. g o t h i k a .

Chapter 11: Twilight

/ / the stars, the moon, they have all been blown out / /

/ / no dawn, no day, I'm always in this twilight / /

/ / and in the dark, I can hear your heartbeat / /


I tried to find the s o u n d


Gothika has hit 100 reviews! Thanks to all of you readers for following me on this story for over a year now! I LOVE YOU ALL! This chapter is dedicated to all of you, and of course, my 100th reviewer: azngirlhere!

I apologize for this late chapter, I would have had it up earlier if I hadn't gotten stuck with where I wanted this chapter to go… Also, I apologize that this chapter is short, but I liked where I ended it lol…

Anyways, I'm sure you all realize that this story is going to be coming to an end soon. After this story, I will most definitely resume writing for The Sunday List of Dreams, Last Chance, and Twisted. I'm considering deleting Four Seasons and re-writing it, because it was just one of those horrible things I wrote randomly… LOL and Götterdämmerung was also deleted because that was horribly written and it needs a complete re-haul/re-write.

As for new stories… I have a few ideas, and they're all in the same dark genre as Gothika is. Whether or not they'll be in the Pokemon fandom is still up in the air… so we'll see how it goes!

Be aware however, that The Sunday List of Dreams is also nearing completion… although Last Chance and Twisted are only beginning. (I have Chapter 1 of Twisted already written… can't help it lol it's a fairy tale like Gothika haha it's also almost six thousand words total….)


She tried to find Zoey in the dark red eyes that stared at her, unflinchingly. She tried to find the girl that had spent nights over at her apartment, walked with her to and from school, groaned about sports, homework, and boys with her. She tried to find her best friend.

The only thing she found was a complete stranger.


Paul didn't panic… Doesn't panic. He does not panic verbally, and he does not panic mentally. Paul wasn't panicked. He was just… very… frustrated. And perhaps a little bit nervous, but Paul told himself that those were the nerves of a killer on edge, revenge sitting close by him. Paul glanced back and forth between Rose Red and Snow White, who were stalking around him like two lionesses assessing the best way to rip his head off. He glanced at the Duke, who sat calmly on his throne, not even paying attention to any of them, but rather staring off blankly, his eyes glazed over. Paul shot one last glance at Dawn. She was on the floor, staring blankly at the girl whose name was the only thing he knew.

Zoey.

Dawn took in a shaky breath, her thoughts flying through her mind at a mile a minute. She tried to come up with logical reasons as to why Zoey had just attacked her.

"Oh, Dawn. Why do you look so confused?" Zoey questioned, tilting her head innocently, her eyes cold.

"W-why are you acting like this? Zoey, it's me, Dawn! Your best friend…?" Dawn's voice trailed off at her question, as though she were unsure of it. Zoey's face turned into a snarl at this, and Dawn leaned backwards, shocked.

"Best friend? You're joking, right? I hate you! I hate everything about you!" Zoey shrieked, waving her dagger in the air menacingly as Dawn stood up, taking a step back.

"You hate me?" Dawn murmured, confused. Zoey's face returned to an eerie calm.

"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have to play second best." Zoey hissed, voice furious by her face an eerie calm. Dawn frowned at this, even more confused. Zoey had always surpassed Dawn in terms of sports and smarts, and Dawn knew that. Dawn couldn't understand what was going on.

"If it weren't for you, I would be number one. If it weren't for you, if it weren't for you…." Zoey began to mumble to herself, eyes crazed. She gripped her dagger tightly, breathing quickly, mumbling to herself. Dawn gulped, frightened.

"Wha… what are you talking about, Zoey!" Dawn shrieked, completely losing it as fear overtook every nerve in her body.

"If it weren't for you, I would be number one! I lost, Dawn, lost to you!" Zoey shrieked hysterically back, and Dawn shook her head.

"What did you lose!" Dawn yelled back, anger and fear fueling her every thought.

"I'm not number one. You're number one. The Duke has placed you as number one. He likes you the most. And what have you done? Nothing! Nothing at all!" Zoey screamed, gripping her hair as she shut her eyes tightly in pain. Dawn stared at her, dumbfounded.

"What are you talking about?" Dawn asked, completely shocked. She was even more confused now.

However, one thought crossed in the back of her mind.

What had this man done to her best friend?

"Look at what you've done to your friend, Dawn. You've made her go crazy!" Dawn stiffened at the sound of the Duke's voice from behind her. She turned to look at him, eyes still wide with shock and loss. He smiled brightly at her.

"Don't you see? You're number one! You should feel special, you know." He laughed at this, clapping his hands together as though this entire thing were a large joke.

"You're like the hero on the adventure… you're the main character, the main player in my game! Don't you feel lucky?" Dawn shivered at the sound of his voice, biting her lip as she glanced all around her. Rose Red and Snow White were shooting her murderous looks, and Zoey had brushed past her, causing her to jump, a glare situated on her face as well.

"Fuck you." Dawn spat, a moment slightly overdue. The Duke laughed at this, as Zoey snarled at Dawn, a threat resonating in her eyes.

"Zoey, you can't be serious. You can not be serious about this." Dawn started, but it sounded as though she were trying to convince herself more than her friend.

"I'm completely serious, dear. I don't know what would ever make you think otherwise." Zoey responded, voice clipped and calculating.

"We're best friends! Don't you remember anything? You would never side with someone like him!" Dawn shrieked, hysterical. For a moment, Zoey looked confused. Dawn blinked at the expression, before Zoey's face turned into another angry snarl.

"I would never be best friends with you! I hate you!" She shrieked, before lunging for Dawn, dropping her dagger. Her hands flew forward and aimed straight for Dawn's neck.

