Beta reader: Mysterious Angel girl
Chapter 14: Consumed by Shadows
It was about midnight; the sky was a dark velvet blanket covering over the entire school, with sparkling stars littering its fabric. The wind whistled through the trees and every crack it could find, giving the school grounds a somewhat ghost town feel to it. But while this was all watched over by the glittering moon high above, an unknown being slid cunningly amongst the shadows, blending in against the dark and remaining undetected by the unaware occupants on this school.
The shadow continued to slide across the silent school grounds, until it reached the technical type labs. While it was not unusual for the students to be up at this hour working away at their Alice area, it was a rare sight for this certain person to be snooping around the technical buildings, let alone at night.
Finally, the shadow paused at a big wooden door, the owner of it peering into the glass window and smirking. Slowly opening the door with a soft creak, Persona strolled inside without a backward glance. The door closed behind him with a click, revealing a name plaque that reflected off the moonlight:
Nonoko Ogasawara
The sneaky Dangerous Ability teacher scanned the shelves lined against the wall, running his finger across them as he read each label. The shelves held a variety of test tubes and glass bottles that held many different colours and liquids, all of them carefully labelled and coded.
"Where is it? It's the one that Vadel saw in her vision, I know it..." Persona muttered as he kept searching the shelves. Finally, he stopped by a shelf that held only two test tubes filled with a light blue liquid. Not being the one to obey "DON'T TOUCH! HIGHLY UNSTABLE!" labels, he took the mixtures from the shelf and placed them on a nearby table. Flicking off the lids skilfully, Persona pulled a small envelope out from under his coat and tore it open. Looking down at the remains of envelope fluttering to the ground, he smiled and looked back at the potions on the table in front of him.
Carefully, Persona shook the contents of the envelope into his hand. A small black powder fell slowly into his hand, before Persona put a pinch of the substance into both of the light blue test tubes.
At first nothing happened, that is, until the test tube began to shake uncontrollably. Standing back with caution, Persona watched as the bubbling blue liquid inside began to smoulder, turning into a deep black colour before a "poof" sound and some smoke came from both test tubes, changing it back into the same light blue from before.
Persona looked at the still pieces of laboratory equipment, watching the liquid change into the evil substance he had just created. Smirking, he moved closer towards the tubes and looked down into one. Big mistake that was, for the test tube let off another small puff of black smoke, right in his face. Without a word, Persona turned around slowly with the smirk still plastered on. Then with annoyance, he wiped the black soot off his now emotionless face. Eyes narrowed, Persona prepared to place the test tubes back where they were.
"Shadow, I did say I would win. Even if I do have to get rid of you." With those words said, Persona sank back into the shadows, with everything back to where it was before and the room pitch black again.
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"And with that lesson over and done with, it will now be a free class," Narumi smiled his girly smile before zooming out the door. The poor substitute was left in the classroom shivering in fear, while most of the children in the room looked at him with an evil glint in their young eyes. With an excited yell, these kids advanced on the cowering teacher, rope in hand...
While the children started tying up the poor teacher, Mikan sat at her desk with her head lying down on her arms. She looked up every now and then to notice her classmates run wild with their various Alice's, but took no care in their antics. Natsume sat beside her, his feet popped up on his desk and manga covering his face with only the sound of his low breathing coming from his direction.
Great; I still haven't been able to talk to Natsume properly. I just wish I knew why he was doing these stupid things... Mikan thought as she looked at Natsume's sleeping figure out of the corner of her eyes. He sure was a guy full of mystery...
As a sigh escaped Mikan's lips, Nonoko and Anna appeared in front of her with huge smiles. The sudden shock would've stunned her, had she not been so tired.
"Mikan, would you mind helping us?" Anna began.
"Just with a harmless experiment that I made," Nonoko added before they both said in unison, "It'll be fun!"
Mikan looked at them and blinked, thinking they must be connected to the same mind or at least twins. How else could they finish off each other's sentence like that?
"Sure why not, if it's going to be fun," Mikan replied, forcing herself to show a huge smile upon her face as she stood up from her seat. Still grinning, she proceeded to follow the two girls up to the front row, where Yu waved at them. He then began pulling out a few objects from a nearby case.
