AN: Some people are just incorrigibly demented, and I happen to be one of them. The
continuity is probably messed up. The facts are probably screwed up. The names have been
changed to protect my right to misspell. Just read it. I apologize in advance.
~~~
"Warped," part four
~~~
Breathing the air was like trying to inhale the mud she was lying in. The rain pooled around
her like blood and she thought she should look for shelter but knew somehow that she
wouldn't be going anywhere until it was time.
There was only a stone building there off in the mist anyway, an orphanage, and she couldn't
go there the way she was. They wouldn't recognize her the way she was, with her insides
seeping out into the earth.
She held on, and holding on was pain, brightness evaporating the dark, rising like a sun inside
her, carving out a hole for the emptiness to come into being. Oceans roared in her ear and
clay covered her eye.
It was always dark in the beginning. Until the separation. Until the rift: Dark and Light, Earth
and Sky, Mud and Ocean.
Time was all that stood between them, paper-thin, transparent, and yet for all her screaming,
inflexible.
And even as she struggled to hold on, she could feel its aching. It ached like fingers for the
hand, like arms for the body, severed veins crying red. They had done this to Ultimecia. They
had done this to Adel and Edea and Rinoa.
They had done this to Hyne.
And they didn't care, tearing at her flesh like dogs who hadn't eaten in days, turning her into
half of what she had been, leaving her only when she ran, bleeding a trail for them to find her.
But they hadn't followed. They didn't care what happened as long as they could keep their
magic, swallow the parts that they had stolen, and she would go away. They were always,
always only interested in themselves.
She covered her eye with her hand; had nothing to cover her ear with as she waited, listening
to the rain fall to the ground like broken glass.
~~~
Music and light had flowed from the big doorway as they'd kissed. It was dark outside, and the
clouds hung down from the sky like solid objects. Hadn't this night been clear?
That had been some time ago, and she realized that if it had seemed like the music had
stopped when they were together...it had. The light coming from inside had been
extinguished, and now the shadows stretched slowly away from the stars, the only light left.
She creased her brow. Hadn't there been clouds?
The power must have gone out.
"Hey Squall, I think this is going to be easier than we thought..." She turned to face an empty
balcony. He must have already gone inside, and she made her way between the bulbous
curtains to look. Blue light poured through the windows and sank into the cracks on the floor.
Where were all the decorations, all the food, all the people? Maybe it was some kind of trick.
She climbed the stairway to the door.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"Quistis?" The woman was standing in the door impatiently as if she had always been there.
There was something wrong with her face.
"You're not trying to sneak out, Selphie, are you? The dance isn't over yet."
"I wasn't... What do you mean? There's no one here!"
"I think Zell would disagree with you." Instructor Trepe turned her around to where, against
the long windows, Zell was ravenously eating something off the empty table.
"But...where did he come from? Zell?" She stepped from the stairs, Quistis forgotten.
"These hotdogs are great, Selphie." Zell barely took the time to look at her before he turned
back to the table. There was a deep red liquid slipping from the corner of his mouth that might
have been ketchup, but it dribbled too fast for ketchup, dripping onto his uniform and sinking
in too easily. He opened his mouth and she could see something sick and wet staring at her
from inside before he decimated it with his teeth.
"Stop that! What're you doing?"
"Selphie, you've got to leave him alone. He doesn't get much of a chance to eat anymore. Not
after the accident."
She turned around to face Rinoa. At least that was what the voice sounded like. The white
dress from the ball blended into the girl's skin, leaving her figure indistinguishable, first clear,
and then opaque like melted wax. Selphie squinted, trying to make out her face.
"Why do you have to keep interrupting everyone? I was trying to dance with Squall."
She turned to where Rinoa gestured, and sure enough, Squall was standing there silently with
blank eyes, looking dark as though somebody had died.
"Squall? What's going on? I thought you were supposed to meet me by the..."
With a whir and a choke, the music ground back to life, playing the waltz again. The lights
came back on suddenly like flashbulbs and Rinoa tapped her foot, impatient. The light made it
hard to see, and Selphie rubbed her eyes.
