Never let me go (Ivy)

[Sofia Rose]

The creature's limbs slithered through the murky void like hellish tendrils. Large and ghastly, they dwarfed the girl, blotting out the sun and sky and rippling through the crusty earth, intent on turning her surroundings into nothing more than dead grey porridge. 

This was not the first time Sofia had faced this monster. 

It's bulbous head was obscured in shadow, the fleshy limbs dripping in black ichor and rippling with a foul, suffocating stench that gripped her throat and dared her to breath. She could not. The girl was frozen, naked and terrified. The creature's massive body loomed far in the distance and yet she could not run away. It was always watching, no matter how far she ran or how well she hid. Sooner or later it's oozing tentacles would find her.

Sofia could not scream. Her voice was clogged in the back of her mouth. 

The creature cackled, raising its eight limbs into the air in a horrid victory pose. Its voice scraped against her ears, ringing in the back of her skull as it mocked her. The monster loved to torment her. 

"You have such lovely hair." It was croon, coiling it's limb's around her neck and squeezing. It's touch was cold, so cold. 

She tried to fight back but she was paralysed, frozen as the slippery shackles surrounded her body. It laughed once more. The piercing cackle did not stop, it only grew louder as the shadow crept closer. The stench of stagnant water polluted her senses and she gagged, not daring to look at the great beast. But her eyes wouldn't listen, they could not turn away from it's face. That ugly face. 

His face...

Sofia woke up shivering. Sweat clung to her brow, and her body was littered with goosebumps. Her heart slammed against her ribcage, desperate to escape the last remnants of the nightmare. The pale light of the moon swept through her window, illuminating the crinkled blankets and a pillow that had been torn up during the midnight terror. 

The youngest twin sucked in a deep breath, tossing the ragged corpse of what was once her pillow away from her bed and onto the floor. She could always ask for a new one. It wasn't the first time her bed had suffered from her nightmare induced panic attacks. Splintered wood crushed beneath her hands from past nightmares still remained and the tattered Hello Kitty blanket was proof enough of her strength. Sofia, however, could not let throw the blanket out no matter how ruined it was. 

Shaking her head and running a hand through her hair the girl propped herself up, staring at the cloudless night sky before glancing at her clock. 2:46 AM. Ivy was probably asleep by now, but that didn't matter. 

Slipping out of her bed, the girl tip toed out of her room, opening her door with the edge of her toe. It was never locked. Her sister's room was just next door and after delicately handling the door knob she crept into Ivy's much neater bedroom. 

Sofia was clothed in nothing more than a singlet and her underwear, although it didn't matter when it concerned her twin. They'd seen enough of each other to not bother with clothing in private. 

Peering at her sister, the youngest twin pursed her lips before lifting the blanket and slinking underneath them, already feeling the warmth that Ivy's body and the thick quilt offered. She wriggled for a bit, gently pushing her sister closer to the wall so she would not fall off, wrapping a leg around the other girl's and coiling her arms around her sibling's dainty figure. 

Ivy's soft breaths were a familiar comfort and they made Sofia feel safe. No monster could harm her here.

[Ivy Rose]

Two Years. It had been two years since the twins had arrived at Hammel. Two years since they found themselves in new beds, surrounded by new people and new streets. But even still, time had done neither Ivy nor Sofia any good. While Sofia had typical nightmares, Ivy suffered from general insomnia. Her waking thoughts were Ivy's downfall, while Sofia's unconscious thoughts were the subject of her torment. Four out of seven nights, Fi would eventually manage to crawl in bed with her, and together they would sleep for the rest of the night.

It was never the same without her sister's steady breaths beside her, lulling her to sleep. Some would consider that to be rather incestuous, the way that the two would tangle together in one another's arms practically every night, but they wouldn't have a clue of what the two had gone through together. People could never see the difference between romantic and platonic devotion, and because of that, Ivy had a heavy heart. Ivy wanted nothing more to just be there for her sister, just like her sister had always been there for her.

Ivy had managed to fall asleep for a short while, before the soft click of her door woke her. She said nothing, though, since she knew exactly who it was. Moments later, she felt the presence of the younger twin. Ivy allowed her body to be moved, and even assisted slightly while the girl adjusted.

"Fi," Ivy mumbled, her voice soft. "Nightmare?" The darker-haired sibling already knew the answer, but this opened the floor to explanation without forcing Sofia to speak. Her hands rested on Fi's, hoping the gesture would gently encourage her to open up.

[Sofia Rose]

It didn't come as a surprise when Ivy responded to the late night shove, the girl tended to be a light sleeper and adjusting one's body around her without waking her proved to be a challenge. Because this had become somewhat of a ritual, the girls naturally shifted into a position best suited to their sleeping habits, nine out of ten times Sofia was the little spoon. She'd owned that role since she was three. They'd shared a bed up until the age of thirteen, so the entirety of the midnight visits were not strange to either girl.

"Mmm." Sofia grumbled, answering her sister's sleepy voice with the tired grunt. Nightmares were the most common excuse for these nightly visits, closely followed by cold weather and simply not wanting to sleep alone.

Her sister's touch was gentle and the younger twin knew it would take some time for either of them to return to sleep immediately. Speaking always helped lull them back into a snug slumber.

"It was the octopus again." She whispered, intertwining her fingers with Ivy's as she attempted to catch the figure of her elder sister under the scant few rays of moonlight that filtered through the curtains. Her particular dislike for the tentacled sea creatures was a strange one but the blonde haired twin could not stand them at all. They were ugly creatures, slippery and bulbous with horrifying beaks and bulging black eyes. Whatever strange appeal others saw in them was completely lost to the girl, the mere thought of them made her shiver.

