Thirteen years old and almost dead

.

Pretty boy and broken doll

Big sapphire eyes ringed with purple

China skin painted black and blue

Copper hair soaked with pretty scarlet

Thin spider pale hands with bent-back fingers

Father was (not) cruel

Fairy Tale

The nurse smiles sweetly, but he doesn’t like her, and he wishes they’d all just shut up shut up shut up shut up and QUIT TRYING TO GET IN HIS HEAD.

“Daniel, would you like to go see Mr Jackson now?”

He shakes his head stubbornly- why would he want to go see Mr Jackson? He never wants to go see Mr Jackson, because all Mr Jackson ever does is try to get him to talk about his step-dad being mean and he wasn’t mean, he wasn’t mean, he wasn’t mean, he was just teaching him to be obedient and good. Step-dad was kind, step-dad was only ever mean when he was bad, and bad boys need to be punished…

The nurse frowns with envelope white skin crinkling up, but Daniel just wants her to go awaybecause maybe then he can go to sleep and miss his step-dad in peace. Step-dad wasn’t cruel, step-dad wasn’t cruel…

Daniel can only scowl as she grabs his arm and hauls him upright to walk down the stark-white corridors that could be any building. He’s not crazy, he’s not crazy- why have they even put him in here? It’s silly. He’s not crazy, he’s not crazy, he doesn’t deserve to be in here…

Eventually the nurse leaves and Daniel sighs because they’ve put him back in the white room again, and Mr Jackson’s giving him that gentle and mildly concerned look, (‘Don’t be silly Daniel, of course you’re insane, you little freak of nature,’) and tapping the desk with that DAMNED PEN.

“How are you today Daniel?”

“Fine.”

He smiles sympathetically, and you know what he’s thinking behind that smile, he’s thinking liar, liar, liar, liar, freak-boy, but you can’t be bothered to mention it. Even though you’re sick and tired of all the sympathetic looks that you know are covering up hatred.

“Do you still miss your father?”

Daniel nods implicitly. How could he not miss his step-dad? Step-dad was wonderful- step-dad cared about him and really, really, really DID love him, even if sometimes he hit him. Step-dad was self-sacrificing enough to care and worry himself over Daniel, he cared enough to punish him and make him into a better person and he knows he’s sane because step-dad made him sane.

“I miss him. He was wonderful.”

And Daniel pouts angrily, sapphire eyes almost brimming over with tears. “Why did you have to take him away? He was wonderful- he loved me and he cared a lot more than you ever did.”

Mr Jackson sighed and made a note on the clipboard. (No visible progression.)

“Daniel, it’s wrong to lie.”

He shakes his head obstinately, because he’s not lying.

“It’s not lying. It’s just making up a pretty story.”

The boy frowns curiously.

“Don’t you like make-believe?”

… it’s better than reality…

--- Isilthrar