Chapter Three
She opened her eyes and panted for air. Everything was red… her head throbbed, sending searing pains across her skull… her face stung… and she could barely breathe. Jenna's arms and legs spasmed, only to discover that her entire body was bound tightly by several cords. She focused her fuzzy vision, but she couldn't make out anything besides a dark grayish color… and so much red… her face was pressed against it… it was too cold and rough to be anything but stone. Where was she…? And how did she get here…? Was this a dream, or…?
A sharp kick to her side made her squeal in pain, and her body rolled over from the blow. Gazing up at the ceiling, Jenna noticed a human silhouette standing above her in the darkness… as it lit a torch, its blue hair triggered her memories. She recalled Mia's treachery… and now…
"So. You're finally awake," whispered Mia, with… anticipation? In the light of the dancing flame, her smile looked positively diabolical… Jenna whimpered, unable to say anything… "Good. I want you to feel it." Mia's wicked stare pierced deep into Jenna, who tried to look away… "It's going to hurt. You'll shed ten tears for every one I've cried. And when you've cried your last…" Mia reached into her robes and pulled out a wickedly curved dagger resembling a dragon's talon. Her gaze met Jenna's… "It will be slow. And I'll enjoy every second of it."
Jenna tried to scream… tried to cry out for help… tried to say anything to Mia. The best she could manage was a garbled yelp… as she thrashed about in her bonds, she tried to calm her mind. Jenna focused as best she could, attempting to burn the ropes away with her Psynergy…
The bonds barely sizzled, and Jenna felt her face grow red from the effort… and it stung… so much… "Ah, you still haven't figured it out, have you? Take a look in the mirror…" chuckled Mia. She strode off into the darkness… with the light of the torch she carried, Jenna could see a crude wooden desk, upon which sat several instruments. Mia picked up a small hand mirror and brought it over to Jenna…
She tried to scream, but the scream lodged in her throat. Jenna's face was a raw, bleeding mess… red lines crisscrossed her cheeks, nose, and forehead, forming strange interconnected sigils… "Wh-what have you…?" she choked.
Mia's eyes closed, and her mouth stretched into a sadistic grin… "That beautiful face…" she purred. "The face that stole his heart…" She opened her eyes and kicked Jenna in the nose, the solid tip of her boot twisting to grind into Jenna's face… "It's ruined." Jenna shrieked in agony as a torrent of blood spurted from her nose… "The shapes you see are the Seal of Water, Mercury's emblem. Try as you might, you'll never be able to use fire Psynergy with the seal carved into your flesh."
"Mia…" coughed Jenna in desperation, spitting out blood… "What are you… why are you…"
"Aww, you still haven't figured it out yet?" laughed Mia, grinning. She bent down next to Jenna and patted her lightly on the head… "Poor girl." Jenna tried to recoil from her touch, but her body wouldn't respond… pain had immobilized her.
"I… hate you, Jenna," she said, a sudden grimace covering her face… "You stole the one man who mattered to me." She slapped Jenna's already-broken nose, and the pain returned… Jenna screamed again… "When Alex betrayed me… when the beacon was fired… I lost all I had. I was ready to take my life. And then… my savior appeared. Someone to give my life meaning. My… hero." She stood up and looked down at Jenna, disgust palpable on her face… "I love him. And to see him… the one who gave me my strength… give himself to some pitiful whore…"
"M-mia, you don't have to…" Jenna choked incoherently. "I… I don't want to…"
"You'll never see him again," whispered Mia, that atrocious grin returning to her face. "I'll make sure of that. But until I decide it's time to cast you into oblivion… you'll be my new toy."
Jenna's face lay on the hard stone floor, in a pool of her own blood… "Mia… I…" she moaned, too exhausted from pain and blood loss to speak coherently…
A sudden tingling sensation filled her face… her broken nose fused back together… the blood ceased flowing from the shattered cartilage… "Take heart, Jenna. You'll stay alive for a while, at least. Can't have my new plaything dying just yet," cackled Mia, the blue aura of Psynergy fading from her fingertips… "It's almost dawn… I'm needed back at the camp. Take care… I'll be seeing you again soon."
The torchlight vanished, and Mia's footsteps faded into the gloom. For an instant, Jenna almost wished she'd turn around. Anything but being left here… alone in the crushing darkness, bloodied and raw, Jenna began to sob uncontrollably…
She didn't know why Mia had done this. She couldn't know. There were evils Jenna couldn't comprehend… Mia's madness went beyond anything she had ever experienced. Jealousy she could understand, but… taking it all the way to torture? Murder? All she could do was silently pray for her golden hero to be by her side once more… Isaac would know what to do. He'd always come to her aid in the past… it couldn't be long now… couldn't be long before her deliverance from this nightmare…
…
"Gone to Vault for some supplies. Be back by noon," read Isaac aloud. He put the note back down onto Jenna's sleeping bag. "Huh. I thought Jenna said she'd bought everything she needed last weekend."
