Akasha
Queen of the Damned
Inner Sanctum Nobility
It had been years since she was back in her hometown; standing at the sign that welcomed her home, she had a deep frown and her luggage on the ground beside her. She looked towards the town that had raised her and saw many changes on the main strip. The buildings had all been spruced up and cleaned. All new siding and paint, windows and signs. It was like a completely different town. The streets were in pristine condition with no garbage on the side of the road, and the small business owners swept the sidewalks daily. Even the local pharmacist was outside sweeping the steps with an old-fashioned straw broom. It would be comical for anyone coming to this town to think they were arriving in the perfect romantic little town, with cute shops and even cuter homemade goods. Quilts to buy, homemade jam, baby food that wasn't from a can. It was peaceful and perfect for anyone but Mariah. It was her little hell full of deceit, lies and betrayal. She had nowhere else to go: forty dollars in her pocket and a bus ticket to her hometown. She had papers in her bag and a number to call to check in to ensure she got there. There was a room for her already above the local Foodland for her to stay and a bagger job at the grocery store. So convenient her parole officer thought, she just had to wake up and walk down the stairs, and she was at work. She would be able to take on extra shifts if she wanted, and her commute was even quicker. The laugh of her parole officer still haunted her because he not only sent her back to where it all started, but he thought she would thrive here and her neighbours would want her back and welcome her with open arms. No one believed her at the trial or in jail; even her parole officer laughed at her fanciful tale.
She shifted on her feet as she didn't want to do this, but she had to. She had two hours to get into her apartment, set up her stuff and facetime her parole officer to show him where she was. It wasn't long as she also needed to unpack and get her new employee badge from the store to show the officer. She thought all these things were redundant as she could do it and then take off and be away from this hell hole. She took a deep breath and started to walk into the town. As she did, she noticed that people in the windows stopped what they were doing and watched her. A couple of people even came out of the local coffee shop and saw her walk down the street, following her with their eyes the entire time. She looked up to the windows of some of the apartments, and people were watching her from behind their blinds, but they were watching her. To an average person, they would think she was being paranoid, but for what she had been through, they were watching her, and she knew it in her gut and her head. She walked into the local Foodland and to the back; she knew this store like the back of her hand. She knocked on the manager's door and was called in from there.
"Ah, I wondered when you would get here, Mariah. I won't say it's good to see you, but since we are getting a bonus for having you work here… I Am allowing it." Mark stood up and moved around the desk, leaning against the wall while he looked at her. "Five years in jail, and you still look the same; nothing has changed on you." He said as he crossed his arms around his chest while checking her out. She had changed. She had grown muscles and a spine, unlike everyone in this town. "Well, I am glad to see you, Mark. It was such a pleasure to see you at the trial. I am sure your pants are still burning from all the lies you told." She almost hissed at him, but at the last second, she could keep her voice from making that sound. Mark laughed. "You knew what was going to happen. Don't attempt just to blame me." He said as he picked up an envelope on the desk and threw it at Mariah; she caught it quickly. "Those are your ID badges, and I got your picture from the mugshot; I'm sure you would appreciate that." She opened the envelope and inwardly groaned. It was her mugshot, red eyes and tears running down her cheek. She even had a swollen lip, and her eyes looked like she was on drugs. She put it in her back pocket and then turned around to head out of the office. "See you at seven am sharp tomorrow morning," Mark called out, and she waved her hand at him while leaving the store. She quickly turned and headed to the doors beside the store, used the key she was given and walked up the three flights of stairs. Thankfully, she wasn't out of breath when she made it to her apartment. Mariah put the key into the door and turned it, she had to put her shoulder against the door to crack it open, and she spilled into her apartment face first with a groan of pain. Fucking perfect.
