Rotten To The Core

call me a schemer, call me a freak

how can you say that? I'm just, unique

The wind rushed through her hair as Mary ran through the streets. There was a distant shouting from behind her but she ignored it, no way was she staying with her mother right now, especially not when she was acting like that. The sound of her boots hitting the ground echoed through the streets and her dress waved frantically round her legs, threatening to trip her up with every step. Finally, when she was far enough away that she couldn’t hear her mothers angry shouts ringing in her ears, she stopped to catch her breath. She couldn’t stop for long though, she was already late thanks to the little argument she had with her mum that morning. After taking a second to gather herself, she set off again towards the dock to meet the others. They were going to do the same as every other day; rob some places, complain about their shitty parents and their shittier lives, probably get in a fight or two, and then after a long day of doing what they want, sit on the dock and smoke till midnight. She was walking along, minding her own business, when she walked right into someone. 

“Watch where you’re going, hearts.” said the boy.

“Piss off Snape, i really don't need this today”

“Oh, she’s got a mouth today boys, why don’t we show hearts here why she can’t talk to me like that.” Snape said, his mouth twisting into a bitter grin.

“You don't want to do this Snape” Mary warned, she was in a bad mood already, and this was not helping.

“No i really do, you see hearts, with some people, there is only one way they learn, and i bet mummy has already shown you that hasn't she?”

With that, Snape swung at Mary, who ducked out of the way and took her deck of cards out of her pocket. They may not be magic in here but she could still throw them pretty damn well. One at a time, she threw them at Snape and his gang, hitting them all in the face, and watched in satisfaction as their hands shot up to their faces in shock. With her enemy temporarily distracted, she took the chance to run in the direction of the docks. As she sped down an alley she heard Snape shout something from behind her but she couldn’t hear. When she thought she was far enough away, she slowed to a steadier pace. Looking around she realised which alley this was. She never thought she would be back here, of all the possible alleys she could've run down, it had to be this one. This was where she was found by Marlene.

⁕⁕⁕

She was 11. As she was getting older, the relationship between her and her mother was getting worse because it was more and more obvious just how hard it was to please her. Mary’s mother being the Queen of Hearts meant that fear was a common thing. Her mothers infamous temper meant that she would lash out at the littlest things, leaving Mary in a constant state of fear. Along with this, her mother wasn't the best at the whole ‘motherly love’ thing. Her constant obsession with control and discipline left little to no room for nurturing or even basic empathy, meaning Mary had no genuine affection and support since she started making decisions for herself. The worst time was when she said no. She had finally built up the courage to say no to her mothers demands, and the queen of hearts was livid.

First was the noise. 

There was screaming, shattering, slamming. Mary tried to tune it out but it was all too loud, by the end her head was pounding. 

Next came the hits. 

At first it was a slap across the face. But the Queen must’ve thought she was being too nice because then she grabbed a rope. 

Seven. That's how many times Mary felt the rope hit her back.

Then there was more shouting. At this point Mary had become numb to anything the Queen did or said, still in shock that her own mother would be so cruel to her daughter. She didn’t remember much after that apart from the front door slamming behind her and her having nothing to do but walk, so she did. She walked until she couldn’t carry on. When she got to this alley her body gave up on her, still bearing the wrath of the Queen of Hearts. She fell to her knees, and as her mind finally caught up with her body, she cried. She cried till her eyes burned and her throat was hoarse. 

It felt like hours before she heard someone's footsteps approaching, but when she looked up, expecting to see her mother, she was instead met with the face of another young girl, who must’ve been the same age as her. She had choppy blonde hair that almost looked like a mullet, dark eyeliner around her eyes, and a pirate hat. She looked intimidating at first, but also kind, with soft eyes that looked like she understood everything Mary had been through without even asking, and sympathised with her. It was comforting after she had looked into her mothers cold eyes for so many years. The girl helped her up and took her to this hideout where two other boys were already sat. 

She learned that the nice girl's name was Marlene, and the two boys were called Remus and Regulus. They had all come together when they most needed support and because of that, they became inseparable. They were like family. And not the kind of families they all evidently grew up in, but a more protective family where they all had each other's backs no matter what. Because they only had each other, and that had to count for something.

***

Snapping back to reality, Mary realised she had been standing in that alley for far too long, so she carried on walking to the dock, where her family was waiting for her.