WIRED JAWS !
VOL I - 1996

chapter four: wretched reflection

Mazzy Slaughter tries her hardest to be what everyone wants her to be. She's God's most precious angel. An innocent girl who's fatal flaws are hidden behind baby pink ribbons and candy necklaces. She's the diamond in the rough, a rare jewel that everyone wishes to get their filthy hands on. She holds her head up high, even when it's heavy, encapsulating the embodiment of confidence and perfection.

She's lovable. Desirable.

But, most importantly, she's quiet. Each dreadful moment between birth and death, Mazzy Slaughter is silent. Like a dog with a muzzle, her jaw is wired shut.

In fact, it's quite easy for people to get what they want out of her. It's easy to walk all over her because everyone knows that Mazzy is too preoccupied with being perfect to have a say. She's had everything handed to her on a silver platter. She has no room to complain. She's the average girl next door, living in a nice house with a white picket fence. An only child to a young mother and a rich father with a perfect marriage.

  It's all a lie.

  Everything you think you know about Mazzy Slaughter is a made up fantasy— false stories hidden behind her pearly teeth and voiceless pleads for help.

Oscar Slaughter is never home, forever dressed in lipstick-covered business suits and feminine perfumes that don't belong to her mother. His breath always smells of strong liquor and his rage-filled temper radiates across all four walls of their home. Mazzy hates her father. Partially because he's a man of deceit, and partially because he had completely and utterly ruined Aurelia Slaughter.

  Mazzy finds herseld wondering the exact moment in which her mother had been broken. Maybe she could've filled the cracks before it had been too late. Or maybe Mazzy had always been destined to be resented by her mother. All girls are, in the end. She wonders if the face she sees in the mirror will ever end up looking like her mother's, following the never-ending cycle of hatred.

  Perhaps the moment she screams, the moment she lets out the anger that builds up behind her perfect-girl facade, Mazzy will finally become what her parents fear the most. She'll become a monster under their bed, an inescapable extension of them— a wretched reflection of their fake love for one another.

  Mazzy hesitates to open the front door of her quiet home, praying to God that her mother wouldn't scold her for being home too late. All she wants to do is wipe the makeup off her face and hide under her baby pink bedsheets. Once Jae's car disappears in the distance, Mazzy lets out a deep sigh. She picks the keys out of her small purse and mentally prepares herself for her mother's unpredictable mood.

  Despite her footsteps being quiet and unbelievably careful, her wishes completely fall through when she sees her mother waiting for her, seated on the couch with a familiar look of disappointment.

"What took you so long?" Aurelia's harsh words stab her in the gut.

  Mazzy freezes. Her shoulders tense up and her legs shift back and forth. "I was at Mari's birthday party. Remember?" she mutters lowly as she looks down at her shoes, terrified of confrontation.

Her mother ignores her response because, truthfully, she doesn't care. She only wants something to argue about. Aurelia stands from the couch, quickly approaching Mazzy, practically towering over her. Maybe not physically, but the look in her mother's eyes makes her feel much smaller. Mazzy notices the dark bags and the purple bruises by those eyes. She concludes that her father must've been the cause.

There's a different kind of anger that finds itself within Aurelia Slaughter. A deep-rooted anger caused by the acts of her husband. An anger that flows and seeps into Mazzy's soul. A shared rage.

The cycle doesn't end. Daughter disappoints Father, Father hurts Mother, Mother hurts Daughter. Daughter disappoints Father again, Father hurts Mother again, Mother hurts Daughter again. It goes on, and on, and on, and it's impossible to escape.

  Aurelia grabs Mazzy's face harshly, peeling her gaze away from her shoes, and instead, making Mazzy look directly into her dark eyes. "Have you been drinking?" the older woman asks.

Mazzy's face distorts with discomfort at the feeling of her mother's harsh grasp. She takes this opportunity to lie, "No, mom, I haven't," she insists as she shifts away from her mother's hand.

There's a short silence for a moment. Mazzy's mother has an indecipherable look on her face. Something cold-hearted. Hatred, maybe. Or, indifference? Mazzy doesn't know. But she feels her mother's crystal eyes burn holes into her face, almost as if she's looking at her own reflection, realizing just how similar Mother and Daughter truly are.

Mazzy looks down again, avoiding her mother's gaze, "I'm gonna go to bed." She mutters. "I have to get up early tomorrow." She says with a tone of subtle sadness and insecurity before disappearing into her bedroom, not letting her mother say another word.

  Mazzy closes her bedroom door, careful to not make any more noise as she does so. Slamming doors is one of the many things her parents don't tolerate. The last thing she needs is another scolding from her mother, much less one from her father— wherever he is.

  She lets out a deep breath and slowly shuts her eyes, calming herself down from... everything. Mazzy can't let her parents ruin her excitement and anticipation for Nationals. She always finds that her emotions get in the way. She's tired of being that kind of person. Things won't always go her way, they won't always be perfect, and she has to accept it. She knows that. It's hard to stop wanting to be in control of everything. The thought of not being perfect makes her skin crawl.

[    ☠︎︎  ☠︎︎  ☠︎︎    ]

The Yellowjackets are rightfully awestruck when they inspect the interior of the plane. Mazzy doesn't know what she had been expecting from Lottie's father, but never in a million years had be expected something like this. It's practically luxurious in their eyes. Mazzy studies the faces of the other passengers and sees the same smiles of excitement.