It didn't take Mariah long to set up her clothes in the dresser and tape her pictures against the wall. She finally walked to her bedside table and pulled out a framed photo, the only thing she had of her. She put the picture on her dresser and kissed two of her fingers to place them on the woman's mouth. "Mom… sorry I had to bring you back here." She whispered at the black and white photo, as a newspaper article, the only thing she had of her mother. "Winchester Founding Family Last Remaining Member Dead." A picture of her mother right below it and a synopsis of the trial. "Sheryl Winchester was found murdered in her hilltop mansion a week ago. The murder is the most gruesome this beautiful town has ever seen. The villain? Her Daughter, Mariah Winchester." Mariah looked away from the article as she moved to the window and started to say it aloud from her memory. "Mariah was always a troubled teenager, prone to drugs and violence, and she would graffiti the town walls and failed all her classes at school. Her saintly mother tried everything she could to save her daughter, but in the end, Mariah killed her for the inheritance. Since she was found guilty in a speedy trial and sentenced to five years with no parole in jail, the inheritance will be given to the next on the list, the town of Winchester. We will always grieve Sheryl Winchester, and may she rest in peace. Blah blah blah. Fucking hypocrites." Mariah muttered at the end and then leaned against the window. She looked down and saw many of the townsfolk getting together on the streets and talking very adamantly, no doubt about her return.
She could get everything done quickly, and she called on her parole officer to show him that she was set up and where she was supposed to be. She confirmed she knew the rules even if he repeated them right after. Once she hung up, she went and took a shower. A shower alone was almost priceless. She stood under the hot water for as long as her body could stand it, then she got herself dried off and laid on the bed. It was perfect, the bed sheets were clean, and it was an actual mattress, not one of those plastic ones in all the prisons. She curled up in a ball, wrapped all the pillows and comfy blankets around her, and quickly fell asleep.
Her alarm pinged loudly in the morning; she groaned out as she just wanted to sleep in one day after five years, but it looked like she wasn't going to. She got herself up and dressed and dragged her lazy ass down to the supermarket. She worked a full day with people glaring at her, frowning and patting their pockets when she walked by, and she would pickpocket them. The entire town was against her, and she never understood why they turned so quickly against her. Everything in the news article was false; she used to be the town's beloved. The little golden girl, everywhere she went, would be skipping, and people would give her free items but also pat her head and tell her how cute she was. Now she doesn't think someone would even piss on her if she were on fire. Once her shift was done at 3 pm, she quickly left the store and took a deep breath as she walked outside. Her mind was being assaulted all day by insults and threats, and she needed to walk it all off before she went and hid in her room. She kept her head down for the most part, but she did pay attention to the new stores surrounding her, her eyes looking left and right while no one was paying her attention. She suddenly stopped on the sidewalk so quickly that the people behind her bumped into her and cursed her out. Her eyes were bugged out of her head; her body started to shake while sweat accumulated on her brows. It couldn't be…. It… he would never! She looked stunned at the sign on the building. 'Re-Elected Mayor Tomas Berkshire.' It was him, the man that not only killed her mother but put all the blame on her. He got the entire town on his side, and she went to prison for five years, and now he controls the town? This couldn't be. She stormed into the building so hard and quick that the door swung wide inside and shattered against the window beside it. "TOM" She screamed out as she walked towards the back of the room where his office no doubt was.
People in the building jumped to their feet at her entry and quickly moved away from her as she stormed past them all before Tom could even get up from his office chair. He quickly ran around the side and saw who it was. A smirk appeared on his lips. "Well, well, look who the cat dragged in. Nice to see you again, Mariah. I heard that you had to come back here. Sorry, there was no welcome party for a murdering Heiress, I mean… just a murdering daughter now, I guess." She growled like a wild animal as she walked up to him and instantly punched him in the face, her hit was brutal, and Tom flew back like you would see in the movies, hitting a desk behind him and breaking it in half with his large body.
Mariah stepped up to him again and looked at him lying on the ground. "You fucker, you framed me for my mother's murder to get what? A fucking political nod? I loved you! You would have had all the money, everything, but you wanted it for yourself? Your fucking town?" Tom rubbed his chin and stood up, while in the background, his secretary was already on the phone with the cops. "You think it was just me? This town was dying, and your entire family just sat in their ivory tower and continued to rake in the money, never giving it back." He said to her, but he didn't hit her back. Instead, he just kept rubbing his jaw.
