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Post by Luna on Feb 18, 2013 14:09:38 GMT -5
"I don't know," she said, "I'm kind of enjoying slicing him up." Another light slash, this one across the other arm.
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Post by jlcgurl on Feb 18, 2013 14:14:56 GMT -5
"You getting comfortable, Lucian?" I laughed as I ripped off his shirt. I kissed his chest before Lacey sliced at it. "Your as sexy as I remember," I giggled and I nipped at his neck.
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Post by Luna on Feb 18, 2013 14:39:58 GMT -5
I laughed, high and not entirely sane. "Yeah, well, I try," I said, trying to ignore the blood that I could now feel dropping down steadily.
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Post by jlcgurl on Feb 18, 2013 14:43:55 GMT -5
"It's beginning to work, boss," I giggled and continued to feel over his body.
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Post by Luna on Feb 18, 2013 15:09:13 GMT -5
{Lacey} "Oh, it'll take longer than this. Our boy's resilient." I lowered the knife and placed my free hand on his arm, digging my nails in deep. I could see his jaw lock, but I still didn't sense even the first traces of fear. "Took years last time," I added, still digging in my nails. "But of course, that was from a pretty solid goodie-two-shoes, not... This. And anyway, all we need is a trigger." I brought the knife again. "And pain is the best trigger there is." I slipped into his side, feeling it slide neatly between his ribs. "Just like butter."
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Post by Luna on Feb 18, 2013 15:25:23 GMT -5
I tilted my head and studied him, and I realized that his jaw was locked tightly, his breathing heavier than usual. I stepped close to him, laying one hand on his chest, now crisscrossed with cuts. "How you doing, Lucie?" I murmured. "Does it hurt?" He laughed again, short and cold. "Do you really think I'm not used to pain at this point in my very unpleasant life?" I leaned in close, turning my nails in again but not digging them in as I had before. "Not this kind," I whispered in his ear, and then I moved my head down and bit into his neck.
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Post by jlcgurl on Feb 22, 2013 21:42:36 GMT -5
"Crystal still makes you mad, huh?" I asked reading his thoughts. "You have gotten weaker. I can mess with your mind much easier now," I laughed.
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Post by Luna on Feb 22, 2013 22:00:23 GMT -5
I smiled and drew my head back. I didn't want to take too much blood. It was no fun when they passed out. "Sunny, too," I said. "I don't need to read your thoughts to know that. She's got you all soft." "Don't..." He coughed, closed his eyes briefly. "Don't what?" "Don't call her that." He opened his eyes. "I'm the only one who calls her that." He was smirking, but it was false bravado at this point. I knew him well enough to tell.
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Post by jlcgurl on Feb 22, 2013 22:03:18 GMT -5
I snickered. "Too bad they can't enjoy seeing this..." I giggled imagining their tortured faces.
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Post by Luna on Feb 22, 2013 22:12:19 GMT -5
"Well, they'll see the leftovers." I tilted my head, examining the many cuts that marked his body. "We need something new," I murmured, and then my eyes brightened. I happened to be a fan of fire...
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Post by jlcgurl on Feb 22, 2013 22:16:36 GMT -5
I read her mind. "You wish for my skills?" I laughed, my palm producing a glowing flame.
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Post by Luna on Feb 22, 2013 22:29:02 GMT -5
"Works for me," I said, grinning.
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Post by jlcgurl on Feb 23, 2013 2:14:23 GMT -5
I giggled before moving the flame like a whip across his chest. "This good for a start?"
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Post by Luna on Feb 23, 2013 8:22:49 GMT -5
{Lucian} I let out a yelp of pain before quickly closing my mouth, cutting it short. I closed my eyes and then felt myself slipping into another memory, continuing on the last one. Predictably, the next two and a half years were hell. Lacey didn't expect much at first – in fact, for the most part I carried messages, though they were often not of the pleasant variety, and before long became more physical. I tried to be merciful at first, thinking that Lacey wouldn't find out. Of course, she did, and the result was that I was forced to watch Shadow be tortured. It took hours; trying to stop it only made it worse. I obeyed her word unconditionally after that. I had no other choice – watching my little brother in pain was the worst thing she could have devised, the one thing that did not fail to break my otherwise unrelenting will. Of course, neither did I want to do what she commanded of me, and something in me rebelled against it every time. I tried my best to stifle it, but it went against everything I fought for, and that was not something I could ignore. In the end, all I could do was gradually begin to cut myself off from my own thoughts and emotions – convince myself that it was nothing more than a job, just something unpleasant that had to be done – after some time, I also began to believe that I also did not care about the people I was hurting, so long as I was keeping Shadow safe. The tasks grew steadily worse, but so did my conviction that the work did not bother me. It might have done more than confuse me emotionally, but then Lacey witnessed my actions to herself – she set me to a particularly gruesome assignment that involved torturing information from one of her enemies. I did everything she said, not flinching inwardly or outwardly no matter how much the person screamed, even when his blood soaked my clothing. Her eyes did not leave me the entire time, and she continued to command the torture of him long after he had surrendered all information