CHAPTER 2 ~The Disappearance of Marie.
Marie was trapped. There was no light around her and yet she could feel something gripping her hands. Chains. She struggled, but couldn't get loose. She looked down, supposedly where her feet should be if it weren't so dark, and she started to cry. She wiggled her toes in her socks and looked upwards, only to hear a whispering in her ear.
"Fear me."
She screamed for a moment, recognizing the voice of the Kishin. She shook her head, and from as far she she could tell the Kishin was gone. Now frozen in fear, she looked around, looking for it. She looked all around her, and listened for the sound of breathing. Nothing. Standing, she began to walk, thinking that if she walked far enough she could find a way out.
"Maybe there's a door or something." She thought to herself.
As she walked, she kept tripping, unable to find anything to grip onto, and unable to see the floor due to the darkness. It was freezing cold, and a chill kept running over her, almost like a clammy hand. She suddenly walked straight into a wall. Gathering herself, she tried to find any kind of crease or opening and her hands pushed up against wood. Eventually, she crouched down and found a doorknob. Marie was smart enough not to open the door though, instead she turned around, and pushed her hands up against it.
"This door is too warm." She thought. "It's probably the inside of a castle."She thought about the situation for a good long while, and then pushed open the door with certainty...only to find more darkness. This strange feeling came over her...she was scared...to death. The warmth of the fireplace was there...she could feel the cobblestone floor...but her eyes...her eyes...they weren't there.
Stein looked down at the pile of critters that was on his floor. They slithered and writhed, almost like they were in pain, but he knew better. He knew from experience that they were waiting for prey. He looked around and grabbed a spoon that was almost as tall as he was, scooped them up and threw them outside.
Somewhere far below he heard, "What was that for?" It was Black Star's voice.
Stein yelled, "Tell me what species of snakes those are for your homework!", then he slammed the windows shut and began thinking in the darkness. He pondered what could possibly have happened to Marie. "Maybe she was being mind controlled...like a doll? No.. why would she turn into snakes then...?" After thinking some more, he decided he should go have some coffee. Getting out of his seat, he slammed right into Maka, who had been standing there the entire time.
"Ouch! Professor, what was that for? And what is with Marie, why did she turn into snakes?" Maka looked up at Stein, almost crying it seemed, but Stein knew Maka was tough and did not cry over trivial matters. He examined Maka's exterior. She was a pretty girl, only 17, and yet if she stood on the tips of her toes she might come up to his shoulders. He also noticed that she was in a summer outfit, the kind that's color-coded blue and white so as to give a positive and formal look to match the seasonal change.
He gave her a crooked grin and said, "She needed some time off, anyway." He then rushed out of the room, leaving Maka with a disturbed look on her face.
Before she could fully collect herself, however, Stein popped his head back into the room and said, "Oh, and can you fix this mess? I'd like to have an office door when I get back to my ostrich." Stein then darted back down the hall, leaving Maka nodding. Then she froze up, realizing what Stein had just said.
"Ostrich?" She said aloud.
Stein needed some help, so he began walking down the corridors of the school towards Death's Observatory. The doors to the Observatory were decorated like the stars, and as Stein opened the doors and walked inside, he had to shade his eyes from the light. The Observatory magnified the Heavens tenfold, and only Death could stand the heat of the lights because of the mask he wore. He stood in the middle of the room, observing the giant magnified Saturn. Stein pulled a small bony mask out of his lab coat and quickly put it on as he came into direct contact with the magnified version of the Sun. Now, he could freely walk around the room without having problems with his vision. He walked up to Lord Death and poked him on the shoulder.
Death turned around and exclaimed "Oh no! Who are you? Please don't hurt me!" and then backed against the wall. Stein, accustomed to this reaction, only said "You never change, sir." and then held out his hand to help him up.
The Lord of Death didn't accept it, and just jumped up and happily said, "Oh, it's just you Stein!" He looked almost pleased to know that Stein was here, if anyone. Stein only grimaced at the Shinigami, and then looked down, almost too shy to talk about what was ailing him.
He then looked back up and at the God of Death and asked him the question. "Where is Marie?"
Death looked up and at Stein, almost expecting that exact accusation. He tilted his head to the side, looking suddenly troubled. "...I don't know." He looked at Stein through the mask and whispered, "I do know that you may find more information in the Library." He then turned around and promptly exclaimed, "Now get yourself out of here! We can't have unattentive teachers running around the halls, now can we?"
Stein grinned and then left the Observatory, closing the door and allowing the darkness to flow back into the room, and surround the Lord of Death.