Disclaimer: I do not own Amulet or Fran Bow. Also, this fanfiction is pretty hardcore, and I, the author, do not support the use of drugs or death.

-Lilith

When I was very little, I had a book. I can't remember where I got the book, or who gave it to me, but I remember having it for a very long time. It was pretty and colorful and had beautiful illustrations, but I never understood the plot. And, now that I am older, I'm surprised that my mother didn't take the book away from me.

Of course, I didn't know anything then. The book seemed very confusing and strange. I couldn't understand what was going on, or what the red pills had to do with anything. But I still remember the book now.

I can't help but wonder why I remember that book. Why that book out of all things? It was about drugs, yes, but I was young and didn't know. And a horrifying book about mysterious pills seems like something that anyone would want to forget. My memory is a very interesting thing.

"Then the girl, who was very scared, took the pills to make herself feel better. But the pills made her see things, and the girl became so scared that she died of fright. She knew that the world was a beautiful yet terrible place, and the pills took out all the beauty."

"Earth to Emily," Luger said kindly, snapping me out of my reverie.

"Oh, sorry," I said, remembering that I was in the middle of a strategy game. I move a piece forward without thinking, and Luger automatically reached forward and used his piece to hop over mine, sliding my piece off the board to join its brethren.

"You're not focusing, Emily," he said quietly, a kind smile on his face.

I shrugged apologetically, a small smile on my face. "Sorry. I can't exactly focus right now."

"What's on your mind?" He asked with a concerned and curious look in his eyes. He rested his elbows on the table and studied me.

"Nothing important," I murmur as I gaze at the board, trying to find a way to win. Even though Luger was kind, he was very smart, and had most of my pieces cornered. "Just old, strange memories from my childhood are suddenly resurfacing."

"Well, you are still a child." Luger reminded me gently. "You have just been forced to grow up a little bit faster."

I nodded, wondering how I hadn't gone insane yet. After glancing at the board for a few more seconds, I decide to move a random piece, knowing that there was no way I could win. Luger moves in suit, and a few seconds later he has won and is in possession with most of my pieces.

"Well, that was interesting," he said as he stood up. "Now, I have an appointment in the Infirmary. Care to join?"

I nod as I stand up, quickly clearing the board before following him to the Infirmary. On the way, we pass by Trellis, who glanced at the both of us for less than a heartbeat before ignoring us. It seems cold, but I know that that is Trellis' way of saying hello.

A few minutes later, Luger and I are in the Infirmary. We walk inside through the double doors, and Luger pushes himself onto one of the simple white beds and lays there, waiting for the doctor to show. I pull up a cold metal chair and sit beside the bed.

"I wonder where Navin is," I murmur to myself.

"He's probably safe," Luger says to answer my question.

I nod but that doesn't make me feel much better. I know that if something really bad were to happen to Navin, like death, then I would feel it, but Navin could be in the middle of an enemy base. He could be tortured right now and I wouldn't know. The possibility made me squirm in my chair.

I stop squirming when Doctor Laurel appears, carrying a whiteboard in one hand. She smiles warmly at me before chattering with Luger, pausing to take notes occasionally. They seem to share a kind and pleasant conversation that I don't bother following. After a few minutes of chitchat, Doc hands Luger a small tube of pills and scribbles down instructions.

"Now, do you need my aid, Ms. Hayes?" She asks me kindly as Luger glances over the instructions.

I blink, and then realize I had been caught off guard. "Oh, um, well I would like something to help me sleep easily." It wasn't a lie.

Dr. Laurel smiles kindly at me. "Maybe you should work yourself a little bit more, and eat less before breakfast. If you still cannot sleep in a week, I'll prescribe you something."

"Pardon me, Doctor," Luger interjects, "But Emily has been pushing herself every day. It's not her energy that it keeping her awake."

Dr. Laurel frowns. She seems to rethink her statement and then nods. "I'll start you on some medications then. I don't have them with me though, and it would just be easier if you come with me to get them." I nod, deciding not to question her.

Luger watches us as Dr. Laurel leads me towards the back of the Infirmary, guiding me into a room that looks like an oversized medicine cabinet. I glance around the brightly lit room, my eyes roaming over different vials and bags and bottles. I see pills and herbs and even dried leaves and flowers. There must be every existing medicine in this one room.

Dr. Laurel hurries over to one of the shelves, reaching back to tie her thick black dreads into a high ponytail as her gaze travels over the medicines. I decide to busy myself by turning and studying the nearest shelving unit full of medicines, occasionally picking up bottles and inspecting them before putting them back.

After a few moments, I glance back at Dr. Laurel. She is leaning over a countertop, scribbling on a sheet of paper. A small bottle of even smaller white pills rests beside her, and I decide to let her fill out my prescription in peace.

After a few seconds, my eyes rest on an enormous bottle of red pills. It was probably the biggest bottle in the entire room. I slowly take it off the shelf, trying not to accidentally cause the glass jar to shatter. I hold it up to my face, and study the label on the bottle. The bottle is filled with something called Duotine.

My mind flashes to a fuzzy memory of a book I had once read. A children's book about horrible pills that make people see horrible things. I open the bottle and take a whiff, only to find that the pills do not carry a scent.

I can't help it: I'm curious now. It's probably not the same drug, but something inside me tells me something else. It was the same name as the drug in the book, and I knew that couldn't be a coincidence. Still, the drug in the book I read was pretty horrible, and even if it wasn't the same I probably shouldn't be taking random drugs. But curiosity was burning in my veins, and after a few more seconds of mental debate I take a handful of pills out of the jar and slip them into my pocket.

"What are you doing?" Dr. Laurel's voice makes me jump. I gasp and spin around, and I can tell that she didn't see me slip the drugs into my pocket. She frowns as she picks up the lid and screws it back onto the jar.

"You shouldn't be playing with this, Emily," Dr. Laurel says as she puts the jar back onto the shelf. "This is one of the few drugs that we don't have much information on. It can be as harmless as a painkiller or something that could stop your heart. It's dangerous and you shouldn't be playing with it."

I hold my hands in front of me in a gesture of surrender. "I didn't even touch the pills," I lie easily. "I just got curious, that's all."

Dr. Laurel sighs and hands me the bottle and the instructions. "Take one of these with your dinner. They should make you tired enough to fall asleep. And they're harmless too, so taking them with painkillers won't do anything."

I nod and thank her before following her back to the Infirmary. Luger is waiting for us, and we wave goodbye before leaving the room. By then it's dinner time, and Luger and I go our separate ways to put away our medicine. I decide to hide the stolen pills in a small velvet pouch, and then I hide the pouch in my nightstand drawer. Then I hurry off to dinner.


I sit on the edge of my bed, the small black pouch in my hand. In the other hand, I hold a red pill, studying it in the soft glow of the lamp on my nightstand. It seems so simple, so harmless, that I almost can't imagine the horror this simple pill may or may not wreck. But then my memory reminds me, and I hesitate.

Finally, I lift the pill up to my lips with shaking fingers. I pause when the pill rests in my mouth, and then I quickly grab the glass of water beside me and take a big swig. I swallow the pill down, and then swish the water around my mouth to clear out the taste.

The pill takes effect after a few heartbeats, and I have to fight back a scream.

So what do you think? Fran Bow is actually one of my favorite video games, and Amulet is one of my favorite series. This definitely has a bit of a start, and I'm not a hundred percent sure where I want to go with it. But suggestions are welcome!

-Lilith