[IC] The dark heart +18 mature/viloence/language

[Airalin]

With a contented sigh, I got out of bed, enjoying the texture of the soft carpet beneath my feet. I visited my bathroom - an actual, function bathroom! - and took a long, warm shower. Once I was out, I donned a knee-length skirt and a tanktop. There was no need to dress according to the weather; after all, I wasn't even allowed to go outside yet.

"'Morning!" I said, greeting Vivian as I took a seat at the breakfast table, my omelet and orange juice already laid out before me. For a change, I wasn't in a bad mood. It felt nice to have access to so many luxuries again. Yet as I ate, I knew something was wrong. The necklace was still out there, watching me. Before long, it would ruin everything - it would hurt me, and anyone else it had to hurt to make me suffer. And there was nothing at all I could do to stop it.

[Markofkri]

"Hey sleepy. Hope you slept well. I was called by my family but I suddenly had phone trouble and hung up. The guys are on alert since your out. I suggest we ignore them. What would you like for lunch or any food I can let the cook know. You seem to be doing a lot better. Its good to see you out and smiling." Vivian had her head propped in her hands and her elbows on the table. She was wearing a baggy sweat outfit. As you looked closer she had blood shot eyes and there was concealer around her neck.

[Airalin]

My eyes widened as I spotted the concealer on Vivian's neck.

I told myself not to jump to conclusions. She could have been with a boy, after all - there could be any number of strange explanations for this! But I was afraid the situation was worse than that. Could Vivian have used the necklace? Did it... accept her? If so, what did that mean for me?

Trying not to reveal my concerns, I maintained my smile, though it surely gained a fake quality. "Vivian," I said, "Do you think you could come talk to me in my room after breakfast? There's something I'd like to discuss with you." I hoped my voice was cheery enough. IF she was using the necklace, there was a chance I was in danger. I ate my food quickly, then retreated to my room, saying "Well, come see me when you're done!" before retreating from the dining room, biting my lower lip in concern.

[Markofkri]

"Sure."

[Airalin]

I nodded and finished my meal, returning to my room and sitting on my wonderful, comfy bed. It wasn't long before Vivian joined me. I chewed at my lip a bit, nervous. If she was using the necklace, she might not be in her right mind!

"Um, Vivian," I began, "You hid my necklace, right? You haven't been... using it, by any chance, have you? I only ask because you look a little bit beat up... what happened to your neck?" In truth, I was wondering whether her sweatsuit was concealing some sort of wounds as well. If so, there were two possibilities... either she was using the necklace a lot, way more than I ever had, or the necklace was working differently for her than it had for me. The necklace had healed me, after all - it hadn't left any marks on my body...

[Markofkri]

"Well, you kept going on about how it was evil and tried to kill you. I put it on and looked at it in the mirror. It looked really good so I put it under my sleep wear and went to bed. When I awoke, I had these marks on my neck. Its very tender, they looked to be bruises in the shape of hands. I took the damn thing off and hid it in the room. I believe you about it being bad. I'm sorry. Is it going to kill me now?" Her face turned from shame to fear.

[Airalin]

My shoulders slumped in relief.

"Don't worry, Vivian," I said, "I don't think it's going to kill you or anything. Just don't put it on again. I looks like I'm the only one who can wear it without getting attacked right away - I inherited it with all this money, you see." I put a finger to my lips, thinking. I could only hope I was right that Vivian would not be harmed despite wearing the necklace. I really didn't want her to get hurt - she was the first person I had become at all close to in a long time.

"If the necklace does anything to you again, let me know right away," I said, "I'll take the necklace and hide it away myself. I wouldn't want anything to happen to you!" I smiled at my niece - though she was really much more like a little sister. It felt oddly nice to be protective or someone else for a change. At the same time, I didn't regret Mother's death at all, despite how useless it had been...

