№31|The Past That Haunts Us (Part 1)
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“I’m sorry!” Cruella sobbed, her small pre-teen frame curling into a ball as Juniper whipped her relentlessly, her siblings watching in the corner as they cowered in fear.
“Oh trust me! You’ll be sorry! I had that business deal lined up for months, and since your stupid ass spilled tea on the ambassador the deal was scraped! Millions of dollars thrown down the drain!”
Cruella stirred in her bed, her eyes closed tightly shut, “No...please...I said...I’m sorry!”
“Sorry isn't good enough! Since you made me lose millions of dollars, you’re gonna sit her and take this punishment!” Juniper kicked her in the side, sending her flying into the corner of the room.
Cruella clenched the sheets, “you…bitch…”
“Don't you touch them!” Cruella raced over to her sibling, standing in front of them protectively.
Juniper scoffed “what makes you think you can protect them? You could barely beat Tangerine!”
Marmalade breathed heavily, her eyes closed shut as she slept “Cruella…don't…”
Emmanuel unwrapped his arms from her, brushing back her hair, “Marmalade…?” Emmanuel yawned, waking up to take in the scene of his girlfriend having a nightmare, “hey, hey, what’s wrong?”
“Cruella! Stop it! Just do what she says!” Marmalade sobbed, begging her sister to stop.
“I’m not gonna let her boss us around!” Cruella yelled, getting thrown into the wall, “you can hurt me all you want, but don't you lay a hand on my siblings!”
“Cruella...you can't...win…” Marmalade wailed out in pain, her body suddenly spasming as she clutched the pillow, “stop…! We’re sorry!”
“Sorry isn't gonna cut it, Clementine!” Juniper spat out, using the name she chose for Marmalade rather than her actual name which is Marmalade. She held the 9 year old by her fiery red hair, stabbing her in the side.
“You need to be taught what happens when you disobey!”
“But...it was...an accident…” Gillian whimpered. Rosemary was awoken when she heard Gillian's cries of pain.
“Gillian, wake up, it's just a bad dream.” Rosemary tried to shake him awake but it wasn't working.
“You useless servant!” Juniper kicked Gillian in the back, sending him into the floor face first “you couldn't do one damn thing?!”
Gillian curled up into a ball, sobbing as he tried to think about anything other than the pain Juniper was inflicting on him.
He covered his ears, muttering the lullaby his mother would sing to him, trying to make his body forget the pain.
“Cast away...your worries, my dear…” Gillian muttered, tears streaming down his cheeks.
Juniper whipped him with a flogger, “don't you sing! It's disgusting!” she pulled out the dagger, slicing his neck.
“Gillian!” Cruella yelled, watching as her brother gasped for air. She tried to get to Gillian's side but Tangerine held her and Marmalade back.
Outside the dream, Gillian felt like his lungs weren't working. He felt his air supply shorten with every quick breath he took.
Even though his eyes were close, he grabbed onto Rosemary's hand, squeezing it tightly.
“I don't...want to...leave yet...mom, Cruella, Marmalade...no…” Gillian rasped.
Rosemary kissed Gillian's hand before letting it go. Rushing towards Diane's room, before she could knock, Diane opened the door.
“Diane, the DeVille Kids-”
“I know, Hex informed me moments ago.” Diane put on her white shawl, “bring them into the living room.”
Moments later, the Golden Dragons were in the living, all worried over the DeVille kids.
Diane hovered her hand over Cruella's horehead. She sighed, shaking her head “I wish I could tell you it's just a normal nightmare but it isn't.”
“Then what is it?” Emmanuel asked, holding Marmalade in his arms.
“It's a synchronized dream,” Diane began, “it's only happened once in history so this is pretty monumental.”
“Diane,” Hex glared at her “I get it remarkably and shit but they're hurting, so rather than marvelling in the fact of how this is, how about you tell us why it's happening.”
“Don't talk to me like that,” Diane glared back at him.
Hex sighed “sorry, I should not have done that. Can you please help us Diane.”
“That's the thing,” Diane inhaled sharply, “we can't disrupt a synchronized dream under any circumstances.”
“Why not?! She's suffering!” Emmanuel scolded, holding Marmalade closer to him.
“I know Emmanuel, I know,” Diane pinched the bridge of her nose, “but if we wake them up they'll die.”
“Wha-What?!” Rosemary's eyes went wide.
“Yes, it's like waking a sleepwalker, we gotta let them process the nightmare to its entirety.” Diane stated, Emmanuel scrunched up his fist.