he knew. When at last she told me to stop, there was a particularly malicious gleam in her eyes. Once I felt the cold handle of the gun that was pressed into my hand, I knew why. She did not need to speak her intentions – they were clear enough. Never had she expected me of this before – to take a life had always been well beyond my emotional ability. Trying to force me to that would have pushed me over the edge; I would have killed her regardless of the consequences, taken Shadow, and ran. It wasn’t like that now. I felt no emotional turmoil – I didn’t feel anything. My emotions were in the Other place, the place where I did not have to do this every day. I spared no thought how wrong it was; I didn’t even hesitate before placing the muzzle of the gun to his head. He looked up through dark green eyes wide with pure terror – not so different from Shadow’s eyes. It didn’t stop me. I pulled the trigger. As his body slumped to the ground, I heard Lacey lightly, mockingly clapping. When I set the gun back in her hands, she laughed as well. "I told you the nobility would go away," she said. "Easier without it, isn't it?" It was, but I wasn’t going to give her that. "Am I done?" "Until tomorrow." When I failed to respond to this, she tilted her head. "Not as bad as it used to be, is it?" "I’m used to it," I said, keeping my voice even. "Oh, I’m sure. But I think, maybe… you also enjoy it. Just a little." "You’re the insane psychopath here," I said. "Not me." "Sure I am." Grinning, she stepped to the side, allowing me to go up the stairs that would take me out of the basement where we had been torturing that random human – whoever he might be. I moved past her as if in a dream, up to where Shadow’s room was – mine as well, but I so rarely slept these days that it might as well have only belonged to him. When I slipped in quietly, he was fast asleep; it was late, after all. I turned to leave again, but it seemed that my presence alone was enough to alert him. "Lucian?" he said softly, causing me to turn around to look at him again. His green eyes were blearily with sleep, his hair even messier than usual, but I could still see both pain and worry in his expression. "Hey, little brother," I said, grinning crookedly – an expression that normally seemed to relax him, at least a little, but failed now. He slowly sat up. "You’re covered in blood," he said. "What did she make you do?" I sighed and sat beside him. "It’s not important." "It is, Lucian." "I’m protecting you." "It’s not worth it if it…" He swallowed hard. "If it turns you into someone else." I tilted my head. "Who else would I be?" "Whoever you are now – you… it used to bother you, what you were doing. Even though you told me it didn't matter, I could see the agony in your eyes. And of course that’s not a good thing, but it’s better than… than nothing." "You’re over-analyzing," I told him. "Am I? You called it unimportant. It seemed like you meant that." "The alternative is letting you suffer." "I would prefer that." "I wouldn't, and I’m the decision maker here." Better perfect strangers than my brother. Before now, I hadn't let myself believe that I thought that way – but of course, I did. All of this was about protecting my brother, no matter who else had to suffer for it. I wasn't sure when I had begun to think that way; part of me knew that it was very, very wrong. Most of me simply didn't care. "Lucian," he said softly. "Just promise me that you’ll… stay my brother. Okay?" "I’m not going to be anyone else," I promised. "You should go back to sleep." His eyes searched mine for a moment, and then he nodded slowly. I kept one hand on his arm until I could tell that he was fast asleep again. It was then that Lacey entered the room. I didn't hear her - she was a vampire, a predator, and thus tended to move silently – but I could sense her presence, and then feel her breath on my shoulder. She had always preferred to breathe, and generally act human in small ways; it seemed to amuse her. "You do know that you’re already not his brother anymore,” she said. "Of course I am,” I said softly. She lifted an eyebrow. “You think so? Think about what you’ve done, Lucie. Tortured. Killed, now. Is that the person that Shadow remembers?" "I did it to protect him." "You went above and beyond that." "Is there a point in you being here?" She was silent for a moment; then: "If, right now, I told you to kill him, what would you do?" "I would say you’re out of your mind. The whole point of this – this servitude thing was so that he wouldn't get hurt. It would defeat the purpose." "Regardless of that. What would you do?" The answer suddenly came to me, in terrifying simplicity. I tried, even within myself, to deny it, but the words slipped out of their own accord: "I would do it." She smirked. "And why is that?" "Because…" I lowered my head. "Because I don’t care. About any of it." "Only you do," she said, very softly. "Because you enjoy it." "No.” I shook my head. "No, you’re wrong about that part." "Don’t be so sure." She must have read the stubbornness in my eyes, because she shrugged as if in defeat – or maybe just temporary dismissal – and then pulled something from her pocket and placed it beside me. "There," she said. "I’ll be outside. If you wish, this will lead you to me. I can make you forget it all, Lucian – all the anger, sadness, painful emotion. I can make you enjoy life, which I understand is quite alien to you. All you have to do is come with me." "Come with you where?" I asked softly. She shrugged. "Somewhere else. Different. The world, maybe. Think about it." I heard soft, muted footsteps, and then she was gone. Picking up the object that she had left, I found it to be a necklace. It was a slim chain that came together in a silver, slightly ornate pattern; at the center rested an onyx stone. I experimentally fastened it around my neck, finding that the stone rested directly below my throat. At once I felt a small, though dismissible pull towards the doorway, and knew that following it would take me straight to Lacey. If I did