Me: Hm, I can't wait until Halloween . . .
Friend: Why?
Me: Cause I'm gonna be an angel! WITH WHITE HAIR! LOL!
Friend: . . . .
~William~
My heart was beating. I was alive. That was probably the only thing I was grateful for at this moment. The torture wouldn't stop. That was fine with me. As long as I was alive, then I could escape. I had dreamed of escape for years. I spent hours just staring at the rust-covered bars as if they would bend on their own. I imagined the day where I would get my strength back and be able to get out of whoever's basement I was in.
Yeah . . . right.
I sighed before pulled myself up and walking over to the edge of the bars. I couldn't touch them. The chains at my wrists and ankles provided me little movement from my prison. I couldn't reach the bars, than I could get out of here. With a sigh I simply stood there and stared that they bars and then to my chains. They only gave me two meals a day, if I was lucky so my strength would never come back. Whenever I tried to break through my chains they would drug my food and switch them out for new ones. What to do . . . .?
I went back to my stone bench and let myself fall on it. I rubbed my chin with my hand and scratched. I really needed to shave.
~3rd Person~
The screams that had filled the night were finally silenced. Elinda held her hands to her ears in hopes of never having to hear them again. She knew that they would be back though. Her Mama had told her that those were the screams of a bad man and that she should listen to them as if they were music, but for some reason they hurt her ears. Did that man really deserve this pain?
She loved her Mama and Papa who both seemed to like the screams but for some reason she didn't like them. She lay in her bed at night, wondering who that man was. She wondered how old he was, what he did that was so bad and if there was anyone that missed him.
Tonight was a particularly bad night. The man had cried while he screamed and although no one could hear it Elinda could. She could hear the name of a person as he cried out. She wondered if that person was torturing him, or if he simply missed that person.
The night was cold and crisp, but Elinda liked her window open. The breeze rushed through her soft blond hair. She was only six years old and yet she was forced to hear those awful sounds at night. It gave her a sharp edge in her heart whenever she heard them. She prayed every night for them to stop.
A slightly colder breeze then usual came through the window, causing the young girl to shiver. She got out of her small bed and went over to close it onto to see a strange person outside.
It was a woman, as far as she could tell. Her face was shrouded by a tan hood that was connected to her tong trench coat. Her sleeves her rolled up to her elbows but her hands were covered in bandages. There was an odd box on her back and she seemed to be looking in the direction of the Mayor's house. That's where the screams came from.
Elinda didn't even think twice. Her little feet carried her downstairs with light 'thumps'. She knew that her parents wouldn't hear her because they were able to sleep through the screams each night. The young girl could barely reach the handle on the front door before opening it. The woman was still standing there in the pale moonlight. Elinda could see that the woman's eyes were a deep-chocolate brown that matched her hair. They were so unlike Elinda's light blue eyes.
"Can you take it away?" Elinda asked as she stepped out onto the snow. Her slippers protected her feet to a point but it was still cold. "Can you take the screams away?" The young girl didn't want to hear that man's suffering anymore. It hurt her ears, and oddly enough, her heart.
The woman looked at her before crouching down to meet her height. Elinda walked over to her hesitantly. A warm hand was place on the top of her head. This surprised the girl. She wasn't allowed to touch anyone in public. Mama and Papa wouldn't even hold her hand when they went outside.
"I would," said the woman as she gently ruffled Elinda's blond hair. "But I do not know where they're coming from." Elinda smiled lightly, a little unsure if she should. Her parents had told her that grinning was a mischievous thing that only the Devil should do.
The woman smiled back, giving Elinda more confidence. "The Mayor's house." The little girl said, shivering slightly. "They always come from the Mayor's house." She looked down at her feet and finished, "Please, they hurt my ears . . ." The woman removed her hand from Elinda's head, causing the young girl to shiver even more. There was a rustling noise and then a warm embrace of cloth that covered Elinda.
"Are you alright?" The woman asked with concern edged in her voice. Elinda leaned forward a bit, causing her to snuggle into the woman's chest. She was really warm. The blanket on Elinda's back protected her from the wind. She smiled and stopped shivering. Breathing in the woman's scent she could smell cookies and firewood. Strong arms encircled her, picking her up off of the cold snow and into and even warmer embrace. "Do you want to stay here?" The woman asked her.
Elinda thought for a minute. Yes and no. Yes she wanted to leave and see the world. To try new things that her parents would never let her do. No because she loved her parents and she was scared about leaving the village. "It's alright." The woman cooed in Elinda's ear. "You don't have to decide now. But will you help show me the way to the Mayor's house?" Elinda nodded, still drowsy with sleep. She pointed the way to the house as the woman walked purposefully to where she was meant to go.
Elinda hoped that the screams would finally stop.
~Grace~
The screams were not expected. At first I thought this was just a closed off town, but when the screams erupted I knew better. I also knew that I wasn't strong enough to fix this problem on my own. I had been patrolling the streets when the screams started. They weren't screams of fear, or anger. They were of pain. Whoever was screaming was being tortured. I called headquarters immediately for an Exorcist. This wasn't normal; there was probably some sort of Akuma activity involved.
The little girl who had helped me find the house was probably my only stroke of luck. The Mayor's house was pretty much bolted shut. It was a mystery as to how people were able to get in and out of that place. I examined every inch of it, but still I couldn't find a way. I really needed an Exorcist for this.
I took the girl home and told her not to tell her parents anything. I didn't want her to get in trouble and I wasn't sure what these townspeople would do to her. I felt a need to take her away from here. To get her as far away as possible, but the girl couldn't have been older than six. She still loved her parents, no matter what they did.
I camped outside the Mayor's house in order to see if I could spot anyone coming in or out of the place. All I could do was hope that Headquarters would send me that Exorcist.
~Kanda~
That stupid Komui had better have a good reason for calling me in when I was eating. I walked toward his office with the full intent on killing the stupid Supervisor. This mission had better be a good one, if not I would only have to cut his head off to make up for it.
The smell of coffee was easily distinguishable as I entered the room. My eyebrow twitched at the sight of him sleeping. Don't kill him yet, don't kill him yet. I said in my head as I watched him snore. He was so dead.
It was lucky for him that Reaver showed up. "Oh, don't worry Kanda, I'll get him up." He leaned over Komui's ear and whispered something, which I could only guess was something about Lenalee getting married.
After about five minutes of pointless bickering over who Lenalee was going to marry, Komui finally got the brains to tell me what my mission was. "Now then, Kanda you will be going back to the mountain you were at for the last mission. Our Finder there said that someone was screaming all night. We suspect that the people of the village are hiding something. Considering our find on the last mission, I could only guess that it has something to do with Akuma, Innocence or even Angels. We want you to check it out."
I twitched. That mountain had really given me the creeps or more specifically, the village. The people were so closed off; it was like they weren't even human anymore. I simply 'che'd' and swipe the case file from Komui. This was going to be a horrible mission.
Me: Well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter . . .
Friend: Yes, It was . . . . enlightening . . .
Me: I promise more excitement later on. But until then . . . . foreplay?
Friend: What else can we call it?
Me: I dunno . . . .