BECCA was numb.
Red and blue lights flashed across her face as one of the paramedics continued to wrap bandages around her wrists. A course blanket had been thrown over her shoulders where she sat in the back of the ambulance, the fabric barely registering to her.
She'd awoken on a gurney outside her house, police cars, ambulances and a fire truck parked in her driveway as her mother filed a police report. By then, nearly half the town of Riverdale was on her front lawn, most only curious neighbors and spectators wondering what had happened. Both the Riverdale Register and the local news channel had sent reporters in, hoping to get an interview from her mother or father. While crime was no stranger in Riverdale, it was rare on the Northside of town. Especially for the family of the Deputy Mayor.
The dark-haired girl could care less about all the commotion though. Everything seemed like white noise to her as she stared blankly ahead, dried tears on her cheeks. The first and only thing she'd done since she'd woken up was make sure her mother was okay. Melinda had sustained more injuries than Becca but managed to get patched up before her daughter regained consciousness.
The paramedic finished up the bandaging, wrapping the gauze securely around her now bruised and cut-up flesh.
"Just keep off that wrist for a while," The woman advised, giving the dark-haired girl a sympathetic smile.
Becca said nothing in response, merely hugging the blanket closer to her body. All she could think about in that moment were the rough touches of the Gargoyle's hands on her body, their sharp nails digging into her skin harshly. The hard kick of their boots as they forced her to kneel in front of the Gargoyle King and the way the rough cloth had tasted bitter in her mouth, nearly choking her.
"Becca!" Reggie's voice jolted her out of her thoughts, and she glanced up as her disheveled-looking brother made his way through the sea of people towards her. Jughead, Betty, Kevin, Cheryl, Toni, Fangs and Sweet Pea followed closely behind.
"Are you alright? Mom told me what happened," He asked as he approached her, a worried look in his eyes as he took in her condition.
Becca didn't immediately answer, for once at a loss for words. The group of teenagers surrounded the back of the ambulance, each one of them looking just as concerned as her brother.
A few moments of silence passed and the frown on Reggie's face grew deeper.
"Becca?" He asked again in a gentler voice.
He reached out a comforting hand towards her shoulder and as soon as his fingers grazed her skin, Becca flinched away from his touch. The action didn't go unnoticed by anyone, especially Sweet Pea who immediately looked her up and down. At the sight of her bandaged wrist and bruised arms, his jaw tightened, and his hands clenched into fists at his side.
Reggie retracted his hand from her slowly, now watching her with a much more careful eye.
"Sorry," She muttered quietly, feeling a little guilty at her reaction. She hadn't realized how much the experience had affected her until now.
"Cheryl, Toni, Fangs, Sweet Pea and I were in the middle of a G&G game when we heard the Gargoyle Kingdecided to pay you a visit," Jughead began, trying to keep his tone light despite the scary situation, "How are you feeling, 'High Priestess'?"
Becca regained a bit of her strength, replying sarcastically, "Fantastic, Jones. Thanks for asking."
"Becca..." Betty faltered for a moment, her voice soft and sympathetic, "What happened? All we heard was-"
"You were attacked by him and his Gargoyles," Jughead supplied almost excitedly, arching an eyebrow, "Did he give any reason why?"
Betty opened her mouth to scold him, however before she could say anything, another voice angrily interrupted.
"This isn't a game, Jones," Sweet Pea said harshly, his dark eyebrows furrowing in indignation, "This is real life, Becca's life. The least you could do is shut up about the stupid Gargoyle King for once!"
Silence followed his outburst as everyone, including Becca, gaped at him in surprise. His chest was still heaving with barely contained rage, but when he realized everyone was staring at him, he blinked a couple times and grew quiet.
The dark-haired girl studied him for a moment, her features twisting in confusion. Yeah, Jughead should've kept his mouth shut, but...Sweet Pea didn't have to defend her like that.
The tall Serpent crossed his arms and instead of saying anything else, stalked off towards the other end of the Mantle's lawn.
"We'll keep an eye on him," Toni finally spoke up, shooting Becca a small smile.
With that, Toni, Cheryl and Fangs left in the direction of Sweet Pea. Kevin came up beside her, tentatively giving her trembling hands a small squeeze.
"Thanks Kev," She murmured half-heartedly, giving him a thin smile.
"Becca, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-" Jughead's apology was cut short as she waved a hand at him.