this – if I just left and followed her – I knew she would eventually teach me to be much the same as her. Once, the very thought of that would have made me recoil, at the same time I threw the pendant out the nearest window – but now, of course, I felt differently. Even since I was seven, I had been a rebel, but that was different from what I had found over the past couple of years – that was a darkness I had never known before. My ability to torture and kill without thinking or feeling was something that disturbed me very deeply; something I had never known was inside me. Was she right in saying that I enjoyed it? I didn't think she was entirely wrong; I doubted Lacey was entirely wrong about much of anything. She was simply too calculating for that. I knew that I hadn't enjoyed the acts themselves; in that manner, I simply hadn't cared. But the ability to slip away from all of my emotion, all of my time spent worrying about Luna and Shadow, to convince myself that I just didn't care… Maybe I had enjoyed that, if only a little. Ihad to go with her. I felt that. I looked back down at Shadow, who had somehow managed not to stir during the entire conversation, despite having woken at my mere presence only moments before. The kid was a selective sleeper, if there was such thing. It occurred to me, very suddenly, that I was trying – unsuccessfully – to summon some last remnant of emotion for the kid. It simply wouldn't come. Finally, sighing deeply, I simply left, trusting to the guidance of the necklace, which took me out of the house and onto the street. Lacey hadn't gone far. “Wait,” I said, and she stopped walking – my sudden arrival did not seem at all surprising to her. She waited until I caught up, and then, wordlessly, began to walk again. I followed.
It wasn't long before I began to realize that all of it could be fun – it actually took little more than a month. I thought that maybe I had for longer than I thought, and simply denied it to myself for the sake of Shadow. With my home and siblings left behind, I had no influence besides Lacey – and her influence was strong. With part of me, I tried to resist, but only weakly; I no longer saw any point in trying to hold on to my former self, whoever that might be. Finally, she brought another girl before me, commanding me to torture her. When I asked why, she said only, "For fun." Never before had she admitted that there might be no real benefit to what she was making me do, although she had made it clear enough. I looked down at the girl – a pretty young thing, with dark hair and green eyes opened wide in a silent plea. If I had been thinking of Shadow, I might have been reminded of him; she had the same frailness, the same softness of youth, not to mention the bruises that lined her face – an unpleasantly familiar sight. But I wasn't thinking of Shadow – if I really was, I wouldn't be doing any of this. Finally, I said, "Then how will I know when to stop?" "You can stop once you've grown bored of hurting her." She smirked. "Have fun," she said, and left. It took almost a week – a week in which I was almost incessantly covered in her blood, subjected to her screams. The pleas meant nothing to me; I was indifferent, as I had long since taught myself to be. I most likely would have stayed that way, but then my quarry (she had said her name was Amy) decided to make an escape. Tracking her required no effort, of course; I needed only to shift into my wolf form and follow her scent, which took me straight to the entrance of an alleyway. I loved hunting and tracking – I always had. This was no different, even if it happened to be an innocent human I was hunting and tracking. I moved slowly down the alleyway, my boots echoing softly on the broken stone, progressing towards where I knew her to be. "Amy," I called quietly. "You do know you can’t hide." She didn't respond. Just ahead of me, the alley made a sharp turn to the right. As I continued towards it, I was suddenly aware that I was laughing – light and mocking, not unlike Lacey’s in its own way. I turned the corner, and she was there, sitting with her knees drawn up to her chest, shaking with fear. She looked up when she heard me near her; the shaking increased. "Come on, Amy," I chided lightly, my eyes dancing in the low light. "You knew better." She did not respond, only looked at me through red-rimmed, tear-filled eyes. I knelt beside her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you going to apologize?" I asked her. "I-I’m sorry," she said at once. "Good girl." Without hesitation, I spun her neck around, hearing a very distinctive snap. I left her there for whatever desperate predators might happen around her body, and headed back out to the street. Lacey was waiting for me there. "Killing her just when you were starting to have fun with her?" she asked as I fell into step with her. "Not a choice I would make." "I had already done everything to her. There was nothing left to do – or to break – so what was the point?" I fingered the necklace she had given me, a very unpleasant grin on my face. "I need a new project." She matched my grin. "We can do that."
I blinked and returned to the present, feeling the pain set back in again. My vision had begun to blur, but I could see Lacey, her arms folded over her chest, smiling at me. "Good times, right?" she said. {Sorina} With my wounds bandaged, and most of the blood washed away - although I didn't think I'd ever be able to save the white shirt - I was left with nothing to do but sit and try to think about something other than Lucian. And it wasn't exactly easy to not think about someone who had thrown you through a window, hit your friend a few times, and left. And that was beside the gnawing sense of "something's not right" in my stomach. It was absurd, I knew; he was often gone for much longer, he could take care of himself, but it wouldn't leave me alone. I groaned and leaned back, folding my arms behind my head. "Aren't we usually being tortured or something by now?"
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