The capricious woman was staring down at me with intense, dark eyes. She had large dark horns perched upon her head, and her skin was an ominous green, just like the orb upon the scepter she wielded. Her robes were black, long, and elegant, with edgy ends. Her face was angled and strong, her brow prominent. It made her whole face stronger. I was in my sundress, the same dress I had been wearing for a few days. I smoothed some hair behind my ear, shivering. I was on a table, staring into the dark countenance of this woman. The figures around me were only daunting silhouettes, and they all exuded…darkness.
"Who is this girl, Maleficent?" The voice sounded regal, yet...dark. It was frightening.
"Yeah, what's her business in here?" Another voice. This one was indescribable.
"Shut up!" I jumped visibly, and scurried to the far side of the table, shivering. "This girl is more than she appears. Push her over here, Jafar."
I felt a pair of hands on my bottom, and the person in question, this Jafar, pushed me up ahead, bringing me closer to the green-skinned witch. I shivered, and tried to crawl back away, but was met with a cold, silver hook to my neck. I yelped, and stared downwards, my eyes brimming with tears. I felt them roll down my cut and scarred cheeks; what had happened?
The darkness had surrounded me. I had been practicing my fencing when the sun was blocked out by deep black clouds. It was peculiar, but I thought that it was just going to be another twister. I had headed for home, without a second thought. I had tied my rapier to my hip; felt it pummel my lower leg. Then, that was when I was instantly surrounded.
The dark splotches seemed to fall from the sky, like rain. They were small at first, but when they hit the ground, they instantly spread, and conjured creatures of unimaginable horror. They were larger than me, with glowing, hollow golden eyes. I took my rapier off of my waist, and sliced through one of them…then another, and another as they advanced upon me. I had been fighting for a valiant spell; I hadn't been stopping my attacks, and they hadn't stopped their advancement. When the hands of one wrapped around me, I had dropped my rapier. The other shadows converged upon me, and my rapier was snapped into pieces by the large feet of these creatures. Smaller shadows lifted out of the ground, jumping on top of me.
That was how I came to be here. I was afraid. My cuts and bruises were paining me. The salt from my tears made my mouth raw. My hair was in a messy knot, and blood had stained it. The witch regarded me with a sort of amused gaze. What was she smiling about? Her long, twisted lips curled up into that condescending smile.
"Just look, all of you." The witch tapped my chest, and I gasped outwards. I looked downward, and saw a hole in my chest. It was showing my heart, and I felt…violated. "Look at her heart! It's almost completely black."
"Hey, y'right! She's cry'n like a baby; she can't be what we're look'n for!"
"Oh, Oggie. Now you know why you aren't the thinker here. See; in her heart, there, that sliver. There!"
I looked down at my own heart, and saw that it was dark. It was dark, and there was only a glimpse of silver there, cutting in a diagonal line across my heart. I was surprised to say; the rest of my "heart" was black. I reached out to touch it, but the witch tapped my heart, making the hole close around it. She stood up, rubbing the green orb on her scepter. I sat upright, shaking in my skin. My blood had stopped flowing. I had stopped thinking. I was examining this woman – no – this creature with the wide eyes of a deer confronted with the barrels of a shotgun. Was this my end? Was the end near?
"As you know, girl, my name is Maleficent."
"I-I don't kn-know you." I yelped outwardly as she thrust her scepter at me, making me almost wet myself.
"You shall come to know me! Until we find a better use for you, you shall be doing tasks for us."
"Wh-what?" I stammered outwards. The witch swung her scepter in a wide arc, and this time…I did wet myself.
"Ah, Maleficent! You scared her too much; she soiled herself!" I didn't dare look back, but it seemed that Jafar had exclaimed angrily about my…outburst.
"Ahahaha, she peed on herself!" I felt tears pricking at the corners of my eyes as "Oggie" taunted me.
"Aaww, is the wittle baby scawred?" The voice that came next even sounded like it came from a monster.
"SILENCE!" I closed my eyes tightly, screaming outwards. I realized I was in a puddle of my own urine, but I didn't care. "Hook, Hades, go take her to get cleaned up. Oggie, make your burlap sack of a body useful and clean this table."
"Why do I gotta' clean this up?"
"Oggie…"
I was dragged out of the room before I could see the consequences of Oggie's insolence. I didn't look at the creatures that were dragging me; I was staring downward. My inner thighs were itching like crazy. What was in urine that made it do that, anyway? I rubbed my thighs together, and got tossed into a narrow rectangle of a room. A tall man with blue flames for hair spun a knob above me, and I was drenched with cold water all of a sudden. I screamed outwards, the only warm thing on me now my tears.
"Okay, all clean!"
The man with the hook dragged me out of the stream of water, and led me back to the room with the large table and chairs. I was placed back onto the table, and Maleficent was right there, glaring at me. I was about to pee again; I could feel it. The other creatures sat down, and then I was met only with the cold eyes of Maleficent. I trembled, my dark hair falling over my shoulders.
"Tell me your name." Maleficent commanded. I narrowed my eyes, but felt in the depths of my heart that I had to reply.
"My name is…Sal."
Yes, the depths of my cold, black, heart.
With only a silver of light left.