SC: Well, now that everyone absolutely hates me and thinks I'm a sadistic bitch, I'm about to make it so much worse. Curious yet? Good. Start reading.

Disclaimer: I am a sadistic bitch, and therefore cannot own anything. Wait, I can? Well, I still don't own The Nightmare Before Christmas. Oh, and I don't own 'The Wreckage'. That's owned by Vanessa Carlton --

Chapter 11

Reverie

-Aubrey's POV-

Speeding into the horizon

I was soaked to the bone, freezing cold, and tired. It had been hours since I'd ran from the house, and the sun not long after I'd gotten out of my neighborhood, bringing in a freezing rain, not icy enough to be considered sleet, but trying none the less.


Dreaming of the siren

Pain coursed through my burning leg muscles as I kept walking, no longer able to run. The only good thing about the sun setting was that it wasn't blinding me anymore. I had no idea where I was going. At first, I'd thought about going to The Towers and finding the tree, but then I remembered that it was gone. So I'd just been wandering stupidly for hours and hours.


Wishing for broken glass on the highway

My ears were sore and cold, and the ringing silence wasn't helping my headache any. I had long since realized I was lost, and had taken to following the highway, hiding behind something whenever a car would pass. But I hadn't seen one for hours. I glanced down at the glowing watch on my wrist. Eleven thirty-seven.


It could be so easy

Shivering, I looked up and down the road. What I wouldn't have given for a car. I would've rather been taken home and suffered there rather than suffering out in the cold and wet. With a sigh, I kept walking. Why I didn't just turn around and try and find my way back, I didn't know. It was like something was pulling me along, refusing to let me turn back. I stopped rubbing my arms to clutch the necklace that was trapped under my soaked shirt.

I don't know what made me think of Lock and made me pull the necklace out to stare at it, which I'd developed a habit of doing lately. 'I'm not going to see him again until I die.' If I wasn't afraid of them freezing, I would've let the tears stinging my eyes fall.

The rhythm

I turned around to see pinpricks of light so small that at first, I thought I was seeing things. Then I heard the low rumble of a car engine.

Rhythm of an engine

I climbed over the guardrail and felt the rough stones that lined the roadsides under my feet.


Always makes me empty

'I could flag them down.' I thought. 'Go home.'


I see the headlights coming at me

Then I felt the cold metal of the necklace in my hand, and I felt… empty. 'Or… or I could…' I looked at the oncoming headlights.


And I can't help but wonder

They were getting closer, and now I could see the outline of the car. I could hear the pounding base even through the windows. The tears poured freely down my face as my sense of reason battled with my heart. 'Lock wouldn't have wanted you to kill yourself.' I berated.

'But Lock isn't here, is he? Don't you want to see him again?'

"More than anything." I whispered to the air.

'Then run. NOW!' My feet took flight and the stones flew as I scrambled onto the hard pavement.


Flying

The brakes screeched, but it was too late. They had been going to fast, and the road was too slick. I felt my ribs cave in as the vehicle slammed into my side.

Flying in slow motion

Everything seemed to slow down as the force lifted me off the ground and sent me flying back.


Wind through my hair

I saw the horrified faces of the occupants of the car in perfect detail, felt the pain lacing through the left side of my chest with every breath I took, felt the cold wind whipping my hair up around my face, and felt the hard rain pouring down on my scalp and arms.

And ripping through the scene that's made of the wreckage

The wind was knocked out of me as pain tore through my chest and back I couldn't breathe. Why couldn't I breathe?! Something was wrong with my neck too. I couldn't lift it. But it wasn't broken, because I could still feel everything hurting.

It is not a secret

My vision was red and fuzzy; the blood vessels must've burst. I blinked many times to try, and fail, to fix my eyesight. But it seemed that every time my lids closed, they got harder to open. My body was going numb, and I felt, scratch that, I WAS suffocating.

Speeding

Then it hit me; the feeling that my mind was being torn out of my body and being pushed in at the same time. I was going to die. I was dying.

Into the horizon

I managed to lift my head and look at the cloudy night. It was probably just my oxygen-deprived brain playing tricks on me, but it seemed like the clouds were just disappearing, leaving a clear, starry night.

Dreaming of the sirens

As my head fell back to my chest, my vision was going black. My head was ringing again; if I had survived, I would've had a serious concussion. Maybe even brain damage. My muscle control evaporated, and I felt… not hurt, not even particularly upset.

Wishing for broken glass on the highway

I felt free. I turned around as I sensed someone behind me. "Hello Aubrey."

It could be so easy

Only it wasn't the Grim Reaper standing there. It was my father-

-My third birthday… the cliff… Oogie's shadow…

-with a knife in his hand.