“So that means we have to leave them to suffer?! No way!” Emmanuel shook his head, “I’ve never seen Marmalade in such pain before and I’m not gonna sit here and watch her suffer!”
“Would you rather sit here for a few hours and then get Marmalade back or wake her up and be the reason she dies?” Gabriella wagered, Emmanuel sighed and sat back down.
“I guess your right…” Emmanuel muttered.
“Exactly, now the best thing for them right now is for you to be there for them when they wake up. Make sure they know it was only a past memory and it can't hurt them.” Diane rubbed Rosemary’s shoulder.
“They’ll be okay, right?” Rosemary whispered.
“Of course, just don't wake them.” Diane smiled, patting her shoulder before the team walked back to their rooms.
Hex laid with Cruella in their bed, he stroked her black and white hair, “mi amor (my love), it’s just a nightmare.”
Cruella winced, holding onto Hex’s hand harder as in her memories, Juniper threw her into a cell.
“So,” Juniper stalked around her, holding the flogger in her hand, tapping it slightly on her palm, “I heard you tried to escape,” she whipped Cruella with the flogger, “again!”
Cruella whimpered, “s-so wha-what if I did!” she tried to put on a brave face, trying to show Juniper she wasn’t going to be intimidated by her.
Juniper whipped her again, “we’re gonna end that sass once and for all!” She whipped her face, a scar forming across her cheek, “we’ll stay here all week if we have to until you’re whipped into submission.”
Cruella cried out in pain, “no…! Stop it! Please...stop it!”
Hex kissed her hand, “baby...it hurts me to see you cry…please wake up.”
Cruella sobbed, “someone...anyone...make it stop!” the screams of the DeVille Kids could be heard throughout the rooms as they woke up.
Marmalade sobbed into her hands, rocking back and forth, “I’m sorry...I just wanna go home...away from here…”
Emmanuel tried to rub her shoulder but Marmalade shuddered and moved away from Emmanuel, “n-no! D-Don't touch me! No more men, Juniper...I can't take it!”
Emmanuel was taken aback, he slowly backed away from Marmalade and outside the room “Diane,” Emmanuel closed the door, “we have a problem.”
“What do you mean?” Diane questioned.
“She’s scared of me, it’s almost like she doesn’t remember me.” Emmanuel felt his heart break when he said his statement.
Diane looked at Marmalade through the window, her red eyes were clouded in fear. “I think the DeVille Kids are still waking up from their nightmare, sorta like they’re still in the haze between the nightmare and the real world.”
“Cruella’s not talking.” Hex sighed, closing the door as he exited his room, “she’s not even looking at me. I was reaching to get my phone and she curled up like a turtle thinking I was gonna hit it.”
“Lucky you,” Rosemary slammed the door to her room, “try controlling that damn animalistic person in there! I’ll trade silent and scared for the assassin in there anyday!”
“What?” Diane questioned.
“When he woke up he went on a rampage, attacking anything in sight! Even me!” Rosemary wiped her forehead, “I don't know what happened to him.”
“It’s the dream, their heads are still somewhere in between the nightmare and the real world.” Diane explained.
“How do we snap them out of it?” Hex asked, looking back at Cruella. Once they made eye contact, Cruella whimpered and ran away.
“Talk to them, remind them what they were outside the nightmare.” Diane said, the three nodded, Hex went back in his room, Cruella jumped when the door closed.
“Hi,” Hex whispered, inching towards her, “you know me, right…?”
Cruella nodded, “yes.” she murmured, hiding behind the towel rack in the bathroom, she knocked over a few, “so-sorry!”
“No, it’s alright,” Hex said, the two reached down for the towels at the same time, hitting their heads in the process.
Cruella started laughing, “ironic, huh?”
Hex noticed the fog fading from her eyes, “it's like the first time we met, you dropped your papers and I dried them off for you.”
Cruella collapsed into Hex's arms, sobbing into his shoulder “I thought I'd never wake up! I thought I'd never see you again!”
“I know, my love, I know,” Hex kissed her forehead, “but it’s alright, Juniper can't hurt you anymore.”
Cruella sniffled, “I’m sorry I pulled you into this.”
Hex chuckled and kissed her cheek, “you didn’t pull me in, I followed you.”
Emmanuel entered his room to hear the sound of the shower running and sobbing, he opened the bathroom door to see Marmalade sitting on the shower floor, clutching her knees close to her chest as the water rained down on her.
