The day it all started was average, at least in the beginning it was nothing special in any-way. I got up and my maid dressed me in my requested dress. A rather pretty number with green accents on a mostly white ensemble.

I had a satisfying meal with my parents and my older brother, even if it was rather quiet. No one seemed in the mood for talking, and my brother was as circumspect with his words as always.

Breakfast was succeeded by a bland morning of etiquette training and some tutoring on basic math as well as some minor magic training.

It was all too normal, and so very depressing if only because I could hear the servants gossip about me.

My parents loved me, it was quite apparent even to me with how they lavished both my brother and I with love and affection at the drop of a hat. That didn't stop the whispers and rumors of the cursed child with sickly white hair and uncomfortably red eyes tinged the color of blood.

I knew why they said so, after all I wasn't born with my current appearance. No once I had deep black hair of my father and eyes the color of leaves in fall from my mother. Not that I could remember it very well, after all I had the bad luck to catch a sickness as a child.

At only just barely five years old I had fallen ill, having to be constantly watched as fever forced me into constant bedrest. A state that continued for nearly four years, until one day the illness faded suddenly and without any apparent cause that the doctors could find.

However it left my eyes a deep unsettling red, and in time my hair gradually turned white as the moon.

It wasn't long after that, that rumors of a curse spread, saying that some slighted noble afflicted me with a great curse meant to take my life. Those rumors were fine, no it was the ones that claimed I myself wasn't cursed so much as the curse itself taking human form.

They claimed I was a plague on the family, bringing bad luck with every breath. It hadn't helped that the harvest that year had been rather bad in the Ascart lands, or that famine had taken hold in some of the far off villages.

My parents hadn't taken the rumors well, harshly punishing one of the servants when it was revealed they had been spreading even harsher rumors.

Well I say one of the servants but in reality it had been my own personal maid at the time. Not that it had helped, the punishment only lent the rumors validity.

It was the rumors and even some attempts to break into the mansion that led me to isolation. I never left the mansion outside of events I was required to attend, something that was true even now at ten years old.

At this point even my Father, so zealous in his defense of me, no longer bothered to punish the staff as they whispered insults and rumors. Not that he didn't wish to, but it seemed every servant punished or removed just made the prejudice against me worse.

It was fine, I already caused my parents such sadness. I could deal with childish slander that the maids take such pleasure in spreading. However I couldn't stop my brother from taking offense at their words even if he wasn't capable of retaliating beyond asking to dismiss the maid or butler in question.

However in the end I was resigned to the treatment and no longer even bothered to inform my parents.

In the end this might have been why I felt no surprise when I woke up with my hands bound and a cloth gag in my mouth. I couldn't bring myself to feel much of anything really even as I opened my eyes to a dark room, unlit by anything other than what seemed to be moonlight.

It smelled musty, dust and dirt mingling to make an unpleasant scent that made me want to sneeze. I could feel my nose scrunch up in disgust, my eyes adjusting gradually as I took stock of myself.

The bindings come loose easily with only some minor pressure, the gag following soon after.

I was in the same dress I had worn this morning, even if it was now soiled with dust and dirt. That brought some relief if not very much to my hazy mind. Hmm, had I been drugged? That might explain why I'm so calm right now.

Further examination revealed that I was no longer wearing my earrings and the bracelet on my right wrist had been taken. Strangely enough the bracelet on my left wrist had been left where it was.

Strange indeed since it was quite a wide plain thing with only a single modest emerald small enough that it would have fit better on a commoner's ring than a noble's wrist.

It was silver or perhaps just steel, with twisting patterns that spiraled and spun in a way meant to emphasize the single gem present. From what I understand of fashion, very little in reality, I knew that it was very much not a style in favor at the moment. In fact I was pretty sure they might even call it ugly, if only to insult me.

I wore it anyway since my brother had given it to me on my last birthday. Apparently it was something he and father had either found in a market or had commissioned at some point.

It didn't matter either way, It was a present from my family and I had worn it ever since. Though my brother always asked after it when he had to leave and always seemed to brighten when I showed it off. There was a reason for that, I wasn't supposed to take it off- for some reason? I had been told, and I had a niggling feeling on what it was but I just couldn't grasp what it was.

I shook my head, hair flailing about as one of the ribbons it had been styled with fell out. Standing to look about the room, it was fairly large, at least for a cell. Six of me could lay down length wize and still have room left over.

The roof wasn't too high, I couldn't touch it but there was only about four feet clearance above my head. It was sad I didn't have fire magic, since the roof was mostly wood with a small action being stone. It would have been trivial to set the roof alight and just hide under the stone section.

Sadly I only had barely trained wind magic.

There was a heavy wooden door with metal fittings that looked very sturdy indeed, and well secured from what my casual prodding suggested. The door's hinges were on this side of the door but my fingers were too weak to pull them out.

The floor was covered in dirt, but some digging revealed stone flooring hidden beneath the grime. Flooring that some more effort was revealed to cover the entire chamber so that was another escape route marked off.

