The Garden of Eden || Canis Canem Edit / Bully [ #WATTYS2018 ]

Chapter Twenty-Two: Cackling Witch

The white blues and silvers of wintry dreams swirled in the sky above, forming tangible cotton candy clouds. Silver and black streamed clouds, streaked with shades of metal hues, adorning the sky as if they long to kiss the land below. Snowflakes fluttered down to the pavement like glitter, dusting the ground and covering it in a thin sheet of pure white snow. In the wintry wonderland, the scene was as pretty as a picture. The newly clothed trees, the cushioned benches - it was like every Christmas song come to life.

Children ran around joyfully, hurling snowballs at each other with cherry red noses. Teenagers sprinted through the mounds of snow, making snowmen with ridiculous names and putting carrots where noses shouldn't be. Adults followed soon after, begrudgingly trenching through the snow, impatient to get home and escape the cold. Everyone was dressed up in dark colours, bundled up in layers upon layers to escape the bone-chilling freeze.

Eden on the other hand was smiling softly as she skipped down the sidewalk, tugging along with her an annoyed Gary.

"Why can't we just go back to the dorm?" He whined, watching her with bleary eyes.

"Because I just got out of the hospital and I need the fresh air. Plus, it's about time you got out of that dorm room." She answered, tightening her grip on his hand. "You're going to get paler than you already are, Casper."

Gary huffed irritatedly, releasing a small spout of mist into the chilly air. "I'm not that pale."

"Not to hurt your ego, but you blend in with the snow." Her comment earned a playful shove.

"Yeah yeah, alright moron."

A sudden buzzing noise pulled the couple out of their sweet moment, the noise coming from Eden's pocket. She groaned quietly and fished her phone out, the blueish light illuminating her face. She grimaced.

"How lovely, mother's calling."

Gary chuckled deeply, watching as she plucked off one of her gloves, a pair that he bought her. His eyes scanned the snowy wonderland of New Coventry, a dank little suburban area the couple decided to escape to, where they knew they wouldn't encounter a certain clique of students. The white blanket that covered the scenery burned into his retina, making him rub his eyes. They ached, in need of a good sleep. A flicker of ginger streamed past his view.

'What the hell was that?' His eyes lay on one of the many people he didn't want to come across.

"Hello, mother..." Eden hesitantly greeted, anxiously nibbling down on her lips.

"Good morning Eden." Her mother's crisp voice replied.

"How have you been?"

"Well, thank you. Enough about me dear child, tell me about your grades? How is the academy?"

"My grades are excellent mother, so is the academy. I'm fine too, thanks for asking." Eden rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Right, right. I heard about your little... 'accident' with the Taylor boy."

Gary planted a soft kiss on her gloved hand, pointing over in a random direction and mouthing the words 'I'll be back'. She nodded hastily and shunned him off. Amusement danced in her eyes as she watched him shuffle over to a small alleyway, where he could escape Jack Frosts' wrath.

"Accident. That would not really be the correct term to phrase it with."

"I- Listen here, you insolent child!" A shiver shot down her spine. "You are so lucky your father managed to salvage the mess that you caused! If it weren't for him, your ungrateful self would be back home and shining my damn heels!" 

Eden's legs trembled violently from her words, stomach lurching at the mere thought of what her mother would do to her if she was home. Her mind couldn't help but flicker back to the many, many times her dad wasn't home. And Alyssa was mad.

"Mother, I didn't ask him to do this to me. He was attacked me, too many times to even count. He was upset because I rejected him."

"Because you rejected him. Why did you do that? Why must you tarnish the Milenko name?"

"I don't want that mother!" Eden's voice spluttered out unsteadily, running her shaky hand through her hair, desperate to pluck the strands straight from the roots. "I just don't want him touching me! He is foul, Mother! Absolutely vile. He sent me to the hospital no less than three days ago, and you're protecting him!

"Eden, you-"

"Answer me this mother, why are you protecting some pompous prick rather than your own flesh and blood?"

Pure and unmistakable rage coursed through her veins. Rage seized her, chest heaving up and down with every heavy breath she took. Her rage held all the power of a wildfire, flames practically roaring in her eyes. She was ready to ignite. She was ready to set fire into anything she came into contact with and burn it, burn it down into ashes. Hushed crackling noises sounded on her mother's end of the phone, presumably from squeezing it in her grip. 

"Enough, Eden. Expect a call from your father tonight regarding this. Especially, regarding your behaviour."

Click. Her mother hung up. Eden let out a burning ball of air that seared her lungs into the wintry air, releasing all of her furies in a single huff.

"I'm glad that's over." She murmured to herself, slipping back on her glove. 

"Now... where did Gary run off to?"