The two rolled to the floor, Zoey's grip harsh on Dawn's pale neck. Dawn gasped for air, as Zoey began to squeeze. She kneed Zoey in the stomach, who released her grip, clutching her stomach in pain.

Dawn breathed heavily as Zoey rolled away, before noticing a dark red spot gathering on her clothes where she'd kneed her. Dawn blinked, as the dark spot grew larger. Zoey lay on her side, gasping in pain.

"Zoey…?" Dawn asked, voice shaken.

"Shit, Dawn – look out!" Dawn's head moved to the side, and she managed to dodge just in time to see Rose Red's knives hit the ground with a screech. She then heard the cock of two guns and the loud blasts as Snow White began to fire after Paul. She turned to look at the Duke, who simply sat in his chair, looking bored. He stared at his gloved hand, face passive. Dawn bit her lip furiously as anger bubbled inside of her.

She suddenly wanted to do nothing but shove the blade that Zoey had dropped straight into his neck.

Dawn snapped out of her rage as Zoey lunged for her again, blood spotting the ground from her wound. Dawn shrieked as she dodged, but Zoey caught her ankle. Dawn shrieked louder as they fought, Zoey's hands immediately reaching for her neck again. Dawn pulled at the flimsy clothes Zoey was wearing, and heard a rip. Zoey jumped back, gripping her stomach. Dawn stared at her, the tatters of her clothes shedding from her body like a second skin.

She was covered in cuts, bruises, and a strange black tattoo marking that had smudged slightly in one spot. It curled and snaked all along her hips and waist, and her stomach was bleeding from a wound Dawn must have re-opened when she kneed her.

Dawn gulped, her hands flying to her mouth as she stared at her battered friend in shock. Zoey stared at Dawn blankly, confused, almost. She stood there and did not move, her face confused and contorted. She swayed slightly, as if lost in between being alive and dead, a twilight. Her eyes were distant. Dawn didn't have much time to register what was going on as she dodged again, but this time it was Rose Red's blades aiming for her head.

Paul glanced at the two on one battle Dawn was in on the other side of the room. Paul hid behind a column as Snow White opened fire on it. He grit his teeth, trying to strategize a way to get them out of this mess. He heard Snow White stop, as she began to refill her cartridges. He ran out from behind the pillar then, rushing straight towards Snow White. Her eyes widened in shock at Paul's speed, unable to refill her guns quick enough. Paul raised a dagger as he slashed at Snow White, missing her artery but nicking the side of her neck. His other hand rose with the other dagger, slashing at Snow White in calculated moves.

She dodged each one skillfully, attempting to refill her massive guns and dodge all of Paul's attacks.

'This isn't working.' Paul noted, as he jumped back. He took one glance at Dawn before rushing straight for her. He noticed the black markings on Zoey then, and his eyes widened in response.

'That tattoo…!'

Rose Red had gotten sloppy in her attack formation, Dawn noted, as the girl randomly slashed at Dawn. Dawn kicked Rose Red in the hand, the blade flying out and landing far away from the battleground. Rose Red lunged forward, causing Dawn to jump backwards further, but crashed straight into a tall table holding a vase full of roses in it. She grit her teeth as the corner came into contact with her back, the table tipping over. The roses fell forward as the table tipped backwards, and then the vase shattered into large pieces. They were thick, heavy and sharp.

Dawn grabbed a piece of the shattered vase, the roses scattering on the floor, the water spreading them around. The blood that had been used to paint the roses red was starting to turn pink, the color diluted from the water.

Rose Red had rushed in once again, her blade outstretched forward, reaching towards Dawn. Dawn ran forward as well to meet her, but fell down and slightly to the right as she dodged the blade, before her hands rushed up as the glass met flesh.

The glass shard embedded itself deep inside of Rose Red's heart. They stood there, like that, for a moment. Dawn heard the sound of Rose Red's blade drop behind her, as her arm fell limply to her side. Dawn turned to look at her face – just as Rose Red had turned to look at her. Dawn did not find any shock, fear, or sadness on Rose Red's face.

Rose Red was not scared, or shocked, or sad.

Instead, she grinned sickly.

She was teetering that edge of being alive, and being dead, almost like Zoey had. She was on the edge of twilight, just getting ready to fall off the field of rye and straight into the pit of hell.

Rose Red kept her hard stare level with Dawn's frantic eyes as she gripped Dawn's wrist tightly, before pushing the glass blade deeper into her chest. Dawn's head fluttered back and forth between Rose Red's eyes and her hand as blood ran thickly and quickly down her hands. Dawn's mouth opened as if to scream and yell 'stop!' but she had no time as Rose Red pushed her away, the sound of glass sliding against slick flesh and blood the only noise in the room. Dawn tumbled backwards, unsteady, but caught herself as she hit the pillar behind her.

Rose Red smiled for a moment – it was almost peaceful, Dawn noted – before falling backwards, and landing with a whoosh. Blood rushed from her wound quickly, then slowly, as her heartbeat came to a close. The light faded from her eyes and all that was left on the floor was a broken doll. The roses opened and fell slowly all around her, the wilting flower petals dropping to the ground like small pools of blood.


This was a short chapter, I do realize, but I didn't want to spoil any further than this! My next chapter is drafted, and I apologize for this late chapter but I just had trouble deciding if this was really the route I wanted to go with. I had a cooler idea for Zoey's brainwashing, but too bad I forgot it LOL whoops? I guess it wasn't that cool if I forgot about it haha! Oh well, anyways, I hope you liked that! YAY ROSE RED IS DEAD :D at least, I hope you're happy that she is lol!

Anyways, only a few more chapters left…!

(You know what I just realized? My pen name is in this chapter! Or part of it is, at least… LOL!)