gasps. "I've never allowed either injuries or illnesses to interfere with my perfect record before, and nor am I planning on starting to!"

Mel blinks. "So… you're going… like this…?" She asks, moving her hand in a circling motion while pointing at him to emphasize her point with her question.

"Indeed!" Edd says finally, ending the discussion.

She just looks at him, eyes big from wondering what the heck he might be thinking. Her gaze finds Eddy once again and his smirk from before is still there, however this time he also moths the words: Told you! Admitting defeat, Mel raises her hands in surrender, turns around and leaves the room.

Two days later and things seem to be returning to normal again. Sure, Mel gave him a very doubting and questioning glance when she saw that he was indeed serious about going to school the next day, even the day after that, but now she seems to have accepted that her brother really does put school and education before anything else. Eddy has even started talking about some brand new scam he's come up with just like that – like always – and they spent the whole bus ride to school talking about it and the many different things they need to work out to make it the best one yet – like always.

They end the discussion with Eddy telling him to meet him and Ed at the entrance after school, after their detention is dealt with, to talk some more about it. At first, Edd was a little apprehensive about meeting them after school hours after what had happened just a few days before, but given how fired up and enthusiastic Eddy seemed to be about this new scheme, well he just couldn't find it in himself to let his friend down like that. Even during the few classes they had together that day, Eddy's enthusiasm about it never ceased; maybe he really did come up with a masterpiece this time? Who knows? Even Ed seemed happy about it, and that almost never happens until after they get their prize; which, again, almost never happens. He can't help but feel a little baffled about this new scam they're talking about. They both seem so eager to tell him more about it, but now that he thinks about it… they haven't really said that much about it at all… for starters; he's still uncertain what the scam itself is this time. They've basically only said what it will impress people and that everyone will talk about it for a long time after, not what it's actually about or what they need him to do to make it. Maybe that's just how good this idea really is? It's so good they can't talk about it in public, so they need to wait till when there's no one around – that has happened before, so it would make sense.

The day goes by, slowly but surely, all the while Edd can't help but being curious about Eddy's new scheme. It probably – most likely – will not be nearly as fun or awesome as they've made it seem like, but you never know. They've managed to catch his interest, that's for sure. So much that he eventually does find himself by the Junior High entrance, waiting for his two friends to come and collect him and inform him more about this scam of theirs.

He sits down on the bench that's next to the entrance, pulls out his homework and starts working whilst waiting – they did say they needed to get their detention out of the way first, so there might be a while before they get here. The wind is soft and has a fiery scent to it. It's quite pleasing. He smiles and takes a deep breath of it, enjoying the many different scents there are in the autumn wind. It's still not cold enough to see your breath, but he knows that it won't be long before that. Though it may not seem like it, with how he wears that big and thick jacket of his, but he really does enjoy the colder seasons of the year. There's something about it that's just so… nostalgic.

Finishing off the first of his homework sheets, he puts it back into the bag before attempting to start on the next one – when there's a loud laughter coming from around the corner of the building. He looks up just in time to see a group of teenagers walk by. They don't seem to notice him – thankfully – though their presence still send chills down his spine nonetheless for one simple reason: The High School is done for the day. A knot forms in his stomach as it slowly dawns on him, what might happen, no, will happen if they find him out here alone again. Yes, Eddy and Ed said they'd be here after their detention is dealt with, but who knows when that will be! It all depends on what they've done to deserve it!

More and more students leave the school, heads over to the busses or merely walks off into the distance. He's soon alone in silence again… but that's not something he finds comfort in at the moment, for he did not see any of the jocks he's gotten quite familiar with as of late. They never left… they're still here… and now no one else is here to supervise in case they find him here-

"Well, well, well! Look what we have here!" The freezing feeling of panic envelops him as he hears that voice, raises his gaze and sees the familiar faces with the familiar grins plastered on them. "It's the one and only little nerdy nerd!"

He wants to run, he truly does, yet he can't. The fear of what they might do later on if he does run… it keeps him chained to his seat on the bench, forcing him to watch as they get closer and closer to him. For a moment he feels himself shiver, but he blames it on the wind. He has been out here waiting for his friends for a while.