"It had his face." Sofia mumbled, nuzzling her face into her sister's shoulder before pulling the blanket up.

He didn't deserve to be named out loud, they both knew who he was.

[Ivy Rose]

Despite the fact that it was Fi's dream, the image opened a few doors within the confines of her mind. The padlocked doors that were rusted and dusty opened slowly, with screeches that could wake entire neighborhoods. But the fact was that she could see his face when she mentioned it, and it was not a pleasant thing to remember.

"We're away from that now," Ivy responded, her eyes now wide open. Any ounce of exhaustion slipped away, leaving her relatively awake and alert. The image was fresh, though she refused to let it bother her anymore than the initial shudder.

"We're in Vermont, not Miami." The eldest twin gave her sister's hand a gentle stroke. They sometimes failed to realize that. In the late night hours, sometimes it was easier to just remember the painful times. "And remember I'd never let him hurt you again."

[Sofia Rose]

The octopus dream was a recurring one although far from the usual gross monstrosity that squirmed its way through her nightmares this one was different. That night it spoke, it laughed and taunted her like a little girl. It never had a face until now and what was once a nightmare was now a horrendous reminder of something real. Something that scraped away on the edges of her mind.

"He tried hurting me." Sofia frowned stubbornly, emphasising the 'tried'. Simply acknowledging that man's actions wasn't something she'd readily admit to and giving him the mantle of fear was the last thing she wanted to do. He hurt her sister and that's all that truly mattered. "I punched his ugly face." The blonde offered with a weak grin, although it didn't touch her eyes. He still frightened her. But the man was just another snake in the pit that was their childhood. One they were now free of.

Cuddling closer to her sister, the younger twin allowed the soft melody of their breathing and the birds outside to envelop her senses. It was nice here in Vermont, a bit cold but nice nonetheless.

"He's probably in jail now anyways." She smirked, knowing full well it was more than likely true. "Where he belongs." Any man who drank that much alcohol shouldn't be allowed in a house with kids. "Do you think mom misses us?" The question may of seemed like it came out of nowhere but any thought relating to him always went back to their mother.

[Ivy Rose]

"Tried," Ivy reiterated. It was true, he had hurt them both at one point in time. But now, at 16, and with each of their powers, the man wouldn't even think to try. Especially Fi with her seemingly limitless strength, there was only so much he could do. After all, the blonde had thrown a table that weighed more than her a good hundred or so feet with no issues. A small smile appeared when her sister had said she punched him. "He deserved it."

Whenever the topic of him came up, she knew only a fraction of what was done to Sofia in personal experience. Fi was a fighter, which was what seemed to be the reason why he went after her so often. Ivy had gotten only a quarter of it. "Let's hope," The precognitive dreamer couldn't see the futures of anybody father than a few feet from the spot where she lay to rest. So she wouldn't know. "I don't care to find out, Fi."

And then she continued with her mom. The question was always hard, because she knew the answer was always going to be 'no.' It was spoken that she had never wanted the two girls. It was the reason why she was never home. It was why she never really paid any attention to them. Their mother was probably partying, booze everywhere and strippers entertaining while she sat and watched with a few girl friends. It was Miami, after all.

But she wouldn't say that to Fi, oh no. She couldn't break her sister's heart like that. So, like every single time that she asked this question, Ivy responded with the same "I'm sure she does."

No reason to make her believe otherwise.

[Sofia Rose]

With one arm cradled against her chest, the other weaved through the chocolate curls of her sister's hair. Ink black in the shadow of the moon, Ivy fiddled with the recently shampooed hair (she could tell because of the smell), coiling it around her fingers before dropping it and plucking it back up, dropping it and plucking it back up. She loved Ivy's hair. One of her earliest memories involving her chubby little hands attempting to make a braid out of the beautiful brown locks, the little blonde failed of course but it was a four year olds work and her sister hugged her regardless.

Their mother had similar hair, although it was straighter, darker and not as clean. What their young mother lacked in curls she made up for style...well style that her circle of friends appreciated anyways. Sometimes she'd take the twins to the salon with her when they were little but they always had to sit away from her and not interrupt her conversation with the chatty hairdresser.

That's probably where Ivy got her good looks, their mother was a cheerleader back in highschool. Popular with the boys apparently, but now she was old and absent. Sofia still didn't want to know why.

"I miss Kenny." The name brought a smile to her lips, a slight giggle not far behind. Kenny was their neighbour growing up, the half decent looking redhead with a penchant for kisses and stolen cookies. "He's probably found a girlfriend now, jealous?" Sofia teased, knowing full well he and Ivy had kissed when they were eleven.

As time passed and her fingers had grown numb from playing with the hair, a little voice called out in the back of her mind. A little girl's voice asking for something that expelled any memories of stepfathers, octopi and sloppy eleven year old kisses.

"Vy, are you too tired to tell a story?" Her voice was soft but hopeful, always hopeful.

[Ivy Rose]

Ivy smiled at the memory, though it didn't stir up anything other than that slight nostalgia felt when presented with an old memory. No embarrassment was shown, nor did she really care to feel embarrassed about it. It was slobbery and icky, but it was her first kiss, so she couldn't feel bad about it, could she? Ivy wasn't really one to know anything about that aspect of life. It was never presented to her in any way that had her thinking of it. Ivy had far more important things and people to think of than some high school romance that may or may not succeed. "Not Jealous. Though let's hope he learned to kiss with less saliva for the girl's sake."

A few moments of silence lead to a question she was presented with far too often, though the dark haired twin would never complain about receiving it. To tell a story, an original story was one of Fi's favorite things that Ivy did. She'd never even think to do such a selfish thing as complain.

"No, not at all," Vy said, adjusting slightly. "What kind of story do you want? Adventure, Romance? Both? Or magic?"