the first slash

                                    

                                          
PLEASE NOTICE— CHAPTER ONE.
Like most children Violet Otello grew up with tales of monsters under the bed. Only, the monsters weren't under the bed, they were hidden behind a mask outside her door. 
Mother of two, Veronica Otello moved to Woodsboro for a fresh start after the birth of her second daughter. She had dreams of raising her children in a safe community and away from anyone who could harm them. However, the ghosts of her past were closer to Woodsboro than she ever thought. 
In 2011, Mariana Otello began her face off with ghostface as they attacked her friend group. As a close friend to Kirby Reed, the sixteen year old girl was the baby of the group but loved nonetheless. She trusted her friends and never imagined that it would lead to an early death. Charlie Walker and Jill Roberts killed Mariana Otello with a cruelty only ghostface could deliver. 
At only nine years old, Violet was forced to mourn the loss of her older sister and watch as her mother began to crumble. 
With the help of her friends, Violet was able to recover from the loss of her sister but time did little to dull the ache in her chest as she survived life without her. 
So many times, Violet had dreamed of what it would be like for Mariana to help her get ready for a school dance or rant to about boys. She wished for just one more moment together. 
However, dreams build misery. 
Violet's childhood best friend, Tara Carpenter, was her saving grace. She was the first friend Violet ever had. Tara was a kind soul who offered Violet compassion when she felt alone. The two girls were cut from the same cloth. 
Samantha Carpenter filled part of the hole that Violet's own sister had left. However, Sam abandoned them and Violet and Tara were left to pick up the pieces in each other. 
Wes Hicks was the closest thing Violet had to a brother. Tara had introduced the two siblings shortly after they had met and they instantly became friends. The two were more like twins than friends, annoying siblings until the end.  
Mindy had introduced herself to Violet on the playground and the girls had instantly clicked. They were both a little weird and obsessive. They tended to talk too much, use too much sarcasm, and watch too many movies. 
Chad and Violet's relationship was a little different. The two did not warm to each other at first, living in the time of cooties and grossness. Then, one day, the pair reached common ground and became inseparable. They were true best friends, with a bond deeper than anyone could imagine. 
Amber Freeman came next. Violet and Amber had a complicated relationship, frenemies if you will. There was something about the other that was both intoxicating and infuriating. They could be the best of friends and the worst of enemies. 
Liv McKenzie and Violet were new friends. After the downfall of Chad and Violet, she had started coming around. It wasn't Liv's fault that the two friends had a falling out but it didn't help that she became close to Chad soon after. Violet was just a heartbroken girl who was jealous. She isolated herself when she was hurt. 
Violet never suspected that her family would be plagued by the masked killer again. 
Not until it was too late.
˚ · .
It's the rise and fall of the chest, the beating of the organ inside as it pounds against walls and ribs, that lets us know that we're alive. 
Violet Otello was acquainted with the feeling that occurred when her heart raced— when the oxygen became too hard to swallow and her chest was too small to handle the pounding of her cavities. 
At only a day old, Violet Otello was diagnosed with a heart defect. The never ending craving of oxygen for relief was a living hell that prolonged her existence. The feeling of failure and exhaustion plagued her life. 
At only five years old, she was diagnosed with anxiety. Suddenly, the feeling in her chest had magnified. One day she was unable to tell if the numbness in her arm was due to a heart attack or stress. 
Even now, that feeling always existed. She was medicated, she went to the doctor yearly. But her problems still existed. Exhaustion was a constant state of pushing herself too hard. Pain was a reminder of fighting for life. Anxiety was a sign that she was alive, wrapping itself around her body like a blanket of lightening. 
So, it was safe to say that Violet was accompanied by feelings of panic and underlying sensation of knowing when something was wrong. 
She could feel it. 
Some people could sense storms. Violet predicted doom. 
     ˚ · .
"Tara was attacked." The words had stumbled out of the boys mouth before Violet could even comprehend them. 
The feeling of doom was present. Violent knew it as well as her own shadow. Her shaky hands and thready pulse were a mere testament to the impact of the words. 
"Is she—" Violet's trembling hands tightly clung to her cellphone, fighting for control as her emotions began to overtake her body. 
Immediately, she thought the worse. Was said Tara was attacked. In Woodsboro that wasn't a good sign—especially on the anniversary of the original massacre. 
"She's alive. They're taking her into surgery. I thought you would want to know. My mom's taking a statement from Amber now. I'm almost at your house, I don't want you alone tonight." Wes's words clattered out quickly, like the sound of hail hitting a windshield in the storm. He was trying to calm the girl by giving her information as fast as he could. 
If it were anything else Violet would've been glad to tell him. But this was Tara, her best friend. The girl who had dried her tears months ago when she came crying to her in the middle of the night heartbroken. The one person who understood everything she had been through. 
"What happened?" Violet pushed out, her fingers twiddling and pulling at the skin around her nails. A nervous gesture she gathered when she was overwhelmed. "Wes?" Her voice came out more like a growl, demanding and anxious. 
On the other end of the line, the Hicks boy blew out his breath. He'd wanted to arrive at the Otello home before telling Violet anything but news was already traveling and he wanted her to hear it from him. 
He wanted her to be safe. 
"It was ghostface. Ghostface is back and they used Amber to get to Tara."


A small first chapter but a chapter nonetheless <3