Young Writers Society

*This is the origin of a character from my “Poppy McLain” stories. It’s underneath my folder titled “Adventures of Poppy and others”. Gacha Club character designs are underneath my forum titled “My character designs <33”. Enjoy!*

“Edward! Get down here! You forgot to feed the horses!"

"Mom, I-"

"Get down here now!"

"Fine…”

Seven year old Edward Malcolms defeatedly walked downstairs to the living room, to await his punishment. He lived somewhere in a farm, with his parents and older brother, Todd, who has hated him since he was born.

Or perhaps he was exaggerating.

But it really felt that way! His parents always yelled at him, because they wanted a boy (Todd) and a girl (whom Edward was supposed to be). They didn't want two boys.

So from then on, Edward had to endure being called "Clumsy idiot", "Too skinny" and “Disappointment."

But even though his family wished that he was never born, they always said things like "You should be grateful that we kept you around", "Stop complaining about your stomach hurting, you're being overly dramatic" and the one statement that he absolutely loathed:

"Why can't you be more like your brother?"

Well, excuse him for not "being like his brother", but he wasn't Todd! He was Edward!

After much walking, Edward finally arrived at the living room. Mom was standing at the last step, frowning at him. Dad watched with hateful eyes from the couch. Todd snickered at him before getting back to playing with his toys.

"You forgot to do what was needed. Feeding the damn horses. How many times do I have to get it through your dense skull?"

Edward held in his tears. He wouldn’t cry, or else Mom would smack him. The red mark was still burning on his cheek.

"Mom-"

"I don't want to hear it. Get to work!"

Before Edward left, Mom said:

"No dinner for you, either! I don't make dinner for slackers!"

"Mom-"

"Now!"

So, Edward went off to do his work.

At least Janet would be there.

Janet was a sweet girl, his playmate and friend since his fourth birthday. She always kept her curly brown hair in braids and she wore the prettiest purple dresses. He loved them because they were his favorite color. Purple.

Everyone else said that she was imaginary, but they were wrong. She was real, just like everyone else.

She'd be waiting in the stables, watching him with her wide, green eyes.

.....................................................................

"Edward! Wake up! We have a whole day ahead of us!"

Edward groggily opened his eyes and found Janet,with her messy brown hair that she refused to put in braid, beaming down at him, green eyes glittering with delight.

Years had passed, but he still kept her around, even at the age of twelve. She grew with him, they were connected.

"Come on, your family is still asleep! Let's make the most of this morning!"

"Janet...”

"Please, Edward?"

"Alright, get out so I can change my clothes."

"Yay!" Janet squealed happily.

Janet's happiness brought a smile to his face. All Edward wanted was for Janet to be happy. She was his friend, after all. She deserved it.

.........................................................................

After Edward had changed, they were walking outside in the bright sunshine, as happy as could be.

The two of them had ventured far from home, so far that they were in a meadow.

And they weren't alone, either.

For when they had reached the meadow, they found a young girl about Edward’s age with long, black hair framing a brown face. Her pink dress sprawled about her like flower petals, and she seemed to sleep peacefully.

The girl was an awfully beautiful girl and one he had never seen before. Come to think of it, the only kid he saw his age before the girl was Janet and she wasn't even real.

Yes, he knew that she wasn’t real, but it was better to keep her around than to be alone.

His parents didn't want to fuss with taking him to school or teaching him anything, so he often stole Todd's school textbooks and taught himself everything he needed to learn, just to get by.

Edward gently walked up to the sleeping girl, so as not to wake her. Janet started to glare, but why? There was nothing to be mad about. Wouldn’t she want a new friend around, too?

"Maybe she’s dead. It'd save us a lot of trouble. No silly girl should be lying in our hangout.” Janet snarked.

Edward turned around to look at her, shocked that she said such a thing. It wasn’t like Janet to say such rude things.

"Janet, that's mean! Of course she isn't dead!" Edward argued.

But the girl still wasn't moving. Maybe she was dead after all.

Edward peered closer, to get a better look at the girl.

"Janet, do you think she's dead? She hasn't moved an inch.”

