CHAPTER TWO: SNOW WHITE

After suffering through violent withdrawals, Belle had recovered and returned to her right mind once more. Living in the asylum while sane was not fun though, and Belle quickly became frustrated, shouting that she had regained her sanity and must return to her father.

The orderlies merely humored her, telling her that she would soon be let out, and other fake platitudes that did nothing but increase her ire. So, sometimes, she bit someone. Being locked up in a padded room for two weeks as punishment convinced Belle to behave though.

Otherwise, while on her best behavior, Belle was allowed many freedoms. She walked about the asylum, peeked in other cells, did chores, hung out in the lounge and listened to gossip involving the other girls.

The orderlies were a chatty bunch, and most of the time, the orderlies considered crazy synonymous to stupid, and talked loudly about private cases in the halls.

One evening, about a month a a half since biting her third orderly(she was not CRAZY!), Belle was taking a stroll along the Trauma Ward, hoping for gossip. She lucked out, and ducked behind a door just as a doctor and orderly made their way around a far corner of the ward, loudly talking. As the two came to a stop in front of a water cooler that Belle had never seen there before, they continued to talk and spilled the intimate details of a new patient's story.

The 'patient' happened to be the famous model and wealthy heiress Snow White. The girl's father had remarried recently to a retired model and had 'mysteriously' died soon after. However, the new wife had not received a single cent in his will; his entire fortune was left to his lovely and beautiful daughter Snow.

Of course, the ex-model stepmother was greatly envious of everything Snow represented. She could not handle that she was too old be a model, had lost her youth, and did not have her husband's fortune. So she hired a gang to kidnap and kill Snow so that she might take the fortune that was so 'rightfully hers'.

After a photo shoot for a new clothing line, Snow exited out the back of the building, hoping to take a shortcut to her next job. Unfortunately, a group of men surrounded Snow and she was quickly knocked unconscious.

Upon waking, Snow found herself tied to a chair and quite terrified. She demanded to know who they were and what they wanted in a voice trembling with terror, yet threaded with steel. Of course Snow feared for her life, but she refused to give in to the terror.

The men circled and mocked, throwing harsh words and fists alike. They taunted her that her own family had hired them to kill her because of her inheritance. Snow was furious, confused and saddened. She would gladly have shared her fortune with her vain stepmother, for she had much more than she could ever spend in a lifetime.

As things became more violent, in both taunts and physical blows, Snow passed out several times from the pain. Upon her third awakening, Snow sensed a different pitch to the men's voices, and realized that the shouting was not directed at her. Lifting her head to look about, she peered through black eyes nearly swollen shut and realized she was surrounded by a gang war. Twice the number of men now occupied the room, and knives and fists slashed and flew. The men she knew only as her tormentors continued to fall, and before long the invading gang members emerged victorious.

Snow felt something like hope flicker in her chest. These men hadn't been paid to kill her. Maybe they would free her? Seven men gathered around her and began to debate what was most likely her fate, but she had used the last of her strength lifting her head to watch the fight, and once again fell into the arms of Morpheus.

Snow White awoke in a small room on a tiny thin cot in a corner, with medical supplies to dress her wounds. She struggled through dressing them and found food by the door as well. This continued on for a couple weeks, and Snow despaired. What could these men want of her? She was continuously supplied food and medical supplies, and after awhile she regained her beauty. In her months of solitude, Snow had begun to talk to herself, hoping to keep her sanity and holding out for a rescue or a clue as to what the seven men wanted.

Finally, one morning, Snow found herself surrounded by her shockingly-short seven rescuers/ kidnappers(squared?). They explained their attempted ransoming upon figuring out who she was while she lived locked in isolation. Her stepmother had disgustedly refused any sort of ransom and mocked and goaded the gang into a furious frenzy. Discovering that she was, in fact, not wanted and not worth anything, they no longer needed to hold back. They could do whatever they wanted to her.

*trigger warning*

The men took great pleasure in breaking her. Mockingly praising her beauty and caressing her like lovers, they raped her over and over again. They would hit her, and then take her, and then blame her for the imperfections marring her skin, and ruin her violently as punishment. They did everything in their power to destroy her for weeks on end, switching from tender care to violent brutality as the mood took each man individually.

It never seemed to end, and Snow broke beneath the great weight of shame, sorrow, anger and guilt.

*it's safe*

Ultimately, she retreated into her mind, for nothing could touch her there, and she could escape. The seven men quickly grew tired of her when she refused to respond at all, and threw her in a nearby garbage dumpster.

That was how Snow White was found, staggering along a road, filthy, beaten and muttering nonsense to herself. The press exploded and a 'tearful' stepmother told a story of kidnapping and lost hope and a plan. She hoped an asylum would 'cure' Snow while she 'took care of Snow's estates and wealth until she regained her sanity and health'.

Belle despaired for the girl so like herself in one aspect: shunted to an asylum because of others greed. Although she had to agree that poor Snow actually had need of the asylum; seeing as she had actually been broken so horribly.

Belle made note of the gossipers and location and promised herself to visit poor Snow White some time in the future. No one should be completely alone.

Dang. Sad one. But don't worry! We have a silly Sleeping Beauty next!