As The World Turns Cold

Remembrance

Mercy shivered. She lay crouched in a ball on the damp floor of her cell. She had been a bad girl, they said.

She didn't recall doing anything wrong but she didn't give them what they wanted either. Water pooled at her feet, covering the surface of the concrete.

It drenched her tattered, grimy clothes but Mercy didn't mind too much. If anything, the cold, wetness of the water taught her control and bitterness. That was something she would need to survive.

It was silly. The scientists experimenting on her thought that the water might hurt her. She wasn't sure where they got the idea. As far as she knew, they still hadn't found out anything about Mercy's inhuman abilities.

They were testing theories in any way they could, but Mercy was lucky. Though she was still unsure of what the extent of her abilities, she had enough knowledge to feel the fire in the pit of her stomach.

The restless urges of power flowing through her veins were a constant reminder of why she wasn't with her family. It was the very reason for why she was kidnapped years before and tortured daily.

Though she was little and still far too young Mercy knew from years of being on the run with her family that she should not ever let anyone see how special she was.

Her parents had drilled that into her brain from the first moment they saw the scales creeping up her arms and the glow in her eyes.

She had been trained to remain calm and to never give in and in memory of the parents she didn't expect to see again, she did just that. She was a fighter and her strength was feeble and weak but as she grew older her strength would grow as well.

Mercy was in for the fight of her life; one that could either leave her dead at an early age or alive and trapped in a cell like an experiment.

"Now, Mercy. Look at you." The doctor tsked.

"You're soaking wet and covered in bruises. This could have been avoided. You could have been a good little girl and have listened to me when I spoke."

Mercy cringed at the sound of his confident, eerie voice. Her parents were good people and other adults that she had come in contact with in her life had never hurt her. Not like this. She never knew anyone could be so cruel.

He was a demon in human skin. A man under the guise of a doctor, but it was all a lie. He was a madman and the young Mercy Baudelaire had long since given up her hope of escaping his cruelty. It was unavoidable now that she was growing older and her powers were harder to control.

"You may be a child, but after two years of this you should know that that will never bring me reason to take pity on you. No mercy. Not one ounce will ever be shown to you." The doctor spoke with menace.

Droplets of water splattered against Mercy's bruised cheeks as the doctor's sterile shoes landed in a puddle close to her head.

The doctor reached down and pulled Mercy up off of the cold, damp floor by the tangled strands of her red hair. She whimpered against the pain but uttered no response.

"Your nightmares have only begun."

The doctor dropped her and watched as her body fell to the floor. His wicked grin gleamed pearly white in the blackness of the room. The night terrors she had experienced as a child were nothing compared to the grin of a madman.

Funny what imagination can do. The sharp, pointed teeth and bloodshot eyes were make believe and if she closed her eyes Mercy might be able to forget them, but the evil within him could never be unseen.

The doctor slinked out of the room with confidence, closing and locking the door on Mercy's little tidbit of light. Mercy didn't shut her eyes until she was sure the doctor was long gone.

Mercy pulled her little hands into tight fists at her sides. She moved her arms to push herself up. She stumbled. The water made the concrete of the floor slippery and her weak limbs did little to aide her attempts.

Mercy found her balance and pushed up off the floor. Her eyes closed as she felt the fight returning to her body.

Mercy would make her parents proud. She was determined to keep her secrets safe, but before she chose to lock it all away she needed to indulge in the feeling of freedom and fire coursing through her veins.

For the first and last time, she would watch the scales shimmer against her skin to the fullest extent they could and then she would pretend like none of it was real.

She stood on weak knees and bruised skin, but the look in her eyes was one of determination. Flecks of gold and red crept up the delicate bones of her hand.

The scales climbed up her arm, dancing across her skin and creating a chaotic and colorful array of beauty against the darkness she had grown accustomed to.

Mercy felt the scales as they crawled up her neck and neared her eyes. How far did she dare to go? Mercy had never unleashed all of her power nor did she know what she could do.

Today, and only in this fleeting moment of defiance, would she push the limits on herself.

The scales tugged at her facial structure and she closed her eyes briefly. She took in a gulp of air, breathing in the murky scent. 

Mercy could feel the rage burning in her eyes. She opened her eyes, letting her eyes find her reflection in the water on the floor.

The once emerald irises were now lit from within like molten gold. She took in her fragile body. She was small but the scales crawling up her limbs made her look powerful and she felt the fire coursing in her veins.

This was her moment.

She could be trapped her for years or decades, but no one in hear would ever be allowed to see her until she knew she could take on the world and save herself. Until then, this was all she needed.

Mercy locked eyes with her reflection, holding on to the image of the fierce little girl staring back at her. She felt the transformation leaving her body. Her hand lashed out causing the water to disperse before her. She stood her ground.

Fire and freedom would drive her until she was left hollow.