CHAPTER 1: LOST AND FOUNDED
"MMMMMMPPPPPPPPPHHHHHHHHHHH!"she screamed into the gag.
Metal whips tipped with razor teeth lashed against her body, drawing crude childish scribbles of red with her blood. She couldn't move, couldn't see, couldn't anticipate the next lash of the whip. It was torturous. Madam would whip her at long irregular intervals, letting her get use to the pain before inflicting more.
Madam glared at the motionless girl. She had failed her and Madam's creations never fail, not without dying. Whipping her wasn't going to quench her bloodlust. She gripped the handle of a nearby iron poker and stabbed it into the heart of the fire.
"You think you know pain?! I'll give you a whole new meaning of pain!" Madam pulled out a handful of embers from the fire with her heavily gloved hands and held them against the girl's skin.
"MMMMMMPPPPPPPPPHHHHHHHHHHH!" the stench of charred flesh lingered in the air. She watched the girl scream silently through cold eyes before taking the iron poker out of the fire, staring down at its white-hot blindness.
Madam took her time driving it through the girl.
"Have you learnt your lesson now? Have you?!" Madam Samantha drove the white hot iron poker deeper through the girl's lungs, narrowly missing her heart. But it wasn't her plan to kill her. No, she would have to stay alive just a little longer as part of her punishment.
Madam untied the girl's wrists and ankles and pulled her close, stroking her head tenderly while hissing, "Are you going to fail again, my sweet AVA? Look at me when you answer!" She ripped the blindfold away from the girl's face.
The girl shook her head frantically, moaning in pain as the slight movement caused agony to flare up from where the poker was still stuck through her lungs. It made every breath seemed like molten fire. Her eyes stayed dry of tears; she wasn't made to experience tears, though they begged Madam not to hurt her anymore. She had beautiful eyes that shone silver. It only angered Madam even more.
She slapped the girl, "Don't talk to me with those eyes! I'll make sure you never fail me again! I'll make sure you never talk with those eyes again!"
More muffled screams filled the air, reverberating off the slimy throat of the stone hallway. Madam dropped two bloodied lumps to the side and gaze at the tattered strips of flesh which was all that was left of the girl's eyes. She loped the now unconscious girl to the side of the door.
"Murray! Dispose of her, she is useless to us," she shrieked to the shadows.
She was answered by multiple clicks and snuffles as a pair of claws dragged the girl into the shadows. Madam nodded approvingly.
Murray was more reliable. Madam made sure of that when she created it with her own hands. It stood there listlessly as it willed its chest to open up and a pair of shrunken arms dragged her into the depths. Magical thread sewed the girl snugly in as the flaps of skin on either side folded back together to hide any evidence of the girl ever being there. Without a word it snuck out of the building.
Its task was simple. To leave the girl somewhere unnoticeable to die, probably from blood loss or from pain. Where to leave her... It started wandering down alleyways when it suddenly sensed a human nearby. There... Walking all alone... Yum... Murray licked its lips in anticipation of the human soul slipping down its throat. A slight midnight snack wouldn't put a crimp in his task.
He advanced towards the lone human girl, hugging to the shadows. Stupid girl... She wasn't even noticing where she was walking. Murray leapt out of the shadows, claws raised high for the death blow when he was blasted to the side of the building. The girl ran off with a scream. Aww... No snack... Whoever did that was going to pay. Murray scrambled around on his claws to face the intruder.
A boy stepped out of the shadows. His eyes of gold gleamed and the three white stripes on his hair shone against the dark. He stood across with twin pistols aimed at it, "Murray of the Wanderers, you have strayed off the path and chose the path of the kishin. Your soul is mine!"
It only chuckled, "Does the boy think he can take old Murray on? Really? Him?! Hahaha!"
The boy tightened his gripped on the pistols and fired a few shots.
Murray dodged them, "Okay, let's say nice old Murray plays with the boy. Will the boy want to hurt the girl inside Murray? Will the boy become a bad boy too?!" Murray widened its eyes in mock horror, while willing the magical threads to unpick a little to show the boy the back of AVA's head before stitching up again completely.
