I woke up to see my mom standing in the doorway. She beckoned me to follow her and walked away. Bleary and confused, I considered waking my sister up, but some sense of urgency stopped me. I knew if I didn't follow her right now, she would leave forever. I shot out of bed and sprinted after her, but all I saw was a glimpse of a white cloak disappearing around a corner. I followed, but by the time I turned she was again disappearing around the next corner. No matter how fast I ran, no matter how many times I activated my semblance, she was always slightly faster than me.
She led me down into the lower levels of Beacon before finally stopping in a furnace room. "Mom? What are you doing here?" I asked. My tone was soft because I was afraid anything louder would dispel her like a dream.
"Hold her." She said. But it was wrong, somehow. I had never heard my mother's voice, but some instinct inside me knew this wasn't it. I tried to move backwards, but strong arms suddenly grabbed me and forced me to my knees. I blinked, and my mother slowly walking towards me changed into that new exchange student.
"What's going on?" I yelled.
"Little Ruby, it'll be okay. Just relax and take a deep breath." She reached her hand out and touched my forehead, and I felt something crawling across my skin. I screamed as blinding pain shot out of my face, and then everything went black.
/
I felt the little pang in my heart, the one that let me know my Mistress needed me. I knew I needed to leave now, no matter how much I wanted to stay with my Mistress' newest gift. "I'm sorry, but play time is over for now. But don't worry, I'll be back as soon as possible! There's still so much fun for us to have!" I leaned over and gave the bound Mercury a kiss on the neck, followed by one last lick of the delicious blood seeping from one of the hundreds of cuts on his body. He tried to flinch back, but the chains held him in place.
"You were so silly to betray our Mistress, but aren't you at least glad it brought us so much closer together?" I giggled in delight at the sight of him. So much damage, but not broken yet. I was being very careful about that; the anticipation would make the moment so much more delicious. "I think I'll start cutting things off next. Why don't you make a list of your favorite body parts, and we'll go backwards off that?" I couldn't stop another giggle from coming out as I turned and blurred out the door. I didn't stop until I was kneeling at my Mistress' throne.
"I see you've been enjoying your new toy. I trust you've been making the consequences of his betrayal clear." My Mistress said. Her voice was the most angelic sound I've ever heard.
"Yes, Mistress."
"Excellent work." A wave of ecstasy rolled through me at her praise, and I had to make an effort to avoid moaning in pleasure. There was nothing more intoxicating than my Mistress' approval. "However, breaking Mercury fully will have to wait. I have another task for you. Our spies have finally tracked down the three remaining relics. They're being hidden away by your former teammates. I need you to track them down and bring them to me."
I felt my heart begin racing from excitement. My new toys were fun, but I did miss playing with my old team. The thought of Weiss or Blake whimpering at my feet was almost enough to drive me mad with anticipation.
"Of course, Mistress. Should I be quiet, or can I indulge myself?"
"The time for quiet is long past. Feel free to enjoy yourself." The joy I felt at those words was almost indescribable. This was going to be the greatest hunt of my entire life.
Welcome to Fear the Reaper, a nice dark story in time for Halloween. I've got three more chapters for release every week in October. I hope it'll entertain and/or terrify you.