I'll be switching POVs to give more effect to this chapter. Again, you don't need to review, if you wish to criticize every single word in here it's fine with me too. More emo stuff because this is how the story is supposed to be, really sad! Enjoy at your own risk... I mean Enjoy if you wish... And before you start, I know I suck, okay?

xxx

Evan: We may have a problem on our hands, he said to Mir in his mind. The girl was obviously ignoring him and was just staring into space. Try talking to her? Mir advised, stating the obvious. Evan sighed. "Um... Excuse me?" he asked in his most dignified voice which drew the glances of other patients. However, she did not seem to hear him. He attempted all sorts of things, one which included juggling oranges. Nothing worked. Finally, Evan turned to Mir (at least, in the direction where he thought Mir was). Time to resort to last resort? Evan commented to his dragon.

Drawing onto Mir's store of magical energy, he delved into the mind of the girl. He did not bother to notice the fact that her mind, unlike normal people's minds which had the feeling of non-colour, had the feeling of red and black. All he noticed was the gloomy depressing feel of her mind and the thoughts that began to flit across.

Angel's Rain: The sky... The azure blue reminds me of the Empress' eyes... And again, tears are shed...

The fire is most beautiful, is it not? It is like wave after wave of water, never retaining the same shape... Like the wind, wild and strong... Fire is the seed of one close to another, be it physical or mental... It so relates to light and dark, for withhold the fire and the light is gone, and bring out the fire and the darkness is gone...

Is the melody playing in my mind, or is it true?

Believe and hope. They both lie. They bring false hope. False dreams. Everything is not real, but Hope makes a person refuse to see past the veil, but rather accept this fake truth.

And Evan, my mind is most unfortunately private, so kindly retreat before I take necessary action. And by necessary, I mean starting a fire and burning you to a crisp. Undoubtedly, it would be a most delightful sight.

Evan: He withdrew immediately, startled. How was she able to sense his presence? "How impertinent. Have you not knowledge that such an act shows you do not respect privacy?" she said, gazing straight into Evan's eyes. Failing miserably at attempting to outstare her, he turned my head away. Her mind sure works in a strange way, Evan said to Mir. Then he turned back and asked in a rush of words, "Why?"

"Yes?"

"Why did you try to kill yourself?"

She laughed, a cold, lonely laugh. "Who knows? Who knows the secrets that lie beneath death? What life holds for us? What motivation pushes us to live, to endure, to survive in this harsh, cruel place? The beyond is mysterious, yet so few people see the beauty in its mystery. Nobody ever realizes that the second world is beautiful too. Nobody ever realizes..."

No matter how you look at it, Mir commented, she seems to be a bit out of connection with this world. Personally, Evan agreed with him, but this wasn't a good time to voice opinions.

"There's no need to whisper. If you wish, you may simply tell me that I am terrible," she muttered. Without warning, she suddenly lapsed into some emotional trance. "I have shamed the Empress' face, I have made her wonderful image turn foul... I couldn't become stronger for the Empress' sake... I do not deserve to serve her, I am weak, I am weak, I AM WEAK!"

Her voice had risen to a shriek and tears trickled down her cheeks. Two nurses came in to restrain her as she went into a sort of fit. And Evan stood by, helpless to the scene happening in front of him. "It was so beautiful, wasn't it, Ignis? The first time, it was fire... We watched it, and the fire felt so cool against my skin..." she whispered. With sweat trickling down his back, Evan realized that she was talking about her first attempt at suicide. "And the fire was burning me, it was such an honour to be burnt by the raging fire, carbonating just like paper... But they had to save me..."

"Remember, Ignis? That boy -" Evan's heartbeat quickened- "That boy, that cruel, cruel boy... He made me taste regret... Regret that I did not wish for... You were there, weren't you? And then, morose, I had to leave again... I just wanted a second attempt at life..."

She stopped for a moment to watch the flight of a dove. "It was beautiful the second time too. A knife, sharp and sleek,. The blood was flowing so heavily, the kitchen was like a sea of red... Each of those white, clean tiles were speckled with red, and my wrists... My wrists... And the knife was so clean, but it became all red and dripped blood onto the stained floor..."

She shivered slightly and fell silent. The nurses gently but firmly put her back onto the bed. "We're sorry about that, she has these strange fits every once in a while... Sir? Are you all right?" Evan had gone rigid. As he shook himself out of his trance and assured the nurse he was fine, his mind was set thinking...

She didn't mention anything about me being so horrible that she tried suicide, so I was just a minor character in this, right? Right? He wondered as the curtains were drawn and the first rays of the sun spread over the faces of the people, each of them sorrowful and broken. Just like the girl, now hidden behind the folds of the curtains.

xxx

Will be continued. Next one might be last chapter. Anyway, this chapter is just to show her state of mind in case you didn't get the idea. Sorry about all the "..."s, I couldn't think of a better way to make it sound dreamy and forlorn. And sorry about the gory part being not visual enough. I'm not good at visuals.