m a r i s e n e p h e l e {d i s t r i c t t w o} FIN~

My room is bathed in eternal darkness. Sable curtains drape over the cracked glass in my room. Palms pounded so desperately against their fragile surfaces has caused webs to spiral across the prisms. Fitting, as my name has been dragged from the darkest of books, Marise Nephele. For seventeen summers my feet have traced aimless paths about the second district. Up the winding staircase, hidden inside a dark mansion. Where servants roam, where mysteries are endless. My kingdom. As I am a princess, my fate entwined with six others. And I, the one who wants. I, the one who has. I, the one who will not give. What enters my clutches will never escape. 

I  AM GREED

A raven has perched upon my scalp, sleek feathers raining down my back like that of water, corrupted by an ebony ink. A snake coils itself tightly about my waist, giving my body the shape of an hour glass. Muscles are packed tightly against my arms, making small hills rise gently upon them. I am not thin, nor would I want to be. I am just right. 

I who does nothing but take, wants nothing but what I have. My skin is like that of a doe's. A hand drawn across my face would sense that of a lightly tanned leather. My skin resembles such a color. Eyes like almonds sink deeply into my face. They are such color, a milky brown. Thick lines trace just above them, giving my appearance a serious look. Yet, all this melts away as a smile crosses pale lips. 

Teeth, paled and crooked, an eyebrow cocked, give me nothing but a mischievous look. A thief's grin. And a thief I am. My hands are like magnets, attracting whatever pretties may fall into my grasp. Long white fingers and an innocent smile create the perfect thief. I hunger not only for petty things, easily missed. I hunger for riches. 

Gold chains to wrap around my temple, rings to slip onto fingers. I want pens to paint intricate patterns atop my lashes. I need the paint to stain my lips and the powder to color my cheeks. I want everything. Golden and silver bracelets create a melody as they clatter upon small wrists. They all belong to me, I could have afforded them if I'd wanted. But money can be used for much more important things: hoarding. 

Shirts hug my waist, various designs printed on their plain front. Skirts, ranging in hues of navy and gray, lay about my mid thigh. Stockings stretch just above my knees, leaving a small patch of skin to be caught by wandering eyes. 

I AM GREED

You can look, but you can never touch. I can- will - have whatever I want. But, there's one thing that you can never have: me. Some say I'm selfish, and I am. Precious things that fall into my grasp will never leave. 

Oaken shelves line the royal walls, neatly stacked with my treasures. A list, a meticulously kept record, is hidden underneath my bed.I can recall every time the pen had waltzed across the cream pages. The metallic trail detailing what item had fallen into my grasp, and it's place in my room. Each with careful reason as to where it lays. 

No one steals from a thief. What is mine is mine forever, I simply do not care who had it first. Every morning I must count every item in my room. I must check the list, making sure nothing is even  and inch out of place. I must polish the oak and I must dust my treasures. The deep purple quilt cannot have wrinkles, it cannot be touched my any hand but my own. 

The servants will not enter my room, they will not speak to me. Any treasures brought into this house will inevitably be added to my collection. The king pursues me, his advances could make any girl fall to her knees. But not me. 

There is nothing in my collection so carefully contained than my virginity. No man will take this for me, as I despise any one. They are cruel, selfish, all they do is want. They will take from you what they can, and I refuse to give them this power. I am the one who has. And I will never give. 

Anyone who dares to take from the princess will be punished. I can feel panic's tendrils wrapping around my legs, threatening to pull me into an abyss. And in the abyss I will go if my treasure's disappear. I must keep this monster at bay, I must do what he tells me. If he tells me to find the criminal, to beat them down and retrieve my treasure, I must. 

Or else, he will attack me. The greasy tendrils enveloping my body, causing my heart to race and my body to ache. My head will spin and my legs collapse. I can no longer breath, I cannot speak as the monster abuses me. And this monster... is me. 

I AM GREED.

birth - three years of age~ My name mirrors that of tragedy. Before my life had begun, I shared my home with another. And like those I live with now, I only took from him. But this time, I took his life. Drinking in all of the nutrients meant for him, when he was born minutes after me, his heart did not beat. Soon tension, thick enough to be cut by a knife, grew between my parents. And I became nothing less of a nightmare. And three years after my birth, my parents began to yearn for another child. 

four - seven years of age~ they replaced the boy I had taken. She was tiny, the color of a peach. She cried a lot and spoke nonsense. I called her Peaches, though I am unsure if that was the name my parents had branded upon her. My parents were disappointed that she didn't fill the hole left by my theft. And fights turned physical. 

eight - eleven years of age~ My parent's fighting was found out. A severe beating of my mother led to an investigation. Father was taken away, where he is now I still do not know. Mother couldn't live without father, leaving me to care for Peaches.

nine - twelve years of age~ I will always blame father for what happened afterwards. It was all his fault, not mine. It's all men's fault, not mine. How was I supposed to know not to set Peaches on mother's bed. How could I be sure that she would roll over in that particular way? How could I know that I would steal yet another life, adding it to my growing collection. 

thirteen - sixteen years of age~ The monster appeared. Bringing with him his dark abyss. Thrown into another family, the monster's attacks were relentless. Only obeying his orders - my orders - would tame the beast. Upon my sixteenth birthday, I ran. A queen found me, offered me a home. In a dark mansion, filled with mystery. 

seventeen years of age~ The monster grows stronger. He feasts upon my weakness. Deemed a princess upon arrival,he turned his attention to my image. He causes me to train and work, too keep track of my body. To be perfect. He wants like I do. And he will have. I will have. 

I AM GREED

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