"The sun sees your body, but the moon sees your truth." - Anonymous
🌚🌚🌚
Last night May had a bad night because her parents like to fight. The Grimm parents seem to enjoy fighting about three things the most. In no particular order of importance they are: The Money, The Power, and"What to do about May?"
The Grimm parents fight the most often about The Money. Especially what her mother extravagantly spends on expensive and unnecessary things, or throws away on gambling and fortune-tellers. The Grimm mother just loves to hear how her fortunes will change someday. They fight less often about The Power than they used to. Those were old fights that have long lost their importance years ago when her father gave up caring about anything besides making The Money. Another Pyrrhic victory that left her mother alone in her marriage to raise two ungrateful girls in the big Grimm house on the Hill.
But it's the last kind of fight that hurts her the hardest, because they hardly ever really fight about May anymore. Any argument about May is not so much of a disagreement, but just another trigger to fight about The Money. Because both her parents agree that May should probably be sent away to a special place for special people like her. They only disagree as to where that place should be and who should have to pay. Her father wants to send her away to a specialized Blind Boarding school again, where she can be around special people just like her. But her mother has someplace slightly more deadly in mind, a nice hole in the desert outside of Barstow. A grave place on Zyzzyx road, where the Spyder can stop by for a visit on her way to Vegas.
"I still think we should consider sending May away to boarding school again." The Grimm father has proposed.
"And who do you think is going to pay for that kind of special school? Certainly not us?" Her mother will counter-attack back and then the real fight began again. Because after all, any argument about May is really just another version of the fight about The Money. And everyone knows her mother loves money more than anything ...maybe even herself?
Near midnight a familiar shadow sneaks up the stairs to her room. The shadow slides through the creaking door and slips under the covers next to her on the bed on the floor. On fight night her shadow always comes crawling in her room, to press up against May and share her soul. She gives the shadow her love, and the shadow loves her back. For they have always loved each other more than any other. For nothing is as powerful as the bond between the sisters in the house filled with horrors. A shadow sister is more than just mere family, she is your forever friend. The only other person in the world who has been where you have been, and who can understand just how screwed up your parents made you.
"I hate when they fight all night about stupid shit. Why couldn't daddy have just divorced her greedy ass in the last round of crazy town is beyond me. Or just kill that Spyder, put her head on the wall with the rest of his trophies, then talk to it on holidays? Anything would be healthier than those two sick twists." The shadow whispers sadly. "I will never stay together with anyone for the sake of the children ...not doing anyone any favors."
"I know sweetie." May pulls her midnight sister closer to her. "Just hang in there, this one will be over pretty soon. They can't fight much longer, cause Daddy has work in the morning."
From long experience, they know that the weekday fights are bad enough, but the Saturday night brawls are the worst. As Sunday is the one day a week that their father doesn't have to work early the next morning. So Saturday is hammer time, when Daddy drinks the good stuff. And hammer time is a bad time to pick a fight with a man who has big bills to pay, and doesn't have to work the next day.
"I don't know if I can take four more years of this nightmare." Her shadow sighs despondently.
"You can do it, just hang in there," May assures her shadow. "We've survived together this far. Besides we are better now than we were last year. We are stronger, smarter, and with more money in the Goodbye Kitty."
The Goodbye Kitty what they call the emergency money they've been collecting for the Grimm Sisters Master Plan. Saving lunch money, and selling their old clothes on the internet instead of letting her mother "donate them to charities for the poor people". And the goal of the Diabolical Master Plan? Get April safely to her eighteenth birthday, when she can finally cut her mothers access off to the trust fund in their name.
In return, all May wants is a small dark space in the back of the closet of April's shiny life in the limelight to call her own. Preferably near a park with tall trees, where she can hear the wind songs, and where she will be safe from Spyders. So for that, she is willing to risk everything to get her chance at a dream. She will even make a deal with the only devil she knows to sell her soul, in order to ensure her freedom that she might never win on her own.
"Not like we have a choice." The shadow seems sadder than normal tonight, and May guesses that starting high school weighs heavy on her head.
"Not yet, but soon enough," May reassures her shadow.
"Never soon enough..." The midnight sister sighs and pushes closer into her warmth.
Soon enough the shadow of a sister finally falls asleep. Side by side, holding onto each other like they always have before, and May listens to the night nevermore. They had slept together like this for years when they were little children sharing a room. Right up until May was sent away to blind boarding school for junior high. When May was summarily returned two years later, they hadn't started sleeping in the same room together again.
Until last year when a broken boy shattered her shadow sister's heart. When their mother had taken the opportunity to crush what little was left of her sister's soul. Then it was April's turn to be broken and cry next to her at night. But together they had pulled her through the darkness and made a Master Plan ...a daring deal with the devil of sorts. That was when the demoness known as April Raine was born ...and what low beast slinks it's way to the halls of San Fall Hills, where the Falcons dare to fly.