  "Uncle Ben, this is insane!" Mazzy turns to face him with a huge grin.

Ben chuckles to himself, silently thinking about how Mazzy is still the same little girl he used to babysit when her parents were out on their usual 'business trips'. Really, it had been Mazzy's mother following Mazzy's father around because she didn't trust him enough to let him go alone. But either way, Ben had always taken care of Mazzy. He had been her family. He simply can't believe how much she's grown since then.

"I can't believe your dad paid for a private plane," Van says to Lottie as her eyes wander.

"It's pretty much his only form of parenting," Lottie replies with a casual shrug, finding a seat to take. "I guess I'll take it," she mutters to herself.

  "Well, thank you, Mr. Matthews." Van chuckles while the other girls chime in with gratitude.

  Ben steps aside, "Alright, hustle up. It's gonna be a long flight." He urges for the girls to find their seats.

Mazzy spots Jae a few feet away as she pushes her bags into the upper storage compartments. Mazzy instantly beams, "Jae, hold up!" she calls out excitedly, rushing her way towards her best friend.

"Oh, hey Maz." Jae greets with a casual tone and her usual sideways grin, moving her headphones down to their resting place around her neck.

"C'mon Jae, sit next to me," Lottie says enthusiastically with the same sweetness rolling off her tongue, unbeknownst to the fact that Mazzy had wrongfully assumed her place beside Jae.

The look on Mazzy's face suddenly drops, but barely. It isn't enough for anyone but herself to notice. Mazzy has always been scarily good at hiding her feelings. It's one of the only things she finds painfully familiar. Don't let anyone see you break.

"Sorry, Maz." Jae shrugs, feeling slightly awkward, still offering a grin of reassurance. "See you when we land, though. Yeah?" she adds with a hint of hope.

"Yeah—" Mazzy is quick to nod her head. "Yeah, of course. Don't worry." She chuckles, hiding the sudden hurt in her chest.

Mazzy looks around for an empty seat. She sees the rest of the girls with their designated friends. She sees Javi and Travis by themselves and instantly decides that she prefers to keep it that way. She considers sitting with Misty, but she doesn't quite know the girl all that well and she isn't exactly in the mood for an awkward flight full of weird conversations. So, she resorts to sitting with Uncle Ben. At least, Ben would always be there for her.

  Mazzy lets out a sigh, turning to make her way towards Ben's seat. She pushes past some of the other girls with their large bags, desperate to finally sit down.

"Yo, Mazzy." She hears a voice call out. Mazzy blinks out of her thoughts. She turns to face the voice and meets eyes with Nat. "There's a seat next to me, if you want it." She shrugs, offering a slight grin.

Nat is practically buried by the window seat, her headphones sitting around her neck. Mazzy hadn't even noticed her there at first. She feels bad for that now. Nat is quite good at making herself unnoticeable— mostly because she prefers it that way. Mazzy sort of admires that about her.

  Mazzy can almost instantly notice the typical messy eyeliner around Nat's bright eyes, and rings around her fingers, and the thick chain around her hand. Mazzy can't help but blush a little when she realizes that Nat had called her over. Mazzy offers that same perfect smile and nods her head.

  She stuffs her bag into the upper storage compartment, standing on her tippy-toes with a slight struggle. Mazzy can just feel Nat's eyes on her— observing her bare legs left uncovered by her denim mini skirt, and the soft skin of her lower stomach revealed whenever she lifts her arms, and the long black hair that falls gracefully and follows the shape of her waist.

  Mazzy knows that Nat is looking and she doesn't seem to care. In fact, she kind of likes it. But she plays it cool. She can't let anyone know how she really feels.

  Mazzy lets out a sigh when she successfully stores her bag, taking the empty seat beside Nat. "Thanks," she mutters, taking a closer look at all the little details of Nat's face. Light freckles, colors of dark green and navy blue that mix together in her eyes.

Nat seemingly does the same, taking in the smoothness and the intricate placement of the smile lines that decorate Mazzy's face. "Of course," she mutters lowly.

Mazzy senses a patter in her chest. The thump of her heartbeat seems to be moving quicker than usual. Her words, her thoughts— they remains stuck at her throat with an unfamiliar feeling. Mazzy feels unpredictable. Being next to Natalie, looking at her, it makes Mazzy feel like she has no idea what's going to happen next. She sort of likes the fact that everything is unknown— that everything means suddenly taking a huge risk. She likes that, during those short moments, she finally feels alive.

1,917 words.

back in my yellowjackets phase and now my mom's obsessed with it. she teases me for having a crush on nat... but did i lie?

anyway i've decided that this book isn't gonna be a slowburn per say, it's more of a forbidden romance. i have a vision in my head for where i want this to go so bare with me. on another note, pls don't be mad at jae for not sitting with mazzy, she's just jealous and sick of having a crush on someone who doesn't like her back. she's putting herself first for once cuz she can't always be dependent on mazzy. free you my heart!!

also i refuse to believe that nat is straight. she's so gay it's actually insane. my gaydar was so convinced she was a homo so she's a raging homo in this fic!! justice for travis tho, i don't hate him or anything.

y'all know what's gonna go down next chapter