CHAPTER THREE.
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Some people are born with
tragedy in their blood;
it's all they've known.
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JEAN CAN ALREADY IMAGINE HER cherry red lipstick staining the cheap plastic cups filled with cheap alcohol.

It had taken Clarissa and Meryn what felt like hours to convince her parents that taking their only child to what would probably be the biggest party of the year, is an amazing idea. In the meantime, Jean sat there idly, listening to the arguments that consisted of She will meet so many new people, We will be watching over her like a lioness watches over her cub and Your daughter will be an outcast at school, should she not go. It's not like Jean actually wanted to go, never having understood the importance of Halloween and the festivies that come with it. There had always been things more relevant than celebrating childish holidays.

Both men had rolled their eyes at the two girls at last, sighing in defeat. David had been the one to warn Jean about grabby boys and probably every kind of sexual desease, making her cry out in embarassment and shame in the middle of their living room.

Now, she is standing in her room, criticising the skintight dress Meryn is making her wear tonight. On short notice, they had not been able to get their hands on a real costume for Jean so while Clarissa is dressed as Baby from Dirty Dancing and Meryn wears aerobics clothes characteristically for Jane Fonda, the brown haired teen is clad in a bright red latex dress, fake blood staining her cheeks and arms.

"You've got to be kidding me," she exclaims, quite shocked about her friend's choice. "No way I'm wearing this tonight... or ever."

     "Oh come on, don't be a prude!" Clarissa fires back with a wide grin. "You look hot."

Meryn comes to her defense. "Girl, like this you won't be single for much longer, that's for sure."

"I like being single," she tries, eyebrows raised in concern. "And if my dads see me like this they will kill you both with their bare hands and shackle me to this bed for the rest of my life, you know that."

Both Meryn and Clarissa look at each other for a few seconds before the dark-skinned girl pouts. "Alright. Because we knew that you'd react like this... we have a second option."

     It takes her a while to find the piece of textile in her suitcase — yes, Meryn had brought a suitcase for all the things she might need — until she finally shrieks in excitement, holding up a glittery dress. "You cannot say no to this, Jean. Being a disco diva is in your blood."

That certainly isn't the truth but the dress is nice and not too revealing, so she answers with a simple shrug, brown hair falling across her shoulders. Tonight, the seventeen year old swears, she will carry herself confidently, rather than be hunched over a worn paperback novel like she is most days.

THE MUSIC CAN BE HEARD from at least a mile away. The voices of a hundred drunken teenagers echo throughout the street and she wonders why the neighbours don't seem to care at all.

     As the bass booms in her ears she can feel something blurry reaching for her soul, reminding her of vicious men dressed in white looking down on her while she is screaming, crying, begging for release. The walls around her have a sterile look to them and for a moment she lets herself remember.

     She inhales and banishes the dark thoughts from her mind, determendly strutting towards the house that is alight with music and dancing.

The first thing that catches her eye is Billy Hargrove on the keg, torso free of clothing, abs ripped. She tries her hardest to look away as he screams in triumph over being the new Keg King, but fails. The crows goes wild as he spits out a mouthful of beer and only as a familiar voice reaches her is she able to turn away. "Jean! The apple of my eye!" Steve exclaims, obviously on the verge of drunk. "The light in my darkness!"

     Somewhere in the background she can hear Tommy H. yelling loudly, but she tries to concentrate on her friend in front of her, smiling lopsidedly. Before Jean can reply however, someone bumps into her.

     Tommy has his arm slung around Billy's shoulder as if they've been friends forever.

     "Well, well," Billy looks smug as he takes her appearence in, "if it isn't the girl of my dreams."

     "Huh, if it isn't the local douchebag," she replies almost instantly, looking for her friends in the crowd, unable to find them. Even Steve is gone without a trace.

     His devilish smile is growing larger as he pushes the boy next to him away. She reaches behind him, grabbing a single beer and turning to face the crowd.

     "I thought Harrington claims that Wheeler girl as his girlfriend, not you," he exclaims, smirking to himself as she rolls her eyes.

     "You know that he isn't my boyfriend," she answers while taking a sip. "And quite frankly, I'm not sure anyone here is worthy of me."

     "I'm sorry Hawkins' best isn't enough for you, milady," Billy jokes as he mockingly bows, earning a hard slap to his shoulder from her.

     "Shut up," she grins. "If this is Hawkins' best then I am thoroughly disappointed," gesturing to the ongoing party scene, British accent thick.

     "I was actually only talking about me," he tells her with a winning smile.

     "Eh," she scrunches up her nose, grimacing. "That's not making it much better."

     "Oh, hit me right in the heart, why don't you," he jokes and Jean is pleasantly surprised that he takes all of her shit without so much as getting the least bit frustrated.

The girl surpresses a laugh, sighing heavily instead. "Isn't there anyone else you could use your manly charm on? Chelsea? Linda? Any other girl who would give you the time of day?" she tries, knowing very well what his answer would consist of.

"Why would I want to do that when you're here looking like a doll?" he confirms her belief. Billy smiles, his teeth tugging on his bottom lip as he looks at her.

     Somehow, the way he looks at her opens her eyes. She can see now what he truly consists of. His grin is real, he truly is amused and yet —

     The ugly truth lies hidden behind his captivating smile and pretty lies are covering the blood on his hands. Looking through facades was one of the things she had to learn quickly so as to suffer less.

     Jean's hands are twitching.

     Experiments have always brought out the worst and best in her. Strange men had praised her for destroying things but she knew that it wasn't something to be proud of but rather something to eliminate and opress. She had locked it up and choked it back and that way she has lived for years now. But after years of peace, Jean has come back to the place where her life had ended all those years ago, where she had been solely a number instead of a name because a name would make her human. And human is not something these men wanted her to identify with.

Within seconds, she comes back into reality, her past suppressed once more.

His eyes are the most unnerving, she decides in silence. There is something in them, something dark, something evil, something deadly. Turning away, Jean can hear him breathe heavily.

     "I should go and look for my friends. Enjoy the evening."

     When she turns around once more, to look over her shoulder, she can see Billy Hargrove looking at her. Her steps become quicker. For the shadows are full of monsters, and it's where he stands too.

DEVIL MAY CRY.

slowly... i wanted to show how charming he can be when he wants to cause i think that's an important character trait of his. and this is also the reason

i also included a short sequence of jean's past ;)))
so basically she is like eleven only older and she was more like and experiment while eleven was wanted and they knew what they were doing. that'll be explained further in the next chapters however
jean was adopted after fleeing. she was supposed to be killed but someone helped her at escaping and to get her documents and stuff.