The recent bout of nightmares had been getting progressively worse. It began casually enough, nibbling at the doubts that Tisiphone didn't even know she had. The nightmares had been evolving though, it's claws raking through her mind and etching a myriad of different trails. Tonight's dream came the moment the weary senshi laid down her head when it was not so much 'night' as it was 'morning' now. She would be lucky to get more than four hours of sleep.

It began as most of her recent dreams did. She was standing alone in the dark, her voice coming out as only an echo of silence. Unlike her other dreams, however, sound came in the abrupt form of a tap, tap, and a red ball rolled into view. Curious, she bent down and picked it up, squishing it a few times before tossing it. Tap, tap, it bounced away. She voice still made no sound, but she could hear the ball. How odd.

Thump, thump. A larger ball now. It settled at her feet, and she realized a little cat was dancing on top of it. Well, that was cute. The cat winked at her and started rolling the ball around in a circle. The next sound startled her, shattering the silence with a trumpet. An elephant lumbered through, guady cloth drapped over it with a figure waving atop it. Following behind it were women clad in short skirts and white bodices, dancing to and fro while throwing batons at one another.

Tisiphone realized that the floor was no longer black, but a vibrant red and orange swirl. A swarm of people sat around the circle, their faces too dark to see except for the gleam of an eye or the shine of toothy grins. The noise was a cacophony now, cheers and jeers, fire bursting forth and animals roaring. She clapped her hands over her ears, asking them which way was the exit, but her voice was silent.

The elephants began to move, and the rest of the circus goers ran before them. The circle seemed to morph into a line that kept walking and lost its color once more, flaring in oranges and reds only where their feet touched before disappearing a moment later. The more they walked, the more people showed up. Music was blaring as they danced down the non-existent street, tossing confetti and laughing loudly.

She was dreaming of a freakin' parade? The girl stood on the sidelines, watching the lively escort walk on without her. Where were they going? Didn't they know that this place had no end? They would all die if they continued that path, wasn't it better to save your energy? Tisiphone began to yell at them, though they did not hear.

Stop! Stop! were her silent cries, I said "STOP!"

Her own voice orchestrated now as the only sound. The parade had stopped, and every face was turned towards her, blurred and darkened. The silence was as deafening as the noise had been, and Tisiphone clutched her hands together, hiding the scar on her chest as she realized they were staring at her. Their eyes were accusing her. "It's for your own good." Tisiphone defended herself, "You should know that."

The line stepped closer to her, still silent, their mouths open with unspoken curses. She tripped as she stepped back, looking up at them with her dark eyes wide. A feather fluttered down, and the senshi realized a swarm of black birds were circling over head. The crows cawed out, swooping down, their sharp beaks striking her just before they arched back towards the blackened sky. Tisiphone cried out in alarm, throwing her arms over her head to protect herself, but they ignored her movements and continued pecking her. They tore at her skin and her clothes, slashing her with the silent parade simply standing there and watching.

She lay on the ground drained, everything fading back into the void. For a moment, she thought she had come to a revelation, but as Theresa Killingworth sat upright in bed, her breaths coming in short and shallow, it slipped her mind. Her fingers gingerly felt at her own face and arms, confirming that she was indeed in one piece before reaching over and pulling the blinds to the window up, the sun already beginning its treck across the sky. Theresa rubbed her eyes and got up, unwilling to let sleep claim her any further.