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lokuri

((OOC: I promised to write and post this on Friday. It's still Friday for me (well, with about an hour left).

"Natalie, beware of Joachim's power!"

Time was taunting Natalie as the images of each of her friends zipped past her, impacting upon the ground like fallen stars that no longer twinkled in a serene, night sky. Everything felt as if it was distorted and fuzzy, skipping the beats of seconds before her very eyes. Scratches of black and white dots. A ground that threatened to toss everything about. But more than anything, that smile. An ecstatic smile. A mocking smile. Crazed...craving...so sadistic it sickened Natalie. Gripping her stomach, Natalie gazed forward in disbelief. "No, a lie...a trick...an illusion! Joachim's messing with my mind. I...why am I...?!" Bowing her head, she gasped at the stale air. Gradually, it faced her again. A dark mirage of herself.

"You...Do you expect me to believe I'd harm my friends?! You're jokes...they're not funny!"

Looping her fingers around the extended pole, Natalie lunged forward. Ghastly fumes that reflected her soul's will eminated from her halberd. One chance. If Joachim wished for anger, Natalie would face that anger and fight! Fight for freedom. Fight for friendship! Fight...for a better life that everyone but Joachim deserved! Every fragment of her being was engulfing her weapon, yet...!

"...Lia?"

There was a burst of light. Struggling against it, Natalie reached for Elizabeth, who was outlined in gold. Why did Elizabeth stand in her way? Helpless, Natalie felt herself hurling backwards, just like everyone else did as well. Fixing her eyes on Elizabeth, she cried out. Her throat felt as if was rupturing, but she kept screaming. Hollering. All the pain and feelings she wanted to deliver within her empowered strike conveyed her regret. Yes, that was what it was. Regret for allowing everything to fall apart. Regret to no longer hear the important message Elizabeth uttered. Regret that all hope was a fantasy compared to the reality Joachim carved. Would they all be separated? It hurt. Natalie didn't want to face it again: lonliness. Even Elizabeth...would she depart from her side, joining Natalie's siblings in a world she couldn't reach? Liam too...they had bonded the most, and now...everyone would fade from her sight.

************

Gone were Elizabeth's precious wings, but Natalie's other blessing still remained: she had reverted to how she appeared before "the incident" that took her life. Of course, she could leap in front of the solemn individuals marching in unison, gesture and make faces at them, and still be passed by as if nonexistant. Not that that would lesson the atmosphere looming over all of their heads. Ethan and Jansen were treated like sacks of potatoes, their unconscious bodies bouncing on the ground and their legs banging harshly into the brutal walls as the Saints turned a corner. It was only until they strolled halfway down the next hallway that the two boys were scooped into uncaring arms and carried down an eerie passageway.

"N-no w-w-way! This place...such a place...it shouldn't exist! Natalie...I promised I would watch over Ethan and Janen until the end, but...this is too much! Did...is this where Thomas was kept? All this time, in such a horrid place. But then...it really is true. This place...it used to be a prison. I'm scared. I'm so scared, but...I want to see Natalie's smile again."

Tightening her fingers into fists that would have easily bled if she were alive, Elizabeth hastily raced after the advancing Saints. How would Natalie save her friends if they were stripped of their memories? Over and over again, their minds were ripped apart, until all that remained was a void of nothingness. The one operating upon the ill-fated boys reminded Elizabeth of the man Natalie seemed fond of...Jack Rabbit? No, this person was different. Would Jack Rabbit shake so badly when commanded to do something? Would his soul scream in objection to the task he committed for Joachim? But then...who was this heinous being who wore a black painted rabbit mask? That's one of the pieces of the puzzle Elizabeth would search for from the moment she set eyes on the agonizing precedures endured by Ethan and Jansen till five years later.

************

"...tell me about Room 201?" Drapped in an oversized fabric that resembled a robe moreso than a coat, a young woman with sunkissed hair and anticipating, green eyes found herself frowning in front of the very room she was skeptical about. Judging from her smooth, olive complexion -- aside from the traces of wrinkles formed from furrowing her brows -- she was about 24. It must have been difficult for her to keep from abruptly opening the door and examining everything inside, for she had to thrust her jittery fingers in her coat pockets in order to maintain some dignity. "I heard there is a...'special' patient residing inside. Did she really, um...threaten Mr. Von Weiss?"

Her companion was a gentleman in his mid-thirties. Aside from his sleek, dark brown hair and amused eyes of blue calmness, his stature, height -- which was exactly 6 feet --, and natural tan fit the qualities of a gentleman exactly. His only flaws was his rather large nose and the round specs he refused to replace with contacts. Never-the-less, there was indeed chemistry between the two, only lessened by the keen eyes of Joachim. "Haha, trying to be detective now? Let's see, her name is..."

"-- Natalie Celeste Merristone, age 19." A passer-by heard the commotion and stopped in front of the door as well. Most of his face was shroaded by a straw hat, which announced to everyone who knew him that he had just woken from a deep slumber surrounded by the fragrance of spring offered by the balcony on the second floor. Whiskers lined his chin, but that was the most that could be seen by the naked eye. In his large hands was a rather tiny -- well, compared to his height of 6'3 and muscular figure -- notepad. While he mused over the writing in front of him, the pale hairs of yellow on his arms glistened from the effects of the heat outside. "The leader of the revolt was Ethan Mathias Trueborne, who would be 19 now as well. Liam Linford, age 18 was also involved, as well as the boy who supposedly committed suicide, Basil Lake, who would be 20 now. A shame he didn't make it into adulthood. Then there is Jansen Cross, a late member who was hard to dig up. He would also be 20 now. Their journals were confiscated in the investigation, but oddly enough, Ms. Merristone was the only one without one."

"She must have had an amazing memory, or..."

"...she didn't need one? That's impossible. Five years ago, she and her lunatic allies were dealt with in the incident--"

"Oh, it wasn't an incident. Incidents are accidental. Everything that occured five years ago was planned from beginning to end, and I'll dedicate the rest of my life to prove that."

"Haha, be careful, Rick. You wouldn't want to go missing as well, do you?"

"Suzanne!"

"No, Brock, she's right. I'll be careful, especially because I happen to be Natalie's Reassurer."

With the satifaction of stunning both lovers, Rick curled his fingers around the door, paused for a second, then preceded to open the door.
"Well, are you going to tell me your story today, Natalie? If you promise to tell me the beginning, I'll help you finish the ending."

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