So while her shadow sister slumbers fitfully next to her on her bed on the floor in the corner, May thinks her way through the many machinations that will be required in the weeks to come to see the next phase of the Grand Plan come to fruition. Until the dawn sun begins to warm her skin through the bedroom windows. She slides out from under her sister's arm, leaving her shadow to sleep just a little longer. May stands to stretch and then feels her way into the bathroom to start her day.
After a shared shower and a change of clothes, the Grimm sisters are ready to face the crucible of the day. May follows her sister down the marble stairs to face the first challenge of the morning, her so-called "healthy" breakfast. A repetitive fare, consisting of a boiled egg, a bowl of warm oatmeal crud. And some slop of dubious origin in a sippy cup, that is being passed off as some sort of nutritional smoothie.
When they were children April was always so proud she got her choice of fancy breakfasts, with crêpes, blintz's, scones, even eggs Benedict in hollandaise. None of which May could ever eat, because obviously she was blind and she kept dropped things on the "good carpet". Now April only eats what May eats, in a show of sisterly solidarity against the Spyder that is their mother. They call their mother the Spyder because she is a poisonous person. Spinning her webs of lies and deceits to trap and keep them close ...until she is ready to eat her young.
The oppressive silence from fight-night fogs over breakfast like a pallor, which continues all the way out to the garage and into the SUV. Only once the big black SUV is out of the garage and heading down the hills to Hell, does today's tirade begin again. This time it's April's turn as the target of the Spyder's spite and venomous bite.
The ride to school is punctuated by the Spyders continual haranguing on April about making better choices in her life. About picking the right friends and "Others" more carefully. The Spyder's second favorite soul-crushing topic of choice, after April's mistake in dating that Bad Boy's Boy. Not to mention her near-death escape from the clutches of the dreaded "Gay Aids" as a result. Sadly this morning's tirade is all too familiar warfare, and May hates that she can't be of any help to her sister on this fight front.
Because they've both learned the hard lesson over the many years of May therapists, and April's one truly awful bad break up. That not every fight is worth fighting when you have a war to win. That the ultimate goal is always to win the war, not all the battles in between. So sometimes in order to win wars, you have to lose some of the easy battles, in order to lull the enemy into a false sense of superiority. That some battles are worth losing, because other battles matter much more if you want to win the war. The hardest trick was to know which battles to fight to the death, and which battles to weather.
So May sits still in the back passenger seat the feeling the dry wind buffet her new cute haircut. A short pixie cut that her sinister sister picked out as super cute and still functional. As the tirade goes on, she can sense her sister is starting to get irritated by their mother's never-ending slew of slights. The Spyder's standard strategy was a war by attrition, using a technique of repetitive propaganda. The constant repetition of all the same things, said in slightly different variations, over and over. In order to wear down her opposition until there was no more fight left in them.
"Are we almost there yet?" May interrupts the tirade, as her mother takes a breath of air before renewing her ad nauseam assault.
"May'May you need to listen and never interrupt me again." The Spyder snaps back.
"May'May" is her mother's pet name for her. But it's not a cute nickname by any means. Much more along the lines that May is so stupid that she needs to hear her own name twice in order to know she's the one being spoken to. Thus the May'May and the Ape 'Ape interplay the sister's practice in order to toughen them up to face the Spyder's stings.
"I was listening, Mommy." May smiles rubbing her antique Braille timepiece for luck. "I was just wondering why it was taking so long to get to school? With us back in school again, I know you must have a busy day today. Oh, and who's picking us up and what time again?"
May carefully goads her mother towards the concept of time. Because after all time is money, and the spiteful Spyder loves her money more than anything. As both sisters are acutely aware, their mother is thinking now about nothing beyond dropping them off and driving as fast as she can to the nearest place to gamble away the day. Gambling is the Spyder's thing to do, it's how she regularly relieves the stress of living her carefree life.
Cards at the Hunt Club, Mahjong in the city, slots Indians reservations, and then off to Vegas baby! Where ever there's some action to be had, the Spyder knows the score. Sometimes you win and buy shiny new things, and sometimes you lose and are forced to sell your old gold to your cousins. So you can get more money, to go back to the tables again and get back what you're owed. At least until the next trust check clears on the first of the month, and then you can start the sick cycle in style all over again.
"Your father will have to pick you up later, I have too many of my own things to do today." The Spyder stops suddenly short into the handicapped parking spot with a jolt. "April keep watch over your sister today. And May'may listen to what April says, and don't be difficult." This will mark the seventh thousandth time the Spyder has hissed these very same words when dropping off the two banes of her existence into grave danger.
"Yes, Mommy." May smiles and slowly slips out of the SUV. She carefully steps to the side for April to slam the door closed on their Spyder, who is already lighting up one of her slim expensive French cigarettes. The tinted window rolls down with a whine and the noxious plume of expensive French fumes billow out at them.
"April make sure May'May is back here by one thirty sharp." The Spyder spits her last try at bad parenting for the day. "You know how your father hates to wait."
"Okay, bye, luv ya, see ya soon." April trills dulcet back through the waft of hateful fog. "Oh, and don't forget to drive super safe on your way to ...wherever."
