Subject 001

The White Violin

Warning: Sad, angsty and sad

2005

Sixteen-year-old Em found herself in the familiar open field, she had a black dress on and no shoes as always, she sat on the soft grass, sighing quietly. Kay came over to her, they'd turned into a Ladybug the size of a large dog, given Em's prior ignorance to what Kay was.

"Hi Kay," Em said quietly, patting her friend's shell. "Today marks a month since they stopped experimenting on me, I think they ran out of ways to kill me or just out of feasible ideas. They've been training me every day, training's been good ever since I learned to not fight too well. It's been a week since I got shocked for it, so I got a reward for good behavior, they gave me some books to read. Nothing of real importance, I imagine, nothing educational, there are a few about princesses trapped in castles, one about a sparkling vampire... they all seem bleak but it's better than nothing. Classes are also going well, as long as I act as numb as I possibly can, I don't know exactly what they are trying to teach me and I can never ask questions, my vocabulary has been growing, however, so there's that."

Em sighed, laying on the grass, Kay cuddled close to her, but Em's deep sadness was still apparent in her features. The loneliness and constant pain made it hard for her to keep a positive outlook on life, she'd long given up on the hope of ever leaving that horrid place.

"'Mind reprogramming' is the worst, you know?" Em muttered softly. "The things they make me watch..." she shook her head, physically trying to delete those images from her mind. "it's the reason I'm here in the first place, and their method doesn't even work, I'm no more compelled to do what they want me to than I was before it started. I do get more liberty because of it though, so as long as they continue thinking it works... They've been buying my 'dead inside' act so far..."

Em yawned, feeling herself weaken, they'd have taken her body to her room at that point, she'd been so quiet and obedient there no longer was a difference to the onlookers whether she was present or whether she was nothing more than a shell without a mind.

"It's time for me to go," Em said quietly. "See you tomorrow Kay."

She felt her eyes heavy, her heartbeat slow and the harsh cold come as Death grasped her once more.

Present-day...

Em and Diego ran, looking for the others as the Academy trembled.

"Yo," Diego called, seeing Luther leave Allison's room. "What the hell is going on?"

Klaus stumbled out of a room with furrowed brows, "Are those explosions coming f-"

"Vanya," Pogo said seriously. "We need to get to safety outside the Academy."

"Don't forget mom!" Luther yelled after Klaus, Em, and Diego as they ran.

"Think she's still in the kitchen?" Em asked tentatively.

"Worth a try," Diego shrugged. "Mom!" he called.

The trio walked around the Academy calling for Grace, they ended at her favorite spot and she wasn't there.

"Mom!" Diego called as they got to the empty chair.

"Where is she?" Em asked worriedly.

"Mom!" Klaus called as they ran towards the other side of the space.

The Academy was shattering around them as they tried to find Grace, suddenly the ceiling started to break and fragments of it fell upon them. Causing Em and Klaus to fall and rendering Diego briefly unconscious.