[Markofkri]

"Ok. Its in my room I'll go get it and meet you back here. Thanks for not getting mad." She smiles at you for being kind. Vivian turns and started to walk quickly to her room. Three steps in she fell to her hands and knees and the first cough sent a torrent of blood to the floor. She continued to cough violently on her hands and knees. Adding blood to each spasm unable to talk. you heard giggling above you.

"May you suffer." You heard this in your mothers voice. Vivian slumped to the side and her eyes were watering. The blood stopped and the coughing subsided. She was breathing and crying. Her mouth moved but no sound came out. Her eyes grew wide with fear and panic. Her hair was matted with the blood on the floor. you heard a scream from the maid as she ran away from you as fast as she could. Your world was crumbling again. You could only think about being in the room until you died.

[Airalin]

"Vivian!" I yelled, kneeling down beside my niece.

I looked on helplessly as she cowered on the floor, covered in blood. The guards would be here soon - that maid's screaming would catch their attention for sure. I had to convince them that I wasn't responsible for this - at the very least, they needed to take Vivian to the hospital. I wanted to go to her room, dig through her possessions until I found the necklace. It had to be burned, or destroyed somehow, and I wouldn't be able to do it myself if I ended up in a cell again! But running now would just make me look guilty, and there was no way I would be able to outrun the guards, not while I was weak from my confinement.

"Someone, help, fast!" I screamed, desperate to have my side of the story heard.

[Markofkri]

Within minutes a two man team came down the hall. Guard one, "Get away, get on your stomach, do it, NOW!" They had tazers out and pointed at you. guard two said, "Holy fuck this bitch tired to kill her. Look at the marks on her neck!" Guard one, "Repot we need medical asap. Roger one injury package unharmed. Roger." With that your were shot with the tazer and tossed over his shoulder. You were tossed again hard in your padded room once more. The day went into night.

The door opened two guys grabbed you and forced the jacket on you, tightly. "You fucked up. Your not going to leave this room ever again. If I was running this op I'd take you out to the barn and stage a suicide. Dinner will be here in an hour after that. You'll get fed at the normal times. I guess there is a team of family lawyers trying to figure out who's going to take your sorry ass. That girl fought for you." He shook his head as he left.

The dinner came and you only got halfway through it before the drugs kicked in and you passed out in it. The next few weeks were all a blur. You remember the injections and I.V. changes and at one point a blurred figure spit on you. Then one day you woke up.

[Airalin]

I looked around desperately, helplessly, wanting to put an end to this lucidity.

I had no idea how long I had been out. Months? A year? My arms were still hopelessly encased within my straitjacket. Why the fuck would they let me wake up? It would be better for everyone if I just went back to sleep. Judging by how I had been treated, Vivian was probably dead. I was alone.

For a moment, I tried to put up a fight, tried to struggle to escape my bonds, before realizing just how pointless my efforts were. I felt so, so weak. Even thinking about it felt like a tremendous task. Why wouldn't I just fall back asleep?

"I'm awake," I yelled. Or, at least, I tried to yell. My words were so faint that even I could barely hear them. How long had it been since I last spoken? My last attempt was the day I was captured, when I was frantically trying to explain the situation to the guards before they knocked me out, hadn't it?

I breathed deeply, tried to relax my mind. It didn't matter. The only important thing was that I needed to go back to sleep.

[Markofkri]

The door opened it was Vivian. She waved and had a small scar at the base of her neck. She took out a little metal wand and put it to the side of her neck. "Hello I got every thing cleared up. No charges and no more room. You have been drugged for three weeks. You are being weaned off them and you will be returned to your room. This unfortunately has left you atrophied and we will need to work on that together. Now for the big question. Right?"

"Yea, apparently I was in perfect health minus the cancer that ate my vocal chords. So that's what it was all about. When I came too I knew the circumstances were bad. I wrote to the guard and sent them doctor letters of the surgery. No one could choke a person enough to break their vocal chords. The legal system was slow as fuck. So enough chatting lets get you the hell out of here." She brings in a wheel chair and helps you get in. "You smell bad. I'm afraid your going to need a bath girl."