"It's fine Jughead, don't worry about it," The dark-haired girl heaved a sigh, rubbing at her face, "I'll tell you guys everything later, just..."
Becca trailed off, swallowing thickly and growing quiet. She pulled the coarse blanket closer, not meeting anyone's eyes.
Betty, Jughead and Kevin exchanged glances amongst themselves.
"Why don't you guys give her some space?" Reggie suggested quietly and the trio nodded in agreement.
"We're here if you need us, Becca," Kevin reassured her, giving her hand one last squeeze before the three of them left to go talk to Sheriff Minetta.
The two Mantle siblings sat in silence while chaos continued to surge around them. The Riverdale police department was still talking with her parents, while reporters tried to get interviews from someone. By now, at least, some people had dispersed from their front lawn, the excitement having been worn down.
Reggie was the first to speak.
"Becca, I-"
"It's fine, Reg," She said quietly, already knowing what he was going to say.
He stopped, swallowing thickly and looking down at the ground for a moment. Tears welled up in Becca's eyes, but she fought at them again, hastily swiping at her orbs. Her brother noticed this, but instead of commenting, he surprised her and simply pulled her into a hug. She stood motionless for a moment, before her arms wrapped around his neck and she buried her face into his shoulder.
They sat there like that for a long time.
---
"Becca."
Her mother's soft voice interrupted the dark-haired girl's thoughts as she sat at her vanity later that night. The room still felt...off, even after the police had collected evidence and put everything back into place. But she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched somehow, even though her father personally had Sheriff Minetta and a couple of officers stay outside their house for the rest of the night.
It didn't make her feel safer though.
She wasn't sure anything could.
Becca turned to her mother who now stood in the open doorway. She looked almost worse than her daughter, gauze running up and down her arms and cuts across her cheek. The same sadness Becca felt seemed to permeate the dark-haired woman's eyes. If there was anyone who truly understood how Becca was feeling at that moment, it was her.
"How are you feeling, honey?" She asked, almost tentatively, "Do you need anything? Painkillers? More gauze? Food? I could run to Pop's real quick, I'm sure they're still open-"
"Mom," Becca interrupted her worried rambling, "I'm fine, really. Just a little sore, that's all."
Melinda nodded reluctantly; her gaze still concerned. She glanced around her daughter's room, looking like she wanted to say more. There was something else in her eyes though...as if she was afraid to be in her own home.
Becca understood that all too well.
"Are you okay?" She asked her mother, nodding her head towards the other chair by her desk.
Melinda wrung her hands together slightly, before finally entering the room and taking a seat next to her daughter.
The woman gave her a soft smile, tears pooling in her eyes as she sniffed slightly, "I'm fine honey. I'm just...so sorry this happened, and I wasn't there to stop it..."
Her mother's voice became choked up and suddenly she let out a muffled sob.
"This is all my fault," She whispered brokenly, "I should've known something like this would happen again."
Becca's eyebrows furrowed in confusion suddenly, "Again? Mom, what are you talking about?"
Melinda Mantle looked up sharply, her eyes studying the dark-haired girl next to her. She was quiet for a long moment, and Becca was about to ask her again, when she spoke up.
"I just have one question for you," Her mother started gravely, somehow already knowing the answer, "I know you and Reggie have been playing G&G. What character are you playing as?"
Becca's stomach dropped and her eyes widened, recalling the Gargoyles' earlier conversation as they tried to kidnap her.
The King doesn't want his bride damaged.
"The High Priestess," She answered, searching her mother's features, "The Gargoyles...they mentioned I was some sort of...bride. Like they wanted to force me to marry the Gargoyle King."
Even just saying it out loud sounded ridiculous...but unfortunately, it was true.
Melinda's mouth set into a hard line, her gaze narrowing. But even through the tears, she knew what she had to do to keep her daughter safe. She had to tell her the truth, no matter the consequences.
"There's something I need to tell you honey," She swallowed thickly, but pressed on anyway, "When I played G&G with the Midnight Club, I was also the High Priestess. At first, I thought it was just a game. But then one day, I found a page ripped out from the Player's Manual stuck in my locker at school."
Becca nodded for her to continue.
Melinda shook her head, as if the memory was almost too painful to talk about, "I'd never thought much of my character's card. Sure, it was a weird backstory, but that's all it was: fiction. That's all any of us thought it was."