-Sandra stole a plastic knife from the kitchen and cut herself with it.

-He plunged it into my stomach, and pain shot through me. "No…"-

-The car… the tree…

-But then it wasn't my father. It was Lock holding the dagger's hilt, pushing it in deeper, intensifying the pain-

-So much pain… like my heart was being torn out…

-driving it deeper and deeper through my body until it came out the other side-

-No… stop! Wake up!

-driving my mind into darkness. And Lock was laughing. No. Not Lock. Oogie. Shock. Barrel. Jack. Sally.

Me.

And then the dagger was gone. It was pulled out. The shadows surrounding me started to vanish, and I could feel my body; my limbs stiff, something heavy pulling me down so bad it felt like my legs were going to be pulled out of their sockets, but I was still being held up by something cold and hard across my wrists.

My head snapped around as something, or someone, hit me hard across the cheek. "Wake up! I want you conscious for this." I groaned and opened my eyes a little, my vision still blurry.

The figure in front of me said something else, it wasn't nice, I could tell that much, before disappearing around my side. My eyes opened wide as I felt the steel that had been in my chest bite into my wing. I screamed as the flesh was hacked away in painful chunks. I screamed as I felt the bone being sawed through like wood, only much more painful. I screamed until I couldn't gasp in the air to scream anymore. Then, the knife vanished, stopped cutting through my limb, and left my body feeling strangely… uneven. I realized then that my wing was no long my wing. It wasn't attached to me anymore.

The figure walked in front of me again, going to my other side. I knew what they were planning to do, and I fought. But what good would my fighting do when I could barely move? The pain came back, harsher this time, and I couldn't stop screaming again.

Finally, the deed was done. I let my head fall to my chest, too tired and numb to do anything else. I didn't have the air to sob, so my body settled for little whimpering noises that I couldn't have stopped if I'd tried.

The figure's footsteps stopped again, in front of me. "Since you and Lock are no longer an item, dear sister," I felt cold fingers against my chest, "You'll no longer need this." I felt something pulling against the back of my neck, then felt a snap, and realized that my necklace was gone.

The silence was overwhelming for a few minutes. Then, I heard, "Aubrey?" It was Barrel. For some reason, the fact that my friends had just seen this act made me cry even harder. "God I'm sorry."

I managed to remember how to shake my head. "No…" I gasped out, barely loud enough for even me to hear. "It… not your f-fault."

I heard a growl, obviously Shock. "That bitch is gonna pay for this."

I blinked a few times, the tears clearing from my eyes. I could see again, at least. Pulling my head up, I looked around. Shock and Barrel were chained up to the walls in front of and next to me, and both seemed to be in okay condition, save the fact that Barrel had blood dripping down his left cheek.

"Who-" I coughed; my throat was sore from screaming. "Who was that?"

Shock and Barrel looked over at each other. Shock sighed. "Her name's Vanessa. She's your twin."

I stared at her. "I don't have a twin."

"Yeah, well she sure looks a lot like she could be." Barrel told me. "The only difference is that her hair's black."

I swallowed, then winced. That hurt too. "She was talking about Lock… where is he?"

Neither of them spoke.

"Shock? Barrel?"

Shock looked up at me, sympathy obvious in her black eyes, even from across the room. "She… Vanessa, I mean, cast a memory spell on Lock. He doesn't remember you anymore."

If my heart had still been beating, it would have. "Great. This can't get any worse."

"No, but I think it's about to get better." A familiar voice said from the doorway.

xXx

Lock looked up as Vanessa walked into her room, slamming the door behind her. "Something wrong?" He asked.

She smiled at him. "Actually, I've never felt better." She tossed something silver onto her bed before walking over to her vanity chair where Lock was sitting. "Scoot."

He got up and walked over to her bed, sitting down. Vanessa's room was decorated much like you'd expect a rich, spoiled, five-year-old to be. There were quite a few stuffed animals, most of which were bigger than Lock, and a huge four poster canopy bed. Only instead of the frilly pink that a child would've preferred, everything was black lace and spider webs. Except for one wall, which was covered by the huge mirror that reflected the entire room and that Vanessa was staring into.

Lock rubbed his eyes as the room started to blur again. He blinked as the decoration, no, the entire room changed, showing him another darkly decorated room. The mattress below him was softer, more… familiar, almost, and the stuffed animals vanished. The ribbons hanging from the walls disappeared, replaced with gray paint, with the random spider web placed here and there. The huge dresser vanished, and a small table appeared next to the bed. A picture frame rested on the smooth, flat top. He stared at it. He, Shock, and Barrel were in it, but his arm was out, like it was supposed to be wrapped around something… or someone.