"Isaac… you don't know the first thing about women," laughed Mia, shaking her head. "She's probably gone to Vault to gossip with some of her old friends. You know, about the engagement and all." Good. He didn't look suspicious in the least.
"Yeah…" said Isaac, a faint smile crossing his face. "Well… no use standing around here chatting. There's work to be done today. I'll chastise Jenna for slacking off when she gets back."
"Are we gonna be working on the Talia house again today?" asked Garet. "I swear that site's cursed. Three times today. Three freaking times, something hit me on the head. It's like the tools are possessed."
"The hammer was my bad," giggled Ivan. Garet shot him a death-glare.
"The elder says that you, Mia, Sheba, and Ivan will handle the Talia residence," explained Isaac, trying to keep his group focused. "Piers, you're needed with the lumber group. We're almost out of wood, and we need a strong guy to help cut down trees." Garet opened his mouth to object, and Isaac sighed. "That's 'cut,' not 'burn,' Garet. We can't trust you anymore."
"I was frustrated…" Garet grumbled. "Damn tree didn't wanna fall over…"
"What'll you and Felix be doing?" Ivan chimed in.
"We've got a plan for harvesting the gold off of Mt. Aleph," explained Felix. "He and I are bringing some Venus Adepts from the village along to help. We're going to try to 'grow' vines from both sides of the chasm to form a bridge."
"Good luck," said Ivan. "We all know Vale could use the money…"
Isaac turned to leave the tent, but a thought struck him, and he turned back to Mia. "Hey, Mia. When Jenna gets back, can you tell her to work on the Talia house with you? You're the boss for today." It seemed to Isaac as though Mia had finally accepted his and Jenna's engagement… at any rate, she seemed a lot happier than she'd been in some time. The previous evening, she'd even been talking to Jenna instead of sulking. He'd give them a chance to bond…
"Sure," said Mia, her cute smile hiding a devilish grin. When Jenna gets back…
…
It had been hours now… days, even. Time seemingly ceased to exist in the darkened cave. All Jenna knew was the despair of being utterly helpless, lost in blackness… the fear of that savage's return… and the hope, however faint, of her golden boy coming to save her.
By herself, she was hopeless. The ropes holding her body were too tight and too numerous to wriggle free from… and without her Psynergy, she was as weak as she'd ever felt. Maybe if the wounds on her face were to heal, she'd regain her power… but until then…
But what if some creature came? Jenna shuddered as she imagined a monster finding her here, helpless. Even a rat would take advantage of her helpless state… lapping up her blood from the flood before biting…
She snapped out of it. She had to stop thinking about those things… Jenna had to be strong… she'd have faith that Isaac was coming…
The tears had long since stopped falling, as Jenna had slipped from her crying despair into a state of catatonia. Her body was abused and hungry… she hadn't eaten anything since last night. At the moment, she was too dazed to think of much besides that single thought… that single hope…
She had to hold out hope for Isaac. He'd know what to do. He'd cut her free from her bonds… he'd heal her scarred face… he'd tell her that he loved her… and he'd punish that evil, evil girl. Even while lost in darkness, Jenna kept praying for her golden light.
…
"You seem a lot happier today, Mia," said Ivan. "Are you and Jenna getting along?"
"We're doing great, thanks," said Mia, smiling warmly. Internally, she wondered why Ivan would ask such a question. After all, it would stand to reason that she'd still be heartbroken a day and a half after her loved one had proposed to another woman. Either Ivan was an insensitive bastard, or…
"Heh. Mia, the nail's already in. You don't need to kill it," giggled Sheba. Mia glanced at her right hand, which had been hammering furiously as she was thinking. Damn. She couldn't be seen showing any outward signs of anger, hatred, jealousy… not until the deed was done and the accident staged. Then Isaac could begin his mourning… and he would be hers for the taking…
"Whoops. Hehe. I got a little enthusiastic," she giggled. "Hey, pass me the bucket of nails, will you?"
"Here you- Aaagh!" yelled Ivan, falling forward to the ground with a thud.
"My bad," said Garet mockingly, using Ivan's earlier words. He stood behind him, struggling to lift an immense wooden frame… poor Ivan had taken a whack directly to the back of the head. With a grunt, Garet shoved the frame upright. "Hey, runt, get up and help me nail this in place."
"Owwww…" moaned Ivan, rubbing the back of his head as he sat up. Mia grinned… watching the boys abuse each other was always entertaining. They were able to hold rivalries without ruining each others' lives… and Mia found even Garet's 'caveman' mentality better than girls' endless backstabbing.
She knew she was on a tight schedule. At noon, everyone would think Jenna was just late as usual. At one, they would get suspicious. By tonight… when she could return to Jenna… they would be outright worried. Don't panic, Mia. It's not in your nature to do things haphazardly. You've planned this out well… and when you're through with it, the greatest of rewards awaits you…
…
"Be careful on your way to Vault, Kay," cautioned Mia, seeing her off at the village's edge. "People are saying they've seen dragons out there."
