"Timeless" - Narnian Autumn Writing Challenge - Oneshot Collection

"Spark Of Fear"

Prompt: Leaves

Word count: 1850

Notes:

• Again, Edith, Timothy, Robert, Mr. Jackle, and Mrs. Jackle are all OC's created by StorySnippets SaharaCastine and myself.

"Get back down here, you little brat!"
Mrs. Jackle yelled, heavy footsteps sounding on the bottom step, echoing dully.

Edith hurried inside her room and slammed the door, she knew that those were Mr. Jackle's steps, not her aunts.

She locked it, hid her key on her desk, and hurled herself onto her bed, already knowing she'd get double the punishment- double the slaps whenever she went back down, maybe tomorrow for school.

But, she couldn't go back downstairs right now, she would never apologize. Not when she had done nothing wrong.

Father wouldn't allow any of this if he had been here- but he wasn't here.

Trying to keep the tears away, she bit her lip and widened her eyes. Robert was the only one who knew where she'd hidden the spare key, she desperately hoped he wouldn't tell his father- her uncle, otherwise her only safety would be gone.

Like Alan.

Already, Edith could hear her aunt's words tomorrow, "You're so ungrateful! We've taken you in, fed you, kept you warm and yet you complain! So selfish!"

Then she'd get a slap from her uncle.
A hard one. And another.

Timothy would smirk, blink, and do nothing for her. Robert would stare, he too never stood up to his father for her.
No one did.

And that was alright, she could take it.

She could.

•••

"Ha! Pole, you look so... upset. What?- did my words hurt you? You. A big girl?" Edith felt the familiar smirk light up her face and she twisted her skirt to make a bigger show out of this.

Below her bangs, Jill's pale eyes watered fast and her lip trembled, but she kept her chin high, "Leave me alone," She acknowledged the rest with an even deeper frown, "All of you!"

Typical Jill, she thought, thinking that by standing up for herself the group would leave her alone.
"Are those tears, Pole? Remember, big girls don't cry." Edith teasingly chastised, clicking her tongue in the way that she knew was infuriating. She'd learned it from Timothy mostly.

One of the boys snickered from behind, his sweater too big and hanging off his figure funny, "Poor Pole... Who are you going to cry on? Mummy?"

Darla sneered, her sweater also too big, but sure to be a haven of not just scratchy fibers- but of warmth, "From what I've heard, Jill's parents are too busy and don't care about her- but who can blame them, I wouldn't want to have to care for such a... crybaby."

Shoving at Edith a bit, Jill broke away from their mob, tears visibly slipping off of her cheeks.

Rolling her eyes, Edith stopped a fierce Darla from following the girl with a hand, "We all have to get home, let the chicken run away where she can bawl her baby eyes out. Besides, there is always tomorrow."

Jimmy shifted, "Yeah, Mom will be mad if I'm late, but I'll see you," He grinned and scurried off on the school's half-frozen, prematurely cut lawn, in the direction of his house.