The Dark Woods Circus II (On Hold)

II

Rin opened her eyes and she saw black, pure black, pitch black and nothing but black. There was black in her mouth, there was no tongue, there weren't any hands or arms or legs. She closed her eyes, replacing the darkness with more darkness.

When she opened them again, she saw white, pure white, glaring white and nothing but white. There was the white of the walls, the white of the floor, the white of her hands and arms and legs. She didn't close her eyes; the white was more inviting, more appealing, than the murky black, the endless darkness.

She saw yellow, moments later, when she turned her head. It was lemon yellow, the colour of her hair before it turned red, dyed with blood. It was the colour of her hair, the colour of her dear brother's hair, the colour of the grinning man in the top hat's hair...and he was sitting right beside her.

She couldn't see his eyes, but his smile showed it, it showed how he felt, and the way he occasionally ran his tongue along the pearly white walls inside his mouth, it showed it. It showed that he was happy, that he was having fun.

Rin's lungs were locked up inside of her, caught between her ribs, choking her to death, as if she could die. Her nostrils were caked with dried blood and as the feeling in her hands returned, she lifted her slender fingers and scraped the dried stuff off. It fell onto her clothes, her nightgown. It was tattered here and there, just like her body.

The blond girl took a deep breath once the blood was off of her nose. Her ribs cracked and her chest ached. The small of her back burned with pain and she cried out only slightly. For that, she received a slap across her face.

It was only then that she truly woke up and became aware of her surroundings. Her bones were broken but she wasn't. Her life was gone, but there she was, still alive. Her cheek stung. It wasn't exactly fun.

"If I hear another cry out of you, the consequences will be much worse," the man with the hat hissed.

Rin nodded quickly, looking down at her dress. She took slow, deep breaths, but her lungs never felt as though they were being filled. The air was rancid, the sour smell of dead bodies polluting it. She felt a weight beside her, pressing into her side, and she turned to look at the slumped body.

Len was lying beside her, his head resting against her side. She stroked his blond hair with a pale hand. Her fingers didn't always move the way she wanted them to, but she managed to get him to stir.

"Len," she whispered. The boy lifted his head, taking in the lifeless, lurid and bloody caricature of his sister. She glanced back at the man, who was still sitting beside her, his eyes hidden behind his hat and hair.

"Rin...where are we?" Len asked, his voice low, "No, wait. Don't tell me. I know where we are."

The man beside Rin grunted, getting to his feet. That was when the girl saw how tall he was, how his large, green eyes glinted under the shadow of the rim of his hat. She examined his clothing quickly; he wore a navy blue vest and a black shirt underneath. His pinstripe pants were coloured dark blue and silver, and were slim and straight cut at the ends.

"I'll be back in ten minutes or so," the man smiled, "Try to have some fun, okay?"

"I'm excited," Len whispered, and it sounded slightly forced. He smiled and Rin shook her head slowly, feeling like she had just woken up from a dream.

"Do you think they'll keep us together?" Rin asked. Len looked around blankly as his sister took his arm.

"Of course they will," Len grinned, "We're inseparable!"

"You promise?" Rin blinked as images of bloody nooses, foggy mirrors and dead girlfriends clouded her thoughts. She couldn't recall what had happened before she had ended up in this white room.