"Well? You wanted to dance with him, so do it. We don't have all day, you know. You have
things to do. Go on!" Rinoa was pushing her towards Squall, who still hadn't moved since
she'd seen him. She didn't know what was happening, but she didn't want to get close to
Squall. When she bumped into him, he took her by the waist as if he suddenly knew how to
dance.
Somewhere along the line, people had appeared, because she was banging into them, getting
elbowed, the dance floor was so crowded. Somebody's long hair hit her in the face.
"What's wrong with you?" She asked Squall. He wouldn't speak until he looked her directly in
the eyes, and even then, he wouldn't speak *to* her.
"It's time," he called to Rinoa grimly.
Rinoa took her by the hand, "You have places to be."
They lay her down on the table gently, together, Squall holding her ankles while Rinoa tied
them tenderly, all the while watching her nervously, as if they knew something that she had
yet to figure out. Their fingers were cold like rain. She held onto Squall's hand while Rinoa
twined a cord around her wrist, looking up at him with love. That was it wasn't it? They loved
her. How could they not? She had given them everything.
It was Rinoa who held the knife, Squall waiting off to the side, stroking the bound flesh until it
was over. The head was easy—Her face came apart like butter. The red washed into her eyes
and darkened her vision so that she didn't have to see. She knew it would be easier this way.
But by the time the cool blade reached her chest, she'd realized her mistake. She hadn't given
them one side—she had given them *a* side.
And they were going to take the side with the heart.
Zell had been waiting at the table for her heart!
She was using her powers like she was using her limbs, Uncoordinated; fire lighting up a skirt
across the room, freezing some dancers in the other. People should have been screaming, but
nobody was moving, as if she had frozen them all. Only Squall and Rinoa continued, calmly,
the steady line down the center of her body growing red and thick.
In a matter of minutes or hours, it was over. She closed her eyes, feeling a strange kind of
peace sweeping through her despite the blood. It was dark now, but that was all right.
It was always dark in the beginning.
~~~
End, 4.
continuity is probably messed up. The facts are probably screwed up. The names have been
changed to protect my right to misspell. Just read it. I apologize in advance.
~~~
"Warped," part four
~~~
Breathing the air was like trying to inhale the mud she was lying in. The rain pooled around
her like blood and she thought she should look for shelter but knew somehow that she
wouldn't be going anywhere until it was time.
There was only a stone building there off in the mist anyway, an orphanage, and she couldn't
go there the way she was. They wouldn't recognize her the way she was, with her insides
seeping out into the earth.
She held on, and holding on was pain, brightness evaporating the dark, rising like a sun inside
her, carving out a hole for the emptiness to come into being. Oceans roared in her ear and
clay covered her eye.
It was always dark in the beginning. Until the separation. Until the rift: Dark and Light, Earth
and Sky, Mud and Ocean.
Time was all that stood between them, paper-thin, transparent, and yet for all her screaming,
inflexible.
And even as she struggled to hold on, she could feel its aching. It ached like fingers for the
hand, like arms for the body, severed veins crying red. They had done this to Ultimecia. They
had done this to Adel and Edea and Rinoa.
They had done this to Hyne.
And they didn't care, tearing at her flesh like dogs who hadn't eaten in days, turning her into
half of what she had been, leaving her only when she ran, bleeding a trail for them to find her.
But they hadn't followed. They didn't care what happened as long as they could keep their
magic, swallow the parts that they had stolen, and she would go away. They were always,
always only interested in themselves.
She covered her eye with her hand; had nothing to cover her ear with as she waited, listening
to the rain fall to the ground like broken glass.
~~~
Music and light had flowed from the big doorway as they'd kissed. It was dark outside, and the
clouds hung down from the sky like solid objects. Hadn't this night been clear?
That had been some time ago, and she realized that if it had seemed like the music had
stopped when they were together...it had. The light coming from inside had been
extinguished, and now the shadows stretched slowly away from the stars, the only light left.
She creased her brow. Hadn't there been clouds?
