The Undoing

'Is there anything so undoing as a daughter?' -Silco, Episode Nine, Arcane

The girl was screaming in her sleep again. "No," she cried. "No, no, no, no!"

Silco stood in the doorway to her room, really just a storage place leading off from his own personal quarters. She twisted and writhed in the makeshift bed. "Vi..." She sobbed her sister's name deep in her throat. And then she slammed her hand against her forehead. "Don't leave me!"

He rushed forward and gripped her wrist to stop her hurting herself. "Wake up, Child!" He shook her gently.

Her blue eyes flew open. Tears trailed down her cheeks and he fisted his hand to stop himself from reaching out to wipe them away. His resolve made no odds, she launched herself at him, clinging to his neck. He went to his knees and put his arms around her. She had a gift for knocking him off balance.

"The nightmares will lessen," he whispered. He would not lie. Would not tell her they would go away altogether. He recognised this pain, the rejection, the abandonment, the shame. She was still swimming in toxins, held under by the ghosts of those who had deserted her.

Soon, she would rise up, the sore, fragile parts of her shed like old skin, agony tempered as steel would be her new form, all her passion would be focus and willpower.

"Turn your pain to anger," he brushed her sweat soaked hair back from her face, and she gazed up. "She called you a jinx, so own it. Curse the one that hurt you. A jinx is a powerful thing." A shadow, dark and beautiful passed over her expression.

"Jinx," she said with soft wonder, but her face paled. More tears fell. Her arms tightened around his neck, and she shook her head in a fast and violent motion. "I just wanted to help! Tell them, tell them, tell them to leave me alone!"

He glanced about the room, but there was no one with them. So, he just held on to her, pressed her head against his chest. "No one can get to you. I'm here with you, Jinx. It doesn't matter what they say."

People looked at him and saw control, he no longer thrashed in the river, and though the lake of his rage was infinitely deep, the surface was utter stillness. He wanted to lead this blue-haired girl to still waters, but instead, she was reaching into him. The little head against his chest unsettled him, she was a single drop of chaos from above, hitting his calm waters. And all around her, feelings rippled outward endlessly.