Kay turned a little pale. "Wait, what? Dragons?" she asked anxiously, reflexively taking half a step back towards Vale. The hills to the south stretched as far as the eye could see… she'd been to Vault at least six or seven times in the past few months, but she'd never gotten used to being so… alone… in the wilderness, even when she was with a group. Particularly at night… she never understood how her brother had done it, knowing that over each hill, something horrible could be lying in wait…
"Yeah. One big green one in particular," said Mia, snapping her out of her throughts. "A group of travelers got snatched up by it a few weeks ago, or so the rumor goes." A rumor which I started this morning, she didn't add. But it seems to have spread far enough already…
"M-maybe I should bring my brother along," Kay suggested, her voice shaking, noticeably dissuaded from her plans.
"Nah, there's no need to worry at dusk," Mia told her. "Dragons are usually early morning hunters, when their prey tends to be sleepy. But if bringing Garet along will make you feel better, go right ahead. Maybe he can help you look for Jenna."
"Alright, I'll see if the big lump wants to come. I'll try to keep him away from the barrel of grain alcohol this time," said Kay, and the two girls shared a laugh. "Hey, do you have any idea what's taking Jenna so long?"
"Gossiping, drinking, maybe a one-night stand with some hottie from the Vault Guard?" suggested Mia with a giggle. "I've got no idea. She probably just wanted a day off from work and didn't bother to tell anybody."
"Well, I know the Vault Guard pretty well, if you know what I mean," said Kay with a smirk. Mia giggled. If Garet knew the extent of his sister's extracurricular activities…"I'll ask if any of them have seen her."
…
Jenna heard footsteps, and her heart leapt in her chest. The awful uncertainty clutched her… it would either be that sadist, back for more… or her golden hero, come to snatch her out of this nightmare…
A flash of light filled the room, and as Jenna's eyes adjusted, adrenaline flooded her veins. In the light of the torch stood Mia, a ghastly smile crossing her face… "Good evening, Jenna."
Quaking with fear, Jenna began to cry… she'd never thought she'd break so easily, but… "Mia! Please, please don't hurt me again…" she begged…
Such an innocent face. So pitiable. This will be fun. "You don't really have a say in the matter. I'll hurt you if I feel like it…" She pulled out the dagger from under her robes.
"Mia! Isaac would… Isaac would hate you for this!" screamed Jenna, playing her trump card. "If he saw what a monster you'd become-"
Jenna was cut off in mid-sentence by Mia's boot. "There are some things Isaac doesn't need to know," chuckled Mia. "Besides… isn't monstrosity relative? What you did to me – stealing away my reason for living, the one thing which gave me strength – isn't that monstrous enough?"
Jenna opened her mouth to respond, to say anything… but she could only scream when she felt her body lifting off the ground… Mia was levitating her with Psynergy. As two Psynergetic hands clamped down on her sides with crushing pressure, Jenna's body hovered off the cave's floor… rotated in midair… and was rudely shoved into the cave's wall. She felt the Psynergy dissipate, but something was holding her up on the wall… her bonds had been caught on nails… her front side was entirely prone… "Mia! Put me down!" she shrieked.
"I brought you some food," said Mia. "There's no use in letting you die so soon." A pitcher of water and a loaf of bread lifted off a nearby table… Jenna tried to keep her mouth closed, but Mia seized upon her and forced it open with her hands. As the food entered her mouth, Jenna felt herself forced by Psynergy to chew and swallow…
"That's better, isn't it?" asked Mia. Part of Jenna was inclined to answer yes, but she didn't want to give the madwoman any satisfaction… "Now. I didn't come here to be kind to you. I came here to make you cry. Your lifespan is measured in tears. Ten of yours for each of mine… and then, you die." That despicable, diabolical grin returned to her face…
Jenna screamed as the dagger broke her skin, slicing into the flesh of her arm… try as she might, she couldn't hold back tears as the pain seared into her consciousness. Blood dripped down her left arm from the gash… "Mia!" she choked. "Please…"
Another gash on the arm. Then one on the chest. Those breasts which had so tempted her man. They would bleed. They would be ruined. Jenna's clothing was torn now. Three more slashes. Jenna's eyes were glazed over. She wouldn't escape the pain that easily. Down to Jenna's stomach. Six cuts. Her thighs. Nine. Faster and faster in succession. Like a drug. She couldn't get enough. Loved to see the blood flow. The blood…
Jenna was dying. Mia quickly snapped herself out of it. She'd gotten too careless… she'd been too immersed in the near-sexual feeling of slashing apart her victim. Jenna couldn't die just yet. She had to pay in tears, not blood. Suffering, not mere death. Mia's hand pressed into Jenna's stomach, and a soft blue glow enveloped her body, clashing with the blood leaking from her wounds. All at once, they closed up, leaving Jenna still catatonic, hanging from the wall…
She knew Jenna could still hear her. Still see her. Still feel her. Slowly bringing her face close to Jenna, she licked the blood off her body. Delicious… "I'll be back soon. Take care."
To be continued…