What's this? An update? Why the nerve! Hey wonderful readers! Guess who's back? Just kidding. but in all seriousness, I apologize for taking forever. So much has happened that I'm not going to try to give an excuse, I'll just promise you that I was unable to update and I AM back to writing on fanfiction(all my stories chapters are being worked on and edited except one, but thats another thing entirely) Anywho, this chapter is full of emotional outbursts and confused feelings, not to mention a point of view changes and grammar errors. Be warned of violence, inferred or not, and poorly written work. But hey, if you're reading this far and haven't stopped, then by all means, continue! If you're confused by anything, bring it up. I'd likely not noticed it or poorly explained it. Well, without further interruptions, here is your long neglected chapter.
"Sinking into the bottomless deep.."
The woman's voice from my nightmare echoed in my ears, ears that yearned to hear something real. Digging my nails into my palms, I stared hard at the foggy floor in the room, trying to focus on anything. This feeling of isolation and solitude was all too familiar to me, and I grabbed my head as flashes of memories hit. I was getting them back, all of them, and it made my head pound.
It happened often, in the dreamlike life I was living in that tiny, vast seeming room. I would have dreams, that is what Gothel said they were, of a little girl and her mother. The little girl made me feel warm inside, and I knew she had to be my sister, and I knew I had to protect her. The woman made me feel safe and loved... at first. Then she would finish her song and the child would die and I wouldn't die and the voices wouldn't stop and I would beg and beg for the moon's help but he waned away, turned his back on me. And I would have to face the accusations of being seen and alive alone, covering my ears to block out the yelling that was in my mind.
The accented, angry words "We should never had trusted you!" Shot through my head and guilt for an unknown action pooled in my stomach. Flashes of familiar yet new faces came to me and I moaned in agony.
A woman's soft voice, 'Why did I ever stop doing this?' Vibrant feathers and delicate wings made my head throb and my emotions swirl.
A dark gleam in golden eyes surrounded by revengeful ambition and the enthusiastic words,'what goes together better than cold, and dark?'
I lifted my heavy head from my hands, glaring at the whiteness around me that took up everything.
Gothel hadn't been back for a while, I had no sense of time in that white room. Screaming, I threw the bowl of food that I was too wary to eat across the room. It hit a wall, then fell and disappeared behind the veil that the dreamy fog really was. I waved my hand in a good riddance motion and laid down on the bed, the bed that I refused to leave in irrational fear of falling through the fog into empty air. That fear was strong to burden my mind, and I couldn't leave even with a door wide open.
I whimpered as the woman's voice returned, and tears began forming at the edges of my eyes. My hands searched for my staff but I knew it was gone.
"Come on Jackie, Mommy wants you to sing with her."
Refusing to look up where she stood, I shook my head. "No..no no no." The word danced through my mind and tumbled out of my mouth, the only form my denial could be expressed. She placed a comforting hand on my shoulder, and I began shaking uncontrollably, violently.
"Knowing you were the only one, who could rescue me.."
Her motherly voice reached my ears, and my fists curled into the sheets, my ragged breathing not bothering her, only encouraging to sing that damned song. I yelled, the pain evident in my voice but she just rubbed my back, trying to calm me, though her touch tensed my muscles and made my mind panic. "Stop it! Stop it!" My words made it worse, memories entangled with fear and darkness came back, along with sickening panic.
"Bubbles float, to the surface, where you were waiting.."
Her rough hand forcefully grabbed my face and made me look at her. My mother wasn't standing above me, it was the man with golden eyes.
Pitch.
Fear seized me tighter and I froze, unable to find the strength to move. "Shh, it's ok Jack.. It's ok.." He murmured, the pleasure flashing through his eyes as fear coursed through me. Just his presence made the bright room dull, and darken.
"Does it hurt, I wonder, getting all those memories?" His inquiring gaze pierced me, and more shadowy images of a past forgotten overflowed.
'Do you want them Jack, your memories?'
I squeezed me eyes shut as his gray gently hand left my face.
His echoing laughter lingered as he left the room, and a cruel man in a metal suit took his place. I braced myself for the maddened pain that came with the calculating voice.
(Pov change)
I phased into the main room in Titans Tower, answering the calls of my comrades.
Robin sat at one of the computers, typing code rapidly, he desperately scanned for any indication of the missing teen that was previously a guest at the tower. StarFire's worry filled eyes pulled themselves from their leader onto me.
"Raven.." She murmured, knowing that I had sensed her distress.
BeastBoy attempted to place a hand on the masked boys shoulder, to reason with him,"dude you need to rest-"
Robin whirled around, seething, and snarled,"NO! He has been gone for too long without us finding him! I'll not rest while he, or any ally of the titans, is in danger!" He turned back around with equal vigor, and hastily continued his search.
The bionic man threw his large hands into the air in exasperation,"Robin!" He growled, turning the chair around with force. "Last time we saw Jack, there was an enormous surge of power. After that, he vanished."
Robin glared up at Cyborg, snarling,"he was taken-"
The older male interrupted, his tight voice tinged with concern. "You don't know that. The power over took our computers, and the light was too bright to see. He disappeared, and we don't know if he is even alive."
The green changeling dropped his two cents, a troublesome glint in his eyes,"since he's been gone crime has been down." He was bombarded with glares from the others that summoned rubies into his cheeks and sweat on his palms. "W-what I meant was that maybe they have what they want." A moment of silence passed, as the others considered the youngest's words.
"But why would they want Jack?" Starfire asked, her voice laced with worry.