"Please, honey, this was never about you. This was about the town…." He pointed to all the people in the office. "Who here knows that I murdered Sheryl Winchester?" It was like his comment was rhetorical, but… people started to raise their hands slowly until every hand was raised in the room. Mariah stepped back; her eyes widened as she looked at the people she went to school with that had come to her birthday parties to the yearly Christmas party at her house. So everyone knew, the entire town was in on this… on her framing... Betraying her with one big act.
The police had arrived at this time and walked right up to Mariah, grabbing her by her arms and cuffing her. "You have broken your parole Mariah, and you are headed back to prison." They said glee in their voice as they dragged her from the room. Mariah just stared at her mother's murderer and realized she had lost, she would never win against him again but the entire town, every single person in it, let her fall for it just to have her mother's money, her money. If she ever gets out of prison again, she will burn this mothering fucking town to the ground and everyone in it.
She shifted on her feet as she didn't want to do this, but she had to. She had two hours to get into her apartment, set up her stuff and facetime her parole officer to show him where she was. It wasn't long as she also needed to unpack and get her new employee badge from the store to show the officer. She thought all these things were redundant as she could do it and then take off and be away from this hell hole. She took a deep breath and started to walk into the town. As she did, she noticed that people in the windows stopped what they were doing and watched her. A couple of people even came out of the local coffee shop and saw her walk down the street, following her with their eyes the entire time. She looked up to the windows of some of the apartments, and people were watching her from behind their blinds, but they were watching her. To an average person, they would think she was being paranoid, but for what she had been through, they were watching her, and she knew it in her gut and her head. She walked into the local Foodland and to the back; she knew this store like the back of her hand. She knocked on the manager's door and was called in from there.
"Ah, I wondered when you would get here, Mariah. I won't say it's good to see you, but since we are getting a bonus for having you work here… I Am allowing it." Mark stood up and moved around the desk, leaning against the wall while he looked at her. "Five years in jail, and you still look the same; nothing has changed on you." He said as he crossed his arms around his chest while checking her out. She had changed. She had grown muscles and a spine, unlike everyone in this town. "Well, I am glad to see you, Mark. It was such a pleasure to see you at the trial. I am sure your pants are still burning from all the lies you told." She almost hissed at him, but at the last second, she could keep her voice from making that sound. Mark laughed. "You knew what was going to happen. Don't attempt just to blame me." He said as he picked up an envelope on the desk and threw it at Mariah; she caught it quickly. "Those are your ID badges, and I got your picture from the mugshot; I'm sure you would appreciate that." She opened the envelope and inwardly groaned. It was her mugshot, red eyes and tears running down her cheek. She even had a swollen lip, and her eyes looked like she was on drugs. She put it in her back pocket and then turned around to head out of the office. "See you at seven am sharp tomorrow morning," Mark called out, and she waved her hand at him while leaving the store. She quickly turned and headed to the doors beside the store, used the key she was given and walked up the three flights of stairs. Thankfully, she wasn't out of breath when she made it to her apartment. Mariah put the key into the door and turned it, she had to put her shoulder against the door to crack it open, and she spilled into her apartment face first with a groan of pain. Fucking perfect.
It didn't take Mariah long to set up her clothes in the dresser and tape her pictures against the wall. She finally walked to her bedside table and pulled out a framed photo, the only thing she had of her. She put the picture on her dresser and kissed two of her fingers to place them on the woman's mouth. "Mom… sorry I had to bring you back here." She whispered at the black and white photo, as a newspaper article, the only thing she had of her mother. "Winchester Founding Family Last Remaining Member Dead." A picture of her mother right below it and a synopsis of the trial. "Sheryl Winchester was found murdered in her hilltop mansion a week ago. The murder is the most gruesome this beautiful town has ever seen. The villain? Her Daughter, Mariah Winchester." Mariah looked away from the article as she moved to the window and started to say it aloud from her memory. "Mariah was always a troubled teenager, prone to drugs and violence, and she would graffiti the town walls and failed all her classes at school. Her saintly mother tried everything she could to save her daughter, but in the end, Mariah killed her for the inheritance. Since she was found guilty in a speedy trial and sentenced to five years with no parole in jail, the inheritance will be given to the next on the list, the town of Winchester. We will always grieve Sheryl Winchester, and may she rest in peace. Blah blah blah. Fucking hypocrites." Mariah muttered at the end and then leaned against the window. She looked down and saw many of the townsfolk getting together on the streets and talking very adamantly, no doubt about her return.
