Fallacious Serenity

Chapter 1.

           Its 2016, a young woman, trapped eternally in the 'perfect' body of a porcelain doll, makes her way through the forest. She hums to the tune of Beethoven's "Für Elise" whilst rolling a single marble between her fingers. Her falsely blonde hair, blowing in the wind behind her along with the cape of her black, Victorian dress. Her heels sink through the snow and stop at the frozen Earth beneath her, and her pale, porcelain-like skin almost blending in with the snow mantled forest. The past few years have been difficult, loss and love have been a vicious cycle of late. Between the Ross brothers and one of her counterparts in the mansion, L.J., she has been needing her sense of freedom restored, resulting in the current walk.

           The town that is just through the forest is in the same place as the one from her childhood, burned to the ground and brought back up when the townspeople decided the rich reign of the Lonstein's rule would be no more. She smiles slightly, weary of the cracks that cut harshly across her cheeks and over her blue eyes. She begins to examine the snow that has drifted and settled itself on the trees, her gaze moves along the small icicles that have formed themselves on the small and largest branches of the trees and dead bushes.

          An animal cries out in the distance, causing her head to snap in the direction. After a few more cries, she decides that it must be in pain, she must help it.

        "Max Lonstein, you are going to get yourself in trouble one day." She mutters to herself as she hurriedly walks towards the sound, passing by the trees that seem to grow closer and closer together as she goes. A small clearing, not even large enough to be a field is where she stops. The animal no longer cries out, for it lies dead and closer to the treeline than she expected, causing her to nearly choke as the smell of blood wafts to her nose. She shakes her head and covers her nose and mouth as she continues to look around the clearing.

        In front of the deer sits a long and raven haired young man, dressed in black formal, yet torn, attire. A single chain runs from the tree across the clearing and around his neck. He looks at her with a bloodied face, small droplets dripping off his chin and onto the animal carcass beneath him or onto the snow. He quickly backs away and hastens to the tree with the chain coming off it, not breaking eye contact for second.

         She steps forward, still feeling the need to help the animal. Something snaps and breaks beneath her foot, causing her to look down and move her foot. Beneath it lies a broken bone, she looks around at the ground, noticing the various animal and human skulls and bones that were mostly covered by the fallen and still falling snow.

         "Sir?" She asks, receiving no response other than the same cold, animalistic stare. After a few moments of debate, she walks around the fresh animal carcass and closer to him, still cautious of the dangers that may result in her decision. He backs himself against the tree and stares at her, tensing up as she steps closer. "I'm not going to hurt you..I just want to see if I can get the chain off." She says, trying to soothe him. He shakes his head no and tugs on the chain, hoping for her to give up.

         She sighs and continues to inch closer to him. "How long have you been here?" she asks, still receiving no verbal response. "Could you at least tell me your name?" She tries a different question, less personal perhaps, still holding onto the small bit of hope she has left for a verbal response.

        "V.." He says, uncertainty coating the single letter he spoke. She nods, hiding the excitement she has from the fact that he responded finally. She's almost directly in front of him now, their eye contact hasn't broken since this ordeal had begun. She crouches down in front of him and gently reaches for the chain around his neck, noticing the numerous engravings on each chain link. When she picks it up, the engravings light up a hot red and burn her hand which cause her to yelp, let go and fall on her rear. V. looks down and seems to almost sigh before sitting back against the tree.