Serene

Serene glittered, but she wasn't gold...

All that glitters is not gold.

I've been told that my whole life, not knowing when to apply it to my daily adventures. Until I met this girl named Serene Atwell. She was the most beautiful girl I ever stumbled upon in the middle of a science fair. I had just gotten a divorce and was busy attending an annual science fair with my daughter, Isabel and ended up striking a conversation with another woman. It was utterly refreshing. That other single, childless woman was Serene. She had these beautiful orange-red locks that cascaded beyond her shoulders. She had an ever-present twinkle in her big, green eyes and had a perfect, slender shape. She was amazing. Around three months after the science fair, we had already been seeing each other quite often, to the point where we'd call each other these ridiculous pet-names like 'pugsie' and 'babe' over the phone. She spoiled me on a daily basis. On my birthday, she bought me a brand new car. It was a black BMW with these comfortable leather seats. I planned to take my ex-wife, Anna, and our daughter on a little joy ride, but Serene prohibited it. I understood plainly, so I offered to only pick Isabel from school that week. I could bond with my daughter and just be happy at the same time. This only made Serene mad. I remember how angry she was when I didn't come home straight after work since I had been chatting with Isabel at her mother's house. We didn't do anything but talk, yet Serene refused to believe a word I said. She wouldn't speak to me for a whole week. Soon, things started to cool down and eventually, it was time for Serene to meet my parents. I thought my parents would love Serene but they didn't. They called her 'demanding' and 'attention-seeker'. I couldn't disagree more. Sure, she was a a bit stingy when I went to visit friends, and sure, I couldn't leave the house after seven, but I didn't find it that bothersome. Perhaps it was because I was already restricted from a lot of things as a child and now that I'm 32, my parents believe I should be free from restrictions. I was used to being held down like that. My parents even said they missed seeing Anna with me.

"We should get rid of your parents for good." Serene said on a sunny afternoon. I looked at her, puzzled. I didn't know what the hell was going on in that mind of hers. From that day onward, I saw her as more and more brutally demanding. I was restricted from talking from anyone who wasn't her. She snagged away my phone, my wallet, my laptop... She made me take a medical leave from work. I had never felt so trapped. I thought this only happened in movies and dreams but I was wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. 

One fateful day, Serene let me out of the house. We were driving to my parents' house for a visit. I was very excited. I hadn't left my house for over two months and I was already fired from work. My legs were cramped and I was completely stressed. Serene, however, left the house whenever she felt like it. She had the window bolted shut and only had them open a little whenever she left the house. She had the key to the front door, of course, and locked it every time. I was a dog in a cage.

"Why all of a sudden?" I asked her as we approached the house. She didn't say anything. She only clutched her handbag as she slowed down and parked. She scared me. I wasn't allowed to break up with her. And even if I was, I'd be to scared to do it, afraid of what might happen to me. I could break a bone or two. We knocked the front door and my mother opened the door for us. I remember that she stared at my girlfriend with this distant, fearful look once Serene pulled out her gun from her purse. Serene pushed my mother inside as I followed. Serene's cheery voice called out for my father, who came walking down the stairs. His welcoming face shifted into a glare of fright as Serene aimed at him, cocked the handgun, and pulled the trigger. The sound of the bullet whizzing out of the gun made my mother and me flinch. I couldn't feel my legs. Mother was sobbing. Serene was giggling. I honestly didn't expect less from Serene. She proceeded to point the gun down at my mother, whose arms were spread out, waiting for her death. I almost laughed out loud at my mother, which would've been a terrible thing to do. Serene knew better than to just give people what they wanted. She really just wanted to watch people suffer. She dragged my father from the stairs and stripped him bare. Serene then made my mother take of her own clothes. I gagged and looked away. She wanted my mother to commit to necrophilia. Unsatisfied groans and terrified sobs interrupted the silence of the room. I wanted to throw up and die. I didn't want to take part of this. After fifteen minutes of my mother's suffering, another gunshot sounded. I looked back. There were my parents' naked bodies, sprawled on the floor of their house, both with nasty bullet holes right in their foreheads. My father's blood had already began to pool on the floor. Serene laughed at the sight and told me to suck it up because we weren't finished yet. She tossed me the handgun. It was warm. I was told to shoot my parents again because it felt relieving. I really didn't want to. I mean, they were already dead.

They were already dead!

I pulled the trigger. Two, three more times. I only stopped when I knew there was only one bullet left. I threw up in the corner, emptying my stomach in one go. Serene patted my back. I hated Serene. Forget all the pen-names, forget the laughs, forget the stupid science fair. Forget Serene. I pointed the gun at her chest, right where her heart was. She froze. Serene knew that even if she survived the shot, she wouldn't go very far.

"Goodbye, Serene." I whispered as I pulled the trigger. It was then when I regretted wasting that one bullet on my stupid girlfriend, who I once believed was the pure definition of her name. Who I one believed was the reason I was still alive. Who was too busy to fight me since she was twitching and bleeding to death. I should have just ended my life along with my parents. I regretted killing Serene instead of myself. I regretted ever going to that science fair with Isabel. But it was also because of Serene that I finally got to understand that all that glitters is not gold.

Author's Note

Take no heed to the errors in this story. Thanks.

Reviews

[Shunny Houston]

I like this story, it shows the true definition of "all the glitters is not gold." The way you started the story, I wouldn't have expected her to be someone like that. I can see something like this being a movie. Good work!

[Mother_Yolk]

Your review is much obliged. I hope this doesn't sound too boastful of me, but I also thought of it being a movie while typing it! Haha thanks for reading!

[Shunny Houston]

Glad I'm not the only one that does that haha!