Chapter Thirty-Six

Disclaimer: I don't own OP.

A/N: I have been waiting for this for like…ever since I started this fic. Why? Because all of these ideas in my head just started piling up more and more and they are now being sorted out and some are tossed while only the best are being used. This chapter is slightly dark and angst. ENJOY!

A full night without sleep, she stared at her hand, daring not to erase the mark. For years, she's heard her destiny and had put it off until finally fearing the day of her birth but when nothing had happened, she brushed it off again until seeing Bret's blood on her fingertips. By moonlight, she could see red on her hand as it darkened to a deep, almost black red. Flexing her fingers, she felt that caked on liquid crack and fall in flakes. Tear had stopped flowing long ago. All that remained was an empty shell.

With red eyes, deep bags under them, she looked around, almost observing her surroundings without looking. Looking back at her hand, she balled it into a fist, listening to the crunching sounds before opening her fist, watching the dark material fall. What had set this in motion? Before the academy, she was warned to turn back but after sneaking out to go dancing with Tash and Sadie, she was told that it was too late. What had happened during that time?

Closing her eyes, she tried desperately to remember but it was all a blank. Her mind had been hit hard today and she wouldn't be able to remember for some time. Opening her eyes, she looked up at the stone ceiling, imagining the heavens above. Could he see the truth? Did he know she was innocent? Was he watching the whole time? Looking back to the bars in front of her, she counted the bars quickly as she continued to flex her hand.

Very slowly, she watched the light from the barred window shift from one side of the room to the other before the blue light turned lighter, almost to a white before color turned it a slight pink and finally, reds and orange as the night because day. Still sitting in the corner of the room, she could hear the base around her wake up. From her window, she could hear the village outside start to buzz with life. A life she could never be a part of again. Her mind sparked as she felt someone come near, clanging the lock of the door to the cells before opening the heavy wooden door.

Listening closely, she counted twenty-seven steps before someone stopped in front of her, a bowl in his hands. Setting the bowl outside the cell, he grinned. Niri's eyes narrowed as she heard the retching sound in his throat. Turning her head away, she tried hard not to listen to the phlegm being moved from the back of his throat, mixing with whatever snot he was hacking up and being spat in the bowl. Gagging, she closed her eyes tightly, wishing her mind would stop imagining the sick image.

"Eat up, criminal. Your trial is in a few days," she heard him say before he turned to walk away.

Growling, Niri stood up and raced to the bars, holding them tightly in her hands as she looked towards him. "I didn't kill him!"

Looking back, the Marine just grinned widely. "Sure you didn't. Just be happy you're leaving this place."

"Leaving?" Niri asked, her forehead furrowed. "Where am I being transferred?"

"Grey Water."

As the wooden door closed, Niri fell to her knees. This was it. She was now a criminal. She was being sent to a prison for a crime she didn't commit. Looking at the bowl, she could see the grits with the "special topping" before she picked up the bowl and threw it as hard as she could, breaking the ceramic object, watching the contents slide down the wall. Disgusting man.

Walking back to her corner, she slide back down the wall and stared at the flakes on her hand. Closing her eyes, she felt her head open. Exhausted from not sleeping the night before, of crying herself sick, her breathing calmed, her face relaxed as she leaned her head against the wall.

Opening her eyes again, she looked around, seeing shadows with red eyes all glare at her before pointing, screaming at her for murdering her commanding officer. Shaking her head, she looked around for anyone to help her. Seeing a shining light, she ran towards it, running into someone before wrapping her arms around the person, her eyes closed tightly. Suddenly, familiar hands pushed her away before eyes narrowed and looked away in shame. 'No, don't leave. Daddy! Wait! I didn't kill him!'

All around her, the shadows grew faces. Her family, her friends, all were shouting at her. Holding her head in her hands, she screamed loudly, trying to drown them out but with each pitch she reached, they grew louder and louder, their images growing until she fell into shadow. Falling, she opened her eyes and looked up from where she was falling from before her back hit something hard. Looking, she saw wood around her but looking back up, she saw ground before something closed over her, a lid. Banging hard on the wood above her, tears fell harder and harder as fear closed in around her. 'Let me out! Let me out!'

'You killed me.' Suddenly out of the coffin, she turned to see Baron. Shaking her head, his eyes went white as his head flew backwards, a hole emerging before blood trickled down from the wound. Looking back, he stiffly walked towards her, grabbing her arms, shouting at her 'You killed me! You killed me! You killed me!'

'No, no, no, no, no, no!'

"NO!" Panting, Niri drew her legs close. She brought shame to her father, her friends hated her and soon, she'd face the consequences of being framed. Why didn't anyone believe her that she didn't murder him? Why weren't they listening?

-.-.-

For three days, she had slept little and ate even less. For three days, Bret had came to visit her, to taunt her, to torment her before she finally gave up. Eyes once bright were now dull, her coloring grey from the dirt and lack of food and sleep. She didn't flinch as the cell guards grabbed her roughly, hauling her to her feet as they cuffed her, escorting her to the ship yards to send her to a proper prison.

She stopped once, looking over at the small Marine graveyard. There, the newest stone, was his name. They'd never have that drink now, they'd never tell stories of their missions, he'd never tell her a joke, she'd never yell at him, all of that was gone. Empty eyes shone in the light as tears fell once again. Being shoved, she fell to the ground, her chin scrapped on the dirt and rocks before being picked up by her arm and being pushed on. She could tell blood was flowing from her newest wound, that it would get infected with the dirt and rocks in it but her voice left her a day ago.

Once on the ship, Niri was pulled down below the brig, below the galley, to the cells where others were. All of them looked like they could use a bath. Recognizing a few from wanted posters, she knew that most of the were pirates, none of them with any real bounty but the rest looked like petty thieves rather than big fish. As a Marine opened up one of the many barred cells, the first thing to hit the girl was the smell. It reeked off dead animals, of droppings, infection and of unwashed bodies. How could they stand being on a ship with filthy people in cages?

Walking in the cage, she noted that there were only two things in it with her and she'd rather not touch either of them. The cot was as brown as the wood it rested on and a pail in the corner with flies around it was just disgusting. Thankful for not eating, she sighed as she leaned against the bars, feeling the waves of the Blue as they set sail to the next port.

-.-.-

None of them spoke. Most were like her, empty shells with nothing to do but go crazy within their own bodies, some kept their distances, fire still in their eyes, as if they had gone through this before, as if none of this really mattered to them but then, there were the others. They sat around all day, glaring at any who looked their way, spitting at those that never moved or looked away.

For days, weeks, who knew, they were all quiet. An occasional cough would ring out but not enough to be of any use. Food would be brought down but prisoners and guards didn't talk to each other. Without light, they were all dependant on their ears but without any sounds besides the waves crashing on the ship's hull, they might as well have been deaf.

Though this gave her time to think, she'd rather hear something, anything other than the repetition of the waves, the shushing sound of brushes on the wood above them and the sounds in the cells around her. With her dreams haunting her, the sounds of those going crazy around her, Niri stayed still in a little ball.

If anyone had wished ill of her, they had their wish.

A/N: not as long as I would have liked it but there's only so much one can write while their subject is in a place for so long.