The Bird and the Garden

Chapter 7: The Broken Mind of Summer

As you can tell by the title, there will be very minimal about the brothers' story at Beacon, and most of the chapter is about Summer. This delves into her trauma, and the thoughts she deals with daily.

I write her as the most traumatized because before Salem drugged her, she couldn't even fathom harming anyone without reason, much less her own family. That is why the brothers' aren't as damaged as Summer, because they never severely hurt people they cared about (which would be each other). This chapter will also be much shorter.

With all that aside, enjoy.

The spiders crawled across their webbing, searching for food. The mice, scurried across the floor, steering clear from the dinner plate that had long spoiled. The only other sound that broke the dead silence were the broken sobs coming from the thin heap of dirty white on the floor. Upon closer inspection would reveal that it was a filthy cloak, worn by a frail, nearly skeletal woman. She had lost most of her strength from malnutrition, and with it, the will to live. She couldn't forgive herself, not after what she did.

"Please... I... I'm sorry..."

She wasn't always like this. Before everything, before she even got married, she was a young girl with huge aspirations. She wanted to become the greatest huntress the world had ever seen, and she had all the support she could ever ask for from her friends. Everyone she had met would describe her the same way; kind, sweet, and innocent. Even as she grew older, these descriptions always applied to her. She always strived to be the best she could be, and after she got married, she wanted the best life for her children. She couldn't imagine harming anyone, even if they were a terrible person, who had done terrible things, she could never imagine taking their life. She wanted to be a hero who does their work without killing.

So why? Why was she crying? Why was she so skinny, and refusing to take care of herself? The broken picture frame laying near her shaking body would tell that story. Inside the picture frame, was a photograph. And on the photograph, was a picture of Summer with the entirety of her team. Her friend, Raven, was holding two babies, one with a patch of blonde hair, and the other with a patch of black hair. In Summer's own hands was a baby of her own, with a patch of H/C resting on top of his head. Standing between them was Summer's husband, Tai. He was the father of all three children in the photo, and he was proud of all three of them. Raven's brother, Qrow, was standing further away, a small grin on his face. The picture was old, and it looked like it had gone through hell.

"P-please..." Summer whispered hoarsely. Her voice was cracked, and her throat sounded dry as the desert of Vacuo. Then another sound broke the silence.

"It's your fault."

Summer covered her ears, but it was no use. The sounds were inside her mind, preventing her from silencing them.

"You abandoned them."

"You hurt them."

"It's time you repay your dues."

Summer raised a fist into the air, punching herself in the jaw as hard as she could. "Shut up, shut up, shut up!" She screamed, but the voices only laughed at her. Summer's pupils shrank as she felt herself start to give in to her damaged mental state, a giggle escaping her lips. "S-shut up... shut up..." the voices continued laughing. Summer leaned down and slammed her head off the floor, the voices going quieter. After repeated slams, and a bloody forehead, the voices had finally fallen silent, leaving Summer breathing heavily on the floor. Her stomach growled with hunger, and she could feel the starvation gnawing on her sanity. She looked once more at the rancid meat, but quickly turned away. She did not deserve it.