A/N: Tsk, tsk. Laziness, writer's block, and busy schedules just don't mix with writing!
~*~*~
A week and a half after the whole prank mess, Stacie was feeling worse. She had nightmares every night. Once she woke up in the middle of the night. A sharp pain invaded her side. It was as if she had been shot with a bullet. She'd look at her side, and there would be no blood. But the pain was still there.
The feeling of being hurt happened several times after. Sometimes she felt like she was being shot, other times stabbed to death. And the pain never went away. It only increased.
Legolas escorted her to her room.
"Good night." He smiled sweetly at her. She did her best to smile, though she was afraid of what would happen this time.
"I shall try. But even if I don't, I hope you do." She walked into her room and shut the door. A chill ran down her back. It was here.
"Oh, no...not again." She murmured.
"Yes, again!" The huge bat type of creature stood in the corner and walked near her. It snickered. "Thought you could get away, did you? That you could just go back without a care in the world?! Well, we at the terror and death association don't appreciate those who get away streak free."
"What are you talking about?" Fear was creeping into her heart.
"We thought it only fair you experience the same pain of your victims. Each and everyone." He grinned maliciously. "Do you remember the 'torture' assignment, I believe it was called?" He chuckled. "The best is yet to come! You'll be dead and in hell before you have the chance to get back!!! What goes around comes around." With that, he disapeared. (A/N: okay, the death guy looks like those freaky green spirit things off of Anastasia. Except he's black and alot bigger! But picture one of those things)
Her knees weakened, and she fell to the ground sobbing. She still had three days before the portal opened again. There would be no way she could get past the pain that was yet to come. No way.
"Though the sorrow may last for the night, joy comes in the morning". That's the way it was for her. Painful nights, but each morning the prince's fair face made her forget her pain, if for just a moment.
"Good morning!" He sounded cheerful. Her grim face lightened a little. It lost a bit of its dismal look.
"Good morning." She was losing her voice.
"Are you feeling alright?" She nodded and took his arm. Thus the usual ritual began.
Elrond shook his head.
"Her skin pales, and her eyes lose their light." It was true. Stacie's once tan skin was turning unsuaully white, and her once dark green eyes were losing their sparkle.
"Let us hope time is in our favor." Gandalf said solemnly.
"Something is wrong." Legolas stated as he led her to the gardens.
"Nothing is wrong. Nothing that I can't handle." She stopped as she felt like she were being hit over the head with a crowbar, and then beaten the crap out of her. "I...need to sit down." She gasped. He lead her over to bench. She sat down as the pain swirled around inside of her.
"Please tell me what's wrong." She couldn't bear to see pain in his eyes. But no longer did she want to be a burden to these people. Somehow she managed a small smile.
"...Just a...stomach ache. That's all." She gripped the bench as she could feel an arrow go through her heart. That would be her crossbow she used on the man who raped a little girl. She started to feel a little woozy.
"...think I'm going to faint. Take me back, please." Her voice faded as she fell over. Legolas quickly caught her. He swooped her up and carried her back to her room.
He laid her down on her bed, and kissed her forehead.
"I wish you could trust me." He whispered as the pained expression still remained on her face. She seemed like any other beautiful girl at first glance, but she was altogether different. She had a fire within her. The power to kill in her small frame.
Legolas turned around to leave the room, but was surprised to hear Stacie's voice stop him.
"I do trust you. I just want to keep you safe." He quickly turned around walked beside her. She stared, almost lifelessly, at him.
"Keep me safe from what?"
"Me. Legolas, you shouldn't be hanging around me. Don't want you...to get...hurt." He reached out and held her hand as a flash anguish swept over her.
"He's attacking you, isn't he?" She shook her head.
"In a sense I'm attacking myself."
"I don't catch your meaning."
"I'm feeling the pain of all my victims. Death is near, I can feel it."
"No! You have to hold on. Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"
"I didn't want to bother anyone."
"Stacie, you wouldn't have bothered me by telling me of your pain."
"But I deserve it. Don't you see? I stole the lives of so many. Why shouldn't I feel the pain I made them feel?"
"Who was it you killed?" She sighed as she remembered the backgrounds of those now in their graves.
"All sorts of people. Lying politicians...child molesterers...people who deserved death but were not given it by judges. Those who were guilty, but set free." Fire shone in her eyes.
"If they deserved what was given to them, then why do you feel so guilty?" She shook her head.
"Sometimes I killed the innocent." The detective...Josh.
"Why?! Why would murder people who did nothing to you?!" A flash of disgust crossed her face. Stacie felt heat rise up in her. For a few minutes she forgot her pain.
"Because I was ordered to!"
"Just because you were ordered to doesn't mean you had to."
"You do not understand." She hissed. "It was their life or mine! One of two things would have happened had I not killed them: one, the one to be assassinated would have turned me in to the police, who would have me burned at the stake like a witch! Or two, Jennifer and her little group would have killed me! THAT is why I sometimes had to kill the innocent."
"In that case, you are nothing more than a weak and incompetent wench who cannot think for herself." He sneered and started towards the door.
"I had many a chance to kill you, and many a desire, but I refrained from doing so. Do not underestimate me." Her voice was emotionless, her eyes dark and dreary.
