Chapter 29
Pain was something Viola was, regrettably, familiar with.
Being the so-called demon of her school, she got into fights that resulted in scrapes, bruises, and the occasional broken bone. Getting kidnapped for being an Emrys and the daughter of a successful, private lawyer, she also knew what cuts and bleeding wounds were. She was all too familiar with what pain was.
However, nothing prepared her for this.
The slice that went down the middle of her back to the top of her tailbone burned white hot. Viola's voice failed her as she screamed silently into Ciel's head. The wound was numb for a nanosecond, then something hot began to slide down. As this was happening, all she could do was scream in her head.
Oh, dear God! Please, I don't want to die! Viola cried in her head. This was really it. She was going to die because of a psychotic Grim Reaper in the past. This wasn't how she wanted to die. The last time she feared for her life she lost faith in humanity.
Against her will, Viola began to remember the incident that changed her outlook on wanting to live.
Viola felt the tears streaming down her face as she was roughly dragged up the steps of the abandoned four-story building. It was dark, full of spider-webs and dust long forgotten by the people who used to work there. She was being roughly dragged by a tanned man who was tall and built. His grip on her wrist was so tight it started to feel numb the moment she was pushed into his car earlier that evening.
"Please, Mr. Ned. Don't do this," she cried, desperately trying to reach for a pillar or desk to stop him from dragging her. But, he was too strong for her to fight against.
"Not gonna happen," the man, Ned, growled. He shoved her up the stairs past the third floor. On the fourth floor step he came upon a door. Kicking it open, it led to the rooftop of the building.
The evening night sky was dark. The stars were not visible and it was the new moon as if the very moon that watched over everyone did not wish to see what was about to happen. The roof itself was wide and spacious with only the vents and heaters dotting the grey area. Ned threw her through the door. Viola landed on the gravel floor with pebbles digging into her shins and hands. Wearing nothing but her little nightie, her arms and legs were bare to reveal the blood on her shins and the cuts on her wrists from where the rope binding her wrists dug into the skin. It hurt a lot, but Viola wasn't crying because of that. No, she was crying because she knew her life was at an end.
Ned grabbed her back up to her feet. He pushed her towards the edge of the building. Viola tried to struggle, but fell motionless once feeling the cold metal press against her temple.
"Stop that right now or I'll blow your brains out," he threatened.
She whimpered. She allowed him to drag her over to the edge, squeezing her eyes tightly.
"Why are you doing this? Mommy loved you," she sobbed.
A scream left her as he punched her in the back to shove her towards the edge of the building. Viola nearly toppled over, her shins digging into the hard plaster. For a moment she glimpsed the bottom of the building where she saw the white car resting in front of the abandoned corporate building. Being so high up she felt dizzy when she saw the ground. She managed to right herself up before she did fall, turning to face her captor with wide eyes. Ned looked at her with unadulterated rage and hate, his lips twisted in a snarl.
"Why am I doing this, you ask? If your mom loved me, she would've dumped you in foster care!" Ned snarled. He raised the gun towards her. "Do you have any idea how much you're hurting your mother? She is a kind, considerate woman with a future ahead of her. Instead of being able to do whatever she wanted she's saddled with you! A stupid, naive, and selfish brat who can't do anything for herself! But she's so kind she's willing to keep you when all she wants to do is get rid of you!"
"No, you're lying! Mommy loves me!" Viola knew he had to be lying. Although she was only eight years old, she knew her mother loved her. She had to. She also knew her mother would often get depressed, so grief-stricken about losing her husband that she would cry at night. Viola hated hearing her mother so sad so that's why she let her go find someone who would love her again just like her daddy used to. She hiccupped, shaking her head. "Mommy would never want to give me up! Mommy says I'm all she has left of Daddy so-so-so you're just being a big bully who doesn't like me 'cause Mommy likes me more!"
"Shut up! Just die already!" Ned pulled the trigger.
A gunshot broke the fragile silence. Viola winced as something nicked her ear, deafening her hearing. She jerked back, startled, but where she thought her foot would step on solid ground she met an edge. It toppled her balance, then caused her to fall backward. Gasping, she threw out her hands to catch herself on the ledge of the rooftop.
Viola screamed as she dangled. She desperately clung to the edge, her feet kicking out to find a footing. Her nails dug into the hard concrete of the building to find some kind of leverage, but only caused her fingers to bleed. Her arm, already hurt, was gradually weakening as she dangled there.