"So what are we doing?" Mikan asked, looking at the two light blue test tubes that had been taken out as well as the packet of water balloons on the table.
"Well, it's a potion Nonoko made," Anna said as she began pouring only a few drops into some of the water balloons, "it makes you super-sugar-high happy" Nonoko finished, holding up a balloon with satisfaction.
"So why do you need me?" Mikan asked as she began doing the same process that Anna was doing.
Anna paused in filling up the balloon she was holding and turned to Nonoko, who was thinking the same thing. "To see the effects it has on a happy person" they both answered. However, that shared thought was soon masked by another, more serious one. Koko, who was sitting by watching and waiting for the experiment to happen couldn't help but hear what both Anna and Nonoko thought: Because we want to make you happy again.
"Well...I think this will be fun," Mikan said as she smiled that angelic smile again, making the surrounding people lighten up and sit back to watch the experiment. Slowly, all the people messing around began to relax as well, and they joined in with everyone else, eager to see what would happen.
"Ok Mikan, let's make this a game. We will throw these at you and you run back and forth between the area of the blackboard and try not to get hit," Nonoko explained before adding on "It makes you happy, but it does leave a bad smell and a stain on your clothes."
Mikan went to stand in front of the board and when she turned around she saw Natsume sitting in his seat, looking boringly out the window. However, he was actually watching Mikan out the side of his eye. But of course, the bright-eyed brunette didn't know that.
"Ok Mikan get ready...set...throw!" Yu announced as a few of the classmates began throwing the water balloons at Mikan.
"Wo...ha...we" Mikan was able to puff out as she dodged and ran in between the water balloons. As they missed Mikan and hit the black board behind her, the substance in the balloons and the balloons themselves disappeared and retuned on the table, most likely the effect of an Alice user in the crowd.
"Wow, Mikan you're fast!" Yu complemented happily from the sidelines as Mikan stopped mid run to turn and smile at him. But as she did this Nonoko threw an experiment balloon at her and because she was distracted, when she finally saw it, it was too late. The balloon went splat all over Mikan's head, with the impact forcing Mikan to fall over, sprawling all over the ground.
The class began to laugh and Hotaru took out her camera to take some pictures, but after the first click she knew something was wrong. Hotaru stood and looked at Nonoko, "Nonoko what was in that potion?" Hotaru asked as fear began to fill her eyes. Nonoko stopped laughing and looked at Hotaru strangely and then when she glanced at Mikan she saw that she wasn't moving.
"Mikan! Mikan! Guys look at Mikan!" Nonoko began yelling as the laughing people stopped and looked over at Mikan's motionless body. People began running over to her body and when Hotaru was near the crowd backed away so as Hotaru could get a better look. Hotaru kneeled down and put her fingers to Mikan's neck.
"There's a heartbeat and she's breathing, Yu go get a teacher!" Hotaru said as she began pulling Mikan's head onto her lap. Natsume was now staring at the mob around Mikan when he felt a disturbing presence coming from outside the room.
"Persona..." Natsume muttered looking at Mikan before a hand was placed on Natsume's shoulder.
"Natsume are you alright?" Ruka asked looking between his friend and the girl lying on the floor on her best friends lap. He had apparently appeared out of nowhere.
"Hn" was all he said before the sound of Hotaru's voice filled the air, calling for Ruka to get her bag from behind her desk. What are you up to Persona? Natsume thought as he went back to watching the scene fold out in front of him, not even noticing the dark aura beginning to surface from Mikan's body.
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Mikan's POV
What is this strange feeling...I can't describe it...
My body felt numb as I drifted through the darkness, my mind blank and my soul carrying a strange feeling of a falling emptiness. Even with my eyes open wide, I could see nothing but the darkness overwhelming me, trying to force me to surrender. Surrender to what?
Before that thought could process fully, images started to flash in my mind. Sad, unforgettable, painful images.
The pain felt unbearable with every sight that displayed before my eyes. My pet wolf Shadow dying, Grandpa perishing, fighting with Natsume... the memories of the past flashed past in fractured pieces, aching my heart with every vision I saw. It wasn't long before I felt the silent tears begin to flow from my eyes, but if only I could feel the grief slide away with them, then maybe facing the past again wouldn't be as bad as it had been back then.
