Defying Gravity

Chapter 48

MAJOR T R I G G E R  W A R N I N G 

SENSITIVE THINGS AND SCENES Y'ALL. A BETTER-CENSORED SUMMARY OF WHAT HAPPENED WILL BE AT THE BOTTOM.

Third person pov

Something was wrong, and Ethelia could tell. It didn't feel necessarily dangerous. Like she was going to be chased down a dark street. People were out, and the sun was too, and things seemed almost fine. Almost. She felt like a fucking idiot for not knowing, though she wasn't sure how she would know. She was a hermit who'd camped out on the couch with a boy that was about fifty types of idiotic smashed into one.

She turned onto her street, and she blinked when she saw several people crowded around her house. The Uchiha Police force had set up tape, and she immediately knew someone must have called the police on her father. She was willing to bet it was Mark. The idiot heard everything. That, or her dad had left the stove on again.

She rushed along, pushing through the crowd and ducking under the tape. Immediately, she came face-to-chest with one of the officers. She was tall, and glared at her like she'd just crossed over into the enemy territory and was a traitor of some kind. "Behind the line please, kid." She demanded, pointing over Ethelia's shoulder. The brunette was too tired to freeze and awkwardly try to stutter up a response. 

"I live here." She sighed dryly, twisting around the woman and continuing towards the door. She heard the woman take in a sharp breath of air, but the gravity-defying girl was already climbing the steps and pulling open the rickety screen door. The inner door was wide open, and there were a few police officers lingering inside, talking. They froze when they saw her enter.

"Hey, you really shouldn't be in here." The man said as Ethelia surveyed the damage in the living room. Is wasn't as bad as she thought it was last night: just some broken dishes, an overturned coffee table, and what looked like a smashed potted plant. Wherever that had come from. She really didn't want to know.

"I live here." She said, shuffling farther into the house. A hand clamped down on her shoulder, and she looked up to see the woman from before. She looked panicked, her cheeks flushed.

"Ma'am, you should really step outside. We need to tell you something." Her voice was soft compared to the stern tone she'd used before, and sounded almost as though it was shaky. Ethelia's heart nearly stopped, her grimace dropping into something flatter and more concerned. She tried to turn around, but the woman's grip tightened. The woman looked nearly scared.

"What is it? What happened?" Her eyes narrowed. Had the refrigerator fallen on Mark again? Because if it had, he wasn't dead. He was just too lazy to get it off. 

"You don't need to see this, kid." One of the other officers said. Ethelia felt herself turn on reflex. The two officers that had already been inside cried out something, moving to try and block her view, but it was too late, she'd already seen.

H...Hanging.

Her breath hitched, and she felt the world around her come to a complete halt. The panicked voices of the officers faded into the background, and she didn't register their hands tugging at her, urging her towards the door. She stayed rooted in place despite that, though she swore she was getting lighter and lighter the longer she stared. 

He was such a tall man, his feet were nearly touching the ground. He was lifeless. Limp. Her hands began to shake, staring with wide eyes at her father. Why had he- h-had her becoming a ninja really had such an effect on him? W...Was he really depressed enough, or upset enough, to... to do this?

"D-Dad?" Her voice cracked, and she found herself pulling against the officers to try and approach him. When they didn't let go, their hands like vines wrapping around her and holding her back, a small pulse of chakra escaped her. It was miniscule- just barely leaking out- but it was enough to send the three Uchiha officers flying. The woman crashed into the wall by the front door, while the other two went flying across the living room.