"Please! Please, someone, help me!" she screamed, gasping for her tears. "I don't wanna die! Help! Daddy!"
She gasped as her fingers lost the will to hang on. Forced to let go, Viola squeezed her eyes closed as she prepared to die, hoping it wouldn't hurt. Suddenly, she felt a hand wrap around her wrist at the last second.
"Don't let go!" a deep voice yelled above. "I've got you."
Viola's eyes snapped open. Raising her head, she managed to see a man leaning over the edge. His black hair hung in front of his face, but she could see the relieved smile and the brightness in his red eyes. Beautiful...
The man pulled her up easily. He helped her up back onto the edge to stand on it. Once Viola found her footing, she gave into her instincts. She started to cry.
"I-I thought I was gonna...!"
"Shh...Don't cry, little one," the man soothed. His hand, which was previously on her shoulder, raised up to began to smooth her hair. He knelt down to her height because he was very tall-taller than Ned. Viola blinked away her tears to see that the man was looking at her tenderly. It was a look her Daddy always gave her when he was still alive. "I won't let anyone hurt you ever again. You're safe."
Some unknown emotion welled up within Viola. This made her tears stream down. Not knowing what to do, she hugged the man around the neck.
"Thank you. Thank you."
The man tensed for a moment. Then, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him tighter.
The two of them stayed like that for awhile. Viola desperately tried to stop crying, yet managed to make her sobs quiet from the hysterical gasping it was. The man never let go, rubbing circles on her back to help soothe her. When she managed to catch her breath she pulled away.
"I'm sorry," she apologized, rubbing her itchy eyes.
"It is alright. You went through a traumatic experience."
"Where's-Where's Mr. Ned?"
"You will not need to worry about him any longer."
"Why not?"
"It is nothing you should trouble yourself with."
Viola sniffed back the snot running down her nose. She looked at the man that saved her life. There was a frown on his face as he removed the ropes from her wrists. Once they were gone, his gloved thumbs ran over the harsh marks they had led.
"Are you sure?" she asked, hesitantly. She didn't know why, but she had a feeling that whatever happened to Mr. Ned was something bad. Looking around the rooftop, she spotted a large lump where Mr. Ned last was. There were dark stains around him that looked an awful lot like the ones around her Daddy when he died. She took a step forward to get a closer look.
Suddenly, she couldn't get closer when she was lifted into the air and into strong arms.
"Come along, little one. We must be going," the man said, holding her in his arms. Her chest pressed against his, he used one hand to press the back of her head to rest on the crook of his neck as he walked. "Close your eyes. You need rest."
Viola squirmed. While she wanted to do as he said, she didn't want to. Mommy always told her to never go off with strangers. The man saved her life, yes, but she wanted her Mommy. She didn't want to sleep until she saw her again.
"Are you going to take me home? I want my mommy."
"You will see her soon enough. Sleep."
"I don't want to."
The man sighed, harsher than she expected. It was like a growl that dogs made.
"Stubborn even as a child. What am I to do with you?"
"You should listen to her, Sebastian," said a new voice-one much younger and higher than the man's low voice. "She obviously does not want to go to sleep."
The man came to a stop. Viola tried to raise her head but the hand on her head wouldn't let her. It pressed her harder to his chest to where she couldn't breathe. He practically smothered her there.
"Why, if it isn't the young master," he said, sardonically. "What brings you here to America? Are you done sightseeing the modern world?"
"As if you aren't doing the same. The last time you were in this world was during the second World War. Did you come back for her?"
"That is none of your concern. What of you? Did you come to check if her story was true instead of a fable?"
"Perhaps. I think you should put her down and leave her be. She never told us she had grown up with you at her side."
"She has not told us you had either."
While the two spoke, Viola's head grew heavy. Unable to properly breathe and her ears ringing, she couldn't register what was going on anymore. All she could feel was the man suddenly moving, her stomach dropping like that drop ride at a carnival, and laughing. It was to these noises she drifted off and fell to a black, restless sleep.
When the memory faded Viola's vision refocused. It was blurry, her eyes itching as she realized Ciel was squirming beneath her.
"Viola, let go! I can't breathe!"
"Ciel, sweetie, kindly shut the fuck up," Viola hissed through gritted teeth. The wound on her back was throbbing.
"How dare you! You cannot-" His hand slipped to her back to get up. He froze as she winced. "What is this? This isn't water."