[Airalin]

Was I... hallucinating?

Vivian was alive! Yet despite the fact despite I had grown attached to her, despite the fact that I was being released, a feeling of dread was rising in my heart.

"Wait," I said, my voice barely audible. "Just... take me back. I want to go sleep. Nothing bad happens to me when I'm asleep. So please just put me back and give me the drugs again..."

I was sick of the ups and the downs, sick of life. If they weren't gonna let me die, they could at least let me sleep. No one but Vivian cared about me anyway.

[Markofkri]

Vivian leaned over to look you in the face as she smiled at you she shook her head. She continued to push the wheel chair down the hall. when she got to your room to the right of the door was the guard that had tazed you. "I'm not accustom to being in this spot but when I am I own up to it. I am sorry. If you want to fire me I under stand. I make no excuses for my actions. I've been reduced in pay by the team leader and I'm pulling double shifts every time it rains to walk the property. If there is anything I can do to show my sincerity please just let me know and its done."

Vivian winks at you and walks over to stand in front of the guard. She pulled out the metal wand. "She told me exactly what to tell you if she saw you again. Something that would begin the healing process." She stood on tip toe to lean in and whisper something to him. He bent down a little to help out. Then you saw Vivian's foot leaped up and her leg bent in the middle. Her knee finding its spot with a wet crunching sound the guards face lit up red and fell over to the fetal position. "Next time you see me bleeding to death help me first!"She kicked him a few times and pushed you into the room and shut the door leaving the guard in the hall. She helped you take off all but the underwear. you smelled like you were left in that jacket for a week. She locked the wheels and left you in the tub. "I'll be back."

[Airalin]

Was the guard's punishment supposed to... please me?

Despite my reluctance, I had to admit that it felt quite nice to take a warm bath. I was almost embarrassed by how unhygienic I had become. But another part of me - the more influential part - thought it would be a good idea to try to use Vivian's absence to its advantage. I didn't want to go back to having to deal with people. In the end, people would only hurt me. So I dunked my head under the water, not bothering to hold my breath.

Immediately, I coughed, and a burning sensation arose in my throat. Out of its natural instincts, my body pulled my head out of the water, and I choked out liquid. Apparently, I was too weak to kill myself this way.

I leaned back, trying to relax. Maybe I could just sleep here...

[Markofkri]

There was a knock on the door and Vivian said she would wait outside until you were done and there were clothes on the bed. She would see you in the morning.

[Airalin]

Eventually, the water became too cold, and I gave up on falling asleep in the tub. I quickly washed myself - there was no point in not getting clean since I was already in the tub - and, when I was done, drained the water. I found it surprisingly difficult to get out of the tub... my legs were so, so weak. I had to lean my hand against the wall, letting it support some of my weight, in order to exit the bathroom and arrive in my bed. I pulled on a tanktop and a pair of pajama pants then curled up in my lovely, warm bed. It would feel quite nice to sleep here! My hair was wet and an utter mess, but I was unconcerned with my looks. At least, I could sleep again. Within a minute, I was out cold.

[Markofkri]

As you looked up the next morning you felt sick Vivian startled you she was quiet but and a tray filled to the breaking point with breakfast.

[Airalin]

Something felt wrong with me.

My first thought was that I was experiencing withdrawal symptoms. I had been taking my drug for quite a while by then, so it was only natural that my body would have an adverse reaction to it. Deciding to ignore the feeling, I crawled over to the tray; the groaning of my stomach told me in no uncertain terms that I was hungry.

I ate everything and didn't even feel bad about it, but once it was gone, I wasn't certain what to do. I couldn't just walk out of bed; my legs were too weak for that. Instead, I laid back down, closing my eyes. But it was no use. Without my meds, I couldn't make myself continuously sleep.

"I want my medicine," I muttered, knowing fully well that I wouldn't be given any.

[Markofkri]

Vivian sat there looking at you. She smiles at you apatite. "So if you want we can go outside for some sun?"