Bones and All.

i. Static

ONE STATIC

( MARCH 'O4 )

✷

THERE IS SOMETHING so anticlimactic about real, super unbelievable, life-altering change. The thing about Mallory Dunne is that she's always been kinda good at change; at least, she hopes she is? Like, she wouldn't call herself a princess of it or anything, she gets it, people are dying somewhere else in the world and her life might be all sorts of wonky now but she's not dead, still there's gotta be some sort of crown of achievement for what she's been dealt? Right? Mallory believes she's right. If she really thinks about it, she doesn't even think her life metamorphosed that suddenly. It might've felt like it came from one day to the next. But it was gradual, falling, falling, falling until one day Mallory was cornered with evil and realized that nothing could ever be normal for her anymore. Because the change that was bestowed on this girl was inevitable. She knows that now. Sure, it could've been done in a much less traumatizing manner, of course... If anyone wants to know how peachy she's been since briefly becoming the object of some vampire's obsession, being stolen by said vampire, where he subsequently tried to turn her into one as well to have her forever, you know, the way sicko vampire creeps usually do — Mallory would tell them that she is doing good.

And yes, that's a damn lie but the picture is painted. What good is escaping a terrible fucking creep and defying the (very high) odds of a vampire bite if Mallory just like, gives up?

In truth, she is simply... trying.

There is no handbook for what she's been through; this isn't some messed up hypothetical or night terror, this is her life and it was changed and she honestly can't deal with that fact sometimes. Sure, Mallory knows she might be something sorta formidable now; in the sense of like, being snatched in the middle of the night while your brothers and mother watch helplessly is a much lower statistic now. (She could kick ass now. Probably. Not that she wants to...)