Victorious FF 3: "Vanishing"

"Chapter 1: Broken"

A/N: Hey Everyone! This is my attempt at a darker story. Be warned - this might get pretty gruesome in later chapters. Will label as T for now, but it will most likely change to M by the next two or three chapters. Hope you enjoy, and remember - Review for more!

The blurry view of the aphotic room starts to unfold as his eyes flicker open. An awful molded scent fills the air, enough to bring the boy to gag. The room was lit by a lone meager torch at the opposite end of the room. All that can be seen with such little light is the corroded walls, and a dark figure, not much shorter than him, slouching down under their own weight, tied to what seems to be chains attached the ceiling of the room. Starting to fade out of his post-sleep confusion he is starting to get aware of his surroundings. He knows he's in a lot of trouble. Many parts of his body are aching in pain, and some sort of liquid – sweat or blood, or possibly even a combination of both, are descending from his forehead into his eyes. His hands are tied and locked by chain, much like the figure on the other side of the room, preventing him from wiping away it away.

With much hesitance he croaks out a greeting to the dark figure.

"H-Hello?" is all that is managed to be said, before gagging on the thick air. His throat feels torn from the inside, causing the small greeting to feel like he had swallowed a knife. The boy would ache out in pain, though he knows if he did it would just cause even more.

The figure moves; the slouching posture held for the duration of his consciousness starts to straighten out. The head begins to lift and stare in the direction of the boy.

"Robbie?" she returns. Her voice is very hoarse – scratchy sounding even. The pain overwhelms her as well as she starts to cough on the air.

"Y-yeah." With much resistance from his body, Robbie still manages to choke the syllable through his lips. Even though he is still in so much pain, he lets out a small smile. Though the voice was hoarse, and raspy, it was still very much recognizable. He knows that whatever situation they have landed in, with her here it will most likely be much easier to bear through.

She opens her mouth to say more, but nothing would come out; her beautiful voice being ripped apart by the shredded remains of her throat.

Within the silence, a clicking sound echoed throughout the room. A door on the opposite side of the room, next to the torch, swung open. Both of their eyes winced at the sudden bright light – but for a quick moment they were able to have a quick look at each other. Both of their faces were slashed and bloodied. Glasses broke on the boy, and the usually thick makeup, smeared down the cheeks of the girl. Confounded looks of anguish and fright painted across their face as they stared into each other's eyes. The light lasted for a mere two or three seconds, but it's as if they were locked in a trance between each other for hours.

The door closed and a large dark figure came barreling to the two of them chained to the far wall of the room. All can be heard are gruff sighs and various clanking sounds. Another torch is lit and placed in the holder in the middle of the wall between the two of them. Again taken back by the sudden light, their eyes shut in pain. Slowly their eyes open again - they notice the figure is gone – neither of them getting a clear sight at whoever it was. Before each of them was a tray of various ill-looking mashed up foods, and a bowl with multiple shallow cracks along the side of it filled with murky brown water.

Without delay both of them dipped their heads down into the water – almost instantly relieving the stabbing feeling felt for so long. They took no halts burrowing into the food – no matter how bad it tasted. The food crawled down their throats, leaving a malicious after-taste.

Now feeling somewhat better from the sharp pain from before, the two met eyes again. They examined each other further, taking in each cut, scar, bruise, and blood smear on the other's face. They were nothing less than disturbed at the sight of one-another.

Robbie's face is filled with various cuts, some large, and some small. The most distinct one being a very thin cut that tears down the left side of his face from his hair line that slithers downwards and to the right ending just above his upper lip. The right side of his face bears three horizontal smaller cuts across his cheeks, and then another on the right side of his upper lip. From his hair, a trail of blood inches down to the bridge of his nose, falling to the right, a little falling into his eyes, and continuing down his cheek, eventually dripping off of his cheek onto the ice cold floor. Black rings loop around both eyes, fading down into his cheeks. The glasses he wears are cracked, but not so much that he can't see out of them.

The girl's raven black hair is heavily tangled and various ends fly into the air. Her once pale skin covered in a layer of dirt. A lot of her face is covered in bruises, and there is a deep cut etched into the left side of her lower lip – blood still slowly dripping out of it. Her nose is also painted with a small blood stain. Her thick dark eyeliner is smeared down either side of her face.

Both dawn sullen looks, the edges of their lips pointing down – A look of hopeless almost. Neither of them had said a word since their small interaction earlier.

"Jade…" Robbie finally speaks up, after now taking in all that has happened. He opens his mouth to say more, but nothing comes out. He tries again….Nothing.

Never in a million years would he believe seeing it. If someone had told him yesterday that today would be the day he, or anyone for that matter, saw a moment of weakness in Jade, he would have laughed right in there face.

Jade doesn't return any words to Robbie – Still staring directly at him, deep into his eyes, an unknown fragile look masks her face, and a single tear slowly streams down her face.

More to come, Thanks for reading!

-V