But before Janet could reply, the girl opened her eyes.

Janet’s eyes grew more icy towards the girl.

Edward wished at that moment that he wasn't wearing hand-me-downs from Todd. He wished that he wore something nicer. He even wished that Janet would stop glaring at her, if the girl could see her. Why did Janet hate her already?

"Oh, goodness! You're not dead! Sorry, my friend Janet said you were dead. She’s not usually like this.” Edward said.

Why did he mention Janet? Why couldn’t he just be normal?

The girl looked up at him, puzzled. Edward realized with defeat that she probably couldn't see Janet, like everyone else.

Why did he have to be the one with an imaginary friend? And why was he so attached to her?

"Janet? Who is she?" The girl asked.

That confirmed it. She couldn’t see Janet at all.

"Oh, you don't see her. I should have known. I'm the only one who can see Janet. Everyone else thinks she's imaginary, but she still deserves love." He said.

Everything was coming out in torrents, things that he didn’t want to say came out anyway.

The girl raised an eyebrow, probably thinking he was incredibly stupid for talking about someone who wasn't there and for wearing hand-me-downs. He didn't blame her, he wouldn't want to be friends with himself either.

It was a miracle that she was still talking to him in the first place. His family mostly held back snickers of laughter whenever he was about to say something.

"I'm Edward, by the way. Edward Malcolms if you want to be fancy. You are?"

There he was, being desperate for a friend.

"Felicity. Felicity Drake, since we are getting fancy and using last names." The girl said with a smile.

Huh? So she wasn’t leaving? Well, that was new.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Felicity. What are you doing out here?" Edward asked.

If she ran away, he wouldn’t stop her. It was just that he never had a real conversation with anyone but Janet. If he tried talking to his family, he’d hardly get a sentence out.

Hopefully he wasn’t doing anything wrong. Hopefully he wasn’t offending her.

Felicity thought for a moment, but only a moment.

"Somebody murdered my parents. I’m running away.” Felicity said flatly, as though she were trying to drain her own emotions.

"Did you see their face?" Edward asked.

Maybe he could help, if he asked.

"I didn't have time to look at their face. Why do you ask?" Felicity asked, eyes piercing with judgment.

Edward hoped desperately that she wouldn’t run.

"Nothing. Are you a witch?" Edward asked, the question coming out without thought.

His family believed in witches, which was the one and only thing Edward agreed with. Witches were out there, in the world. They were often found in the most faraway places, from a sparkling meadow to a deep forest.

But unlike his family, Edward wasn't afraid of witches. He just saw them as what they were, people with extraordinary powers. His brother, Todd, was a proud witch hunter. Last night, he was bragging about how he killed two adults and frightened a young girl.

Could it be that Todd had killed her family?

Edward stopped his wild train of thoughts and glanced at Felicity, who flinched and looked around, like she was looking for a place to hide.

He wished that she didn't look so terribly fearful. He wasn't going to hurt her.

"Don't be scared. I like witches. They're cool. My brother..not so much. But you don't have to worry about him." Edward said, hoping that she wouldn’t run.

Felicity looked at him, seeming to think deeply, then said:

"Um...yes. I'm a witch."

"You are? That's so amazing! I wish I was one."

She laughed, and Edward’s heart relaxed. He made her feel joy, he made her feel delight.

"Hey, do you want to sleep in the barn my family has? You could live there and we could talk to each other."

"Thanks, but I'll be on my way."

"But you don't know where to go-"

"I'll find a way."

Felicity was leaving! No, she couldn't leave! He really liked talking to her! So, he asked, in his nicest voice:

"Please?"

Felicity turned back to look at him, thinking. What if she left him? What if she said no?

"Alright, fine. But tomorrow, I’m leaving.” She said firmly.

He could see Janet turn her glare towards him, but who cared? At least for one day, he’d have someone other than Janet around.

Speaking of which, he hoped that Janet wouldn't mind Felicity staying in the barn.

"Yes! You're going to stay! I promise you, you won't regret this!" Edward squealed, pumping his fists excitedly in the air.

