Centurians | On Hiatus

Chapter Two

Bang!

Bang! Bang!

Mornings at the Jones household always started with two things. The first was when Lynette would turn on the old coffee pot and open every cupboard in the kitchen to look for snacks before breakfast.

The second was when Penny would bang on Erina's door as if she was being chased by a horde of zombies.

Bang! Bang!

Similar to how she was doing it right now.

Bang! Bang!

"I wish the zombies would kill me instead."

Bang! Bang!

"I hate her." Erina mumbled, pushing her head further into the pillow. "Go away!" she silently screamed into the pillow.

Bang! Bang!

"Wake up Scarlet!" The 15-year-old said in a sing-song voice. She slammed the door, shaking it off its hinges before kicking it.

The door was open. Erina never slept with a closed door after the fire incident in her second foster. It was a thing and everyone knew about it. Penny knew about it. So it made absolutely no sense for her do to this every-fcking-morning. Unless she hated Erina enough that she would rather break the door of her own house and her own palm. 

And as Erina peeked through the pillow, she could see Penny standing there, her fist on the door, ready to slam it down.

She slammed it down.

Maybe she did hated Erina enough.

"Penny, stop banging on the doors!" Lynette yelled from downstairs.

"I'm just trying to wake your precious Erina up 'cause you told me!" she yelled back, kicking the door this time.

"Penny!"

The redhead plopped herself up, sighing. 'No more sleep for me,' she thought as she sat on the bed.

Penny slammed on the wooden frame once more. "Oh, you're up!" A sly smirk on her face as if she had won this petty game of hers.

Erina smiled, nodding. "How can I not?" She said, walking toward the girl. "When you come here every morning to wake me up," Erina bends down to reach the girl's eyes, "with so much love." she continued as she landed a small peck on the blonde's cheek.

Penny pushed her away. Her eyes were as wide as a saucer and her face flushed in tomato red. Erina's smile brightened.

"Freak!" Penny screamed before running toward the stairs.

Laughing, Erina yelled after her. "Good morning Penny!" She waited until Penny's head disappeared downstairs before turning back towards the room. The smile was has gone from her lips as a scowl took its place.

She could feel a headache forming.

"Annoying little shit." Erina mumbled, rummaging through her pile of clothes topped on the chair. Looking for something wearable to wear for school.

She traced the burn mark on her wrist with her nail as she rummaged through them. It was a habit that she couldn't let go of. It tingled as if it was being stabbed with tiny pins. A sensation Erina both hated and was addicted to.

The black jeans on the stool caught her eye. She sniffed it. It didn't smell, meaning it was clean enough to be worn at least two more times. Along it, she picked the brown plaid shirt she bought a few months back.

The room was mostly bare, as Erina still lived through her boxes. Lynette wanted Erina to have everything that Penny did. Maybe it was the guilt of being more fortunate or pity. Whatever it was, Lynette had it bad. So this was why Erina had a room for herself with a soft bed, a full-length mirror next to the closet, a book self, a study table, and a giant dresser that she would never use.

Erina stood in front of the mirror, with the clothes in her hand. Her head tilted to the left as she examined.

Clearly, this was Sara's effect on her.

The reflection in the mirror looked malnourished. It was the first thing anyone would notice about her. Skins and bones. Though Erina would argue regarding it. She gained almost 5kg in the last three months that she had been here, but cause of her height it was barely visible.

Her dark red hair contrasts with her pale skin, making her look even more sickly. The huge dark circles under her eyes were an additional bonus.

Her eyes were the only part of her that she didn't hate. 'Pretty teal-green', according to Sara, but to her, they seemed like a dull shade of green that she could never own. If one looked closely, they would be able to notice the dark gold flares that swirl in those green orbs.

Her mother used to say that it reminded her of fireflies in a forest.

Erina had no recollection of her mother. For the most part, the woman appeared as a blur in her memories. Predominantly in Erina's defense, she was only five when the tragedy struck. And now, as a seventeen-year-old, with so many years in between her tragic past and unforsaken future, that she felt less guilty for not remembering how her mother used to look.

But sometimes when Erina would walk past a mirror, she would suddenly remember how soft her mother's red hair would look under the sun. And how bright her green eyes were with creases whenever she would smile.

And somewhere deep in her heart, it would ache. As if just a bit more would make it bust and scatter. She was all her mother had left behind for her.

Her mother... a hazy figure that she used to dream of hugging and calling 'mom'.  She didn't do that anymore though. She wasn't seven. Now her dreams were mostly of her in the midst of fire with a sword in her hand or drowning in the water as she was being chased by a vampire or meeting a girl with white hair.  

Basically whatever fantasy crap her brain could muster. 

Erina sighed, rubbing her temples. The headache was worsening. She shook her head, trying her shoulder-length hair in a bun on top of her head. The day had only begun, and she already felt dejected.

"Scarlet, if you are late I won't wait for you!" Though Penny felt livelier today.

Erina picked up her bag from the table along with the pants and shirt. "Let's get this damn fucking day over with." She mumbled as she headed to the washroom.