𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑 ᶜʰᵃˢᵉ ˢᵗᵉᶦⁿ!

𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐄!

"I would die for you, TT, you know that...right?"

"Fucking hell," Thalia swore angrily, clutching at her messy hair angrily, nearly ripping her own hair out as though that would shut the voice up. "You weren't actually supposed to die, you idiot...people overexaggerate to show their love...y-you weren't actually supposed to do that," Thalia cursed under her breath in dismay. Though she never wanted to admit it, she felt it deep in her gut ── Violet was gone. There was no way Violet would've left the hellhole that was the Soleil property and not taken Thalia with her, there was no way Violet would've left her when she made such atrocious proclamations she did anything to make come true. "It should've been me...not you." 

As Thalia trudged along the dirty path, voices cried and wailed throughout the cave, gradually getting louder as Thalia let out a scratchy groan, hands clutching at her ears in a desperate attempt to shut the world out as the voices screeched and screamed to grasp for Thalia's attention. Of course, when someone else's voice slipped into the mix, naturally...Thalia's interest was piqued. 

"You are a horrible example for your sister! She worships the ground you walk on and here you are, strolling in at three in the goddamn morning acting like you own the place?! Grow the hell up, Violet!" Matteo Soleil's voice boomed as Thalia groaned, feeling herself succumbing to the pain this memory brought her. She was eight, sitting by the steps after having snuck out of her bedroom to loiter by the steps to wait for Violet to come home so Violet would tuck her in properly and kiss her teddies good night. Matteo never knew how to do that. 

"Technically, I snuck in through the window...I didn't stroll," Violet snapped back snarkily, flipping the bird at the elder man as she tried to step past him, Matteo's arms placed sternly on his hips as he narrowed his eyes at the rebellious teenager. "What? I'm back now...okay? No need to get your panties in a twist." 

"Oh, just quit the backchat, would you? I'm not amused, Violet."

"Does it look like I am?" 

"When are you going to realize that your actions have consequences?"

"When are you going to realize your words will always fall on deaf ears? I have zero respect for someone like you!" 

"Someone like me? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"You know damn well what it means! Fuck you and all your bullshit, I'm sick of it! I'm going to expose you someday, your fake act of being some kind of benevolent saint is going to crumble when I'm finished with you! Everyone's going to realize that you're nothing but a bastard!" 

"No, no, shut up! Shut up!" Thalia exclaimed, the voices seeming to get louder, slipping within the confines of her mind as they taunted her from the inside of her own head. "Please...no," Thalia begged desperately, tears trickling down her blood-caked face as she closed her eyes frantically, praying that it would shut the memories out but if anything, thrusting herself back into darkness seemed to only immerse her further in her past trauma. 

"You insolent little brat!" Matteo roared angrily as Thalia physically flinched exactly the way her eight-year-old self had done when she was peering through the staircase railings and watched as Matteo's stiffened palm struck Violet across the cheek. Ever indignant, Violet refused to let her hand cup her stinging cheek, instead spitting at Matteo viciously as she stormed off without another word, barely getting towards the stairs when Matteo grabbed her wrist violently, pulling her towards him. "I'm not finished with you, you stupid girl!" 

"Get off me, asshole!" Violet shrieked instinctively before biting down on her own lip so hard that her lips cracked open, blood trickling down her lips as Matteo lugged the girl towards his room. Groaning incoherently, Thalia buried her face in her hands the same way she had when she was eight, feeling the hot tears on the skin of her palms as she cried hysterically, feeling her hands disobey her own mind as she peeped through her hands to see Violet staring right back into her eyes.