A/N: Yeah, another Valina fic. I love writing Valina fics! All will be explained at the end.

Disclaimer: Not owning SRMTHFG.

From Down Here

"Mama! Papa!"

Those words came from her own mouth, but the sounds seemed to float away from her lips, drifting as if through deep water. No one heard them.

Her parents were the last people Valina expected to see. And to see them torturing that woman, hurling both insults and fizzling bursts of light...

She must have done something bad.

The little girl shrank back against the wall as the chaos whirled in front of her. Torches flickered, illuminating the edges of the chamber with a fiery glow. Valina's eyes widened at the sight of the creatures. They looked like monkeys... The woman screamed.

Maybe she was having a scary dream.

The woman spat and shouted indistinguishable threats, but did not manage to free herself from the sparkling bonds that held her tight against the stone wall. The light from the bonds that barred her arms and chest flashed across the girl's shining eyes. Papa was hurting the woman, hurting her a lot...

Valina shrieked as a pair of combatants thudded onto the ground in front of her. Her high, shrill voice echoed thinly around the cavern. The monkey never looked at her, totally focused on his opponent. The other fighter was a boy, much older than Valina. The flames from the torches made his mass of black hair look like a bristling, shiny echidna. For a moment the boy's head was raised, facing her squarely, but a triumphant cry from the monkey tore his gaze away. He scuttled across the hard ground after the monkey, and a gleaming grey skull...

The area in front of Valina was clear again. She could see her parents without obstruction. Mama was laughing, laughing horribly. Valina had never heard Mama laugh so dreadfully, but in that moment she paid no attention. Valina was only frightened, oh so afraid...

The woman's head rolled to one side. She had stopped screaming.

Maybe she was sleepy.

Valina put her head down and ran across the flagstones to her parents. The light from the torches danced across the floor, making her dizzy.

There are times when a girl just wants her parents.


Ma's thick, soft arms circled around Valina's back. Her hair was being patted and stroked while Valina burrowed herself into her mother's chest and stomach.

"Have you been having a bad dream?"

Valina nodded against Ma's nightgown, soft and cool against her cheek.

"Do you want to tell me about it?"

The girl lifted her head from her mother's breast. She blinked her wide, blue eyes and tilted her head, causing her already frizzled and unkempt hair to fall over one shoulder. She wanted to ask why there were monkeys, why the fire was all around-

"Who was that woman?"

Ma nodded slightly at her. "Was there a woman?"

"Uh huh." Valina confirmed. "Who was she, Mama?"

Ma picked Valina off her lap. "Of course, I can't tell you that. You'll have to find out yourself, won't you, Valina?"

With a yawn, Valina nodded agreement.

Of course, a 500 word drabble retelling Secret Society through little Valina's eyes in a nightmarish form. Yay. Review if it pleases you.