Chapter 7: Pain

I awake to pain. It feels like every single nerve in my body is on fire. I can't yell in pain. There's something in my mouth. I try to spit it out, but nothing happens. It's a gag. It has to be a gag. I slowly open my eyes to a bright light hanging above me. I squint until my eyes adjust to the painful glare. Where am I? I try to move my arm to no avail. It responds, but there's a strap around my wrist. I can feel it holding me, the same with my legs. I'm strapped down, and there's no escape. The only thing I can move is my head, and that's only side to side.

"My, my. Awake already?" A very familiar, feminine voice cuts through the silence."You're a tough cookie, aren't you? I'm surprised you even survived this long." Then, she steps into the light, giving me full view of that sinister grin and malevolent eyes. Of course, I can't say anything because of my mouth being covered, so I don't even try.

She walks up to me and caresses my cheek gently with the tip of her nail. I convulse in pain, like an electric shock is frying every nerve in my body simultaneously without actually inhibiting my ability to feel it. A muffled scream vibrates the gag. At some point, I bite my tongue. I can taste the coppery liquid spread throughout my mouth and sliding down my throat slowly. It doesn't choke me, but if I let it build up, I may lose my ability to breathe.

I can feel her every exhale near my ear, and it makes me want to move far from her. "It's really no fun if I can't enjoy your every scream." She pulls the gag from my mouth.

I suck in deeper breaths and swallow the blood that had gathered in my mouth. "Why am I here? Where is here?"

She laughs cruelly. "I've been trying so hard to keep this from happening, but when I saw my sweet boy on the floor in the kitchen, I just snapped. This really is your own doing. I had every sadistic tendency under control until you came around. You fed the urges far too much, you fucking bitch." She touches my arm, and another jolt makes my body spasm uncontrollably.

I suck in the scream that threatened to escape. When she lets me go, I take one deep breath before asking, "What the hell did I ever do to you to have this happen?"

She laughs softly as she paces slowly across the floor beside the bed. Her eyes shine differently, strangely. It's a light that I've never seen before. Her normally brown gaze turns a golden color, involuntarily drawing me closer. If I could, I would have stood to get a better look into them. I can sense the inherent sadism, but that doesn't deter my utter fascination. "You didn't have to do anything, my little flame."

I snarl at her, temporarily shaking the spell that she seems to have cast. "Do not call me that. You have no right."

She smacks me, splitting my lip. I can feel the blood trail down my cheek, toward my ear. "I own you, you pathetic excuse for a child. I will do as I wish. If I want to call you my little flame, then I will do so. Do you understand?" Her voice gets a wispy edge to it, like she's trying to coax me into agreeing with her.

I don't think I can agree with her on this, but I nod anyway, hoping she doesn't call me that again. "Good. Now, as I was saying earlier. You just bring this innate urge out, the one that makes me want to hurt, to maim, to scar you." I suppose she could see the panic in my eyes at her words, because the next thing she says is, "Don't worry. My semblance is used for pain, not disfigurement."

She lifts her hand, and I see arcs of lightning skitter across her fingers. "You see, my Aura inhibits truly physical attacks. I could use a blade or hot irons on you, true, but this is so much more fun than that. I literally suck the pleasure out of you. You see, every chemical in your body has a purpose. Every time I activate my Aura while touching a living person, I can literally suck out the serotonin and the dopamine from their bodies. I basically soak up all of the happiness within you." She smiles at me as she trails her hand up from my ankle to my hip. "This tiny, little action, though, fries your brain just a little bit. That's where the pain comes from, my little flame." I flinch at that. "That's why I enjoy this so much. The power, the feeling, the high. It's all just a little intoxicating, you know?"

I glare at her and start to struggle against my restraints. "You're a monster, you know that?" I spit blood at her, but it doesn't make it far enough, and she just laughs.

"Oh dear, have I made you angry?" She digs her nails into my side. "I can rectify that. I'd rather hear that beautiful scream again, my little flame. I haven't heard of one such as yours in such a very long time." She sends that pulse through me again, and I grit my teeth against the pain. I won't give her that satisfaction. Then she lightens the shock, where it's just like a small tingling of static. It's so abrupt that it makes me gasp. "Are we not cooperating now, my little flame?"

She keeps calling me that, and it's making me so fucking mad. She isn't allowed to use that name for me. She's soiling the affection behind it. She's tainting every syllable that comes her mouth. I scream in outrage as she sets another jolt rippling through my body. That's when it happens. Suddenly, that same, blinding light erupts around me. I keep my eyes open this time. I look around me in amazement. Floating in the air, in a circle, are indecipherable runes, some orange and others white. I stare in amazement as they expand outward and explode in Madam's face, stunning her. The explosion also burned away the bonds, and I take the opportunity to escape. I jump up and run out the door. She put me in one of the spare bedrooms. I race toward my stairs, hoping she won't chase after me for a while.

A/N: Hello all. No, I am not dead, unfortunately. It's just three and a half or so weeks til finals. *clutches head* I'm fine, really. I just wanted to get this up. I wrote it... hmm... Friday? I think. No, Thursday! And I wanted to put it up before I forgot in the middle of all the cramming and procrastination and stuff that I'm going to have to do. I'll try to get a chapter or six done of A Raven in Summer's Embrace in the next few days. I don't know why, but my plot senses aren't working for that story anymore. Sadness. I'll try. That story is too good for me right now to throw it away. Also, this story is an AU. Just wanted to let you know in case you guys want to know when I'm going to throw in the whole "take over Remnant" thing. It might happen, but it'll go down differently than in canon. Probably. Maybe. Most likely. THere may be a couple of elements that are similar...

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