"How in the world are you standing up after last time?" One of them asks. They're closer now. "I thought for sure that you would be about paralyzed after that."

"Or maybe that's just how weak you are, bro." A second one steps in, laughing. "Coach did say that you're seriously slacking. Maybe this is proof of how much: you can't even beat up a nerd right!"

They're all laughing at each other's expense, yet they haven't forgotten about their main target it would seem. Joking around, they still inch closer and closer to the small and terrified Edd, forcing him to relive the panic he always feels whenever they're around. This time though, they appear to be disappointed in his immense recovery since last time, which can only mean they'll do worse this time. Just to make up for last time, surely. The thought and the fact that they're getting closer eventually convince Edd to stand up from his seat and back away. It's a sad and desperate attempt to avoid what's about to happen when all it really does is prolonging the torture. They all laugh when they see him backing away, past the entrance door to the Junior High and into the corner that's next to it. Their grins remind him of wolves; ready for the fatal attack. Closer still… why didn't he run inside?! There's people inside still, which means the entrance is still unlocked! Why-?!

A fast movement, the door is kicked open, smashes loudly into the wall; Edd jumps in fear and hides his face in reflex. The expectation of getting hit… unfulfilled. Curiosity over logic; he lowers his arms from his face to see what's happening. Black, red and copper hair. Mel is standing in front of him with her back turned against him, her full attention on the jocks in front of her. He can't see her face, though he can see theirs – they appear to be afraid. He would be too… she looks just like she did the first time he saw her; black jeans, boots, leather jacket and the long red plaid shirt that looks like a cape in the wind… and a metal bat…?

There's a long moment of silence – or maybe that's just what it feels like – without any of them doing or saying anything. Mel remains still for a moment more before she… is she… giggling…?

"Why, hello there boys." She grins. They seem to be absolutely confused as to why she is there. She loves it. "A little bird has whispered in my ear that you have been giving this little fella a very hard time for… how long was it?" She turns around to look at Edd, asking him to tell her how long it's been going on. He's unable to say anything. No matter. "Hmm…" She hums whilst pretending to stroke a beard. "Not much of an answer if I'm being honest, but no matter. I believe I have all the information I need to understand the picture perfectly." Turning back to face the… one, two, three; five jocks that has given her little brother a hard time, she gives them a last glance before she slowly starts making her way towards them. "Anything you'd like to say before I send you to the ER?"

Now they're talking. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! What the heck are you talking about?!" One of them yells at her. "So what if we give the little nerd a hard time? It's what happens at school, girl!"

"Is it now?" She grins, still moving closer to them.

"Th-that's right, girl! Calm down, will ya?" Another says, holding his hands up as a defense – fool. "Besides; what's it to you?! You like having that little dork around or something?"

"Yeah! We've been doing you a favor, haven't we? We kept him away from you!"

At that Mel stops, freezing mid-step. Her eyes grow wide from surprise but they soon close up when she starts laughing, tears almost running down her cheeks. They all stop to look, stare at her, wondering what she's doing. "A f-favor?!" She gasps between her giggles, trying to catch her breath whilst still laughing from their terrible defenses. They deserve what they're about to get. Taking a deep breath, she manages to calm down, get the chuckles under control. "Oh, boy, oh boy… you guys have no idea what's going on, do you?"

"Obviously!"

"Right, right," She mutters. "And that means I gotta tell you about what's going on in order for you to understand what's about to happen, and that you completely deserve it. So," She raises her head high, takes a couple of steps closer to them before turning around to look back at Edd. "You see that boy over there?"

They look at each other for a moment, confused. "Yeah…?"

"You see that sweet, innocent, friendly and absolutely adorable boy over there, all worried about what's going to happen?"

"Yeah?" More confusion. This is going to be good.

"Well, you see." She giggles, turns back towards them and grins menacingly. "He's my brother."