Emmanuel felt the water, jerking back at the cold touch, “Marmalade! This water is freezing! What’s wrong with you! You’re gonna get sick.”
Marmalade buried her face in her arms, “let me...I just want to get the feel of their hands off of me…”
“What?” Emmanuel crouched down beside her, wrapping a towel around her, “what happened in that nightmare?”
“I could feel their hands on me, touching me in all the wrong places, it hurt so much…” Marmalade cried into her hands.
“And you thought taking a freezing cold shower would help?” Emmanuel tried to rub her shoulders but Marmalade flinched away.
Marmalade shook her head, “p-ple-please don't.”
“Okay,” Emmanuel stepped away from her, putting his hands up in defense, “why don't you sit on the bed, I got something that will cheer you up, give me a couple of minutes.”
Marmalade sat on the bed, wrapping herself under the warm sheets and blankets, her eyes still dull and ridden clean of emotion. If one could see Marmalade all they would see was fear and sadness in the eyes of the animalistic.
“Marmalade, come here,” Emmanuel called out, she peaked her head into the doorway of the bathroom to see it was lined with rose petals and sunflowers.
“Remember this? Remember how I would always make you baths like these.” Emmanuel inched towards her.
“Y-Yes…” Marmalade muttered, nodding slightly.
Emmanuel reached out for her hand, “may I?”
Marmalade timidly held out her hand, Emmmanuel softly held her hand, “thank you.”
Emmanuel pulled her into the bathroom, “I know right now you’re still Nightmare Marmalade, but it’s okay...I’m here, I promise I won't hurt you. I know the true Marmalade knows that.”
Marmalade took in the smell of rose scented candles, smiling softly.
“Was that a smile I saw?” Emmanuel smirked, Marmalade puffed up her cheeks, blushing.
“Look, I know you're in there, Marmalade,” Emmanuel kissed her hands “you're just his behind all that fear.”
Emmanuel ran the water, filling up the tub with bubbles and warm water, “so just relax and take a bubble bath, it always helped you before when you had a stressful day.”
“Thank you,” Marmalade took off her robe, entering the tub. She sighed in delight, leaning against the back of the tub, sinking into the warm water.
Emmanuel chuckled softly, “have fun, my dear.”
Before he could leave, Marmalade caught his hand “and where are you going?”
“To bed.” Emmanuel replied.
Marmalade chuckled cockingly, “you think you're going to bed? Cute,” Marmalade pointed to the tub, “get in, I want you here with me.”
Emmanuel removed his clothes, joining Marmalade in the tub, sitting behind her as Marmalade sat between his legs.
“I missed this,” Marmalade sighed, “I'm sorry if I scared you.”
“It's alright, just seeing you in so much pain was hard to watch.” Emmanuel whimpered slightly.
“I'm not the good person as you believed I was, Emmanuel.” Marmalade frowned, looking down in shame.
“That's okay, I didn't want a good girl, I wanted someone who had both good and bad in them,” Emmanuel kissed her neck, “that's why I love you so much.”
Marmalade giggled “I love you too, Emmanuel.”
Meanwhile, Rosemary was still trying to calm down the raging animalistic in her room.
“This is ridiculous, Gillian, get out from under the bed!” Rosemary scolded.
Gillian growled at her, his red eyes glowing from under the bed.
“Whatever they did to you in the past it's gone now.” Rosemary assured him, “what happened to the Gillian that built the Lego death star with me?”
Gillian’s glare on her softened.
“What happened to the Gillian that fought Blaze for me?”
Gillian peaked his head out of the bed, sniffing around.
“What happened to the Gillian who gave me this?” Rosemary pulled her hair away to reveal her mark, “where’s that Gillian?”
Gillian whimpered, fully coming out from under the bed, he morphed out of his animalistic form and smiled, “sorry…”
“It’s alright,” Rosemary kissed his forehead, “now what the hell happened between you and Juniper.
Gillian sighed, tensing up as he thought about the horrible memories that haunted his childhood.
He nodded, gazing deep into Rosemary’s eyes as though the answer would be there but it wasn’t.
I have to do this...I just hope you won't think less of me.
~A/N~
Hello to all!!! Normally I update around noon but I had a doctor's appointment but here's the update!
Anyways, today I want to give a shout out to Netta3d she had a wonderful book that's deserves way more reads that it has now! Please go check it out!!
See u all on Wednesday for another update! Till then, stay safe everyone!