She sighed, rubbing at her forehead, "The missing page detailed the game's lore behind the High Priestess character and the Gargoyle King. According to G&G's history, the only true way the Gargoyle King can win and take over Eldervair is if he's 'united' with the High Priestess and gains her power."
"Or in other words: marries her," Becca finished, her eyes widening as everything suddenly clicked. The Union, the bride, the kidnapping.
All of it made sense now.
Melinda nodded, "I assumed it was Penelope just trying to get me more into G&G and the game's roleplaying. But I was wrong..."
Her mother's jaw clenched tightly as she continued, "I started getting strange notes in my locker. Some of them were promises of being united while others were simply love poems. But they all had one thing in common: they were signed by the Gargoyle King."
Becca drew a sharp breath, listening closely as she continued.
"When the letters apparently didn't work anymore, whoever it was moved on to something far more creepy: pictures," She shuddered, "At first they were just pictures of me at school or in class, but eventually, they got worse. Pictures of me in my bedroom window, pictures of my family, pictures of..."
Melinda stopped, as if she was internally debating about what to say next, "Pictures of me with people I cared about."
Becca studied her mother as she said this, but the woman quickly moved on from the subject, "Anyway, it got to the point that I was afraid to go anywhere by myself. And then...Ascension Night happened."
Becca arched an eyebrow, remembering from Betty's story that her mother had been the first one to leave that night.
"I'd had enough of drugs and partying," Melinda sighed heavily, as if those weren't the only two reasons she'd left Riverdale High early that night, "So, despite my fears, I decided to go home early. I was about halfway to my house when I heard bushes rustling behind me. I stupidly turned around...and there he was: the Gargoyle King."
The dark-haired girl's eyes widened, and she put a hand to her mouth in shock.
"I was so scared that I just started running as fast as I could," Wetness began to pool in her mother's eyes again, "I'd been on edge because of the notes and pictures for almost a month. I'd have nightmares nearly every night of the Gargoyle King slaughtering my family and dragging me away. It was...torture, to say the least."
Becca swallowed, her sympathetic gaze on her mother as she gave her hand a squeeze, "I'm so sorry you had to go through that mom."
A bitter chuckle escaped her lips, "I didn't look back the whole way home, and even when I was safe in my room, I locked all the doors and windows and didn't sleep for the rest of the night."
She shook her head slightly, "I foolishly thought the same thing wouldn't happen to you, but now look...you were nearly kidnapped and I'm to blame."
"This isn't your fault mom," Becca insisted, "None of this is your fault. It's just some crazy dumbass in a costume looking to get his rocks off by scaring people."
Her mom laughed at that, though her voice was choked up near the end, "I know sweetie, I just...don't want you to go through what I had to. It's bad enough with everything else going on in Riverdale, let alone a stalker in a mask."
Oh, if only you knew, Becca's mind immediately went back to Dilton Doiley but she forced that image from her thoughts.
"Is there anything else you can tell me about this G&G 'myth', mom?" Becca asked.
Melinda shook her head, "Not that I know of, but I never really looked into it beyond what was sent to me."
The dark-haired girl nodded reluctantly, leaning back in her chair and thinking to herself. She had to get Betty and Jughead this information, they'd know what to do with it. And perhaps there was more to the story than what Melinda knew.
"Just please promise me something," Her mother took her hand and gave it a squeeze.
Becca lifted her gaze from the floor to meet Melinda's.
"Promise me you won't go looking for the Gargoyle King," She pleaded, "And promise me you won't play this awful game anymore."
Becca swallowed thickly, knowing she'd come to regret her next words. And yet, despite the horror she'd gone through that night, she knew she couldn't back down. Not now, not until the Gargoyle King was put in his place.
"I promise."
The lie tasted bitter on her tongue.
( and now to tie together this entire book with this one picture )
A/N: hey guys!! Long time no see, sorry for the filler chapter but I wanted to wait until next chapter for some....juicy character development 😌😌
What did you guys think of Melinda's story?? Sound familiar....
I'm trying to get back to my regular updating schedule, but these past few weeks haven't been great for my mental health. Please be considerate and patient, I'm trying my best to update!
ALSO IF YOU HAVEN'T NOTICED!!!! Chemistry is at 1M reads!! Thank you all so much and I really can't find the words ❤️
As always, vote and comment if you enjoyed and see you next chapter! ❤️