"No, I overestimated you." He said over his shoulder as walked out of her room and shut the door.
~*~*~
A week and a half after the whole prank mess, Stacie was feeling worse. She had nightmares every night. Once she woke up in the middle of the night. A sharp pain invaded her side. It was as if she had been shot with a bullet. She'd look at her side, and there would be no blood. But the pain was still there.
The feeling of being hurt happened several times after. Sometimes she felt like she was being shot, other times stabbed to death. And the pain never went away. It only increased.
Legolas escorted her to her room.
"Good night." He smiled sweetly at her. She did her best to smile, though she was afraid of what would happen this time.
"I shall try. But even if I don't, I hope you do." She walked into her room and shut the door. A chill ran down her back. It was here.
"Oh, no...not again." She murmured.
"Yes, again!" The huge bat type of creature stood in the corner and walked near her. It snickered. "Thought you could get away, did you? That you could just go back without a care in the world?! Well, we at the terror and death association don't appreciate those who get away streak free."
"What are you talking about?" Fear was creeping into her heart.
"We thought it only fair you experience the same pain of your victims. Each and everyone." He grinned maliciously. "Do you remember the 'torture' assignment, I believe it was called?" He chuckled. "The best is yet to come! You'll be dead and in hell before you have the chance to get back!!! What goes around comes around." With that, he disapeared. (A/N: okay, the death guy looks like those freaky green spirit things off of Anastasia. Except he's black and alot bigger! But picture one of those things)
Her knees weakened, and she fell to the ground sobbing. She still had three days before the portal opened again. There would be no way she could get past the pain that was yet to come. No way.
"Though the sorrow may last for the night, joy comes in the morning". That's the way it was for her. Painful nights, but each morning the prince's fair face made her forget her pain, if for just a moment.
"Good morning!" He sounded cheerful. Her grim face lightened a little. It lost a bit of its dismal look.
"Good morning." She was losing her voice.
"Are you feeling alright?" She nodded and took his arm. Thus the usual ritual began.
Elrond shook his head.
"Her skin pales, and her eyes lose their light." It was true. Stacie's once tan skin was turning unsuaully white, and her once dark green eyes were losing their sparkle.
"Let us hope time is in our favor." Gandalf said solemnly.
"Something is wrong." Legolas stated as he led her to the gardens.
"Nothing is wrong. Nothing that I can't handle." She stopped as she felt like she were being hit over the head with a crowbar, and then beaten the crap out of her. "I...need to sit down." She gasped. He lead her over to bench. She sat down as the pain swirled around inside of her.
"Please tell me what's wrong." She couldn't bear to see pain in his eyes. But no longer did she want to be a burden to these people. Somehow she managed a small smile.
"...Just a...stomach ache. That's all." She gripped the bench as she could feel an arrow go through her heart. That would be her crossbow she used on the man who raped a little girl. She started to feel a little woozy.
"...think I'm going to faint. Take me back, please." Her voice faded as she fell over. Legolas quickly caught her. He swooped her up and carried her back to her room.
He laid her down on her bed, and kissed her forehead.
"I wish you could trust me." He whispered as the pained expression still remained on her face. She seemed like any other beautiful girl at first glance, but she was altogether different. She had a fire within her. The power to kill in her small frame.
Legolas turned around to leave the room, but was surprised to hear Stacie's voice stop him.
"I do trust you. I just want to keep you safe." He quickly turned around walked beside her. She stared, almost lifelessly, at him.
"Keep me safe from what?"
"Me. Legolas, you shouldn't be hanging around me. Don't want you...to get...hurt." He reached out and held her hand as a flash anguish swept over her.
"He's attacking you, isn't he?" She shook her head.
"In a sense I'm attacking myself."
"I don't catch your meaning."
"I'm feeling the pain of all my victims. Death is near, I can feel it."
"No! You have to hold on. Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"
"I didn't want to bother anyone."
"Stacie, you wouldn't have bothered me by telling me of your pain."
"But I deserve it. Don't you see? I stole the lives of so many. Why shouldn't I feel the pain I made them feel?"
"Who was it you killed?" She sighed as she remembered the backgrounds of those now in their graves.
"All sorts of people. Lying politicians...child molesterers...people who deserved death but were not given it by judges. Those who were guilty, but set free." Fire shone in her eyes.
"If they deserved what was given to them, then why do you feel so guilty?" She shook her head.
"Sometimes I killed the innocent." The detective...Josh.
"Why?! Why would murder people who did nothing to you?!" A flash of disgust crossed her face. Stacie felt heat rise up in her. For a few minutes she forgot her pain.
"Because I was ordered to!"
"Just because you were ordered to doesn't mean you had to."
"You do not understand." She hissed. "It was their life or mine! One of two things would have happened had I not killed them: one, the one to be assassinated would have turned me in to the police, who would have me burned at the stake like a witch! Or two, Jennifer and her little group would have killed me! THAT is why I sometimes had to kill the innocent."
"In that case, you are nothing more than a weak and incompetent wench who cannot think for herself." He sneered and started towards the door.
"I had many a chance to kill you, and many a desire, but I refrained from doing so. Do not underestimate me." Her voice was emotionless, her eyes dark and dreary.
"No, I overestimated you." He said over his shoulder as walked out of her room and shut the door.