In The Jaws of the Maw (Six X Seven/Runaway Kid)

Malevolence

  Deep below the waves, creeping in the shadows of The Maw, an unseen presence examines It's work. It has come a long way, but now there is once again much to be done. Swirling in the darkest heart, It speaks to the elder of It's hosts.

  I have chosen.

  Who?! She demanded. She was always demanding things.

  It is not your place to know, It whispered.

  Whoever it is will inherit this ship! It's my right to know!

  You are the disgrace who has failed to produce an heir. It is not your place to know my intentions. Only mine. If you wished to know, perhaps you should have tried harder.

  It could feel the elder's contempt at the stinging insult. This had been It's plan all along. Watch and wait, and seize the first chance that arose from this ship's murky depths.

  You will not find them. The heir is mine, and mine alone. Its potential is far greater than yours ever was. It is chaotic and destructive. It mirrors me in nature. Truly a perfect host.

  But they won't be trained!  She protested. You'll destroy them!

  The first in your line was not trained. When the inheritance is not familial, the transition is slow. I will influence her, and guide her along the right path, right in to my waiting jaws.

  ...As you will, my lord, the elder conceded.

  Internally, It laughed at the elder. Such a simple mortal mind. It was not a deity, and yet she would refer to It as one. It found her amusing. Still, as funny of a pet she was, It needed a new host, and the elder was nothing compared to the heir. The heir was the perfect storm. Reckless, yet clever. Intelligent, but still naïve. All that was left was the matter of transitioning, and consuming that little rebellious spirit. 

  It felt delighted at that thought. All that power, held in such a tiny frame. Truly a worthy plaything. Soon enough, It would claim her completely, and then It's work would truly begin. It would no longer be contained and controlled by a "trained" heir. It could break it's ties to the elder's line, and truly be free. 

~

  She had a name, once. They all did. The memories were hidden, buried so deep that even It could not reach them. Such was the power of the elder's dark magic. The power to obscure. To control. To force into submission. They must all forget.

  But once... long before the terrifying influence of The Maw... she did have a name. Long-forgotten memories and dreams have more in common than one might think. A dreamer walks in tilted steps. Sometimes it's better to forget.

  Are you sure you want to know?

  The dreamer sees in flashes. A bright world and a shining sun. A bizarre structure that calls an old, forgotten word to mind.

  Playground.

  A friend. An old friend. Or at least, as old as a friend can be when considering such a short life. A boy. Does he have a name too?

  He did, the past tells the dreamer. He used to.

  What was it?

  Daniel. Dan. 

  And mine?

  The dreamer doesn't know. The past knows, but the past is lost. The dreamer, aware yet blind, watches the progression of her brief, scattered memories as they flash before her eyes with gradually increasing speed and intensity, until they become too painful to handle.