Edd watches in horror as she attacks, feels the bile rise up from his stomach when she holds up her bat. He closes his eyes the moment it hits one of them in the face, blood running down from their nose and mouth. All he can do is listen now; hear the sounds of metal hitting flesh, bones and sometimes something completely different – walls maybe? Some of them scream in pain, others grunt before the sound of something alive hitting the ground. He's too scared to open his eyes, too scared to allow himself to see. He can't hear Mel, only the sound of her metal bat and the cries of her victims. In that moment he takes it all back; she is just as dangerous as Eddy's brother, maybe even more.

The sound of something human breaking makes him cringe and he forcefully presses his hands against his ears, desperate to block the sound out. Unable to see, unable to hear; he doesn't know when it's all over. He's afraid, shaking. It's not the wind this time. Muffled sounds are all he can register, then there's nothing, yet he still remains where he is. Scared, shaking, deaf and blind. He barely registers the gentle hand on his shoulder. With a cry he pulls away from it, opens his eyes and sees a very concerned Mel looking at him. There's blood on her face, but he still somehow knows that it's not hers. The bile pushes through, he falls to the ground and empties his stomach, crying. He gasps for air, his breathing uneven. Tears run down his face and falls to the ground, into the bile. The fumes are horrendous, yet he cannot move. Chock… the chock keeps him in place. Holding his breath in, he feels the same gentle hand on his back, rubbing circles with her thumb. He raises his head away from the ground, away from his vomit, looks up and spots the same jocks from before. They're on the ground, not moving, blood splattered around them… are they breathing…?

The hand on his back suddenly feels like lead, pushing him closer to the ground, forcing him down. He vomits again, his empty stomach forcing gall out of his system as there's nothing left to force out. Gasping unsteadily, he loses balance but never falls to the ground, into the bile. The hand has moved, joined by the other to hold his small form above the ground. Mel's left hand and arm holds him up, having sneaked under his arm to gently lay across his torso, while her right hand has moved further to his side to carefully direct his weight towards her. She won't let him fall.

They remain like that for yet another moment before Edd's breathing finally calms down and return to a normal pattern. With his breathing under control Mel lets out a breath of her own before she picks him up bridal style, holding him close. He instinctively reaches out and places his arms around her neck, burying his face into her shoulder, still shaking. Still crying.

The entrance door opens, the only sound that can be heard. Mel turns around to find both Eddy and Ed standing there watching. Ed seems scared of what she was capable of doing whereas Eddy seems to be doing nothing but enjoying what she was capable of doing. Clearing her throat she gather's their attention again, gives Eddy the instructions to fetch her one of the jocks' phones for her. Phone in hand she types out a quick text message, sends it and then hands it back to Eddy who puts it back where he found it – reluctantly. He then looks at the bat on the ground, gives her a look before picking it up. With a nod from her as confirmation of being done here, they all walk away from the school ground, heading home to where it is safe, where she can take care of a very unstable Edd. She doesn't blame him for being scared; it is scary to discover that the demons in your life are not the biggest ones in the world, that they can be destroyed by someone else's.

And in the middle of a bedroom, a certain girl hears the text notification go off. She reaches for her phone and opens up the message, since it's sent from a number she holds dear. At first confusion holds her hostage, but once she remembers the panic sets in and she calls her back up before getting ready to leave her home. She's in a hurry, though she cannot run. Running would reveal too much about her – not directly, but in the long run. The notification sounds again; her back up is on their way, and she reads the text again; I always draw blood.


Song: Lovely – Billie Eilish

Not exactly what I had in mind for this chapter, but then again, things haven't gone as according to plan in my irl either – My internet literally crashed on me TWICE this month – I'm just glad I got done with writing in time!

Hopefully you still like this chapter ;-; I will say; I'm starting to get to where I might want to change the rating of the story to M, just to be safe, though it might be unnecessary. Let me know what you think about that.

I am also still planning on writing whilst recording, to make some sort of video out of it. I've finally come up with a story for it (still working on some of the details, but the majority of the story is planned for), so now I just need to learn how to actually do this; how to edit a video, add music (non copyrighted preferably) etc, etc.

p.a.y.t.r.e.o.n. might still be something I want to try out as well, but we'll just see about that. I'm still a little uncertain about it.