Gen 3- Cookies, please?

*Della's POV*

The hallway to the infirmary seemed to melt behind me, I saw stains on the floor left from who knows what. The door wasn't very large and easy to push open. But right as I did, a young man ran right into me. I recognized him as Arley Goodman and the look of horror on his face when he realized who I was.

"Oh my gosh...Mrs. Langly, I swear to god...It wasn't me! It was my sister..."

This instantly scared me, I bit my lip and pushed past him and into the room.

Ande was sitting up with her back to me and a woman with purple and black hair was massaging her neck. When the woman turned to me, she let her hands off of Ande and all I saw was the black and blue bruises roped around her neck. The woman reached her hand out to me and I shook it silently as she explained what was going on.

"So, there was a little fight in the school hallway. Arley Goodman and Aphrodite Piper saw everything. Riley was bashing her out and she was trying to defend herself when things got out of hand. Ande is fine, her breathing will be a little off for awhile and she's not allowed to talk for about 2 days. Give those bruises some time to heal, put a little ice on her neck and be careful not to make her move too much. It'll all be fine."

"And Riley?" I choked out. I figured it was the sound of my voice that made Ande stand up and turn towards me. Her expression was full of fear and I could tell that she was in pain. She looked tired, like she just wanted to curl up into a blanket and sleep the day away...so I decided that when she gets home, that I'd let her sleep for as long as she wanted. All the bitterness that pulled at my heart before I was called to come pick Ande up was all gone. I had no idea what she had been going through so how on earth would I be able to judge that?

"She's been suspended and has a very high chance of going to juvie." The woman with black and purple hair handed me an ice pack and I wrapped my arm around Ande's shoulder and directed her towards the door. "Thank you.." I nodded towards the woman and walked my little girl to the car.

 *Ande's POV* 

I laid on the couch, my mind blank and my head still feeling light from the lack of blood. I was tired but couldn't sleep...I needed a drink but the energy that I needed to get up wasn't there and talking wasn't an option. So, I laid there with thirst tickling in my mouth, eyes open, staring at a picture hanging on the wall of me, mom, and dad playing together when I was just a toddler.

"Ande? Are you ok?" Eden stood right in front of me and tilted her head, playing with the side of my blanket. "How did you get those bruises?" Her eyebrows knit together. I didn't say anything, I couldn't. I gave her a pleading look and she just hung her head and walked away silently.

When I finally closed my eyes and felt myself falling asleep. my dad sat down next to me and smoothed my hair back and started to talk.

 "You know, all my life I've never wanted kids...but the second I saw you, I realized that I was meant to be a dad. Watching you grow up has been the most wondrous experience of my life, But...I just don't know what to do to help you..." He paused and I could feel my mom standing in the doorway watching as dad leaned down, kissed my forehead and said quietly "I'm sorry..."

 "Adam..." Mom whispered beckoning to him. "You should let her sleep," she smiled slightly and came a bit closer.

 "Dells, let me talk to her for just a few minutes." she nodded and went back into her room. "Ande...if there is anything I can do...anything at all, you need to let me know. I can't stand the thought that you....end up like this...just by going to school. Just say the word...and I'll do whatever you need."

He kissed my forehead again and pushed himself up to his feet. I only heard him say "Goodnight, darling.." before his door clicked and my eyelids grew heavy before I fell into a complete daze...asleep at last.

Dreams quickly took over and the sun was rising over a terrain filled with shrubs that seemed to be winding around themselves. It took me a few minutes to realize it was a maze and I was dressed in a strange outfit that only my dreams would place on me.

I maneuvered my way through the maze picking randomly at my clothes and brushing my hair back. My legs started to get tired but my instincts told me not to stop. Before I could keep my mind telling me which way to turn, I ran into a door.

The room on the other side was decorated beautifully and a four poster bed sat in the middle. On the couch was a beautiful man with purple tinted skin and hair, next to him sat...Me. well, not me, but it was me...Smelling of strong wine and candles. The nearer I approached, the weirder I felt about this...It wasn't the first time I had seen myself as an adult but the first time I saw myself with anyone.

I realized that the two couldn't see me. This was opposite of what happened when the older me would visit me. Instead I was visiting a conversation between myself and this man who claimed me as his wife.

