La Llorona
Catrina Maravilla lore
Word Count: 1,403
TW: Blood, language, fighting, death, domestic abuse(and blaming self), cheating and rape
I was born in a village full of life and celebration. Everybody knew everybody. My sister Victoria was beautiful, with a voice from the angels themselves. Dante was brave and clever. Mateo was skilled, a prodigy at such a young age. Ignacio and Mauricio were charming, able to calm even the most savage of magical beasts. But me? What was I good forā¦?
āOww! What the hell was that for, cabrĆ³n!ā Catrina hissed, pulling away from her older brother āLanguage, mijaā Her grandmother scolded her, walking in slowly to sit in front of the beaten up teenager āShe got into a fight, againā Dante sighed, going back to dab at his sisterās bleeding lip āI told you, Iām fine!ā she shouted, standing up quickly before leaving the room. The two left in the room sighed, watching her leave silently.
ādamn it, damn it, damn itā¦!ā Catrina growled as she paced down the hallways of her familyās villa āWhy canāt she just behave for onceā¦ā āI know mi amorā¦ā āwhere did we go wrong, why canāt she be like her siblingsā¦ā Catrina froze in her tracks, the hushed whispers of her parents replayed again and again in her head. She bit her lip, tasting blood as her shoulders shook. Tears of anger ran down her cheeks as she stood there, hearing every insult her parents would never say to her face.
She did this for them, let herself get beaten and bruised if only for a glance. Just one look, thatās all she wanted. No amount of beatings would compare to the pain she felt at that moment. Without a second thought she felt herself run down the hallways, tears pouring uncontrollably from her eyes āwhyā¦ whyā¦ whyā¦ā the question kept replaying in her head āI just wanted you to love meā¦ pleaseā¦ you love my siblings, so why am I different?ā She looked frantically around as she pushed open the villa gates, looking for somewhere to escape.
That was when they found me. Another fight, another cruel twist of fate. I didnāt care how many bones they broke, how much of my blood soaked the streets. Their beatings felt like nothing. I didnāt fight back, why should I have?
The bloodied teenager looked above her, the sun was setting. She felt herself grow colder. Was that the night setting in or something worse? She didnāt care. Catrina chuckled a bit to herself āIs this how I die?ā, above her vultures circled waiting for their next meal āheh, good to know something sees me as important, Iād make a fitting mealā¦ā she felt herself grow weaker, she could feel the aching of her bones ājust how many did they break, shitā¦ā Ā Catrina couldnāt move if she wanted to. She could just close her eyes and it would all be over; all her pain and suffering would finally end. Who would compare a corpse to her siblings? She felt her consciousness leave her before- āĀ”Catrina, ay Dios mio, mijo ven!ā it was her grandmother, Catrina weakly looked at her, a soft smile crossing her lips as she saw her big brother race to her.
I was scolded, grounded for weeks. I stopped getting into big fights after that, I still did fight but I was smarter. I started to focus on my magic. I picked up books about curses and incantations and found I have a knack for ancient magic. I finally had something unique to me. I entered Night Raven when I was 16. Butā¦ when I was 19, something changedā¦
āOverblotā The word ran through Catrinaās mind as she raced through the mirror, returning to her hometown. The normally happy village was filled with the sound of screams. She frantically looked for the source, before her she saw it. The monster that was her eldest brother. She had no choice as she saw people fighting him, she had to help them. Her hand trembled as she held her wand, tears falling as she raced into battle.
Overblots are trickyā¦ you can save the personā¦ or they can die. My brother was 26 when he died. When his magic over took his very person. I can still hear the last cry he let out. I was already dating Emiliano at the time. He was so kind, but I should have known better. It was the perfect time to pull me away from my family. Only one person in my family cared about me and I made the world forget about herā¦. But Emiliano said he loved me. All I wanted was to be loved, no matter the price.
Catrina bit her lip as she walked closer to the bedroom she shared with Emiliano; strange noises filled the air. As she got closer, she could distinguish them as moans. She felt her blood run cold as she pushed a bit on the door, looking through the crack. A blonde woman was under Emiliano crying out his name, Emiliano would look up, seeing Catrina. A smirk crossed his lips as they made eye contact, and as soon as they did his attention went back to his mistress.
āwhyā¦ whyā¦ā Catrina sobbed quietly as she ran away. As soon as she closed the dorm to their manor behind her, she fell to her knees, collapsing like a doll whose master let go of its strings ānoā¦ itās my fault... she must be his type. Itās all my fault, he said he loves me.ā She tried to convince herself as she looked down at the ring on her finger āHe loves me.ā
Affair after affair, I stayed with him through it all. The wounds he gave me, black eyes, cuts from glass or bruises. He tried to push them all away by saying how he loved me. How if I just listened, he wouldnāt have to hurt me. That it was the alcohol. I didnāt mind how much he hurt me, he said he loved me. This sick, twisted, and toxic love. It was all I had. He was all I had. After every woman he slept with he would buy me something. New pearls, gold, diamonds anything I could have ever wanted, but love.
āJust play the perfect wife, smile for the cameras and make us seem like a happy coupleā She though as she pressed herself against Emiliano, kissing his cheek as she covered the scars, he gave her. āJust give in, it will all be over soonā¦ā She felt her back against the bed, closing her eyes as she gave into his desires āThis will make him happy..ā she convinced herself āhe loves meā¦ he loves meā¦ he loves meā When they were done Catrina covered her body with a sheet, getting out of the bed as her husband slept. Slowly she walked into the bathroom and looked into the mirror ānew marksā¦ bruises and bloodā¦ā she bit her lip as her fingers brushed over a bite mark on her neck. She sighed as she looked at her sorry self in the mirror before stepping into the shower. She let out a silent prayer, hoping the hot water would wash away more than just the blood and sweat.
That was how it normally went; he had his desires and I surrendered to him. It wasnāt long until I found out I was pregnant. I was terrified. How could I bring an innocent life into this situation? How could I be a mother? Did I even deserve to be one? I knew I had to find somewhere to escape. Never would I have thought that my old headmaster would ask me to become a professor at my old college.
Catrina gulped a bit as she looked around the campus. It was so familiar and yet so different. She hugged Celi close to her, the baby swaddled in her motherās arms. Ā āA second chanceā¦ will this really work?ā she spoke softly as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear āI suppose I should go and make my introductionā¦ā she kissed Celiās head as she walked.
I wanted Araceli to be safe. I would do anything for her. I love my daughter, and I wanted her away from that toxic love. Love is scary, it takes over you. It makes you drown. And even if you escape, youāll never be the same. If Emiliano really loved me, then I donāt want to be loved. Ever again.