Reinerite wobbled as the building shook, her hand clenched around the belt that she drew back in anticipation for another swing–

And there were bubbles, how were there bubbles? The inky black oil globules surrounding her - surrounding everyone before shattering into tendrils of inky black darkness..

She was too close to dodge, tooo close to avoid them as the needles pierced skin in waves of ice... Ice that was so cold that it burned.

But the cold wasn't just from the needles as the oil rose up, caressing skin in trails ice-cold heat as it continued it's inexorable path upwards.

And with oil came more voices and with the voices came a memory...

The girl was young - no more than early teens - purple eyes filled with a naive innocence and her hair a riot of pretty ombre curls.

She turned to look over her shoulder at something, a grin on her face as she called out excitedly to someone just over her shoulder...

No she was the girl, eyes bright with excitement, as she showed off her violin to her band mates. Her parents had surprised her with it on her birthday, had told her that as she seemed to be serious that the very least they could do was let her have a violin of her own given that she had been taking lessons ever since she was little.

And whilst it wasn't top of the range, it wasn't bottom either–

And it meant that she was no longer stuck making do with whatever was in the school music room, because she had her very own violin - a violin that was hers.

It was later than usual when the girl left, face bright and cheerful as she walked home from a practise that had ended up overrunning...

No she was the girl and she was walking home with a couple of band mates after the evening's band practise had ended up overrunning.

And their chatter had been full of the practise and of the upcoming concert that the school was putting on, a wistful look briefly entering her eyes as she mentioned hoping to one day to be good enough to become the first violinist.

But that role was currently held by Mhairi Black who had been playing violin for sooo much longer than she had and had parents who could afford to buy her the fanciest violin–

But she could dream - could always dream - even if it was a dream that she intended to make reality one day.

The corner was coming up fast, so much faster than normal, although perhaps that was in part due to cheerful and good-natured chatter that had peppered the walk...

The corner where she and band mates went their separate ways came up so much faster than normal, although in part perhaps that was due to the cheerful and good-natured conversation that had flowed over the course of the walk home.

She waved, a bright smile on her face as she promised to see her band mates at school the next day and then she took the turn that would put her on the eventual path to home, unaware that her promise was a promise that was already broken.

The girl was making the walk later than normal, but it was one that she had made many times before, and so not something that she was particularly concerned with...

And she was the girl making the final leg of her walk home, a part of her wishing that she'd remembered to bring gloves because the lateness of the hour meant it was a lot colder than it had been earlier–

Still there was nothing for it but to walk a little brisker - walk a little faster - and she knew that there'd be tea and dinner waiting for her when she got home and perhaps if she was lucky also a slice of her mother's cake...

But unbeknownst to her she was never going to reach home.

The old warehouse was on the left, the girl stepping past it as she walked briskly along the sidewalk...

And she was the girl, walking briskly past the old warehouse, unaware of the danger that lurked in the shadows and she was halfway down the sidewalk before she actually realised that something was up, her purple eyes widening as she caught sight of something that was in front and just up ahead–

She took a step back and then another as a look of mute denial crept into her purple eyes - then she took a third step back, head still shaking as her mouth opened on a scream..

And then she was
falling
falling
falling...

As she tumbled down and down and down and then all was blackness and she knew nothing more.

Reinerite shook her head in denial as she swung at the wraith again and again, because she was not the girl, was not the girl - was absolutely not the girl - but her swings lacked the force of her previous efforts as the oil continued to rise and rise...

And then there was nothing left but the oil, the oil rising to engulf her - to consume her.

It slithered about her, entering her eyes and her ears - and entering the mouth that she opened to scream.

And in the world of ice-hot pain was mirrors, mirror upon mirror and a white-haired girl with a box in her hand.

Something oozed from the box, as Reinerite tried to back away. Head shaking in denial, in pleading as the girl lifted the lid up...

And she was unaware of the belt slipping through suddenly nerveless fingers or the snow globe that fell only to bounce on the ground–

And she was unaware of her surroundings or of the fight that continued on around her.

Instead Reinerite's world was oil, oil and mirrors, mirrors and oil as the thing oozed around and engulfed her as it dragged her
down
down
down...

And she was back in England in her father's office as her parents gushed over the achievements of her clever older sister and she was in the back garden with her mother as her mother gushed over how cute her little sister was.

I'm here too and it was a familiar hurt, because she back home and back home it was impossible to step out of the shadows cast by her sisters–

But this time her father turned to her with a cold look in the grey eyes that were so similar to her own as he told her to be quiet and that she would never be as clever as Eleanor...

And her mother turned with a sympathetic look that was even worse as she gently told her that she needed to stop deluding herself.

And then Eleanor was there and Harriet too, their voices mocking as they sneered over her decision to go study in the States.

Coward.
Coward.
Coward...

And Eleanor's voice was a chant, her eyes hard beneath her glasses.

Wimp.
Wimp.
Wimp...

And Harriet's eyes were equally as hard as her voice intermixed with those of Eleanor and her parents'...

Intermixed and then merged until the voices became a cacophony.

Wimp.
Coward.
Deluding yourself...

Not as clever. Not as clever. Not and never as clever.

And then they were fading to be replaced by her Sovereign Heights teachers, although the voices remained...

And then her teachers were adding to the voices as each one took it in turn to point out her many many failures.

Failure.
Wimp.
Coward...

Deluding yourself. Deluding yourself. Deluding yourself.

Not as clever. Not as clever. Not and never as clever.

And then like her family her teachers were fading, as they dripped away like oil, as Reinerite mutely shook her head because she was not a failure.
Not a failure.
Absolutely not a failure...

But the voices swelled in answer as they echoed and echoed around her, merging into a discordant mixture of sounds that swirled and swirled about her and painted the canvas of her failures.

Yes you are a failure and at some point the voices had coalesced into a single voice - Aurostibite's words.

And her General's face was impassive even as his words struck out like blows.

..Thought you would show some promise...

Nothing but a disappointment.

And with his voice came the other voices as they howled around her in a cyclone of sound.

Failure.
Wimp.
Coward...

Mistake. Mistake. Mistake.

Not as clever. Not as clever. Delusional.

And whilst Reinerite shook her head mutely in negation, the voices drowned any voiced attempts at denial in discordant howls of sound.

And it was so much easier to let the oil drag her down–

And she was falling and sinking, falling and sinking as the voices echoed and followed her down.

Then there at the last was her General again, as for one brief single moment his voice cut through the madness.

Giving you strength was a mistake...

And then Reinerite was crumpling and falling, falling as the oil dragged her
down
down
down.

-- 1,510 words --