Airalin

The dark heart +18 mature/viloence/language

"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.

The dark heart +18 mature/viloence/language

Huh? Did you just killed off Eva? XD

Oh, wait, never mind. She just got framed for an attack. o.o

The dark heart +18 mature/viloence/language

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...

The dark heart +18 mature/viloence/language

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...

The Gifted[CLOSED]

Eva watched in horror as another captive was tortured.

She wasn't going to resist questioning. She had no reason to. There was no one in this world who she cared about, and she had never so much as spoken to another Gifted person before today. For the last couple of years, she had been in hiding, a recluse. There was no one for her to protect.

But as she sat, tied up and helpless in a lit room, she worried that she would be asked to answer questions she knew nothing about. The Warden had mentioned giving her information - but Eva knew nothing except how her own abilities worked! Was she going to be hurt for that? Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes, tears she was just barely able to hold back. What had she done to deserve this fate? Once the Warden found out how little she knew, was she going to die?

The dark heart +18 mature/viloence/language

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.

The dark heart +18 mature/viloence/language

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.

The dark heart +18 mature/viloence/language

"Let's go watch TV!" I said, using the crutches to steady myself as I walked.

As I made my way to the lounge, my pace was slow, and I found myself becoming exhausted at a surprisingly fast pace. My time being locked up and left me really out of shape!

Every now and then, I saw a man standing around, apparently on the lookout. One of my guards, I could only assume. Their presence made me feel uneasy, but I had no intention of doing anything to upset them, not when the result would be more miserable weeks in total captivity.

Once I had arrived at the couch, I pulled my legs up onto my seat and curled into a ball. It felt so nice to have something soft to rest on, something less depressing than the floor of a padded cell! I found the remote control sitting on a table next to the couch and began navigating through the channels. Lots of boring news, cartoons, sitcoms - all of these things were astoundingly interesting compared to my previous situation. However, the channel I stopped on was showing horror movies.

I frowned, a bit concerned by my desire to watch such things. Had the necklace changed my nature, made it permanently more violent? Previously, I had been quite cowardly, too afraid to even think about ghosts and serial killers, yet now I sought out media portraying those things! Something had to be wrong with me...

The dark heart +18 mature/viloence/language

I stopped eating my breakfast as Vivian announced her surprise.

"So... can I leave this room now?" I asked, eyes wide. I didn't like the idea of being banned from using technology and soap. but at the very least, I wanted to be able to walk around again! I quickly continued to eat my meal, perhaps eating too quickly. Who could blame me? I didn't even know how long I had been cooped up in this room!

I crawled over to one side of the cell and, using a wall for support, pulled myself to my feet. I was wearing a pair of shorts and a tanktop - comfy clothing of the sort I didn't normally get to lounge around in. However, that outfit would be good enough for walking around the house.

"Um, Vivian, I have walked in a while," I said awkwardly, my cheeks growing warm. I held out a hand for her to take, "Do you think you could help me for a little while?"

The dark heart +18 mature/viloence/language

With a sigh, I thanked Vivian for her help. Hopefully, she would be able to convince my guards to at least let me out of this stupid room for a while tomorrow.

After taking a long shower, making sure to clean myself as thoroughly as possible before leaving my cell, I sat down in one of the corners of my prison, leaning against its padded walls. The newspaper Vivian brought me was incredibly boring; I didn't care one whit about all the crimes that had been committed and politicians who had made their banal little announcements and speeches. Before long, I found myself sitting with my arms wrapped around my legs, chin resting on my knees, waiting for my medication-filled dinner to arrive. It took all my self restraint to resist the urge to try to slice my wrist open, but I knew I would never be allowed to bleed to death, and if I tried, my imprisonment would merely be prolonged.

I hadn't done anything to deserve this sort of treatment!