Abyssus Ver
~.~

When I was alive...Oh, Lord, I don't even remember much about my pitifully short life span. I know that I was 19, at the time of my death, and that I was picnicking on a cliff by the shore with my family. My mother and father were good parents, who fairly listened to any words of disagreement I had to say, and who knew me well enough that they were aware of my irregular flares of temper and times of severe depression. They never let me isolate myself, during these times, which only strengthened my affections towards them.

My younger brother, on the other hand, was the rotten apple core of the family. He was extremely eccentric and used to things being manipulated the way he wished them to be. Whenever I intercepted these plans, he always had a way to exact silent vengeance on me. The web of scarred skin on my left side, the result of a supposed "stray" dog attacking me, was one of the few pieces of evidence I had to show towards how cruel he could be. We had been involved in this silent war of wits and tactic since he was able to crawl.

Moving away from such unpleasant topics, my last day of life was a mostly pleasant one. Having enrolled myself in a well-established college, I had paid my family a visit on Easter Sunday, the picnic being my dreadful brother's idea. I had wearily agreed to the idea since one of my favorite places was near the ocean. That's probably why he had proposed the cliff; location, location, location. The view from the edge of the cliff was just as beautiful as it was deadly. In addition, I lived during an era which did not go to great lengths to fence off every potential danger from the general public.

I became suspicious when my brother asked me to go for a walk, on the cliff, but my parents desperately wanted their children to form a normal sibling bond; not the vicious rivalry we had pitted against each other. Wanting to please my dear mother and father, I agreed, strolling easily up the path surrounded by dune grass. The fresh tidal wind gently blew against my face as I walked next to my brother, his first stages of puberty having made him taller and more string-bean like from when I last saw him. His deep brown eyes regarded me strategically; father always said he would make a fine army commander.

"Iris, I was here the other day and found something that immediately reminded me of you. Please, let's put our silly opposition aside, so I can show you." He seemed to be almost pleading with me. Seeing as I had never heard him use the word "please," while addressing me, I was a bit taken aback by his sudden change in demeanor. I cautiously nodded, taking his hand and returning the gesture when he seemed to send me a genuine smile. Was this how it felt to have a bond with a sibling? I had no idea, so I went with it, keeping the smile on my face when he lead me closer and closer to the edge of the cliff. I didn't entirely trust him, but...I had started to want to. I would give him one chance.

"What is it you want to show me, dear brother?" I asked, my accent similar to his from the fact that our parents had emigrated from Italy when they were still a young married couple.

"It's a flower, Iris. It has every color of the rainbow on its petals, so your name came to mind. Iris; rainbow. You could paint it and no one would believe it's a still life." He was walking slightly ahead of me, so my smiled spread, seeing as I couldn't see the cruel smirk that spread across his face.

We got to the very edge of the cliff and he knelt down to peer down and over the rock mass. I followed his example, minding that I was wearing a yellow sun dress, my eyes searching for the flower which he spoke of.

There was no flower.

He had used my withering trust in him to lure me away from the watchful eyes of our parents.

"Where is-!" I was looking into his eyes when he shoved me over the edge, my vivid green ones watering in realization of what he had done. I didn't let a scream part my lips-I would not give him the satisfaction of hearing it-I merely squeezed my eyes shut and felt the air whip my hair and dress around as I fell 50 feet towards the water. I knew I wasn't going to survive. Not even skilled divers dared to attempt jumping into the waters that would meet me. The jagged rocks pointed straight up, like the stalactites that formed in caves.

My head was thrashed against something hard and rough, splitting skin and cracking bone. Next, my body hit the still freezing water with a shattering amount of force. I had guessed parts of my spine had snapped, but I wasn't in the position to be worried about such things. I was hurtling deeper and deeper into the water, breathing in what took the place of air. With the first mouth full, I wanted it to be over. I couldn't kick my legs and my head pounded as blood flooded my brain along with the salt water. After another few minutes of struggling to gain control of my body, I finally lost consciousness and eventually felt my heart give out as my chest cavity filled with the freezing substance that aided in killing me slowly.

After a time of blackness, I could feel a new kind of consciousness spark in me. I was...lighter and didn't have many restrictions in moving. I was floating just above the floor of the ocean, no primal need to breathe hovering over me and no constant beat of my heart that I was so used to. I opened my eyes and saw that my once ringlet filled golden hair was fanning out above and around my head in matted knots. My skin was a flushed grayish white from my head to my toes. My hands gripped tightly to my now ragged dress which had become a duller yellow from the sea salt.

"I definitely died...but I'm still here. That means...I don't know!" I felt that I was projecting what I was saying, but my mouth never opened, leaving me startled. "Am I…a ghost? I could be, but why-" My brother's betrayal struck me like a match striking a flame, anger suddenly roaring loudly in my ears. "I will kill him! I'll fucking kill him!" I shrieked, the current around me becoming faster and faster until it was funneling all around me. I gave a single violent shudder, calmly closing my eyes, and the underwater tornado ceased. I looked around curiously; had I just done that? Yes, I had, and my curiosity increased. What else was I able to do? Only time-and practice-would tell...

Hey, guys! I've been scrambling to make several deadlines for school work and such and decided to post a second story! I will be posting a new chapter of this every. single. week. This is my vow. I've been a fan of this movie, for some time now, and wanted to throw a little more chaos into the glass house we all know and love. Things that don't make sense at first will be explained. Enjoy!