But then he blinked again, and the strange room disappeared. He shook his head and let himself fall back on the bed, his hand brushing over cool metal. Lock looked over, picking up the object. He began to stare again at the bright crimson stone as his mind flew off again.

"I wanted to give this to you at least once since Barrel had to do it for me last time."

Lock put a hand on his throbbing head and sat up, looking at Vanessa.

Except it wasn't Vanessa.

The long black hair was gone, replaced by silvery white hair in a short crop, framing a face almost just as pale. The crimson and black mini dress was replaced by a black sleeveless top and jeans. A pair of feathered ebony wings unfurled from her shoulders.

"Lock, stop spacing out." He blinked and the stranger was gone, and Vanessa was staring at him like he had gone nuts.

"Sorry." He muttered, tucking the necklace in his pocket.

She shook her head, turning back to the mirror. "Well, whatever. Like I was saying, I need to recharge for a couple of hours. Make sure no one moves me, okay?"

He nodded, his claws still playing with the jewelry in his pocket. Vanessa slumped over in her chair, and the mirror glowed for a moment. Blurry at first, an image formed.

I'll give you one guess what that image was.

Vanessa sighed, reclining on the reflection of her bed in the mirror, which was absent of Lock. "I really wish daddy would hurry up and get my body fixed." She looked over at Lock, who had a faraway expression. "Lock!"

His head jerked up. "What?"

"I thought I said to stop spacing out."

'Getting a bit bossy, aren't we?' Lock thought. "I'm just tired."

Vanessa lost her cold glare and giggled like a toddler. "Well then take a nap. Duh."

Lock flopped back on the bed and closed his eyes, the image of the girl he saw burning into his closed lids. He frowned slightly as sleep began to overtake him.

'Who are you…?'

xXx

-Twenty minutes earlier-

"Alright Jakie. She's good and tight; now let's go. I think we've earned some 'us' time, don't you?" I heard a grunt and footsteps faded from the room. Opening one eye, I looked around. It was empty. I waited until the footsteps had completely faded before I began to work. My wrists were chained close together; close enough that even my little fingers could reach the seams on my left wrist. Of course, reaching them wasn't the problem. The problem itself rested in undoing my seams.

'Note to self: never redo the stitches so tightly.' I thought, pulling the last one free. I dropped slightly, held uneven. My hand scurried over to my ear and pulled out the needle there, offering it carefully to my mouth. Taking it in my teeth, I slowly transferred it up to my still attached hand. My left hand hopped back onto my wrist, balancing carefully. I'll say this about my detached limbs having a mind of their own; they certainly seem to know what they're doing.

After a few failed attempts at putting myself back together, I decided to go with Plan B. As soon as my other hand was off, I fell to the floor, landing in a heap. I sat patiently while my left hand sewed the right back on, then I proceeded to reattach it as well. I walked out of the room quietly, looking down the dark hallways, trying to figure out where to go.

Then I heard it; the scream that echoed through the hallways. I ran in the direction that I thought it came from. The screams stopped and started again, before stopping completely. I kept running, my bare feet silent on the stone floor.

I heard footsteps coming toward me, and I froze. Not a great idea, which I quickly realized. Glancing around, I jumped back around the corner I'd just turned, praying that whoever it was didn't have to come this way. The footsteps faded, and I braved a look around the corner. No one was there, so I made a break for it.

"…talking about Lock… where is he?" I gasped. That was Aubrey's voice! "Shock? Barrel?"

"She… Vanessa, I mean, cast a memory spell on Lock. He doesn't remember you anymore." That was Shock. I sped up.

Turning, I saw an opening in the dark stone wall. "Great. This can't get any worse."

I stepped into the doorway. "No, but I think it's about to get better." Three heads shot up toward me.

"Sally!" Shock and Barrel yelled. Aubrey didn't say anything. I looked over at her and gasped.

"Aubrey, your wings…" The sight of what had been done to Aubrey, my DAUGHTER, infuriated me to no end.

"Yeah… they've been amputated." She chuckled, but it turned into a cough.

Anger welled up in my chest. "I'm going to get you three down from there, and then we can talk."

--

SC: Okay, that whole thing with Sally? Yeah, that was supposed to be next chapter. This one was supposed to end with the Vanessa thing. I just added the part in Sally's POV because… well, I was bored. So, it might take a few extra days to redo my chapter outlines, but I'll get everything worked out and get the next chapter done. Promise. I cross my little black heart.

Oh wait, that's Lock's line.

Ja ne

SC