There was a window covered in bars that let in the barest amount of light, but it was too high up for me to access. The walls of the room made of smooth stone and some cautious knocking revealed it to be completely solid.

I sighed in contrition, no other idea occurred to me so I was left with finding a comfortable spot on the floor to wait. Soon I found that the dirt in one of the corners wasn't as compacted, making it softer than everywhere else, plus it had a wall for me to rest my back on.

I wonder why I'm so calm right now. I was kidnapped after all, so why am I not panicking, or calling out for help?

I tried to think if anything I read had described the near perfect blankness where my emotions should be, but nothing rose to the surface. I was left with nothing but the slightest tinge of resignation and exasperation that I could only just recognise as present after focusing.

I closed my eyes trying to think of anything, just to stop the sense of restless energy bubbling to the surface.

What had I been doing before I woke up here?

I could remember walking through the mansion, the noon day light shining through a window as I worked my way over to the Library. Usually my brother would have been right there with me, but there had been some minor gathering of the lesser nobles in out territory he had gone to attend.

The last thing I remember before waking up here was turning a corner, and then something? Touching my head before I woke up.

Running my hand through my hair I couldn't find any bumps on my head, so that meant they hadn't knocked me out with physical violence. But I also couldn't remember being forced to breathe something in, or drink any potion, so just how did they knock me unconscious?

I pondered this for a moment before giving it up, I wouldn't be able to figure it out without more information.

I resigned myself for a long boring wait.

At some point I started entertaining myself by scratching out doodles in the loose dirt with my finger. It was halfway through tracing my best dragon that the door opened.

The light was blinding and I had to shut my eyes as metaphorical needles jabbed my eyes and blurred my vision with tears. By the time I managed to clear my eyes enough to make out was going on, all I saw was a large hand reaching out towards me.

It was probably just my imagination, but looked to be covered in a cloud of black smoke-


I blinked, tearing my eyes away from the far wall I had been staring at for quite some time.

Why had I been staring at the wall? My head hurt and it felt like something was covering my brain with a slick oily sensation.

I pressed my hands to my eyes, hoping it would abate the sudden nausea that flooded my body. I found myself taking long deep breaths to ease my sudden ill feelings. When I finally opened my eyes I felt much better, and began taking stock of my situation.

The room was much the same, just as dirty and dark as before they had- taken me? I tried to recall just what had happened, but all I could recall was a single blurred image of a hand covered in smoke.

Had there been a fire? Just what had happened? Had they drugged me again?

If so then it was obviously becoming less effective, since I was most definitely not calm right now. I sighed and went to sit down in my slightly less uncomfortable corner, only to find my half scratched out dragon was gone, replaced by several doodles of what I assume to be tigers.

Ha-had I made those? Of course I had, a bunch of kidnappers would hardly bother to make a bunch of childish doodles while their hostage was unconscious, and to make it all the clearer I could see faint impressions where I used my hands to wipe away my previous drawing.

I couldn't remember ever doing it.

I forced myself to calm once again and started looking around the room again.

The window was barred as before, but it was different. There were several small breaks in the stone, almost like they had broken off under something's weight. The hinges I written off as too hard to pull out, were no longer flush together and when I ran my hand across them I could feel slight scratches.

Small ones that reminded of scratches on paint from fingernails.

My fingernails, when I looked at my hands I could see they were no longer the perfectly manicured hands of a noble lady. No, they had blisters, and my nails were chipped and cracked.

My hands hurt actually, why hadn't I noticed until now? Why didn't I remember? What else was I missing?

I ran my hands across my dress, there were tears in it that hadn't been there when I got here. I nearly froze when I found one of the tears had made a rather shoddy pocket, one filled with some small rocks.

With some further thought I found they matched the broken spots on the window. I even did my best to put my dress in the most light I could. Not very much since barely any made it through the window in the first place, but it was enough to see that the white on it had begun to yellow with lack of washing.

I felt like I couldn't breathe, like the air around me was trying to both leave and rush into my lungs all at once as I crumbled onto my knees.

What was going on? What had Happened? Why had they taken me?

Why?

Why!?

Why!?

Why!

Why, did it feel like I had done this all before?


I blinked.

Why was I staring at the wall?

My dress was even dirtier than I last remembered, the window had a few more broken spots, the hinge pins on the door were further apart and had a few more scratches, and I didn't have the rocks in my pocket anymore.

There wasn't a tiger scratched in the dirt anymore, in fact there were a lot of animals drawn in the dirt. Smaller than I had been drawing them before with what looked to be a more practiced hand.

I sat in the corner, and thought of my family.

Father, Mother, Nicole.

I felt something inside me solidify as I opened my eyes once more and stared at my drawings as something else clicked in my mind.

I would see them again.


I sat up confused, when had I layed down?

The feeling faded fast, I was well practiced now as I took stock of the room.

