I Turn my Arm

"But it's not real! You can't be real! Demons don't exist!" Blaire's words spiralled into a panic-stricken wail as she recoiled from the menacing figure coming towards her. With every backward step, her terror amplified, her path halted by the grime-streaked steel door behind her. Her arms, bound tightly by the inescapable grip of the straight jacket, writhed fruitlessly. Her heart hammered a frantic beat against her rib cage, her breaths chopped into rapid, ragged gasps.

The chilling reality began to seep in, driving icy tendrils of fear deeper into her soul. The dream — her whimsical vision of encountering her beloved characters on the ice — was not merely a dream. Nor was it some cruel, twisted prank. This was real, this was happening, and the starkness of this truth churned a wave of nausea in the pit of her stomach.

The smirk on Sebastian's face remained unwavering. His polished boots tapped against the concrete floor as he advanced on her. The dim lighting cast his face in sinister shadows, his eyes began to glow bright crimson as he quirked an eyebrow at her cowering form.

"I can assure you that I am as real as the very air you breathe," Sebastian smiled. "As the medical professional assigned to your care, I am afraid I must diagnose you with a rather severe case of delirium. Fear not, however," he continued, a gleam in his crimson eyes, "I hear tale that modern medical interventions are known to be quite effective." He grinned as he extended a lanky arm towards her, causing her to screech, pressing herself further into the grungy metal.

"Fuck off Sebastian! You're not a doctor!" She snarled, as she was roughly grabbed by the collar and hauled towards a strange-looking contraption, sat upon a long metal table. As her chilled feet dragged along the unforgiving stone, he turned his full attention to her.

"And how do you know what I am?" He hoisted her by her underarms, setting her down on the cold steel table.

Blaire flinched. "You wouldn't believe me." She stared at him as he began to fiddle with a complicated looking piece of equipment, taking one of the many leavers in his gloved hand and beginning to wind it around in circles. She remained sitting where he left her, trepidation building within her. "Wh-what are you doing?"

The demon let out a brief chuckle. "I don't think a measly human has ever said such a thing to me before. Pray, how do I discern the nature of your condition? Ah, the devil is always in the details."

Turning towards her, his lips curled into a sly grin which made goosebumps stand to attention over her limbs and the back of her neck. He leaned in to place an arching contraption over her head, attaching two nodes to the device which ran towards a nondescript wooden box via copper wiring. The steel frame was uncomfortable and heavy. The chill from the contraption seeped into her skull. "I must confess my curiosity. How do you come to know of the young Earl and I? Moreover, how were you privy to the thieves' interest in the Hope Diamond?"

Her breath caught in her throat as she stared into his otherworldly eyes. "I... can't tell you."

I just can't! Everyone already thinks I'm insane! How could I possibly tell them I've seen them on TV? Are TVs even invented yet?

With both hands placed on her shoulders, he coerced her into laying down on the steel table. She tried to push up against him, however her attempts were feeble. Fatigue gripped at her and her arms had taken on a severe case of pins and needles, reducing her already limited upper body strength. "What are you doing? Take me out of this damn jacket so it's an even fight." Blaire bit out, glaring up at him.

Sebastian sighed, although his face remained perfectly serene as he stood over her, peering into her soul and listening to her heart hammering against her chest. "What is your name?" He tried.

"Blaire." She responded automatically, before scowling up at him. "Are you fucking deaf? I asked you to take this off!"

"Why did you have a bomb in your possession?" He ignored her biting remark.

She frowned. "What? Bomb? It was a joke! That was my phone you crushed!"

Sebastian hummed, shaking his head. "Though my grasp of contemporary human technology may be lacking, I am quite certain the device you held was much too small to be a telephone. Now, I would introduce myself, yet it seems you already know who I am. I'll ask but once more. How are you privy to the business of the young Earl Phantomhive and myself?"

Blaire looked all around her at the darkened walls, then to the box connected to the metal frame on her head, then to the very real demon stood over her. She swallowed thickly. Screaming wasn't getting her anywhere. "I… I guess I can tell you. But can you take this thing off my head first?"

"A tempting offer. But I'm afraid I am duty-bound to cure you of your lunacy. You have made quite a spectacle of yourself. You have jeopardised my master's case and you have insulted me." He proclaimed, a wide grin spreading across his face. "Such petulance cannot go unpunished. Now, you will feel quite a shock. Inducing seizures is an excellent way to cure symptoms of ill mental health." And with that, he moved around her towards the wooden box which lay beside her head, connected to the metal frame clamped over her skull.

Panic overcoming her, she tried to sit up, only to be immediately pushed down with inhuman strength. Her back thudded against the steel painfully with a resounding bang which echoed throughout the room. She gasped, the blow having knocked the wind out of her.

"Don't you dare!"

She struggled against Sebastian's hand, which remained pinning her down.

"Don't! I'll tell you!"

His other hand reached towards the wooden box.

"Plea-!"