"My, oh, my! You're full of surprises, little Dupree!" Undertaker gleefully said, amused. "Not only are you from the future, you had met that demon. It seems even in time he will stalk you, plucking you up when you are ripe for the picking."
"Be quiet!" She had enough of this. The pain was making it difficult for her to stay calm. It hurt so much. She wanted it to end. Getting off of Ciel, she sent a hateful glare at the man who caused it. "You're the worst sort of man in his world. At least Sebastian wouldn't hurt me."
"How long will that last? Sooner or later, he will devour your soul. If not you, then your future reincarnations. Will you stay in this cycle until the wolf comes for you?"
"That's none of your business."
"It very well is my concern. Even I, a rogue Grim Reaper, will not see such an old soul fall to a demon's hands. Shall I start your cycle anew to save you the suffering?"
Undertaker raised his scythe over his head. Viola gasped. She didn't want to get sliced again.
The ship suddenly rocked. It was a rumbling so violent it was like a nasty drop ride. Then, it started to tilt. The metal creaked and moaned.
Viola slid down the stairs, her shoulder hitting the broken railing. She bit back a scream. Holding tight to Ciel, she grabbed a rod sticking out. It made her wound hurt, but they were alive.
The same couldn't be said for everything. Several terrified screams were abruptly cut off.
"Ryan Stoker, born August twenty-fourth, eighteen sixty-four." The railing jolted. She looked up to see Grell stood on top of the railing. "Death by a falling accident on April twentieth, eighteen eighty-nine. No special remarks. Dupree."
"Y-Yes?"
A hand wrapped around her wrist and pulled her up. She was dragged to the top of the railing where they were able to sit. Viola looked up at Grell. For once, he had a frightening expression on his face.
"As much as I despise you, your soul and its vessel are not to be harmed. So stay here and stay out of trouble."
"Now you care about my life?"
"Just take my charity and do as I say."
Viola wouldn't mind telling him where he could shove his charity. Grell jumped off to the side before she could.
"Where is that reaper going? Sebastian, he is going after Undertaker!" Ciel yelled to the room. "Stop him! Do not let Undertaker be captured by them!"
The railing was jarred again. Sebastian landed next to them, a dazed Bastian in his arms. The butler set him down and bowed.
"Yes, young master."
A roaring engine split through the crashes behind her. Suddenly, Sebastian scooped Ciel into his arms, then threw himself to the other side of the room. Where he previously sat a lawnmower slammed into the railing.
"Oh, no, you don't!" The blond haired Grim Reaper said. "My senior reaper is stronger than me so I'll leave that to him. I'll take on the handicapped one over there here."
"Does that matter? You should be helping Viola!" Bastian maneuvered around the blonde. He removed his coat and started to rip it into strips. His breath was harried when he began to wrap it tightly around her torso. Viola hissed. It stung! "There, there. Don't cry, Viola. You'll be okay."
Cry? Viola opened her eyes. Tears streamed down her cheeks. It must have hurt more than she thought.
"Bastian, it hurts."
"I know."
She appreciated it when he returned to his task of stemming the blood. What she needed was a doctor, not words of sympathy. Viola concentrated on taking deep breaths and counting down from one hundred to filter out how much her back bloody hurt. It didn't help that the few things she heard were crashes and furniture getting sliced through. The ships creaking also lent her no peace of mind.
They were on limited time. At any minute the ship would sink!
"There," said Bastian, tucking in a strip end. "That should do for now. We should have Madame Red take a look later."
"If we survive that long." She stood on shaky legs. Her back twinged and burned as she moved. The bandages were tight enough to limit her movement like a corset. "Bastian, we need to get out of here. The ship is definitely going to sink in the next few minutes."
He nodded, frantically searching the area for something.
"Yes, but how are we going to escape? We are trapped!"
"I know! But, we still have time to escape outside right now."
Glass shattered on the single round window above the stairway. Water gushed through, soaking Sebastian and Ciel, who stood beneath it.
"Okay, no time!" Viola cursed. Dammit! She jinxed it! Now she really had no idea what to do. She suddenly jerked backward as someone grabbed her shoulder. She stumbled, her legs giving out. Then, she was swept into thin arms and carried off.
"Viola!" Bastion gasped. His voice became faint. That was understandable since her captor jumped out of the hole. That was the last she saw of him and the battle between the Grim Reapers. She cried out, then glared at her captor.