"Thank you for a good time tonight Spence.." Sh- I whispered with "my" eyes closed. "Thanks for letting me prove to those little bitches that my wife is, was, and will forever be...the most beautiful woman in the world."

 The other me blushed and I rolled my eyes and spit "You're acting like a hopeless romantic Ande! Snap out of it."

"So, you still think that I'm prettier than Riley?"

 "Nobody could be more ugly than Riley."

Now, I like this guy. He leaned in and kissed me sweetly and I just watched...

The dream was interrupted shortly after by a knock on the door which actually turned out to be Aphrodite. My mom let her in and told her that I was laying on the couch. She rushed to my side and started talking really fast and I could hardly understand what she was saying...
It was probably just sleep turning my head around.

 "Ohmigod Ande...I'm going to fucking kill Riley. I'm so so sorry...Just look at those bruises all over you. Next time I see her, she's dead."
 She stopped and put her face in her hands. If I could have told her that I couldn't talk then I would have but I sort of just laid there and looked at her.

"Damnit Ande.. Talk to me. Whats wrong?"

 "She can't talk.." Eden whispered to Aphrodite as she was coming inside. "I guess Riley bruised her vocal cords or something." My mind shot back to the dream and over and over...I watched myself kiss that gorgeous man and thought "Hell no. Just a dream." And slowly fell back to sleep with my best friend sitting next to me.

 *Two weeks later* 

"ANDE! Make me cookies." Eden sat at the table, doing her homework. For this reason, I didn't object...I hadn't been in school for over two weeks and I wasn't missing it at all. Though, mom did really enjoy having me home all the time.
I do help and when Eden gets home, I help her with homework. Dad gets home around 5 every night and I help make mom make dinner. So, really the only reason mom can find to not like having me home would be that I hardly ever talk anymore...I kinda like it that way. With mom sitting on the couch, sewing or knitting and watching the view while I work on cleaning dishes or math or something...she really just wants someone to talk to in the afternoon. Sometimes she'll call up Aunt Ness but with the new baby, life for her has been hectic.

"Here you are, sweets." Eden gave me this look of confusion that always crosses her face when I'm nice to her or when I do stuff that I wouldn't have ever done two weeks ago. But I find that a near death experience changes your look on everything, Except maybe the person that almost killed you. Aphrodite comes over after school every day to give me a ride to ballet, Riley doesn't show up anymore so we're kinda down a firefly for the recital in 2 days.

I did my best the be the nicest big sister to Eden but nothing can stop her from being the brat that she is. Lets take what happens next for example:

 "Ande, since I'm prettier than you are, I get your cookie too." I huffed at her and pulled my cookie off the pile and starting to walk away. On the tip of my tongue were the words..

"If you were as pretty as you think you are then you would at least be somewhere. You wouldn't be sitting alone in a corner in the 4th grade room whining about how you have no friends, now would you?"

Now, as we were both getting mad and working on smoldering into a nice hot mess of yelling and hatred in the living room, she decided to take things into her own hands. She grabbed my hands and got up in my face "DELLA! I WAS TALKING TO YOU." This had crossed a line that I wasn't ready to cross with her.

"What did you just call me?" I hissed, pulling my hands away.

"I called you Della."

"You're so full of brat that if I cut you...that's all that would come out." I adapted to using a very mono-tone voice when fighting with Eden...But only because I really don't care what mean things she has to say to me.

"Was that a threat?"

her mischievous smile flickered as I grabbed her arm and pulled her to the kitchen. I reached into the drawer and pulled out a sharp, long knife. The end glittered and I pressed the tip to my nose as a warning signal to her. She struggled to get away but I wasn't allowing that. My grasp on her arm remained firm and I pulled her closer as I touched the knife to her hand.

"Hey Eden? Wanna see what comes out?"

"ANDE!" my mom bellowed at me on the top of lungs. I let go of Eden, my curiosity suddenly gone.

"WHAT THE HELL WHERE YOU DOING?" She was right up in my face but I couldn't help but smile as I whispered through my teeth....

 "Trying to see if brat comes out."

It was about 5 hours later when I was sitting at my computer looking up things for a report that was due on my first day back to school when I got the worst news of my life...I wouldn't say this usually because I do have a lot of life left but as soon as I tell you, you just might agree. The report was halfway done when my mom popped her head in the room and said...

"You're spending the day tomorrow at Riley Goodman's house."