The hinge pins were farther apart than I remember, only barely holding the door in place, my dress was near unrecognizable with dirt and grime, the window had several missing pieces to the point it was the first thing I saw when I looked at it.

I had more rocks in my makeshift pocket, and there were even more doodles on the floor.

Though calling them doodles almost didn't seem fitting anymore, now they were uniform drawings only about four inches wide at the largest and drawn in a minimalist manner.

I took a calming breath, thinking about my family.

Father, Mother, Nicole.

Determination cooling in my mind I looked at the doodles and felt it all click together once more.

I would see them again.


I snapped to attention.

Hinges were almost separated, window was greatly damaged, my dress was torn, dirty, and completely unrecognizable. No rocks in my pocket.

My hands hurt in a way I'd never felt before, my nails were cracked and bloody.

The doodles covered nearly half the room.

I took a breath, and thought of family.

mother, Nicole.

I felt determination bubble warmly, nearly enough to cover the yawning empty cavern that insisted something was missing. The doodles snapped into focus as I looked at them.

I would see them again.


I looked away from the ceiling, the feeling that I was forgetting something pulsing in the back of my head.

Hinge almost ready, Window greatly damaged, dress threadbare handing off my shoulders, rocks in my pocket.

The floor was covered in scratched drawings of animals, and so were the walls.

I breathed in and examined my drawings.

A drawing of a chicken made my stomach gurgle. Eat, I needed to eat. Had I ever eaten something before? It sounded right, but I couldn't remember ever doing it.

I thought of family.

nicole.

That didn't sound right… didn't we have parents?

I shrugged it aside, as Determination boiled inside.

I would see him again.


I opened my eyes.

Hinge-ready, window destroyed, dress replaced?, no rocks.

My hands were a mess of scratches and calluses, but they looked freshly cleaned.

The drawings were everywhere, the floor had no free spaces, and the walls were covered in dirt drawings, and in some places blood.

I took in a breath and thought of family.

But I couldn't think of anything, I had, I had to have had a father right? A mother too! And I had a sibling?

The only thing that came to mind was the image of a smile, and the absence of something that should be their.

I scrambled as I looked at the drawings, falling to all fours as I scanned every drawing I could find.

I had a brother, he had a name, he had a face, but I couldn't remember any of it.

Something snapped and I slammed my head against a wall with a scream, heedless of the damage it would do, as I tried to remember!

Bang!

I had to Remember!

Bang!

I had to!

BANG!

I felt something crack as the world disappeared in a haze of cracked glass.


I remembered, My Father with black hair and kind gray eyes.

I remembered my Mother, with her shiny gold hair, and loving auburn eyes.

I remember my Brother, with his black hair a shade darker than Father's and eyes full of care despite an expressionless face.

I remembered being taken from my cell at complete random.

I remembered when strapped to a chair as the man with large hands forced black smoke into my skull as two others chanted in tongues.

I remembered too much.

I remembered My death at the age of twenty at the end of a rifle. Just a normal walk through the mall, only for some asshole to decide to shoot the place up.

I remembered bleeding out slowly, as everything went cold.


I opened my eyes, blood running down my face from the self inflicted wound. I knew it was a deadly wound without treatment, but I could only feel an icy burning calm in my chest.

Standing up I marched to the door and pulled the pins loose from the hinge. Then I pushed.

The door, made of thick hardy wood, landed on the floor with a deafening crash that hurt my ears.

I ignored it, I had only one goal here. Unless they had a light mage here I was already dead, so all that was left was to get even.

I followed the tail of surreptitiously placed rocks that I had made over the past two months, all the way to the room they always dragged me too.

I didn't run into anyone on the way, after all this part of the villa was completely abandoned by anyone other than the big hands and his flunkies. Something Big Hands made quite clear when shouting at token minion one, before he scrubbed it clear from my brain.

What I found was rather surprising. I had expected Big Hands presence, he had an office or something right next to the pain room after all. I wasn't expecting another young girl to be there too.

She had golden blond hair, and she shined with a light that nearly blinded me when I looked at her. Even strapped to the same chair I had been in the past she looked absolutely radiant.

Big Hands on the, well other hand, looked just as awful as he had every other time. He was a short stubby man, only a foot or so taller than me. His face was a mishmash of features that made him look like a rotten potato.

He was also absolutely billowing with black smoke as he turned to look at me.

I ignored it as I practically ran at him, pushing the emerald on my bracelet releasing a small knife that I grabbed with my right hand.

Big Hands only had the time to look bewildered before I was close enough to reach him.

The knife passed through his throat easily, like a warm knife through butter, as he stood there for a second before blood started to spray out of his throat. Being in front of him there wasn't much I could do to avoid it, but I wasn't even able to try.

As soon as the knife had been swiped across his neck, I felt something click into being, it felt like the first time I had ever used magic.

But different, somehow it felt like I was holding tinder, and what do you do with tinder?

I pushed and it felt like I had just shoved it into a brazier and a fire burst to life in my mind, as I crumbled to the floor.