The Banshee's Angel ~Supernatural~

One

Jacqueline paced around her room, the white walls were really starting to drive her crazy. But how could that be possible if she was already insane?

She sighed. The baggy grey sweatpants and white t-shirt made her skin look pale and icy. The lights were off but a dim lamp still shined in the corner of the boxed room, flickering dangerously. There were no windows. Pure confinement.

'I shouldn't even be here.'  She groaned to herself. She knew she wasn't crazy. But the more she tried to think, the harder it became to find proof that she was sane.

Any sane person can easily turn into a nut job in a place like this. But Jacqueline knew that this wasn't just any mental institution. This was a lab of some sort.

What institutions had brain operations on a daily basis? What nuthouse takes their patients and throws them in a glass box, observing their reactions to certain nightmares?

None could come to her head.

In fact, nothing familiar came to her head except for her day to day routine.

She couldn't remember anything about herself.

She only remembers being brought into this place and that is all. She has no idea who her family or friends are.

The only friends she has here are Val and Eliot.

She stopped pacing. Being here for two years without any recollection of past memories was old news to her. She didn't understand why she kept trying to make herself remember something. It was no use.

She sighed.

As a reward for 'good progress', a mirror has been placed in her room.

Jacqueline snorted to herself. A freaking mirror was a reward to her.

Maybe she deserved it. But she knew deep down, she didn't deserve the treatment they put her through.

Several times throughout the week, Jacqueline is snatched from her room, dragged by doctors to a nurse for checkup. Then to the operating room where she is injected with some strange substance.

That's where the nightmares start.

In one nightmare she's torturing Val, she's being tortured by the Devil, or she must murder God.

It seems that the hellish procedures get more terrifying each time if that was possible.

'But what's the point of all this?'  She'd think to herself. The doctors never told them anything.

In fact, Jacqueline can't even remember the last time she saw more than fifteen people in the same room. She knew there were hundreds of lost souls. Each crazier than the next.

But Jacqueline knew she wasn't crazy. She couldn't be. She didn't lull her head to the side in a saliva filled daze like every other patient she's come across. Except for Val of course.

For some reason, Val was an important person in this  sick little experiment they had going on here.

Val got special treatment and people were envious of her. Except for Jacqueline of course. Jacqueline had everything she needed; her strength and sanity.

Eliot made her feel that way.

Eliot was apart of the staff here at the institute. He isn't supposed to be associating with Val or Jacqueline in a friendly way but he does it anyway.

After those crucial minutes of mindlessly pacing around the room, Jacqueline stopped in front of her nice shiny mirror.

She looked disgusting.

She was short, underweight, and had layered brown hair. Grey eyes that used to be brown swam over her reflection in sadness.

She could be overweight and happy or even fit and healthy right now. But she was stuck in the dark, barely even eating because her mind consumed her.

She laughed to herself, 'That sounds like something a crazy person would say.'

But these moments are precious. This is what made her question her sanity.

She looked at herself guiltily before lifting a frail arm to her face, her reflection mimicking her. For the past few months, Jacqueline has been experiencing some abnormal emotions about herself.

Curious, angry, vengeful. She has great reasons to feel this way but all those emotions combined morph into something dangerous. Something even the doctors here don't know about.

Jacqueline slowly leveled her hand in front of her, looking away from her reflection and at her bitten fingernails.

Taking a deep breath, she began to snap her fingers. She felt childish and dumb but she has done this before.

She kept snapping them, the flesh making a loud pop each time.

After ten minutes of awkwardly forcing her flesh together, it happened.

She snapped her fingers, the swift motion made more of a clicking sound than a pop. Before Jacqueline could blink, two small flames licked the edges of her fingers. Dancing in a nonexistent breeze.

The fire on her fingers made her reflection more clear. Jacqueline slowly leaned into the mirror, the fire causing a glistening brown color in her eyes. The real her.

She dragged her eyes away from her reflection and back onto the flames licking her flesh. It didn't smell and it didn't hurt. In fact, it felt like small puffs of air were circulating her fingers.

As she stared, mesmerized, by her ability, she gasped when she heard footsteps coming down the hall. She knew it was late.

Quickly, she shoved her hand in her pocket, rubbing her fingers against the material harshly.

Just as the footsteps stopped at her door, she jumped into bed, throwing the covers over herself and turning her back towards the door.

She squeezed her eyes shut as the door creaked open. She felt eyes on her.

She was so tempted to make eye contact with the person but decided against it instantly.

Her heart skipped a couple of beats as the footsteps made her way into her room.

'Did they know what I was doing?' She asked herself, a panicked voice taking over.

But her heart instantly filled with relief when she heard the clicking of the lamp and the dim light behind her ceased, her vision pooled with darkness.

The footsteps grew softer as the person made their way out and closed the door once more. Jacqueline's heart squeezed itself when she heard the lock click into place.

Before sleep could consume her, she lifted her hand from under the covers.

She smiled to herself, black ash covered her middle and ring finger.

That ash signified her as a person;

powerful.