Human Turning

"Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Arielle... Happy birthday to you!"

It was Arielle's 18th birthday... Oh, I remember it as if it was yesterday. We weren't many, Arielle never had many friends. I, and my boyfriend, George, were some of her only friends. If not the only ones. I played with a loose thread on my dress, and nervously I swept my eyes over the few people who attended the party. No surprise that her family had come, uncles, aunts, grandparents. And of course her parents. Her mom sat with an uncertain look on her face. And her father was closed in himself - as usual. It wasn't much of a party feel over this get-together. Nothing like people would expect a 18th birthday party to be like.

"Now, darling, are you ready for your gifts?" her mother said with an excited voice. She almost bumped out of her seat with thrill, and I swear she was at least ten times more buzzed about the whole thing, than Arielle.

Yes. That was the thing about Arielle. She wasn't like any other girls. Well, she used to be like me once. I remember her happy face so clearly. Her girl-next door look, and how her beautiful, blonde hair swept over her blue eyes when it was windy. She was actually one of those few girls who looked beautiful from the nature's side.  

But after she met Jean, things turned, if possible, more than up-side-down. She met Jean when she was 15. He was that dark, mysterious, and not to mention older guy everyone was kind of afraid of, but still admired; he was extremely good looking. But not in a fancy, sissy-boy-ish way. But in a dark, handsome way. The way he looked at you... it could give you goosebumps. His dark eyes hidden by a cloud of dark hair, they were so intense. No wonder Arielle fell in love with him.

He was also a lot older than her, 22 when they met. She was 15. Jean made her do things. Absolutely, girlfriend-boyfriend thing, they did. Legally speaking, he was taking advantage of her. And religiously talking, she was doing a sin.  

But he also made her do Other things. Spooky things. Thing I never understood before it was too late.

The first time I noticed something wrong, was when she dyed her beautiful hair. Everyone adored it. But now her hair was coal black. Just without a warning - it was raven black. Later, she cut it. The long hair, that reached to her petite waist, was now in a dramatic bob.

I was waiting for her at her home the day she cut it. Her mom had dished up something sweet, French Macaroons. She was a master chef, and her desserts were amazingly delicious. I remember sitting by the table, listening to her mother's chit chat about everything between earth and heaven, when Arielle entered the door. Her mother lost it. At first she was yelling, so loud, and the she started weeping. She cried as she held Arielle's wrists, not letting her go.

I found that it was in my place to leave when she slapped Arielle.

It didn't take long before she started dressing in black clothing too. It made everyone rather surprised, because she was one of the sassy, pretty rich girls. I even remember the first time she wore a black shirt. She had been bugging me about some kind of band I'd never heard of. So, acting as a real best friend, I found an authentic shirt on eBay, and gave it to her. To be honest; that was one of the last times I saw her really smile.

The changes kept coming; little by little she became darker - both physically, and mentally.

Someone from the outside would just wave it away and say that, 'psh, no worries, she just became a little emo or something, nothing to worry about, it is just a phase'. But no - it wasn't a phase. Soon all her friends were slipping away. I never had the heart to let her go, and many times I thanked God that I hadn't; mostly at her suicide attempts. I had stopped her 3 or 4 times from doing it.