Breaking point - ashes to ashes... (freewrite Julia #7)

honeydue (68)in #freewrite • 6 years ago

Julia found herself home alone, remembering the night before. She kept thinking it over, again and again, over her mug of warm milk. She used to ignore this, to try so hard to keep these thoughts away. She wanted to forget, to unknow what she had done.
For years, she's fought to keep her mother's words away. But, alas, everyone has a breaking point. She really thought it could be different this time, that all the happiness and laughter could lead to somewhere different. She'd seen it in Steven's eyes that he liked her. The kind of abandon that she'd only seen once before, more than ten years ago.
The man she'd loved then wasn't so different from Steven, actually. They both had dark hair and interesting eyes, and most of all, they both were drawn to Julia. Horribly, fatally, irrevocably drawn to Julia.
But Julia only hurt men. Her mother had told her time and again that she was a most dangerous being. She did her best to keep her daughter hidden, to chain the overwhelming force that resided within her. And she had failed.
Julia went back through the house, naked apart from a pair of socks and stared at the empty bed. The ashes were beginning to scatter, she found some on the floor and some in the bathroom, and for years to come, she'd find some under the fridge or behind the laundry basket.
Oh, well...

There were no ashes to remind her of the other man. Of handsome Jack she'd loved as a child. She'd really liked Jack, but then again who asked. She really liked Steven, too. And yet, he was gone.
Despite her love or rather, because of it. Julia had never known what this power her mother talked about was.
Sometimes, though, she believed there was a devil inside her, an evil ready only to hurt and destroy. And so, through Steven, Julia closed herself off even more. Into her mind, into herself. Her mother had warned her about this. She'd told Julia that everyone she loved would disappear. And sure enough, he had.
Her mother hadn't. She never seemed to leave Julia's head, which only went to show the rule was true.

Julia almost dropped her milk over the ashes and soot when she heard a knock on the door.
Oh Lord, what if someone knew? What if someone had seen Steven come in last night and was now looking for him? But that was impossible, it had been so late.
Was she in trouble?

Julia tiptoed to the door and peered out. It couldn't be, she'd destroyed him. His ashes were scattered all over the floor.
'You shouldn't be here,' she said, opening the door, just a crack.
He looked rather surprised, like he hadn't expected to see her. 'Yeah, well, you shouldn't be here, either. But I guess sometimes fire calls out to fire, huh?'