The images flashed faster, still determined to see my pain be shown. The pain was unbearable; I felt like my body was on fire with Natsume's Alice, burning my soul and tearing it apart. My eyes could not close, I couldn't move at all. All I could do was take the pain and hold it inside, as I felt myself giving up to the shadows wrapping around me.
Then I heard myself speak, in my head.
I will not...I will not give in...give in to you!
I found that strange saying comforting, and against my will, it repeated in my mind. I could feel the longing bubbling up...the urge to release...I can't hold on much longer...
Then I let it out.
I couldn't think, I couldn't see or feel. All my senses were blindfolded. The only thing I could do was scream.
My own voice echoed throughout the bitter blackness, sounding so upset, so distressful. But it seemed it had a released a lighter feeling, as I could feel the negative memoirs of my life, the cold darkness, release its hold on me and retreat back into the murky depths.
But why do I feel like I belong amongst the shadows now? And why, after that terrifying scream, do I feel like something's missing? Why do I feel so empty inside...?
Suddenly, as my feet touched solid ground, a sweet voice that was now so familiar to me, yet their dark and evil edge worried me, rang out though the dark obscurity.
"Rest, relax and play Mikan...I'll take care of this so just go and sit there while I run the show..."
The words were so familiar to my ears, yet that felt... odd in a way. Like a great balance in the scales had been lost, and this person had fallen...but fallen for what?
Then there she was; standing opposite to myself in the darkness, yet I could see her clearly in her home in the shadows, stood my counterpart. I was about to greet her with relief, but the big evil grin spread across her face put me off guard. Somehow, my mind knew what was going on before I did and as the thought processed, horror struck me in my heart.
"Don't do it, leave them alone!" I yelled at my smiling counterpart.
"Do what?" She said in that sweet voice that made me feel sick to stomach. Yet, that lie didn't even show in her eyes, meaning the truth shined through in all its glory.
"What's wrong Shadow this isn't like you?!" I screamed at her but she just took a step forward, the creepy smile remaining on her face. She then started to circle me, not taking her eyes off mine.
"Mikan...Mikan...Mikan..." I heard her tut-tutting. "It's ok. This potion seems to have given me a new look at life." She then stopped and turned to face me again. "The problem isn't you or I, it's those people you call 'friends'. But its ok, I'll fix that."
"You can't get out, I won't let you Shadow!" I stated as I spread my hands, to not let the other me past. I tried my hardest not to show the surprise in my eyes at my sudden courage. But I can't let her take over me now, not when she was like this.
"Tough luck sister," she replied smoothly as her smirk grew and she walked straight at me. I held my ground and watched, as smirking me didn't even make an effort to move around or slow down.
Three steps away, two steps, one...seriously and what will this achieve? But with the final step she walked right through me, before stopping and turning around to smirk at me. Surprised at what just happened, I tried to move from my position. But I couldn't. I was frozen stiff, with my arms out and no way to move at all.
Suddenly the dark scene melted in front of me, staining it a bright, clean white. I didn't need to turn my head; I knew that I was once again in the white room of my mind. Relieved that I was no longer frozen, I tried to take another step towards her, planning to pull her back. But when I moved a rattling sound was made. Looking down I saw there was a chain around my wrist, and it was slowly disappearing into the mirror. I felt a tug on my arm, and my body stumbled back towards the mirror.
"I hope you have fun Mikan," Shadow said as she gave me a shove, causing me to fall towards the mirror.
I felt like it all happened in slow motion; I expected to hit the surface of the mirror, but instead I ended up falling right through it and into Shadow's room on the other side. With sudden determination, I stood up and began slamming my fists on the mirror's solid surface. It was no use yelling; she couldn't hear me. In a swirl of dark flame, I saw the wooden door appear in front of my other self, and I begged silently that she wouldn't go in. My vision blurred, and I felt myself collapse onto the hard ground with darkness spinning all around me.
The next time I opened my eyes, I was once again swallowed by the silent shadows, and knowing the fact that Shadow has now taken over my body once more.
Here you guys go. So what you think?
If you're confused just ask me ok?
POCKY! SQUEAK!