The Marionette

Rifiuto: Non Miriena

Summary: She was a doll, a fragile little thing, as precious as porcelian, and as controlled as a ventriloquist's dummy... that she was named, The Marionette.

The cool summer breeze rustled the curtains of the open window. Downstairs, music and laughter could be heard as the dinner party continued. Light, lithe footsteps were heard on the stairs, a conversation, its subject forgotten, wafted down the stairs. The door opened, and the owner of the footsteps slipped inside, shutting the door softly behind her. She went to the vanity and took a seat, staring at her reflection before picking up her hairbrush and running it through the long, ebony strands.

Rain began to beat against the roof, the summer breeze turned to raging wind, a storm took over, drowning everything in sight. She hummed softly to herself, inhaling the fresh scent of rain as it hit the floor of her room. A sudden burst of thunder sounded and lightning split the sky, and in the dark, she saw her reflection. The second time lightning made its appearance, so did the man- standing behind her, a rope in his grasp.

She stopped her song, her eyes widened, and she opened her mouth to scream, when he placed the rope in her mouth and yanked her off the vanity stool. The brush clattered to the floor, the stool was kicked over, and she struggled, reaching out for anything that she could find to stop him. The marionette doll she had recieved from her beloved grandfather for her tenth birthday fell from her nightstand, the last witness of her situation as he climbed out of the window and forced her down the trellis. The burst of thunder hid any screams that might have alerted anyone to her plight. By the time her parents went up to bed, she and her captor were long gone into the night.

Once they were out of the city, he knocked her unconscious and shoved her into the cart he'd left behind in the cornfield. Covering her with the rotting blanket he'd left in the cart, he picked up the ends handles and hurried out of the city. Late night passersby ignored him, those stupid enough to confront him- usually drunks- regretted it instantly, as he first slit their throats and then knocked them unconscious, leaving them in the road where they stood.

Eventually, he made it to the train station, loaded himself and his precious cargo onboard, and rode to his homeland. He'd spent weeks in the City, in Gillikin, in The Glikkus, searching for the next suitable candidate for his newest project. That led him to Center Munch. After seeing the beautiful young daughter at a party in Gillikin, he decided that she was perfect. He'd followed her and her family home. And he'd waited outside her window, waiting for the perfect opportunity-

For her to come out back.

For the maid to open a window in her room.

And once that window was open, he'd scaled the trellis and slipped inside.

He'd waited for an hour, could faintly hear the laughter and music from downstairs, before finally hearing the soft tread on the stairs. Her soft, lilting voice carried to him in the darkness of her closet, and he shivered with anticipation, finally hearing the door open and shut softly. Her voice could be heard coming from near the vanity, and when he slipped out of the closet, he heard the rhythmic brushing as the bristles ran through her raven hair. He'd seen the look of fright on her face as lightning split the sky, alerting her to his prescence. He'd seen her open her mouth to scream-

And he'd shoved the rope into her mouth, tugging on it.

It had been enough to warn her to keep quiet, but that didn't stop her from struggling as he pulled her from the vanity stool towards the open window. The muffled screams that escaped her mouth were drowned out by the thunder overhead, giving him a cover as he pulled her through the window and forced her down the trellis. She'd broken free when they reached the ground, but he'd grabbed her around the waist not long after and clamped a hand over her mouth.

"You wouldn't want me to go after your precious, disabled sister, would you?"

Though he couldn't see her eyes, the fear was evident, in how she whimpered, in the way she pulled way from him, in how she gave up...

Sacrificing herself for her sister.

How noble.

After she relented, it had been easy, taking her from the house to the cart he'd stashed in the cornfield. But once there, she'd somehow changed her mind, and bit him, causing him to let go. She made a run for it, stumbling into the dirt. He'd seen his chance, grabbed the rock he kept in the cart, and went to her. She looked up at him with pleading fear in her beautiful blue eyes. She put her arm up to block the blow, and screamed. He yanked her arm away and struck her once in the head, hard. Then, he'd picked her up and carried her back to the cart.

As they made their way to the train station, she'd woken up and screamed, a feeble attempt at help. Realizing he'd be caught with the daughter of the most powerful man in the country if discovered, he took her off to the side of the road, and struck her several more times in the head.

The rock, now covered in her blood, lay next to her body as he pushed the cart through the grasslands towards the old, abandoned factory. With his new prey in hand, he was ready to start his most desired project.