Another's Demise

Father Thought It

Alara

There was nothing like the dark, nothing like its cool embrace, nothing like the absence of everything.

And that was all I wanted, nothing.

For it to consume me.

For the haunted screams not to be left in the crook of my mind.

To be wiped of it all, to not be Alara, to not be anything.

Because nothing could not feel.

I lurched forward with a start, eyes wild as I searched where I was, Mel was quick to hold me close, her chin resting on my shoulder as she smoothed my hair through gentle hands, "It's ok hon, we're here we're all here."

My eyes darted around the plain room, and searched each corner. The flat colours merging together as my eyes focused.

"Where is he....?"

Leo's face was grim, his eyes drowning in worry, "Alara-" he began but his words were drowned out by the crash of the door swinging open, on instinct I reached for my gun, but it was absent, I remembered the dagger I had slipped beneath my clothing, and armed myself.

Mel noticed my lack of weapon and slid one of her pistols over to me. We all stood, guarding each other as we stared at the silhouette who darkened the door.

"Alara," a smooth familiar voice, "Mia figilia"

"Father," the word escaped my lips before I could stop it, and I quickly retracted it, "Vincent."

"You careless, careless girl, Alara you could have died," he stepped forward, into the light a dappling silver cutting through otherwise darkened hair, a wrought look on his face, but there was something off about it. His grimace didn't reach his eyes, they remained dead, cold even there was something amiss, and I felt it my bones.

Leo and Mel must have too as they flanked me.

"You shouldn't be here, Torres," Leo gritted out.

"This is my territory boy, and you would do well to respect me on it,"

"Respect is earnt, Torres," Mel spitefully shot back.

"And that is something you will never have Melanie Strata, I know all about you, what happened to you, how very scary it must have all been."

Her face paled as her lip curled in on itself, hatred a burning flame in her eyes.

I gripped her hand, "Why are you being like this, Vincent?" only I dared to use his first name.

"You left my care, and almost got yourself killed. And it is the Vipers fault. So I needed to take matters into my own hands."

Dauntless, was what I had been before that, "What have you done?"

"Nothing, my dear. I just need you to come with me,"

"I'm not going anywhere, I can't. I'm-" I knew there was something off about him.

"Isobel misses you dearly, Alara you should come home," there was nothing particularly insidious about it on the surface, Isobel would miss me, I missed her, but there as something so distant about his words.

"I, I will come see her, just not right now, I need, I need to argh," I let out a hiss as my head began to pound, there was a scar pressed against my cheek where Cameron's father had struck me.

"Alara," worry split through Mel's voice as she steadied me.

Leo stood before us gun drawn, "I suggest you leave."