"Bastian! Patchy, put me down!" she demanded.
"Sorry, but no," Patchy said, jumping high into the air. Her stomach dropped, frosty cold wind biting into her. She pressed against him. "You were stupid enough to get your back sliced open. Do you think you would have escaped on your own in such a condition?"
"But, what about Bastian?"
"He'll be fine. He's got Sebastian to get him off. Right now, you are my concern."
"Don't worry about me."
"That's exactly what makes me worried." He hit the tilting deck and ran up. Viola buried her face in his shoulder. So many screams... She couldn't take it. She couldn't imagine so many people drowning and dying. "Damn! Where the hell are the life preservers?"
He slid to a stop. She peeked one eye open. They were at the stern of the ship. Several lucky few clung to the railing, terrified at the rapidly approaching water.
"I have no choice." He jumped onto the railing, eyeing the water. With his back to the railing, he looked out to the open ocean. She had a bad feeling about that.
"Ciel, no," she moaned. Not this scene! How many times did she watch this scene with her mother? She couldn't believe Patchy was recreating it.
"We have no choice."
"No!"
"Hold your breath now."
Then, he jumped.
Patchy launched them as far away as he could. It was low enough they quickly plunged into the water. Viola barely had time to hold her breath as they were submerged.
Pinpricks of the worst kind stabbed every single nerve in her body. It was like steel walls were pressed against her until she finally broke. Her mouth open, but then closed it, remembering she was underwater. Not for long, though.
Using his free arm, Patchy pulled them up to the surface. They hadn't sunk that far in. In no time their heads broke through the surface, gulping sweet, knife-stabbing air.
Once Viola took a gulpful of the stuff, she cursed.
"God fucking dammit! Hate you, hate you, hate you!" She was unable to get out more words through gritted teeth.
"This can't be worse than lying in the snow," he remarked, not stuttering a word. She hated him for that.
"Shut up! Swim! Lifeboat!"
"Using your words like a caveman now, are we?"
"Go!"
Patchy had mercy and did as he was told.
Shaking terribly, Viola tried to control herself. She couldn't think about anything except how was stupidly cold it was. Why? It was almost the end of spring! What the heck?
Patchy swam through the water as fast as he could. Pressed against his back, Viola thought it was too slow. She was slowly losing feeling in her fingers and toes.
"C-Ciel, talk to me," she bid, biting the inside of her cheek. The blood settled on her tongue. "Keep me talking. Sleepy."
"Are you?" She whimpered in response. "Alright. What do you think of the younger me?"
"Brat. Arrogant. Still the same."
"You better not be insinuating I haven't changed."
She giggled, which came out rather hysterical.
"At least I know Bastian is one of your better incarnations. You are just as much a brat."
"Am not."
Patchy continued to figuratively shoot the breeze to keep her awake and alert. Most of her replies were one worded. He spoke quickly and short to get her to answer. That way, she wouldn't think about sleeping and how inviting it was.
To continue on for a few minutes. Viola huddled against her friend's back, fighting to stay awake. It was getting hard to resist. It would be so easy to close her eyes for just a bit. Her eyes began to do just that. The world faded away.
In the distance, filtered by her daze, shouts roused her attention. Her eyes remained closed. Then, Patchy slowed down and hands grabbed her by the arms out of the water.
The second there was a warm body near her she wrapped her arms around it. Someone, a man, gasped.
"Viola? Are you alright? says Mary."
"Cold," she chattered, teeth clicking. She snuggled her head into him. "Back hurts. Warm."
A hand touched her back. Because of how cold she was, the pain was numbed.
"My goodness! Francis, give me your blade! Does anyone have an extra blanket? We need bandages!"
The surface beneath her rocked, making her dizzy. As the voices spoke over one another, Viola settled in. She was in safe hands. Anything that happened next, she could care less.
She was safe and warm.
XXX
So...I have no excuses other than the fact for these past few months, I've been trying to finish up Heart and Soul. With that done for now, I can get back into this! So, yay!
Also, there's the fact I had an issue with the flashback. I literally had no feasible idea how to end it and end this arc. As much as I love this arc, I did not know how to end it. There's also the issue I have with the next arc, which is one I don't entirely love. I'm still trying to write that arc and making it work. It might be awhile before I can get the next chapter up so I can figure out what to do with the School arc, as I like to call it.
Sorry for this inconvenience, everyone. I'll try to get the next chapter out as fast as I can.
Please review!