His face paled visibly, "Why you bastard!"
Shots fired with renewed vigour.
"Kid, stop! You're just going to hurt the girl inside of that thing!" a voice called out from one of the pistols.
The boy sighed, "You're right Liz, but what are we going to do then?"
"Try using your speed over it and keep aiming for its goddamn head!"
Kid twisted round Murray and shot rounds at his head which Murray tried to shield from but Kid backed him up against the side of the building.
"Mercy! Mercy on poor old Murray! Murray never wanted to do this! It was Madam Samantha! Murray was only listening to her!"
But Kid just kept going until Murray exploded to leave behind a floating red kishin soul and the slump body of the girl. He could still hear the breathing of the girl and he sighed in relief, bracing himself against the wall in exhaustion. That was when he noticed the iron poker protruding out of her chest.
He took an involuntary gasp of air, "Liz, Patty? Do you see what I'm seeing?!"
"Oh my god! Kid, stop gawking at her and HELP her! There won't be much time left!" Liz whispered. Patty for once was silent.
Kid ran to the girl's side and swallowed as he observed the damage. He carefully flipped the girl on to her back and immediately felt sick when he saw what was left of her eyes. Kid steered himself to examine her injuries properly but quickly realised there was nothing much he could do. He had to take her to Shibusen where Professor Stein could have a chance of saving her. Even attempting to take out the poker might cause more unseen damage.
"Liz, Patty, I'm going to need you to stay in weapon forms," he spoke to the silence.
Wasting no time, he carefully lifted the limp girl into his arms and summoned his Beelzebub. The wind stung his face as he accelerated to the skateboard to maximum flying speed. Please be okay, please be okay...he thought a silent prayer, Dad please don't take her life.
Kid didn't pause to observe Shibusen's perfect symmetry and flew his skateboard through the hallways into the dispensary.
"Professor Stein! Emergency!"
The professor took everything in with a glance, "Lay her on to the bed quickly, then take yourself out." He rushed off to somewhere to gather his equipment.
Kid lay the girl down on to the nearest bed, the girl stirring slightly in pain, and swiftly exited the room. He slid down the opposite wall in distress. The flashback of first seeing the girl's critical state wouldn't let go of his mind. His two weapons transformed back into their human form next to him and held on to his shoulders on either side for comfort, their blue eyes spilling tears. Who would do such a monstrous thing?!
On the other side of the door, Stein was sweating under his skin. The iron poker would have to be removed if he was to attempt to heal her, but it would be a gamble on the girl's life. He braced his feet, took the handle of the poker and slid it out as smoothly as possible. The girl jerked in her sleep, arching her back as the tip finally came out.
Stein was by the gaping wound within seconds with needle and thread in his hands except that, he wasn't looking at a gaping wound anymore. He stood to the side and watched as her flesh knitted back together with no help whatsoever.
Interesting... he thought, the girl is able to reproduce cells at a supernatural pace. I wonder if it's the same for her eyes? Stein examined them and the multiplying cells confirmed his theory. I don't think I even have to do anything for her, he mused while hiding her damaged eyes behind a black blindfold.
He carried her to an empty bed in the dispensary and placed the covers over her before confronting the crowd outside the door.
"She's stable," he announced to their relief, "You can visit her tomorrow. For now, let her rest."
Stein turned his back towards them and headed towards the Death room.
"Yes? Wazzup? How is the girl my son brought in?" Lord Death held a gigantic peace sign in the air.
"Lord Death, the girl is fine actually, she's doing more than fine," Stein paused, "Her cells are healing at a miraculous supernatural speed and I doubt that she's human if she's able to withstand what should had been fatal injuries."
"You point being, Stein?" the Shinigami asked.
"There might be more about the girl than meets the eye. It might be better to enroll her at Shibusen as a student and watch her 24/7. She might pose a threat to the DWMA."
"Very well then, have it your way."