The Spyder glares one last time at her cursed offspring before she shakes her head in disgust. Then pulls away from the handicapped loading zone behind the school, to spend the day chasing her fortune away.
"Have nice day..." April drones dialing in the cheerful as her mother drives away on her way to her addictions. "...losing all your mo'nay. Then you have to start over again with nothing."
"Cause the trust fund is right around the corner ...and surprise'surprise you're gonna get nothing." April seethes at the taillights as the flare once and disappears into the traditional first-morning traffic. "While I pray every night and every day that you die in a fiery car crash ...you total psycho bitch."
With the Spyders tirade purged from her system, April takes a long deep cleansing breath to face the day and turns on May.
"Oh yeah and thanks for saving my ass from another pointless Gay Aids tirade. But don't do that shit again, May." April sighs. "I'm strong enough to take her shitshow now, so just let me take it. Okay, May?"
"I was only trying to distract her there at the end." May justifies back.
"I know that, May. But once she gets on that crazy loop, it's just better to let her stay on it. Oh, hey wait a sec ...weren't you the one that taught me that trick?" Her sister nudges softly into May's shoulder to make the point. "That we can't afford to screw this up now, or they might send you away again. And seriously May, I don't want that to happen. I can't do four more years of them ...not alone."
"Never alone," May reassures her sinister sister.
"Besides, who else I am I gonna tell all my angry angsty crap to?" April sniffs in faux hauteur. "Don't forget, you promised to help me conquer this shithole, so I don't have to put up with people like me."
"Always with you, never against you." May intones the mantra that has gotten them through the darkest times.
"Always." April clasps her hand slightly tighter. "May did you get any sleep last night at all?"
"A little." May forces a small wan smile.
"So barely nothing again then?" Aprils sighs sadly. "Gawd-dammit May, you promised..."
"Don't worry, I got more than enough sleep to get through a half-day," May assures with a smile. "Besides its only orientation today, what could possibly go right?"
"Right." April sighs, guiding her sister down the winding walkways and up the stairs into the end of the D hall. Where May has her special locker right next to the special bathroom. Where she can be super special by herself, and safely out of the way from the rest of the flock.
"Okay, we are at your locker." April stops short, guiding May's fingers to the key-lock. Then takes up her normal position in life, guarding her sisters back as May drops off all her unnecessary accouterments.
"Coo'cool, so I'll see you after school fool?" May smirks at the memory of a strange summer moment.
"No dummy, I'll see you again in three periods. Then we can figure out where to eat lunch." April tries again to change the order of things.
"I already told you where I eat lunch." May's face hardens. "Don't forget April, this is your first day of high school. So you need to make the right impression immediately. And that impression is not taking care of your super special sister, but being the best bitch you can be. That's the master plan, and nothing else matters for the moment."
"So what I am hearing you say is ...that the life of a dumb slut here at ol' San Shithole Hills High, isn't going to get me to a crapy community college of my choice?" April snorts in retort.
"Not unless slutting is an extracurricular activity, that you can work into your college entrance essay." May counters evenly. "Do the hard work now, Dummy. Then later you can lay on your back through the rest of your sorry sorority sister life."
"So I guess its back to A's and B's and boys for toys then? At least until I can run for school president and rule this roost with an iron fist and a scarlet smile." April counters coldly.
May can sense the shift in moods in her sinister sister, as April dons on her cheery armor and prepares to claw her way to the top of the Triangle Troops. May hates that her sinister sister must become so hateful. But she knows there is no other way, not if they are both to survive the crucible of high school. Which of course pales in comparison to the Curse of the Spyder that awaits them at home.
"Hang in there April, it's only four more years and then you're out. Clean and clear, no muss, no fuss, and a nice big fat trust. Then you'll never have to worry about a damn thing again. You can just be the lazy bitch you've always wanted to be to your dark heart's content. But for now, you have to be this thing." May smiles slyly. "So embrace the hate and be all you can be, with a heavy emphasis on the best B. Got it?"
"Yeah'yeah, there is no second runner-up in best bitch. See the bitch, be the bitch, kill the bitch ...got it." April sighs resigned to her fate and unnecessarily tries to re-orientate her sister. "Okay, you're here facing your locker at eleven-thirtyish? Two steps to the left-hand door jam of the back bathroom, out of the door right in front of you to the right. You got your spot set?"
"Yep." May beams and light taps the bathroom door with her stick twice. "Hello, door."
"Good luck today, May." April leans in close and give May a quick hug for luck and whispers a truth. "Oh yeah, keep up the April is a total slut rumor thing going. You were right, it seems to be somewhat working ...almost all the bad reputation but with none of the effort. Where the hell do you get this crap from?"
"Obviously from watching way too many hours of chick flick channels on cable." May snorts.
"Good one." April pulls away snortling, finally leaving May alone again with her own thoughts.
But May knows her sister well enough to know that April has stopped walking halfway down the hall and is still watching at a cautious distance. Waiting to make sure that May can navigate her way through the start of her day. So May shakes her sister off and starts tapping her way to her homeroom class and whatever dark fate awaits...
...in room C- 22.