This is my first and probably last one shot :)

So enjoy.

The change

One short of Alice's change

Everything is dark; I feel my fingers gripping onto my thighs as I wrap myself up in a ball, but I can't see them. Tattered and torn sheets fall over me, clinging onto nothing as they flutter softly in the breeze that flows under the door; even behind the steel I can tell its dark.

I'm hungry, so hungry it hurts, I bite endlessly at my fingers; softly pulling the skin of my pads off; I don't feel the pain, I just feel the hunger.

They have me chained up, chained up like a dog and I can't move far enough to reach the water dripping from the roof; my lips skin together, dry and parched.

The cold shoots through my body, zipping up my spine and making me shudder viciously; this will never end.

I can feel my skin stretch over my cheek bones as I try to open my mouth, I have forgotten that I can't speak; my tongue is fine, my will, not so much.

Every day begins and ends before I even know the sun shone; I wonder if I have ever seen it, I wonder if I ever will.

Soft footsteps bring me back to the hell as I wait for them to open my door, they never do; they come and go without a hesitation at my door, I pretend I don't hear the screams next to me; I know better than that, you stay quiet if you want to survive.

Her cold bony hand flung across my face, slapping at the skin of my cheek; reddening it at once. It stung but I didn't care.

"You will not speak such nonsense in my house; do you understand me!?" She yelled breathlessly into my face; my own mother didn't believe me.

I shook my head softly. "Mother, it is real." I insisted. "Everything I see happens!" I yelp; this wasn't initially true, but I needed her to see the truth.

"Do not lie to me Mary!" She hissed.

I'm not lying!" I began, tears fell down my face.

She held up her finger to silence me. "You will speak of this to no one, do you understand me?" She turned and began to walk out the door. "Now run along Mary, go outside and play. Leave your mother be."

I drift endlessly in and out of sleep, sometimes I wonder if I really am here of if this is a horrible nightmare; but I feel the rats crawl around my feet and I know this is real.

I know when they are coming and I know what they want; they try to get me and I try to fight back, in the end though, I always lose and their prize is my ultimate pain.

I saw before she even knew; there must have been a hint of belief in her mind or else she wouldn't have called them; she would have let me be.

I watched from my window as they piled out of the carriage, wearing fancy suits and pretty dresses, making themselves look like the doctors they were; I felt sick.

My father and mother greeted them, gesturing them inside my home, inside my safe place, inside my castle.

I waited for the footsteps I knew I would hear on the stairs as they walked slowly to my room; wanting to get a good look at the freak that I am.

I knew there was no point in fighting it, one way or another they were going to get me where they wanted; maybe if I went with them they would lock me up and leave me alone.

I knew what happened in those places, I knew exactly what they did to people like me; I didn't want to hurt, I didn't want to scream, I didn't want to cry; I didn't want to die.

All I wanted was to be free... Although, now, it was impossible.

I clasped my hands together, trying to warm my frozen fingers. I tried to look close enough to see them, to make sure they hadn't gone black and fallen off.

I entwined my thumbs around each other, spreading my hands out to make a butterfly; I lifted my hands slowly above my head and fluttered my hands like wings as I imagined myself flying; flying so far away from here.

My only hope was for death to take me.

"Come with us now please Mary." The woman instructed holding out her hand. She spoke to me like I was a three year old. I looked at her hand blinking hard; trying to see what would happen next but saw nothing.

I reached out and slowly placed my hand into hers, she pulled me softly towards her. "Say goodbye to your mother and father Mary." She instructed once again pushing me toward them.

I looked at my mother, no emotions betrayed her eyes; I was dead to her.

"Mother," I whispered tears brimming my eyes. She simply nodded. I turned to my father; he was clearly upset, but said nothing. "Father." I choked trying so hard not to cry.

"Come now Mary." The lady said softly pulling me down the stairs.

I was whisked away before I could even recognise I had left my home.

Footsteps awoke me from my dream, I sat up; realising that for the first time in a long time I was comfortable enough to lay on the rock hard floor.

I waited for the steps to pass but they didn't... Slowly I crept back into the corner, holding myself together tightly. The footsteps didn't move, they stood outside my door; just waiting, not bothering to come inside.

I held my breath waiting, but nothing happened; the footsteps walked away, continuing down the hall and rounding the corner.

I fell limply into the cell as they slammed the door behind me. I have been beating, scrubbed and searched and when I thought it couldn't get any worse, it did; I was thrown into a blackened cell with nothing but thin cloth and a bowl of mush beside me.

I wanted to die.

My eyes fluttered open again; maybe I knew what was coming; the door hung open, a figure standing in the threshold looking down at me.

I cringed away waiting for the pain; he knelt down next to me. "Shhhh Mary," He cooed. "I've come to help." His voice so low I strained to hear him.

I opened my mouth to scream out, I knew he wasn't here to help me; he clapped his hand over my mouth, his fingers frozen against my skin; he was so cold.

"I'm sorry." He sobbed. "But you must understand why I did this; he will make you feel pain worse than anything you have ever felt." He shook his head. "I'm so sorry..." He repeated to sob over and over, his lips moving closer and closer to my neck; I could feel his cold breath on my mouth.

"This will hurt Mary." He whispered, his lips brushing along my skin. "But I need you not to scream." He took a slow and even breath in before a sharp pain dug into my skin; I opened my mouth to scream, but the pain was too much; I fell limp unable to breath as the fire burned through my veins.

Everything went black then; the fire boiled under my skin, pulling at all hope of freedom I had.

He had killed me...

But he had also saved my life...