I thought back to our battle with Slade, and the spirit that worked with him. I phased into my room, then walked through the shadows back, appearing behind BeastBoy. I manually flipped through the pages, finding one with an illustration of a shadow with hungry, yellow eyes. It read,
'...when referring to the nightmare king, who ruled the dark ages, you must remember that fear isn't evil, it's a natural reaction to danger. Fear is instinct, and it keeps one alive in survival situations. Albeit, evil often gets associated too closely with fear, finding that easy power comes with it, and they get intertwined. Rumored, that is the reason that the boogeyman turned, which lead to the creation of the guardians...'
I looked up from the book and said,"maybe Slade's new ally has Jack, they did seem to know each other." The other Titans stared blankly at me, then Robin nodded slowly. Starfire, catching on, asked,"would we be able to find the headquarters of Slade?" Cyborg looked at both of them, then said hesitantly,"I might be able to track it through one of his robots..if we can get ahold of an intact one." Robin, always functioning better with a plan to focus on, narrowed his eyes and said,"we will."
(Pov change)
"I can't do this anymore!" I exclaimed, my normally reserved voice echoing in the vast, metallic chamber. Siting in a tall steampunk throne, Slade glowered down at me, his cooled voice prickling my skin. "I don't know why you would object, after all I own you."
My eyes lowered to the ground but I wouldn't stop trying. "I can't keep doing this, letting you two play your torture games on him and then have me heal and comfort him. He'll go insane!"
Slade's voice had a bitter note in it, and he stood. "I still don't see the issue, why would you care about him when you didn't have a problem with the last victims." He began walking down the steps towards me, and I kept my gaze obediently lowered. "Unless," he paused, and I tensed at his next words, and pushed memories of a thief away. "You are falling in love...?"
He placed both his gloved hands on my shoulders and said firmly, "Look at me." I instinctively obeyed, and saw the rage that was undetectable in his voice, visible in his solitary eye. My gazed slipped back down, and he grabbed my chin and made me look him the eye. "In case you've forgotten, I'll remind you again. I bought you from Gothel, little flower, and you are mine. I can do what ever I please with you because you are an object of my desire, a tool of my conquest." He leaned in closer and I froze in fear. "You're not a person, so don't act like one. If I tell you to do something, you will do it. If it wasn't for your hair, you would be nothing. But it's your life line, without it, you will age and die." His cruel voice was confident, factual, and I found myself knowing his words to be true.
Showing uncanny control even when angered, he gently grabbed my hair and draped it over my right shoulder, exposing a brand. The burn was shaped in the S that Slade uses as his symbol, and marks his things with.
Slade's hands left me and I let out a breath I don't know I had been holding. "Do you love him?" He asked, but it seemed like he already had his answer.
"I don't kn-"
He struck me, and I went flying across the room. I hit the wall and my eyes grew clouded with pain as bones broke and skin bruised. I slipped into unconsciousness to the sound of Slade tightly chanting the bane of my existence,"flower gleam and glow.."
When I awoke, my injures were healed. A service-bot was tending to my appearance, and I wore a silver dress that sparkled brilliantly. It was thin, trailed the ground behind me but ended just below my knees in the front. It had skinny straps, and was tight in the waist. I sighed at the emptiness of my existence. I was just a doll for them to dress up and a tool for them to use. I doubt I would even be a pawn in one of his games, because to be used I would have to be a person to begin with. I followed the service-bot to Jack's room, my long hair trailing endlessly behind me.
I placed my palm to the door and felt my scar glow. The door responded likewise and opened, revealing Jack, chained to the wall and laying on the bed beneath it. The gray chamber seemed even more ominous with the dark blood dripping off the bed and pooling on the floor.
I rushed to his side and wrapped the majority of my hair on him, his injuries covered most of his body. I sang my song harshly, as quickly as I could, and sighed with relief as the wounds mended themselves. After unwrapping my hair, I then called the service-bot over to clean the blood.
The room began lighting up and I knew he was waking. Fog covered the stained, stone floor and the walls became a soft white. The chains vanished and the bed became soft.
The illusion made me sick.
Jack opened his eyes and I stood, only to feel his hand grab my wrist. "No.." He murmured, his voice weak from exhaustion. His blue eyes were dulled, but frightened. "Stay, please." I ceded and sat down, those eyes melted my heart. I brushed his hair with my fingers and he let go of my wrist, dropping his unconsciously. His gaze off to the side, and detest in his voice he asked, "They make you wear that?" I smiled in spite of the bitter reminder and said,"yes, they think I'm some sort of Barbie."
At the mention of the toy, Jack stiffened and the lights faded in the room. He was loosing consciousness. "Jack!" I yelled, grabbing his shoulder.
I was relieved to see the illusion return. Jack leaned forward, holding his head in his hands. "What did you remember?" I asked softly, watching him shake form the experience. After he calmed he answered, a sad smile on his face. "Looking through windows on Christmas, a large workshop with fuzzy monsters making toys. Faces, and solitude." He looked at me and laughed,"I must sound crazy!"
His gaze drifted off again and he sobered. "At least I'm heard." The words carried the weight of his troubles and I let go of his shoulder, wanting to comfort him. Jack smiled at me and said,"thanks for listening Gothel, you're the only one who ever did." Hiding my disgust at the name, i found myself close to tears. He seemed so broken, hopeless, and yet he was thanking me, the villain. Smiling a saddened smile, I embraced him, his shock changing into gratitude, and he hugged me awkwardly back, the position not ideal for comfort. After my shaking faded, I got off of the immortal, accepting the silence as it was. Albeit it was broken when Jack murmured,"the only one who ever listened.."
He softly cried out and pressed his hands tightly to his temples, trying to ease the pain. I held him as he went through the jarring visions, tears streaming from both of our eyes. His in pain and mine in remorse.
