Be forewarned, this might get a little bloody for some.

Lizzy turned. The woman was blonde and tall, pale with slightly rosy cheeks. She was well-dressed, fitted blazer and black jeans. Lizzy was pretty sure she'd seen the shirt at Anthro; probably one of the things she coveted and prayed would eventually make it to the sale rack. The woman's hair was tied back in something resembling a fishtail. There was a small spot of carbon on her right index finger, just next to the nail bed. She placed the gun on the rickety table next to her. She walked over to Lizzy, heels on her black leather boots clicking against the floor. She rested a slender hand on the bar of Lizzy's cage. Her nails were painted a furious red.

"I know you haven't met me before," the woman cooed, "But I thought I'd like to keep it a bit of a surprise. You see," she turned, "I don't get to do this too often, and it's never this much fun. Going after one of her own, one of her pets?" The woman giggled. "Oh, it's just too much for me to handle."

"Who are you?" Lizzy said softly.

"That comes later, darling. I just want to enjoy the moment." The woman took a deep inhale, laughing on the exhale. "Oh, it's just too good to be true. I've done it. I…I just have so many people I'd like to thank." She giggled to herself. "Oh, yes. This is excellent." She smiled, a large, toothy grin that enveloped her face, Cheshire-like. She looked at Lizzy. "You'll probably be wanting an explanation, yeah?" Lizzy nodded, clutching her arms to her knees. The woman shrugged her shoulders. "I guess I could be so inclined."

"My mother's pets have always bugged me. You can understand, given your sisters. Divided attention and all that. She picks you folk up like trinkets. Showers you with affection, at least in her own special way. Always drove me bloody crazy. I'm sure you could understand such a thing. Though, perhaps I already said that." The woman giggled.

"I'm not quite in the mood for such a description." Lizzy stood, grasping the bars with both hands.

"You promised. You said that…you said…"

"I lied. People lie." The woman walked towards Lizzy, resting a slim finger on her cheek and caressing it softly. Lizzy barely felt the soft prick of a hypodermic needle in her left hip.

She awoke, naked, wrapped in plastic. She gasped for air through the hole above her mouth. She blinked furiously. She couldn't see, it was bright. Too bright. The woman sat there, leaning forward, elbows pressed against her knees. She had her chin tucked in her hands.

"I wouldn't worry too much, I shan't kill you yet. I just want to talk. Least for now. Now, Elizabeth, why do you do what you do?" Lizzy sucked in air.

"To stop people like you."

"No, no, no, that's not the right answer." The woman stood and let a blade linger over the skin on Lizzy's stomach. Her flesh quivered under the blade, pressing in and out. She was breathing heavily. She cried in pain as the knife slashed her skin. Blood pooled in the wound, dripping down her side and gathering on the table below her. The slow trickle echoed in her ear, a dull pounding pulsating against her temples. She pulled against her restraints to no avail. The sweat began to pour down her forehead. She bit her lips to keep from screaming. She tasted metal.

"Darling, tell me, why do you do what you do?"

"To…to help people."

"No, no." The woman made another incision. Lizzy bit her tongue again. "You don't care about people. You hate people just as much as I do. You have that demon inside of you too. I know it. You've just been weaker than I." The woman stood, crossing her arms behind her back. "You let morals and civilization, society, get in the way of your purpose—your true purpose, let the truth be told. Why, we cultivate you to be part of us, and you ran away from it. Yes, you ran away. Little Elizabeth Bennet, always running from who she ought to be. Does darling Jane know of the dreams you have at night, when you walk drenched in the blood of innocents, listening to the cries of children, the anguished mothers weeping? Have you dared enlighten Bingley? Sweet, darling Charles, only caring to make the world a better place. He'd dare not speak to you should you mention the nights of pacing, of screaming, furious anger punctuated with proclamations of murder." She turned to look at Lizzy. "And Darcy, does he know of the graves you've left behind." Lizzy cried out.

"You're lying to me."

"Perhaps you're only lying to yourself. Isn't that what Gardiner told you?"

"How do… you…know…Gardiner?" she breathed.

"We're rather good friends. She's told me so much about you. . Oh, you go by a different name now. You've changed your accent, your hair-quite honestly darling, I think it's time to touch up your roots—but when she told me of our dreams, your nightmares, I knew you were the girl I'd found so long ago." The woman paused. "I don't look my age. I'm much older than you would suspect, and the blood on my hands could stain a thousand men. We knew you would be special. It didn't take much to root you out when you were a child. We needed to, how you say, instill the nightmares. It's been a game all along, a great fantastic game. Why, I smile at the genius of it. It's worked out swimmingly, brilliantly, and you all deserve a medal for playing out your parts. It's a shame what's had to be done to reel you back in. You've done a good job but, I'm afraid, the game is up." She took a final slash at Lizzy's stomach. She clenched, vomiting in her mouth. She heard the smash of a kicked down door and the pounding of footsteps.

"Well look at that," the woman said. "I do believe we have a visitor." She clicked away in her high-heeled boots. Lizzy moaned and heard voices.

"Where is she?" she heard him say. There was anger in his voice, pain.

"Darling, how nice to see you again."

"Anne, I can't play this game with you. Where is she?"

Elizabeth clenched her teeth as she drifted off into silence.

Author's Note: And that's that. Hope to update soon.

Zoe