The Moonwitch (girlxgirlxgirl)

Chap 10; Get up

"But never did those things bring her down"

🌕🌖🌗🌘🌑🌒🌓🌔🌕

⚠️ mentions of blood and violence and bruises ⚠️

Maryann was scared.

With one hand holding up her shirt and the other caressing her stomach, she gazed at her purple and blue bruises in the bathroom mirror. Nothing had ever been as bad as this. No one had ever hurt her in this way, both physically and mentally.

The bruises and cuts spread out from the tip of her foot to her arms. Each time she gazes upon one of them she could remember how it felt to receive it. Especially the bruises on her neck. The ones that came after one of the seniors decided to wrap her fingers around her throat and choke her almost to death. No matter how hard Maryann's life was, she wasn't read to die yet. So just the thought of what they could have done with minimal consequences, sends shivers down her spine.

And what was worse, she was all alone. Her moons had disappeared, she couldn't feel them anymore. It was already Sunday, yet both Violet and Lily were nowhere to be seen and Maryann was sure that she had lost them for good. But why? How? Well it just happens to be that if you push your moons back too far, or are in too much pain, they can both temporarily and permanently disappear. Maryann was terrified, she wouldn't be able to live on by herself. She had never been alone and didn't want to start now.

Of course she wanted to cry, curl down into a little ball on the cold floor and sob her heart out.

But there was no time to cry or be sad over her loss and pain. Tomorrow she had school and then it was the practice tournaments. No matter the pain and silence in her head, Maryann would have to continue on just like before. There was an English test she had to ace and several lessons that piled up homework on her desk. Now more than ever it was important for her to ace all of her classes. Especially since the actual tournament would be right after her mentors next visit. She couldn't afford getting hurt before the fights.

If she didn't win this year... Maryann didn't even want to imagine what her mentors would do.

So she plastered a very fake smile on her lips and limped out of her bathroom, sitting down by her desk. English textbooks and notes from her classes were spread out on the table. It was already Sunday and Maryann hadn't been able to get out of bed for long enough to study yesterday at all. The pain was too much, each one of her bruises stinging and aching. It's not like it's any better today, but she had to start studying sometime. The test was on Wednesday and if she didn't ace it, it could affect her tournament scores thanks to the punishment that she would receive. Something was telling her that the next punishment would be even worse.

So she opened her books, trying to focus on the English texts. There was nothing she could do but block out the thoughts about her moons and her aching wounds. Her moons... she was at risk of loosing her moons for the first time in her life, being left all alone. Yet here she was, studying like it was a completely normal day. Maryann already missed them, all of them. Everything felt too quiet.

Would they really never come back? They were her family, her best friends. They were her. Nothing could bring them apart no matter how much they argued and suffered. They had a common goal in life and a common body, and that's all that mattered. They grew up together, ate together, slept together. And now it was all gone. How could she be a Moonwitch without any moons? What would the clan leader say?