The power must have gone out.
"Hey Squall, I think this is going to be easier than we thought..." She turned to face an empty
balcony. He must have already gone inside, and she made her way between the bulbous
curtains to look. Blue light poured through the windows and sank into the cracks on the floor.
Where were all the decorations, all the food, all the people? Maybe it was some kind of trick.
She climbed the stairway to the door.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"Quistis?" The woman was standing in the door impatiently as if she had always been there.
There was something wrong with her face.
"You're not trying to sneak out, Selphie, are you? The dance isn't over yet."
"I wasn't... What do you mean? There's no one here!"
"I think Zell would disagree with you." Instructor Trepe turned her around to where, against
the long windows, Zell was ravenously eating something off the empty table.
"But...where did he come from? Zell?" She stepped from the stairs, Quistis forgotten.
"These hotdogs are great, Selphie." Zell barely took the time to look at her before he turned
back to the table. There was a deep red liquid slipping from the corner of his mouth that might
have been ketchup, but it dribbled too fast for ketchup, dripping onto his uniform and sinking
in too easily. He opened his mouth and she could see something sick and wet staring at her
from inside before he decimated it with his teeth.
"Stop that! What're you doing?"
"Selphie, you've got to leave him alone. He doesn't get much of a chance to eat anymore. Not
after the accident."
She turned around to face Rinoa. At least that was what the voice sounded like. The white
dress from the ball blended into the girl's skin, leaving her figure indistinguishable, first clear,
and then opaque like melted wax. Selphie squinted, trying to make out her face.
"Why do you have to keep interrupting everyone? I was trying to dance with Squall."
She turned to where Rinoa gestured, and sure enough, Squall was standing there silently with
blank eyes, looking dark as though somebody had died.
"Squall? What's going on? I thought you were supposed to meet me by the..."
With a whir and a choke, the music ground back to life, playing the waltz again. The lights
came back on suddenly like flashbulbs and Rinoa tapped her foot, impatient. The light made it
hard to see, and Selphie rubbed her eyes.
"Well? You wanted to dance with him, so do it. We don't have all day, you know. You have
things to do. Go on!" Rinoa was pushing her towards Squall, who still hadn't moved since
she'd seen him. She didn't know what was happening, but she didn't want to get close to
Squall. When she bumped into him, he took her by the waist as if he suddenly knew how to
dance.
Somewhere along the line, people had appeared, because she was banging into them, getting
elbowed, the dance floor was so crowded. Somebody's long hair hit her in the face.
"What's wrong with you?" She asked Squall. He wouldn't speak until he looked her directly in
the eyes, and even then, he wouldn't speak *to* her.
"It's time," he called to Rinoa grimly.
Rinoa took her by the hand, "You have places to be."
They lay her down on the table gently, together, Squall holding her ankles while Rinoa tied
them tenderly, all the while watching her nervously, as if they knew something that she had
yet to figure out. Their fingers were cold like rain. She held onto Squall's hand while Rinoa
twined a cord around her wrist, looking up at him with love. That was it wasn't it? They loved
her. How could they not? She had given them everything.
It was Rinoa who held the knife, Squall waiting off to the side, stroking the bound flesh until it
was over. The head was easy—Her face came apart like butter. The red washed into her eyes
and darkened her vision so that she didn't have to see. She knew it would be easier this way.
But by the time the cool blade reached her chest, she'd realized her mistake. She hadn't given
them one side—she had given them *a* side.
And they were going to take the side with the heart.
Zell had been waiting at the table for her heart!
She was using her powers like she was using her limbs, Uncoordinated; fire lighting up a skirt
across the room, freezing some dancers in the other. People should have been screaming, but
nobody was moving, as if she had frozen them all. Only Squall and Rinoa continued, calmly,
the steady line down the center of her body growing red and thick.
In a matter of minutes or hours, it was over. She closed her eyes, feeling a strange kind of
peace sweeping through her despite the blood. It was dark now, but that was all right.
It was always dark in the beginning.
~~~
End, 4.