When the Water's Dried

Labyrinth of Horrors

A/N: Hey everyone! I apologize for the unusually long wait time between this chapter and the last. Hurricane repairs have been stressful, as well as me having to set aside time to prepare for Megacon.

Also, my laptop hasn't been very cooperative with me as of late since I've had it way longer than I should have, which has also slowed down progress. But, now that I'm finally getting a new laptop, that problem should be fixed.

CW: Mentions of school shootings are used. 

Lastly, as much as I don't like AI, I felt that some of the images I used here are a great visual of something described. Credit goes to Chaos Dreamland on Instagram.

Enjoy!

"Why hello there, Miss Luna."

Instead of fishing poles lined up against the wall and snorkeling gear scattered on the floor, Luna found herself back in the first level of the cottage from her dreamscape. Not that she was too surprised, having already gone through many senseless moments, starting with the vines. Her concern was now shifted at who greeted her.

The small, potted-plants had been piled up against each other to make sufficient room for Marmalade, who stood on the center of the ledge in front of the circular window. The white medieval dress shirt that snuggled around his body, paired with the scarlet tailcoat, helped him blend in more with the cottage's earthy tones, as well as the overall fantasy theme of the field.

"What are you doing here?" Luna bitterly asked, her ice blue eyes beginning to spark tiny glimmers of fury. "Why are you torturing me like this?" She figured this had to have been some version of Marmalade conjured up by her mind. Not like the real one would have any idea of what she experienced up to this point. Either way, she didn't like it.

"Torture you?" Marmalade playfully scoffed, cackling a little. "Luna, I have been very generous with you. I've allowed you to be with your family again. You get to experience all the things you were forced to miss out on with them." His wicked smile faded, now glowering at her. "And yet you choose to throw it away. Like none of it mattered!" Small flame bursts literally escaped his eyes as he raised his voice, startling Luna, but she remained firm.

Rage began to boil in each of her blood vessels. Sure, she was happy to be reunited with her parents and converse with the extended family that has since shunned her. However, she couldn't bring herself to continue enjoying it if it came at the cost of her forever losing control of her real body and the Bad Guys' lives permanently ruined.

"Don't you dare use them against me!" Luna snarled, undeterred by Marmalade's narcissistic manipulation attempts.

"Luna, go have cake with your family and open up your birthday presents," Marmalade ordered, ignoring her. "Forget about Wolfie and the others or what's become of your body."

"No. I won't. You can make my parents alive and make my relatives talk to me, but I'm not going to stay here," Luna spurned. If it means I'll be free, it's a sacrifice I can make. She winced a little, feeling a slight sting from that thought.

"Luna, don't defy me," Marmalade coolly warned. Within half a second, a glowing red chain leash materialized in his paws. Luna felt a tug and glanced down, realizing that to her horror, the matching collar circled her neck.

With Marmalade pulling the chain closer to him, Luna was forcefully knelt down as the distance between the collar and Marmalade's paw shortened. She clamped her hands onto the collar in an attempt to pull it off, but they only phased through, despite its realistic steel properties.

"L-let me go!" She pleaded, gasping for air.

"Don't you see? You're no match for me, Luna," Marmalade said. "As I said earlier, I own you now. And this leash proves it." He gave a sudden, sharp tug, causing her to wince a little as he smirked.