"Sure, Edward. " Felicity giggled. She giggled! She thought that he was funny!

Someone actually liked him!

.....................................................................

It had been years since Edward let Felicity stay in the barn. She decided not to leave, after she heard Edward’s family yelling at him one night.

So, from then on, he'd visit her in the barn when he had time and steal Todd's textbooks for her, teaching her lessons. When lessons were done, they’d play in the meadow.

After that, Edward would steal money from Mom's purse so she could go out to town and spend it on herself. He didn't care what she spent it on, as long as she came back alive, he was happy.

Of course, his family made him work harder in the barn when they found out stuff went missing and blamed it on him, but that didn't matter. As long as Felicity was okay!

He didn't even tell a soul that Felicity was in the barn. He kept her existence a secret for so long, all to protect her.

It wasn't all bright colors and rainbows. He hadn't had much time to hang out with Janet, who was growing up with him and hating him even more every year. She didn't like Felicity, she thought that Felicity was a nuisance. Sometimes, Edward told Janet that he wished she wasn’t around, and then she'd slap him so forcefully that it felt real. She’d scratch him for extra measure, too, just to “teach him a lesson”.

Felicity told him that if he held on to Janet, she'd become real and would try to hurt him to stay stronger.

But he couldn't let go of Janet so easily! That would be betrayal and he'd never betray a friend.

Even if she did hurt him.

.........................................................................

It was late into the night. Edward had just got back from cleaning the barn and feeding the animals. He was looking forward to a nice, long bath (which wouldn't be perfect, because his family had already used it and the water would be freezing cold) and then going to bed.

He opened the door to his house and wasn't surprised to find that everyone was already in their rooms. It used to bother him when he was younger that everyone went to bed before him, as though they couldn’t bear to have him around, but he was used to it at fifteen.

Edward went to the bathroom and cleaned himself.

After that, he went to his bed and gently closed his eyes, thinking of nothing and hoping to sleep peacefully.

.......................................................................

"Edward! Edward, please wake up! We're leaving!"

Edward opened his eyes. Felicity was pushing him, shaking him to wake up.

"What? What happened?" Edward, still in a slight dreamlike daze.

"Just come with me, I'll explain everything later!"

"But-"

"Edward, now!"

"Alright.”

Edward was about to grab what little stuff he owned, but Felicity grabbed his hand and bounded down the stairs.

"What are you doing?" Edward asked, for she never gripped his hand so tightly.

"We don't have much time! We have to go!"

"My family-"

"NOT NOW, EDWARD!"

Why was she acting like that? What was going on?

.....................................................................

They were outside, on the infinite highway, far from home.

Edward had only seen highways in books, he never saw one in person.

Being in the outside world felt…strange and wonderful.

But Edward needed to know why Felicity was so frantic, so frenzied. She has always been the calm one, what was going on?

"What happened?! Where are we going?!"

"I don't know, Edward! But you have to trust me!"

"Where is my family?! What happened?!"

Felicity sighed and seemed to hold regret in her eyes. It looked like regret, but Edward wasn't sure.

It definitely wasn't happiness.

"They're gone, Edward. I don't know what happened. We're going to stick together, okay?" She said.

Felicity put her thumb up and gestured at him to do the same. Edward took shaking breaths, not quite ready to put his thumb up, and said:

"Felicity, I have to tell you something."

He might as well tell her what he had suspected Todd did the night her parents died. It was something that was burdening him, that he needed to get out.

"What?" Felicity asked impatiently.

"The night your parents were killed, Todd was out hunting witches. My family doesn't like witches, they're scared of them. I think that Todd killed your parents. I’m sorry that he’s my brother, but I promise, I’m nothing like him.” Edward pleaded, waiting for the worse.

Felicity simply hugged him in the pouring rain. Why was she hugging him? Wouldn't she hate him?

"Y-you're not mad?"

"No. It has nothing to do with you. Stop always being scared. Smile for me."

Smile for her? He could smile for her, but…smiling was hard. How he could find anything to be happy about if she wasn't around?

Right then, a man pulled up in his car.

"Are you lost?" The man asked with concerned eyes.

