Meltdown

I: Maelstrom

[EDITED 12/11/11]

Red.

Blood red.

Pain.

Pain. Blood? Red. Fight. Red. Blood. Pain. Hurts.

Fightfightfightpainredhurtdiesurviveblood-

The very modern-looking but very empty black room was bathed in an ethereal glow. Tortured gasps flitted through the air, echoing loudly. Giggles bubbled to the surface, freezing the room with an eerie feeling.

A slender young girl was curled up on the floor, hugging her trembling knees to her chest in a vice-like grip. Raven locks pooled around her softly, strewn across her tear-stained face. A cross between a grimace and a grin pulled at her full lips weakly as she pushed out a shaky breath.

V-voices in my head.

Her glazed-over crimson eyes flickered wildly, searching, looking. They took in the bright city view that shone outside the big glass window. Her long fingers reached out unsteadily, twitching as they struggled to touch the clear glass. A jolt at the ice-cold touch of the glass. The blurred rain thundered outside, drenching the happy city in water. Sweaty marks marred the view as her hand slid down.

“Pretty…” Alice smiled, the angelic look too creepy to be pure.

She lay there quietly for a few extended moments, like in a trance. Finally, the shivering, jerky movements halted, leaving a spent body on the cold marble floor. Alice stood, her slim legs stumbling slightly, almost as if unused to carrying her weight. Her feathered tresses fell loosely to her waist in a dense veil, the choppy bangs obscuring her eyes. She dragged one hand across her pale face, brushing away her weak and vulnerable expression easily.

Something was different. Something had changed. What? What was it? Ah, it’s clear now. It’s her eyes. The nearly lunatic look had been replaced by overwhelming sadness and swirling confusion. Those twin orbs burned like iridescent bloody moons in the dark of the night.

Alice sighed. This always, always happened. She side-stepped the black glass desk, where a chess board rested. Her bare feet made no sound while she walked across the wide room. A reddish glow bathed the atmosphere, a reflection from the city lights.

She walked out and shut the door silently, collapsing against the strong frame. As she fell to sleep that very night, a simple wish flamed in her heart. A wish for somebody, anybody to be by her side. A person who would reach out for her even if she resided in an unreachable place. Someone to hold her hand and comfort her. Someone to help her through the maelstrom of her own mind.