Chapter One: The End of Innocence and the Beginning of Darkness

Mary’s mind was racing. Moments had passed since she had read the letter, and the realization of everything that was happening came to her. She felt her legs grow weak. Take care of herself? She had never taken care of anything in her life! She leaned against the counter and then slowly slid down. I’m going to starve, she told herself, I’m going to starve and die.

Faster and faster did her mind race. Everything around her was a blur. She shook her head and clutched a clump of grass. “Okay, let’s just calm down and think logically,” she took a moment to breathe and calm down, but dark thoughts still loomed in the back of her head. “Alright . . . you have to get a job,” she told herself. “What are you good at? Certainly something. You had a good education . . . that you never paid attention to . . . .” Mary was hating herself more and more. She pulled the clump of grass up that was substituting her hair. “Okay . . . You always made good grades when you bothered to try. You’re pretty smart. Yeah. That works . . .” but she knew it didn’t. She had been a pretty good chess player once upon a time, but that was long ago. Mary raked her brain some more.

“You were always a decent athlete. You could go into a sports career!” Mary smiled triumphantly and then stood up and crossed her arms. “Huh. Not gonna get me down that easily,” but something was wrong. She felt her hand closing in around most of her tiny arm. She held them up to look at. Boney. She looked down at her legs. Thin. She was far from the energetic child she once was. Were her parents right? Did she become lazy and spoiled?

Mary began to pace. She thought of the many jobs that were available in Sunset Valley and what she was capable of, but once again, she was at a standstill. Then a thought came to her. Earlier when she was inspecting her “home”, a boy had dropped a paper on her lawn. She walked over to it and picked it up. A newspaper. Mary quickly flipped to the ‘Jobs’ section. Perhaps something there would give her inspiration.

Reluctantly, there were only a few jobs listed: Military, Law Enforcement, and the Criminal careers. “Huh. Seems pretty illogical to put a Criminal career job listing in the newspaper,” Mary said quietly. Although that one stood out somewhat, she still didn’t feel it was right. None of the other careers suited her either. She sighed, “Maybe I just need to go out and clear my head.”

And so she went. Mary visited various sites throughout the Valley, but there was always someone there. Distractions were not needed at the moment. She knew there had to be some serene place that was empty.

Mary climbed back into the cab. “Where to?” the driver asked her.

“Um, well, you wouldn’t happen to know any . . . calming places, would you? A place where no one goes?”

The driver rubbed his chin. “I do, but it’s a pretty long drive. Want me to take you there?”

Mary nodded. The driver then took off northward. Mary rested her head against the glass and watched the passing scenery. This town really was quiet compared to Bridgeport. Everything was so small and seemingly lifeless, nothing like the big city she had come from. There were no high rise buildings, no endless taxis, and no street performers on every block. There was nothing but small little houses. She sighed and wondered if she would die of boredom instead of hunger.

Mary was deep in thought whenever the driver told her that they had arrived. She paid the man and then stepped out, only to find one of the most beautiful places she had ever visited. It was quiet place, in a sense, but in another, it would loud. The roar of the glistening waterfall felt deafening for a moment, but that didn’t stop Mary from venturing in further. Below the waterfall was a bright, blue lake surrounded by mountains and tall trees. There was a small island below the falls in which schools of fish swam around in unison. The best part of it all was that there was no one there.

Mary went to the place below the falls and sat down. She didn’t mind the mist that sprinkled over her as she gazed at the fish below. Here, she didn’t have to summon up her thoughts. They simply came to her. Mary pulled out the crumpled note out of her pocket and read it again. And again. And again. She more she read it, the more it sounded like a punishment than a life lesson. Possibly even a way to kill her off. “Like they didn’t know the roof was going to cave in!” What had she done so wrong in her parents’ life to make them do this to her? Sure she terrorized the maids every now and again, but otherwise she was a solemn child. Maybe, in the end, she had just become a burden in her parents’ life. Having to pay for her private tutor who she never even paid attention to, having to buy her clothes, furniture, gifts, having to give her attention . . .

Mary had always known that her parents loved to party and be with friends. Had a child taken that privilege from them? Had she taken away their social life? Slowly, more and more, in sunk it. Her parents hadn’t wanted her. They gave her the cheapest lot they could find just to get her off their hands. She glared intensely at the water and held the paper tightly in her hand. Mary crumpled it into a ball and threw it into the water. The end of innocence was upon her. Mary stood up and looked to the sky. She knew what she wanted to do, and she knew why.

Mary told the driver to let her out a few blocks away from her destination. He had no qualms and let her out. With the newspaper in her hand, she raced to her destination. She looked up at the structure and then down at the paper. She slid around back and then followed the instructions. The door to the building slid open with ease after she did everything that she was told to do. Mary took one last glance behind her and then glided into the darkness.

--

The woman who sat behind the large, oak desk was rather witchlike. The dim light that hung over her head cast dark shadows over her face.  The childlike side of Mary told her to be afraid, the adult side of her told her not to worry, but the dark side of her told her that this was the woman she was looking for.

“So, want to be a Criminal, eh?”

“Yes.”

“Not much of a talker, I see. Oh well. Better to have a small mouth than a big one,” the lady leaned back in her cushioned leather chair, “so tell me, do you have any athletic experience?”
“Yes, I do.” A glance was cast over her.

“Yeah, sure. Listen, Kid, this is a hard line of work, and if you can’t pull your own weight—“

“I can do it.” Mary interrupted.

The lady glared. “Huh. You got some nerve. I like it. Build up some muscle and be here tomorrow. You have the job.

--

Mary walked back through the dark corridors alone. She was relieved, but somehow, she wasn’t as excited as she had hoped she would be. It almost felt like a part of her had died. Dark thoughts plagued her mind. Her parents didn’t love her. Her parents had wanted her dead, but the roof caved in too early. Was she being irrational? Was this all just in her head? She thought back to all the times her parents had been there. The only times she could think of were at Christmas when her parents would spare one hour of their precious time to give her her gifts and watch her open them. Even then they were too busy texting friends on their Smart Phones.

The solid steel doors were approaching. When the light streamed in, Mary had to squint. She stood there for the longest moment in the doorway. She now knew a part of her had died, and the part her been filled with darkness. She would get her revenge, even if she had to put her life on the line to get it. But the factor of death was no longer in her thoughts. The darkness had shrouded everything but the thought of revenge. Mary looked into a nearby car window. When she saw her reflection, she saw that the darkness had covered her irises. Had they always been black? Had they always been this cold? She knew, deep inside of her, that it had always been like this. That she had always noticed the lack of love in her life, but refused to believe in it. The tiny sliver of childish hope was gone, and she knew that she had always been alone in the world.

(Sorry about the background of the picture! I had to get in close to show her expression. >.<)