Edward and Felicity nodded at the man, who let them into his car.

From that day on, the man became known to them as Mr. Hallwell, and raised them until they got married to each other and ran off to start a life of their own.

........................................................................

"I now pronounce you husband and wife."

Those were the words that had haunted Edward ever since he married Felicity at seventeen.

At twenty-two, he was a husband and a father of two young children, Damien and Ivy, whom he both loved dearly, as much he loved Felicity.

But ever since his wedding day, Janet had grown more and more cruel to him. She often teased him for growing up and having children. She'd still scratch him like she did when they were younger, harder since he had kids, to the point where they were visible no matter how many times he tried to cover them up.

He hated it (no, it was something else he couldn't put his finger on, something he couldn't explain) when Janet scratched him. She scared the kids and made Felicity worry about him.

Felicity…she warned him that Janet would become real...but…how was he going to get rid of her? He couldn't get rid of her that easily!

He just…couldn't. No matter how much he tried. She was always there, that Janet. Maybe she wasn't nice, like Felicity, but she was still around and that was something.

She was his friend once. Maybe he could make her his friend again.

She just needed time. Janet would come around. She'd definitely come around-

"EDWARD!"

Edward blinked and saw Felicity in their room (Wait, he was in their room? He didn't realize it) looking distressed.

Why was she distressed?

"What happened? Why'd you scream my name?"

"You were just staring at the wall, off into space. I tried getting your attention and it didn't work. I had to scream your name."

"Oh." Edward said dumbly. He didn’t realize that Felicity was calling out his name, he was so absorbed in his own thoughts.

"Why are you still talking to Janet? Remember what I said about imaginary friends?" Felicity asked.

"Yeah, I know. You said an individual could make imaginary friends real if they imagined hard enough. If they ever became real, they'd have to hurt the person continuously, because their weakness made them stronger." Edward said, reciting what Felicity had taught him like words from a dictionary.

"But that's not what's happening. Janet was never a bad imaginary friend! Look, I know she's imaginary, but she's real to me. I can't just let her go." Edward said.

They were words that stuck with him as a kid, and lived on in him as an adult.

"You have to, honey. It's for your own good. For me. For the kids." Felicity said softly.

"But Janet…”

"Is not real. Don’t think about her, and she’ll disappear.”

"Exactly! I don’t want her to go.”

"Look at yourself, Edward. You make me want to cry.” Felicity said sadly, tears in her eyes.

Edward looked at himself in the mirror on the wall. There were deep, crimson scratches on his thinning skin. His lips were chapped and nearly swollen. He had bald patches on his head, and an empty eye socket covered by a bandage.

Janet had hurt him. Janet had done her damage to him.

Felicity did the best she could, but even she couldn’t heal all his wounds. Only he could, by getting rid of Janet.

Why did he let Janet do that to him? That was so stupid. Stupid, stupid. Just like everything he did.

He couldn’t even feel his own legs.

He shook with sobs that wouldn’t come out, tears that wouldn’t come through. Before he knew it, Felicity had one arm wrapped around him and one hand on his head, healing as best as she could.

She kissed him on the top of his head, and in that moment, he remembered what real love felt like.

“Rest, my dear. Don’t talk to Janet, just rest.”

"But-"

"No buts. Rest. I told the kids to go to bed, so you will, too. I'll be getting healing plants outside."

"You want me to rest?”

“Yes, I do.”

"Okay.”

As soon as Felicity got up, Edward could feel the darkness and coldness closing in. He tried calling out to her, but no sound came out.

She was already leaving.

.....................................................................

"Edward...wake up.”

Edward groggily opened his eye, just as he did when he was twelve.

"No, Janet. Get away from me."

Janet was sitting in the corner of him and Felicity's room, frowning at him. Edward rolled over on his side, wincing as he did so, and covered his face with a pillow, just so he wouldn’t see her.

"Aw, come on, Edward. That's not a nice thing to say to your childhood friend."

"Get out. You're a danger to this family."

"No, you are. I'm not real, I'm imaginary. Yet you made me real. It's your fault I'm here in the first place. If you didn't imagine me, I wouldn't be here-"

"Stop it."

