Authoress' Notes: I'm such a lazy bastard. I don't feel like updating any stories, I have homework to do, but I don't wanna do it, so I'm writing this fic instead. I'm screwed at school tomorrow, but procrastinating has gotten me this far and it'll keep working, too. And I don't anybody from the game, just my own characters, whoever they may be.

Better Off Alone

Chapter 1: Abuse

Vivian sat, huddled in the corner of a dark, damp region of Rogueport's East Side, a bleeding scar marking the side of her shadowed face. She raised a gloved hand and wiped the drops of blood from her left cheek, only for it to be soon replaced a by tear; a tear that stung her face upon trickling over her wound. Would her pain ever stop?

Cradling her injury, Vivian rose from her secluded punishment, her head hanging low in shame. Reluctantly, she made her way over to her older sisters, Beldam and Marilyn. She longed for their sympathy, their love, their care... but it wouldn't come, it never would. She was foolish to think otherwise.

Beldam stood with her arms crossed, small, but dominant over her younger siblings. She never showed either of them compasion and only expected perfection. Anything less would result in an awful punishment unfit for anyone, even the lowest criminal on the face of the Earth. Death would be considered a good thing when it came to her type of punishments.

"Well, Vivian? Have you learned your lesson yet?" Beldam growled.

Vivian's voice was breathless and frail, exhausted from the day's cruel trials. "...Yes, Sis..."

Beldam motioned for Vivian to stoop down to her level. Vivian obeyed, but her only reward was a hard slap across her already bruised face.

"You will address me by my NAME, not relations!" the elder spoke harshly.

Vivian felt like dropping dead right there. Why was Beldam so mean to her? She was tired of hurting, tired of suffering, tired of it all. She wanted it to stop. She needed it to stop.

"Well?" Beldam demanded.

"...Yes..." Vivian couldn't finish her sentence. She choked on her words and colasped to the ground in a heap, crying into her blood-stained hands.

"SILENCE!" Beldam commanded. Grabbing a rusty iron beam near some dirty trash cans, she beat Vivian with it several times. With each hit, Vivian cried and begged for her stop, but Beldam ignored her cries and continued on with her violent slaughter.

Marilyn stood off the side, wacthing Beldam deal with Vivian. She was the middle sister; sort of an oddball, compaired to Beldam and Vivian. Some labeled Marilyn as either the strong, silent type, or a complete idiot, unable to give anyone information or an opinion. On the other hand, Marilyn was actually very smart; she just lacked a decent vocabulary, that's all.

Satisfied with Vivian's pleas for mercy, Beldam held the iron bar firmly in her grasp. It was now dripping with Vivian's blood and slighty bent from its usage.

Slowly rising to stand, Vivian panted in pain and anger at the same time. Her side ached and throbbed with each exhale of her lungs, sore for her screams of agony and her most recent punishment. Clutching her side with one hand, she held head with the other, pulling her hat down to further cover her face. She didn't want to show Beldam how scared she was, or how weak she seemed.

Beldam dropped the iron pole onto the cold, hard pavement with a loud clang. Traces of Vivian's blood seeped from the dented rod onto the uneven concrete. Vivian uneasily wacthed it slowly spread over the ground. She soon felt a warm substance spreading under her hand, as well. Removing her glove from her side, she saw more blood spill out. It wasn't a trickle anymore... Now it was actually flowing.

Without another word to Vivian, Beldam motioned for Marilyn to follow her. Marilyn slowly nodded and the two disappeared into the shadows, leaving Vivian to lean against an abandoned house in pain. Letting a shaky breath escape her bloody lips, she slowly sank to the ground, grasping her wound tightly.

She lowered her face for a second, then looked up to notice that Beldam and Marilyn had departed.With her sisters gone, a sigh of relief escaped her tender body. They would probably be away for about three hours, at the most.

The day was almost over and the sun had already began to set in the distance, painting the sky with soft samples ofred and orange. Vivian took a quick glance around her to make sure no one was nearby, then she slowly removed her hat, something that she was sworn never to do. Her eyes were colored a piercing red hue, but were tainted with innocence and naivete. Her eyes resembled that of a young child, barely able comprehend what was going on around in the world.

At last, she could finally rest... Beldam's means of punishment had become increasingly more brutal ever since she accused Vivian of losing the picture of this "Mario" character they were looking for. After losing to him in Boggly Woods, the chances of running into Mario again were pretty slim. Using the shoddy house as a support, Vivian carefully rose from her sitting position and made her way to the inn back in the middle of Rogueport.

Even though they had left without her knowing, Vivian knew Beldam and Marilyn were probably back in Twilight Town; it was their favorite place to relax, because of its dim darkness and shady complexions. It didn't matter where they were, as long as she wasn't with them...

Arriving at the inn, Vivian was hesitant at even coming in through the door. There weren't that many people around, but they all seemed so rough-looking. The few people at the bar were actually very noisy, so Vivian chose to sneak in, unnoticed.

Getting upstairs, Vivian decided now was a good time to put her hat back on, so she did. Fortunately, there were only two Toads around; an old male and a young female, and two very relaxing-looking beds.

Going over to the female Toad, who was busy putting up blankets, she decided to see if she could spend the night.

"Sure. It'll be 5 coins a night. Want to stay?" the innkeeper asked.

Vivian was silent for a moment, then whispered. "I'm sorry... I don't have any money..."

"No money? Oh, well, that's going to be a problem..." the innkeeper stated, putting away the last of the extra blankets. Turning to face Vivian, she saw she scars and blood stains on her. "Oh, dear!"

Vivian quickly perked up, slightly startled at the innkeeper's sudden outburst. "What? ...Oh, I'm sorry... I'll leave, if you want me to..."

"No, no, no! Poor thing! You look awful!" She grabbed a blanket and tossed it over Vivian's back. "You can stay for free until you get better! I insist!"

Going over to the bed, Vivian made herself comfortable between the freshly-washed covers. She couldn't remember the last time she had slept with a blanket.

The innkeeper soon came back in with a Jelly Ultra and placed it on Vivian's nightstand. "Here you go and don't worry about anything, okay? I'll take care of the bill until you're better."

Snuggling into bed, Vivian only nodded. Just as the moon was being to rise outside, sleep soon overtook her and she was at peace...

As much as she didn't want to admit it, she was always better off alone...