The Story Of Paine

by, Cassandra

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Not many people know the story. At least not the whole thing. As with all stories, there are many different versions. Word of mouth is fast, but hugely unreliable. Things get jumbled, twisted in the hands of others. Myths become so because the details are changed, things are added and taken away. An ordinary girl can become anything through word of mouth. As is with this story. The story of a girl they called Paine.

They called her Paine because no other name fit. She brought pain wherever she went. Not much is known about her, most can't even tell you what she really looked like. Some stories say her eyes were black as coal, in others they were the color of blood. Her hair has been described as tresses of flame, and locks of pure gold. She's been called an assassin, and a psychopath. But one thing all the stories agree on is that she was heartless.

In truth, she was just a girl. An ordinary girl that you would see everyday, with mahogany hair that caught the light from the sun and went aflame. Her eyes were deep blue, holding a slight hue of violet. She was no different from any other child growing up. Her life was as normal as anyone could hope for. She came from a good, well to do family. Both parents were still around, and her brother was no worse then any typical brother.

Some say she had no weakness, that she was fearless. But everyone has a weakness; even the strongest person has a weakness. Her weakness was the same as any other woman's weakness. She fell in love. She loved a man who she couldn't ever have. There are people who think that it drove her mad, but it didn't. Loving him made her strong. They think it was what drove her to this life of pain and destruction. In part, they had it right.

She loved him the best she could. She loved him from afar, hoping that maybe one day he'd be able to love her back. That day never had the chance to come. He'd gotten involved in something he shouldn't have. And his efforts got him nothing but a headstone. The pain of losing him nearly killed her, too. But she made a vow as she stood over his grave. She vowed that she'd make them pay for what they did. An eye for an eye. A life for a life.

She spent years training and searching. For years it was all she thought about. It became less about the vow she'd made, and slowly became an obsession. By the time she'd fulfilled it, the yearning had become a poison in her blood. They all say she was heartless, but she wasn't. The poison turned her heart black. She could have done a number of things to feed this hunger for blood spilt. She took a road all her own.

After the loss of the man she loved, she let few close to her. But the few she did quickly realized that if she calls you friend, it's for life. She took it upon herself to protect the ones she loved. If you were in trouble she'd be there in a heartbeat, no matter what it took. She's killed many, but all in the name of protecting those she calls friends. She's also left many survivors. None of whom were ever able to identify her.

There are stories that make her out to be some kind of witch, who uses her magic to ensure no one could ID her. But in reality, they could if they wanted to. She gets close before she strikes, close enough for them to know her. No one's identified her because they're scared. They can't believe that someone like her could do such things. They don't want to remember her. It has nothing to do with magic.

It's rumored that she can be identified be two things. One is a scar that she had gotten from a blood oath she'd done when she was younger. No one knows who the blood oath was with, or what it was for. All that's known is few see the scar before it's too late. And second is a tattoo she has across her shoulder blades. A tiny black butterfly for each person whose blood she's spilt. Last count is unknown.

No one knows for sure if she bleeds. Some say her blood is as black as her heart. And though it's black, and despite all the pain she carries and all the pain she causes, her laugher runs free. She smile more now then she did before she made the transformation to Paine. They say murder is in her blood, that the need to kill and cause the very thing she's named after runs through her veins. And amazingly, they finally got one thing right.