Blaire's words died in her throat as she suddenly began to convulse, the first wave of electrical currents wracking her form. Intense burning on the back of her skull sharply made its way down her neck, pushing through her spine and causing her limbs to jerk violently, legs slamming against the steel table beneath her. Intense pain shot through one of them, as the resulting spasm caused it to hail down in a storm of blows, under which the bone audibly fractured with a disturbing crack, her body continuing to jump upon the harsh surface.

Sebastian didn't bat an eyelid as consciousness left her, the seizure brought on by the electrical shock quickly taking its toll on her.

With Blaire now temporarily unconscious, he was free to do a more thorough examination of her. His hand combed through her matted hair which lay limp and slick with sweat in a murky pool around her head. He noticed a line of blood trailing from between her lips and upon closer inspection, he saw that she had bitten through her tongue in the midst of her seizure. He snarled aloud in a savage laugh, gazing at her in odious joy.

Removing one of his gloves, he ran his thumb from her chin up towards her slightly parted lips, collecting the drop of blood which streamed from her mouth. He stared at the crimson liquid coating his fingertip for a moment, before swiping his tongue along the digit. Her blood was healthy. More so than the wealthiest of humans for this time. Wasn't she just some pauper who couldn't even afford proper clothing? A commoner who had to resort to thievery to survive? There had to be something more. Parting her lips with his fingers revealed her teeth were also remarkably healthy. Exceeding that of even his young Master's. There was no way she was merely some lowly peasant with such healthy teeth and gums. Her slightly toned frame which his enhanced eyes could clearly observe, even under the bundles of clothing, didn't give the impression of malnourishment, as would have been expected from someone so deeply impoverished. Clasping her hand in his own much larger one, he scrutinised it closely. Her nails were perfectly healthy too, and her skin felt much too supple for someone so poor. It made no sense, as the only thing that suggested she wasn't particularly well off was the light tan of her skin. The rich tended to be exceedingly pale, almost to the point of transparency. Like fragile porcelain dolls, they didn't need to work a day in their life. Blaire however, had evidently seen the rays of the sun. This was a characteristic found on those who were forced to work outside often. But Blaire's skin was far too soft for someone that had to work out in the sun all day... And her manners! He'd seen street urchins with greater respect for propriety than her. Frowning deeply, he began to gather her legs, laying them neatly across the table for when she woke up.

When Blaire's eyes eventually began to open, she was immediately greeted by the ever impassive face of Sebastian slowly shifting into focus. She let out a groan, her eyes screwing shut as intense pain made itself apparent along her jaw and down her neck. Her ears were ringing like alarm bells inside her head, giving the impression of tinnitus. She whimpered as she felt suddenly nauseous, before sitting bolt upright as she became aware of the bucket of cold water being dumped over her.

"Back with us?" Came from Sebastian as the now-empty bucket clattered to the ground. The device had been put away and the nodes disconnected from the metal frame over her head.

Blaire shuddered as the chilled December air now tore into her, the jacket now damp and scratching her skin, keeping her skin uncomfortably cold. "N-no more," was all she could manage through her swollen, bloody tongue and her confusion. Then she lurched forward to empty the contents of her stomach into the floor with a loud spatter.

Foreseeing this, Sebastian swiftly moved out of the way, peering at the heaving girl with nothing short of contempt. "Well, at least the task of cleaning that up will befall someone else..."

Coming around behind her, he removed the metal device from her head, catching her as she slumped against him. Her movements in sitting up had alerted her to the searing pain spreading down her leg. Sebastian tore the restrictive garment from her like it was made of tissue paper, tossing it aside and revealing that the discoloured white skirt she had on was actually a full length linen dress.

With her arms finally free, she allowed them to fall to rest by her side as she leaned heavily against Sebastian's chest, her eyes fluttering closed. The chill from the ghastly chamber hit her full force, causing her to shiver violently.

"Now, will you tell me how you came across the information you have?" He whispered into her ear, his breath tickling her, though all she could do was slur something incoherent. Again, he found himself sighing. "What was that?" This time she was silent and heavier against his chest. He abruptly moved away, causing her to fall and jolt awake. "Stand."

Dumbly nodding along, for fear of being electrocuted again, she tried to stand up. However, the moment she put both feet on the ground she let out a yelp, her newly fractured leg giving way from beneath her. She barely managed to catch herself by gripping onto the table, leaning heavily onto it with bated breath. She hissed as Sebastian grabbed hold of her by the upper arm, pulling her out of the room forcefully. She let out several cries in protest as her leg burned fiercely with each staggered footfall. The demon showed no mercy as he began to drag her down the dim corridors, with her limping the entire way.

Cries and screams from other patients echoed throughout the halls of the hospital. Despite the loud buzzing in her head, the screams caused Blaire to wince. A nurse in passing paused to ask something which she didn't hear - before they came to her other side and looped the Blaire's arm around her neck. Sebastian mimicked the action and soon, she was being dragged by the two. The tips of her toes skidded across the cold floor and her head slumped forwards as she began to lose feeling in one side of her face.

Black on the skin, it's sheer and cold

Twenty-seven bones as I turn my arm