"Don't you see? It's always been your fault. If you had been a girl your parents would love you. If you were a girl Todd would have loved you. But no, you just had to be a boy. At least you had me to comfort you.”

"I said stop!"

"And how do I get repaid? You go and talk to someone else, this Felicity character-"

"SHUT UP!" He cried out. The action hurt his throat, it felt weak. Why did it feel weak? Why was he so hopelessly weak?

Why was he so pathetic?

"And you have the audacity to ignore me? Your lifelong friend, the one person who cared about you, ignored. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Edward said nothing. He didn't have anything to say.

Though he didn’t see her, he could somehow feel her smiling.

"You went and married the fool-"

"She's not a fool!"

"And what? You have two useless chil-"

"Take that back right now."

Edward sat up in bed. She could make fun of him all she wanted, but the fact that she was going after his wife…after his children…no, she had to be dealt with.

"Want to fight me? I'll fight you. Come on, let's meet in the basement." Janet said amusedly.

Edward’s worry had vanished. He was tired of Janet always being there, always controlling him.

If she wanted to fight in the basement, then he was more than welcome to fight her! He was the one who brought her here, so he should be the one to finish her!

"Let’s do it.”

.........................................................................

He was in the dark basement, ready to fight Janet.

But where was she, exactly? She was hiding, just like she always did.

"Come out, you-"

Edward didn't even get to finish his sentence, because that was when a horrible, invisible force made him sink to the ground.

The lights turned on. Janet smiled down at him.

"Aw...you should have known you'd lose. I'm imaginary. You're real."

"This isn't over. I can still fi-"

Edward screamed with every fiber of his being. His organs made an ungodly twisting motion in his body, he could feel them contorting within.

He knew how it was happening, too. Janet was doing it.

He tried to get up, but he was forcefully pushed back onto the ground. His bones made a sickening crunch in his skin, his skin, which was falling off, some huge chunks hopelessly sticking to the mounds of bone and blood in his body, as though his body wanted to somehow be a human.

The blood which was beginning to dry and turn his skin into a rusted brown. His hands looked like mangled, bloodied claws.

He couldn't hold it anymore. It was too much pain. He had to cry. He had to let it all out.

Edward let out choked, bloody tears. His throat was bleeding, too. But what did it matter?

He couldn't see very well. Everything was becoming blurry. He could see Janet's shadow and a light coming from the basement door…

His kids must have woken up. They found him like that, all torn apart.

No! No! No! He wouldn't die! Not on them!

No...no...he'd live! He'd live and he'd get rid of Janet, there was still time..

There was still time...

.........................................................................

"Did it work?" Ivy’s voice asked.

Edward opened one of his eyes...

He was in the basement.Felicity and Ivy were standing in front of him as he lay on the ground. He felt odd, like he was half dead and half alive.

"Yes, it worked. He's okay. I turned him into a zombie."

"Oh, thank you, Mommy!"

Ivy ran over to him and hugged him fiercely. When he looked down at her, he noticed that she had gray scales and red eyes. Her sweet voice also sounded somewhat like a snake’s kiss.

What happened to her? What happened to him? Where was Damien?

He did remember someone was hurting him his whole life...someone had hurt him moments ago…but who? He couldn't seem to pinpoint the person.

Felicity joined in on the hug. But even as they hugged, poor Ivy and Felicity were crying…

No...his poor daughter and wife...were they okay?

Bloody tears fell down his face, too. He held them even closer to him. He held on to them for dear life. He was getting blood all over them and he reeked of something rancid, but he was just happy to have them around.

"What...happened? Where is Damien? What happened to me? What happened to Ivy? Why does she have scales?”

"Shhh. Something bad happened last night. I'll explain everything about Ivy and Damien later."

"What about me, Felicity?"

"Edward, sweetie, it's best that you don't remember."

"But-"

"Shhhh..."

Edward did as Felicity said and continued to embrace them. He didn't know why he felt like they were the only things he had left, but he did.

At least he was with what was left of his family, no matter what happened.