The Deranged Family.

August 12, 2002.

 

The August sun warmed her skin, but the wind cooled her down enough to enjoy the afternoon. 

It was her sixth birthday. and she hated it. Her mother kneeled down before her, grinning like a goof, gently placing a pink feathery tiara on her head. Her mother was obsessed with treating Vivi as her little pampered princess. There was nothing Vivi hated more. 

Vivi stood in a light blue poofy dress in her backyard, with her family flooding around in it. She had no friends yet, so her cousins who were older than her were the only people she could "have fun" with. 

She was a grumpy little child. Her mother was to blame. Vivi never had a say in what she wanted to do, or wear. 

There was only one person in her whole family that she enjoyed spending time with. Her aunt Clarisse. 

Clarisse always had things to talk about, and if Vivi didn't understand what she said, Clarisse would explain it to her, and continue her stories.

Vivi shuffled herself towards a table where her aunt was sitting cross legged on a lawn chair. 

"Hi, Auntie," Vivi chirped as she took a seat next to her.

Clarisse snapped out of her day dreaming and glanced over at Vivi, "Good day, cherry blossom", and continued looking at the sky. 

"Auntie, are you thinking about relapsing?" Vivi knew many things for such a young age. And her mother had already told her about Clarisse's killing sprees. She was only let out of solitary confinement for good behavior for 5 years. 

Clarisse took a deep long breath. "I'm not gonna lie to you, I am." She bit her lip, but never looked over at Vivi for a second time. 

Vivi sighed, and stood up. 

"I'll always love you Auntie, even if you kill me." She went up to Clarisse looked at her with awe in her eyes, and held her face gently, 

"I would never kill you my cherry blossom" Clarisse was never good at keeping promises but this one she would never break. She kissed Vivi's nose and sent her on her way. 

~*~* 

A couple of hours later the cake was brought out, it was very grand and suitable for a princess, but not for Vivi.  

They sang "Happy Birthday", but Vivi was just focused on her Aunt, and when she could possibly snap. 

Vivi had been starting to open her presents when it happened. Something that changed Vivi, the way she looked at things.

Vivi had opened a small box with a purple bow on it to reveal a moogle plushie inside. For the first time at the party she smiled, for she finally got something she wanted.

Then the moment of happiness ended. 

Some idiot family member left the cake cutting knife out, in plain sight. 

Vivi looked up at her cousin Ace, who was about 21 years old, to see a sharp edge come through his shoulder. 

Everyone screamed, but not Vivi. At such a young age she was prepared to die. 

She just watched her favorite Aunt stab someone. With no changing of any facial expressions. 

Ace tried to turn around and see what the hell was going on, only to get stabbed once again in his breast. 

Clarisse threw him down to the ground, and smeared his blood onto her face. You could hear her  breath tremble from 10 feet away. Everyone was scrambling around, grabbing their belongings, or getting as far away as possible. Vivi couldn't find herself to do anything but stare, she couldn't move, or even blink.

Clarisse straddled herself on top of Ace and put her ear to his chest listening carefully to this dying rhythm. She closed her eyes as if she were listening to a lullaby, as the heart officially stopped, her eyes popped open like popcorn exploding from the kernel. She arose from the body and looked around for another victim, with the blood-crying knife still within her grasp. 

It was a little while of Clarisse's eyes exploring the backyard before she found Vivi staring at her with her curious eyes. 

Clarisse staggered towards Vivi with thirst in her eyes.

"Do you know why I call you 'my cherry blossom', cherry blossom?" She slurred as if she was drunk. 

"No, Auntie, I don't, you just started calling me that," Vivi said clearly as if she was in a spelling bee. Clarisse was right in front of her, yet she showed nor felt any fear. To this moment, she still was holding her moogle plushie by it's hand. 

Clarisse kneeled in front of her, keeping a blank face, just staring at Vivi.

"Your face," she slid the side of the knife against her cheek, not cutting her cheek open, but redecorating her cheek with a red. "It's unique, beautiful. And when I was in Japan, a woman told me of the kind of people who were like cherry blossoms, and honey, you fit the description."

They were alone now, everyone had left, and hadn't cared enough to even question where Vivi was. 

"Now we're matching." She stroked both of their cheeks that had blood on them. "I told you I wouldn't kill you. 

You're the only one who ever listens to me, and maybe ... Understands."