HAUNTED
By Ataahua
Summary: From the moment she perceived the lavender strewn through those ice-laden irises, Kelsi knew that Marik wasn't merely one who indulged in solitude. There was more that writhed beneath the surface. But little did she know, a pity-driven attempt at showing kindness would thrust her through a terrifying ordeal that makes the fierce flames of Hell seem like Heaven. Alternate Universe.
PROLOGUE
Massacre of the Mind
A vast sheet of goosebumps blanketed the pale skin of a young woman. Try as she might, not even constant rubbing of the arms could sweep them from existence. Her emerald green eyes gleamed with hot tears that she barely succeeded in suppressing. Short blonde bangs, styled in a sleek and edgy cut, framed her face nicely, ending at her dainty chin at the front and the nape of her neck at the back.
As the woman gazed at the grey carpet intently, her overgrown fringe irksomely intruded her sight. She hardly cared. She already felt miserable. She had for exactly a week; and it shattered her inside, as if the Reaper's eerie, skeletal claws were hungrily ripping every ounce of joy from her heart and, in place of joy, were sketchily threading together an artificial heart of sinister despair that, in any victim's opinion at that point, would surely prove more useful a heart left hollow.
The window to her left was stained with fresh water droplets, dirtied with finger marks and who knows what else. As if she wasn't miserable enough, the shrilly hissing rain that battered against the concrete sidewalk beyond the glass only emphasised her doom and gloom.
It was the sixth of June, and she sighed as she pleaded for summer's weather to finally present itself. Her favourite season was late this year, as if seeking to only heighten her despair. She simply loathed the rain; for the past week, it had taken every ounce of strength she had to simply gather up the courage to leave the dryness of the indoors. She yearned for her life to be normal once more, as it had up until recently. She yearned to be free of the horrid experiences that had befallen her... And she yearned to once again be wholly convinced that her only purpose in life wasn't to serve as a madman's eternal puppet.
Soft footsteps tickled her wary ears and her eyes snapped to their location. The rapidity of her movement only reminded her of exactly how on edge she truly was. Returning to reality, she eyed the brunette receptionist who was calmly approaching her, a gentle smile upon her pretty face as the clack of her heels resonated throughout the empty waiting area.
When the receptionist stood merely a metre away, she cleared her throat quietly. But anything seemed loud enough to catch the teen's wary ears. She was always alert. And with good reason.
"Kelsi Edwards, I presume?"
The still-sitting woman nodded. A very brief raise of her eyes that one would likely mistake for shyness accompanied the curt nod. In reality, it wasn't shyness, but an instinct thrust to life by enough trepidation and misery to last a lifetime.
The receptionist gestured to a door, where a golden plaque read 'Doctor June Summers' in bold, black text. "She's ready to see you, Miss Edwards."
Kelsi nodded again, paying no mind as the receptionist retreated across the room to the counter that also served as her desk. Instead, her shaky, but somehow firm grip tightened on the small, white purse half-forgotten in her lap. With a tremulous breath, Kelsi rose to her feet and took a moment to straighten out her clothes out of habit: a simple pair of blue, skinny jeans; a buttoned, yellow polo shirt, covered by a white raincoat; and chequered chucks enclosing her feet which were still slightly numb from the cold outside.
Once crease-free, Kelsi made haste for the doctor's door and, as soon as she reached it, knocked on it thrice with a slightly shaking hand. She wasn't entirely certain of why her hand was shaking—after all, shouldn't these sessions help her to find some sort of normalcy in her life again? Something Kelsi longed for with a blazing passion.
"Please come in, Kelsi," a woman spoke from through the door. The voice was loud enough to be heard, yet quiet enough to be considered calm.
Kelsi eased it open hesitantly, and after quietly stepping inside, steadily clicked it shut behind her. "Hello," she greeted meekly, while curiously examining the spacious, yet basic room.
