False Friends

An unforgivable betrayal

On that day, when she turned sixteen, she had invited her closest friends to a little party.

Traditionally she would have had to celebrate with her family, but she was able to avoid this.

It would have been just one of those boring festivals with her parents, her uncles and aunts, her grandparents and all of them. And there would have been just one thing to discuss for them. Her upcoming marriage.

No she did not know her future husband but she knew that they would force her to marry someone in the near future.
So, because she did not wanted to hear those plans, she pulled herself back to her rooms and wrote the invitation carts:

There would only be four girls with her, three of her friends and her elder cousin, Nomen.

Her father had only allowed her to make this party when Nomen was with them.

Not that she did not like Nomen, but it was not a good feeling to have her in her rooms.
Maybe she was a little afraid of her.

But all those worries, all those fears drifted away when she came to the salon.
Leyla, her closest friend, they had met over ten years ago, hugged her with a happy smile on her lips.

"Super-Sweet Sixteen!", she shirked and pressed her tightly to herself. "Thanks, Leyla!", she laughed softly and freed herself from the embrace just to step in the next one.

Elise was a little older and bigger than the others but her embrace was not that tightly, it was more careful, like her whole personality. "Starlight! Best luck to you!", she smiled at her and grabbed her hand.

"Yeah, happy birthday!", Animas smile was little ironical, but Starlight knew that smile already and it was something that she really loved on her friend.

"Thanks.", she begun to laugh but could also feel tears in her bright, purple eyes.
"You're the bests.", she said with a warm voice. "But talk is cheap.", she hugged each of them and smiled her brightest smile on them while she stroke her golden hair out of her face.

"Where's the music?", Leyla asked, dancing through the big hall. "I thought this would be a party, Star?"

"Yeah, thats right!", Anima smirked. Elise nodded.

"You search for this one?", a new voice said out of the shadows.

Star turned around but she was not the only one to froze when the tall girl stepped out of the darkness.
"You would not started this party without me, dear cousin?", her smile seemed false.

Anima was the only one to keep her smile the whole time.

"No, of course not, Nomen.", Star tried to make up her fine smile again, but failed.

"Oh, that's a good decision.", Nomen laughed - a cold sound - and looked at each of them.

"We have cake here too.", she explained like the girls were six and not sixteen.
Leyla seemed a little annoyed. "Can you please lend us the remotes?", she asked with a sharp tone.

"There you have!", she thrown it towards the blond girl and Leyla caught it.

In Stars eyes laid a golden shadow of fear while she felt how the air surrounding her got thick.

Music filled the room while she had been able to forget her fear.
She forgot that they did not catch her today.
That she was not finished yet.
That this was just a show.
A show to avoid the pain.
The pain she was so afraid of.

She did not know if her friends realized it. 

She did not know if her friends realized her false smile while she was dancing with them.
While she was trying to have fun and succeeded with it.

She was so thankful for each of them being here with her.

Leyla for her being such a loud, direct, friendly, lovable person that ever got what she wanted.
Elise, because she was the honest of them all. She never lied. She took her like she was.

Anima, that was maybe the falsest but also the coolest of her friends. But she was funny in some ways.

She felt like the three of them would protect her from any pain.

But she felt not guilty for being that kinda weak in their present. 

As long as she was with them, as long as she could laugh with them, party with them, talk with them,
hug them, simply love them like they were her sisters, as long as that was her true live, she would be happy.

Lucky.

Sound.

Brave.
Safe.

Suddenly, the music broke.
The atmosphere turned black.

Black, so black that she was not able to see until she realized that they had forced her to close her eyes.

"Leyla? Anima? Elise?", she asked quietly but she did not get any answers.

Panic grew in her heart while she tried to open her eyes but they had put a blindfold over her eyes.

She felt the touch of familiar hands, that pulled her forwards, pressed her on one of the chairs.

"Is this a game? It's not funny, girls!", she tried a little laugh but failed because of the fear inside her voice.
There was still just silence around her.
She struggled but her hands were bound.

What was happened? What has gone wrong? Was it her fault?
"You can stop now.", she begged and the fear lamed her body.

In some ways she knew what would come, but, but, that could not be true!
No!
These girls were her friends.

Her friends, not her family.

Family. Nomen. No. No...

"Please.", she felt the tears in her eyes.

"Oh - are you afraid, Star?", she heard Animas voice breaking the stillness.

"Anima. Please, stop this.", she turned her head blindly into the direction of the voice.

"Hush hush, little girl.", Nomens voice was cold but she was more afraid of the sound she heard behind her. The chimney. The sound of metal. The cautery.

No. No. No. No. No. No. No.

She wanted to run away but a little hand pushed her back - Elise...

"Please. Don't.", she nearly cried. "Elise, Anima, Leyla, please..."

The ripping sound of her broken dress. The night air that flowed through the window and stroke her back.

No. These was her friends.

Her friends. Her sisters.

The pain was terrible. 

It was like her back would be teared apart, when they burned the flower into her skin.

But this was just the physically pain.

That wound weakened her for this moment, distorted her skin with a scar that would stay forever.

It would stay forever, under the scars that presenting her name to the world.

But she had not screamed because of this pain. She was used to this, finally.
Yes, she was afraid. And she hoped it would never happen ever again although she knew it will.

No, she screamed for another reason, for more than her torment.

For this was the worse anguish she had ever feel in her whole young live.

She screamed because of her broken heart.
They wounded her deeper than she ever expected it.
They betrayed her in the most unforgivable way but she did not want to believe this.
She just wanted them to be her friends. She thought that they would be.

She believed in them. She simply loved them.

But it was all vanity.
Maybe she was not lovable. 

No. This could not be true. It was Nomens fault. It was her fault. Certainly.

Or maybe not..? She could not forget this pain.

And she cried when they left her,

left her alone with her broken body, her broken heart, her broken light,

left her in the darkness surrounding her.

And this darkness...It was the only thing that comforted her.