She could get everything done quickly, and she called on her parole officer to show him that she was set up and where she was supposed to be. She confirmed she knew the rules even if he repeated them right after. Once she hung up, she went and took a shower. A shower alone was almost priceless. She stood under the hot water for as long as her body could stand it, then she got herself dried off and laid on the bed. It was perfect, the bed sheets were clean, and it was an actual mattress, not one of those plastic ones in all the prisons. She curled up in a ball, wrapped all the pillows and comfy blankets around her, and quickly fell asleep.
Her alarm pinged loudly in the morning; she groaned out as she just wanted to sleep in one day after five years, but it looked like she wasn't going to. She got herself up and dressed and dragged her lazy ass down to the supermarket. She worked a full day with people glaring at her, frowning and patting their pockets when she walked by, and she would pickpocket them. The entire town was against her, and she never understood why they turned so quickly against her. Everything in the news article was false; she used to be the town's beloved. The little golden girl, everywhere she went, would be skipping, and people would give her free items but also pat her head and tell her how cute she was. Now she doesn't think someone would even piss on her if she were on fire. Once her shift was done at 3 pm, she quickly left the store and took a deep breath as she walked outside. Her mind was being assaulted all day by insults and threats, and she needed to walk it all off before she went and hid in her room. She kept her head down for the most part, but she did pay attention to the new stores surrounding her, her eyes looking left and right while no one was paying her attention. She suddenly stopped on the sidewalk so quickly that the people behind her bumped into her and cursed her out. Her eyes were bugged out of her head; her body started to shake while sweat accumulated on her brows. It couldn't be…. It… he would never! She looked stunned at the sign on the building. 'Re-Elected Mayor Tomas Berkshire.' It was him, the man that not only killed her mother but put all the blame on her. He got the entire town on his side, and she went to prison for five years, and now he controls the town? This couldn't be. She stormed into the building so hard and quick that the door swung wide inside and shattered against the window beside it. "TOM" She screamed out as she walked towards the back of the room where his office no doubt was.
People in the building jumped to their feet at her entry and quickly moved away from her as she stormed past them all before Tom could even get up from his office chair. He quickly ran around the side and saw who it was. A smirk appeared on his lips. "Well, well, look who the cat dragged in. Nice to see you again, Mariah. I heard that you had to come back here. Sorry, there was no welcome party for a murdering Heiress, I mean… just a murdering daughter now, I guess." She growled like a wild animal as she walked up to him and instantly punched him in the face, her hit was brutal, and Tom flew back like you would see in the movies, hitting a desk behind him and breaking it in half with his large body.
Mariah stepped up to him again and looked at him lying on the ground. "You fucker, you framed me for my mother's murder to get what? A fucking political nod? I loved you! You would have had all the money, everything, but you wanted it for yourself? Your fucking town?" Tom rubbed his chin and stood up, while in the background, his secretary was already on the phone with the cops. "You think it was just me? This town was dying, and your entire family just sat in their ivory tower and continued to rake in the money, never giving it back." He said to her, but he didn't hit her back. Instead, he just kept rubbing his jaw.
"Please, honey, this was never about you. This was about the town…." He pointed to all the people in the office. "Who here knows that I murdered Sheryl Winchester?" It was like his comment was rhetorical, but… people started to raise their hands slowly until every hand was raised in the room. Mariah stepped back; her eyes widened as she looked at the people she went to school with that had come to her birthday parties to the yearly Christmas party at her house. So everyone knew, the entire town was in on this… on her framing... Betraying her with one big act.
The police had arrived at this time and walked right up to Mariah, grabbing her by her arms and cuffing her. "You have broken your parole Mariah, and you are headed back to prison." They said glee in their voice as they dragged her from the room. Mariah just stared at her mother's murderer and realized she had lost, she would never win against him again but the entire town, every single person in it, let her fall for it just to have her mother's money, her money. If she ever gets out of prison again, she will burn this mothering fucking town to the ground and everyone in it.