The walls were beige and the deep brown carpet had an almost heavenly feel beneath her feet. Burgundy curtains lashed away the rays of sunlight that tried and failed to intrude the room. Instead, the room was illuminated by tens of tiny, flickering candles, casting a soothing atmosphere across the space. As she approached the middle aged woman seated in a decidedly inviting chair, Kelsi glanced as an afterthought at the shadow that took hesitant steps alongside her.
"Good afternoon, Kelsi," the lady greeted as she flashed a wrinkly smile. The chair in which she sat was situated beside a psychiatrist-bed. "May I call you Kelsi? Or are you preferential to another name?"
Kelsi swallowed hard as she slowly, cautiously nodded in reply. She felt so awkward being here. "Kelsi's fine," she breathed as the older woman rose from the seat to offer a hand in greeting.
With a warm smile, the woman introduced herself as, "June Summers." Her grip as they shook hands was a reassuring one. "Feel free to call me June, dear."
"Okay," Kelsi murmured, glancing down at the bed to their right with hesitant eyes. "Uhh. Sh-Should I… umm—"
June nodded. "Of course." She then returned to her chair, calmly watching as Kelsi positioned herself as comfortably as she could upon the bed, considering it only made her feel insane. The blonde reminded herself that her opinion of psychiatric treatment was no doubt manipulated by the media.
"So, Kelsi," June sought out the notebook and ballpoint pen that rested upon the wooden table to her right, "how old are you?"
"I'm eighteen."
June nodded. "So you've just graduated, I take it?"
Kelsi stiffened, but through strained lips somehow managed to force out a meek "yes".
"Hm." June furrowed her brows and noted something down following Kelsi's answer. That did nothing for her nerves. "So what brings you here, Kelsi?"
Great. She's already scribbling down notes, Kelsi thought as her gaze followed every stroke of the pen, her nerves really beginning to bubble at the terrifying thought of being diagnosed as insane. What if she was? What if this was all in her head? Oh God, what then?!
"Kelsi?" June queried, cocking her head to the left.
Kelsi's jaw unknowingly clenched as her fists curled at her sides. Her eyes, however, blankly stared at the beige ceiling, the green irises not at all reflecting the fear that controlled every fibre of her being. "For the past week, I… I've been… seeing things." Her fists tightened has memories flooded through her mind. "A-And encountering things I know aren't normal." She started to shiver involuntarily. "D-Dreams… Hallucinations… I—I don't know what they are."
"Can you please elaborate on these encounters? What do they entail?"
Kelsi clenched her eyes shut, utterly sickened that she'd have to relive these horrors all over again. "Ru-Running..." she stuttered at a whisper. "Screaming… an-and hiding..." Her eyes suddenly snapped open as she levelled to a sitting position. "And regardless of the scenario, the ending… It—" She paused to regain her composure, hating the familiar sensation of tears burning her eyes and clouding her vision. When Kelsi finally spoke up again, she almost screamed her words, like doing so was the only way to ensure she'd manage to push them past her lips. "The ending is always the same!"
June was busy scribbling down notes. A solemn frown weighed down her lips as she ceased her writing to glance up at the trembling teenager. "What outcome do you speak of, Kelsi?"
The teen's skull suddenly pounded as heated tears gathered in her eyes all over again, dread flooding through their depths. "I'm always…" she whispered, her voice breaking with the final word, "...murdered."
Kelsi sniffled as she continuously wiped away the many tears that drenched her face like the rain saturated her home town outside. With her next words, she was only a hair away from a painfully familiar breakdown and she knew it. "I—I just want this all to stop!"
June's eyes widened for a flash of a second and, suddenly, Kelsi was sure she caught alarm swimming deep within the doctor's eyes. "Please," June whispered softly, sympathetically, as she rested a reassuring hand upon the girl's daintier one. "Tell me more."
This story was inspired by the song of the same name, by Evanescence. I saw a Yami Marik AMV using that song and it kinda stuck with me. Reviews are much appreciated! :D