Terrorforming || Yandere!Harem X F!Reader

Beyond Saving

pictured above is Louise Brown.

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It felt like Nurse Thorne kept you for almost the full three hours. You didn't know if sessions normally ran this long or if you were being given special treatment, but you were leaning towards the latter. You didn't think she could see every girl at camp in a single week if sessions dragged on and on like this.

"I think we should leave off here for today. I'm going to prescribe you something to help you sleep. A lot of girls have trouble falling and staying asleep at camp," she said at last, scribbling that down on her notepad.

You weren't going to argue with that. You woke up several times last night in a cold sweat after your unconscious brain forced you to relive Poppy getting her eye gouged out over and over again.

"Will it help with nightmares?" You muttered.

She looked up at you from over the little lenses of her glasses. "It depends on what you're having nightmares about."

"I was there, you know... Next to Poppy when- when it happened," you stuttered.

She nodded in understanding before sighing, "I see... If it makes you feel any better, Poppy is doing fine in the hospital. She lost an eye, but she still has her whole life ahead of her. It's best that you forget her, forget what happened, and move on."

"So she won't be returning to camp?"

"It remains to be seen whether Poppy or Dinah will be returning to Camp Bethel this year."

You hoped against hope that Dinah didn't return to camp. You didn't know how you would get past what happened. Maybe Nurse Thorne was right. It was better to put it all behind you, act like it never happened.

"Thank you," you answered, because you at least had some manners. Your mom tried to raise you as a lady but not a lot stuck.

You expected Elizabeth to be waiting for you when you left the director's office, but she wasn't. No one was. But there was a racket off in the distance, likely on the other side of the campgrounds, lakeside.

Was there an outside activity today? You wished you'd asked a camp counselor for an activity schedule. Elizabeth would probably deny you out of spite, but Rosasharon might give it to you to get in your good graces.

You made your way towards the sound of people, enjoying your bit of alone time. It was only as you got closer that noticed something was off.

"Witch! Stone the witch!" You heard someone screech. What the hell was going on over there? Was this some demented kid's game? Your leisurely walk quickly turned into a brisk jog.

You were able to see what was happening from ten feet away. It was Louise, you realized.

She was crouched down on a grassy area, arms flung over her head to protect her face. A group of four girls standing by the edge of the lake were pulling rocks from a bucket -skipping stones, if you had to guess- and hurling them, as well as a myriad of jibes and jeers, at her.

You had no idea what she had done to deserve such treatment, but one word kept being repeated again and again. Witch. Witch. Witch.

You couldn't just stand by and watch. You had to do something.

You didn't have time to think. You just jumped into action. Grabbing a sizable branch from the tree line, you ran at the vicious girls with a feral shriek.

You didn't exactly have the element of surprise. You were charging at them headlong. Still, the sight of you shocked them long enough for you to score the first blow. You swung at the branch at one of the girls' heads. The stick broke in half at the force of the impact, but you still managed to knock your target to the ground.

The other girls looked like fish with their eyes bulging and their mouths opening and closing. You readjusted your grip and started running towards another one when they got the message and started running away screaming.

"That's right!" You snarled, "Go on, git!" The girl you hit scrambled to her feet and followed her friends. That just left you and Louise. Adrenaline still pumping, you dropped your stick and rushed over to her. "Are you alright?"

She carefully stood up from her crouching position, as if she wasn't completely certain she was safe yet. Bruises had already started to show on her arms. They looked painful. Those girls must have strong throwing arms. It was lucky they didn't hit her in the eyes or the mouth.

She brushed herself off before turning to you with a frown. "I'm fine," she said. "You shouldn't have gotten involved. They may target you next."

"What was I supposed to do? Stroll by and just let it happen?" You scoffed before puffing up your chest. "And I can take care of myself, as you can see."

She gave you a once-over from head to toe. "I can see that. Well, thanks. I'm in your debt." She still didn't sound too pleased, however.

You let it go. It wasn't like you were going to take advantage of her gratitude. Doing the right thing was its own reward. "Do you know those girls? Why did they single you out?"

"Those are the Just. Justice tends to shelter the self-righteous, vigilante type. As for why they targeted me in particular, it's 'cause I'm a Temperate girl. You'll learn right quick that we are easy pickings."

"What? Why?"

"Because we're the outcasts, beyond saving."

"I thought the whole point of salvation was that it was free to anyone?"

"No, it comes at a great cost," she argued. "I don't know about you, but the rest of us in Temperance aren't willing to pay."

"I don't need saving," you replied. "And I don't think you need saving either."

She stared deep in your eyes as if she were looking for something only you could provide. "You wouldn't say that if you knew what I did to end up at Camp Bethel," she whispered in a low voice. Then she turned on her heels and started walking back towards The Ark.