Warning: contains mention of sexual abuse and mental. 

I‌ laid in a pool of tears singing this tune repeatedly as the room's floor lifted several feet. An echo reverberated from that of my raspy voice, unbearable. However, the beast lulled during this time an after effect of this condition, an unpleasant hoarseness. She lurked in the darkness, awaiting her prey by sharpening a metal weapon, clang. So that another transformation of this area in square footage, until a mysterious massive gray door appeared, on the furthest wall. While these florescent lights switched on as Dr. Schindler arrived; this monster lunged forward, restraining herself, for now. The Doctor held a tray of food in her hands, hurling the slop onto the ground. I ravaged the contents, knowing the effects of drugs in my system, collapsing onto the plate. A situation encountered before with Curtis the Tormentor many times over.

We walked down a dirt path leading to his lone tent as he escorted me inside. A plate of cookies sat on his wooden table with a note. By the time Curtis crumpled up the paper, pointing at a chair on the opposite side of him. I plopped down, staring at the giant pastries covered with a supple amount of chocolate chips. He pulled out a newspaper, slamming an unfolded page, circled in red a picture of my deceased parents.

"This is you, isn't it," he smirked. "Alice who killed with Malice the perfect headline,"

I stood up from the chair that dropped behind me. "What are you going to do?" I shook.

"Nothing, this will be our little secret. But at a cost. One call and I can make your life hell."

"What cost?"

"Just eat a cookie, that's all."

I hesitantly grabbed a cookie, placing one near my lips. His blue pupils dilated with each bite I took, he shifted. An unsightly image of his pants bulging as my world spun, falling to the ground. For this helpless body mangled by Curtis's dirty pale hands. In my present unconscious state, he taunted me in the form of these memories.

I‌ awoke groggy, suspended several feet in the air, held up by chains. Savagely swinging, feeling for a weakness in these restraints. I observed below, hooded figures who stared at Dr. Schindler as she snapped her fingers. While this weapon lowered me to the ground to these unknown entities, she commanded the chain to disengage. They slithered away like a snake onto the floor, back to their nest that closed tightly.

"Elders, this is the enigma I found lurking in the City of Striabridge," she announced.

A man took off his hood; grabbed my face, looking at me. "It is but a child," a puzzled look. His face a slight blur. "Interesting, the masking on it is powerful."

"Elder Seleucus, it is a girl." he approached me. "Let me see her."

"What just happened?" Dr. Schindler questioned. "That burst of energy was something else." she looked to Elder Selecus.

"What did you do, Elder Selviam?" he stomped his foot.

The material of the floor altered at the command of Elder Selviam, to a reflective metal. He pointed down so that the figures slid their hoods off elegantly. Dr. Schindler laughed as her chains freed me, now lying dormant on the ground. The Elder's faces no longer pixilated; their identity clear as day. Once my eyes darted glimpsing my reflection that flashed red eyes, darkness seeped into my mind.

I floated in an abyss regulated to my consciousness; a lone light appeared above. Random instances of audio and movement lit up the room in various bright colors. After, I scrunched my face at an ear-piercing scratching, like sharpened nails on a blackboard. This blood-soaked pink teddy bear manifested in the center of the spotlight. What monstrosity is this? Crawling, I inched closer, touching the familiar animal that dissolved everything around me.

I discovered myself awkwardly twisted on the floor for a few brief moments, gathering myself. An unknown liquid formed around my hand, whilst adjusting to an upright position. Where I sniffed at the mysterious substance, an alluring smell of iron and that taste of exquisiteness; therefore, the beast gritted her teeth. A feedback loop from a speaker system above echoed as these lights flickered on. This compacted glass frosted booth hung near the center, shadows of several people moving around. I observed the blood-stained ceiling near them; how pleasurable, these awful words from me? For a shiver circulated this body, causing these hairs to stand at attention.

"Abomination, you attacked me." a female voice bellowed. "Look at the destruction you caused."

A closer inspection of the outer walls revealed deep scratches and fracturing cement that tumbled down. Boom, this revelation of abomination, those words echoed as my breathing shallowed. Violently, my fists hit the icy floor until these knuckles bled. The words she said caught me off guard, spiraling me into the chaos of my mind. No longer human and denying this unfathomable reality, an inability to escape fate. The voice of Dr. Schindler bounced off the walls, tormenting me.

"Alice Mae Kingsley, your actual name." she rustled paper. "Wanted for the murder of..."

"Stop...." I placed my hands on my head. "Don't say it."

"Nathaniel and Olivia Kingsley."

I banged my head repeatedly on the wall, this sound of my skull cracking, Dr. Schindler snickered. Blood rolled down this face onto my hand, licking at this delectable filled goodness. I slapped myself, as if that worked; the darkness's presence still lingered in the recesses. Dr. Schindler's voice silenced as a loud huff, then a brief argument started between her and another. A man's figure dismissed Dr. Schindler elsewhere, by their body movements of her stomping.

"Alice, I am Dr. Hammond," his gruff voice introduced. "I will evaluate your abilities,"

"Evaluation?" I stood up. "I am a child, and these actions against me are..." screaming at him.

"Ridiculous? We need to gauge your powers. This evaluation will determine your fate."

"My fate... let me out of this goddamn cage, you animal."

"You are the animal."

The chaos began with an absence of light; a high-pitched screech broke out on a continuous loop. I buried my head into my lap, covering these ears. This sound lasted an ungodly length, but the intensity inverted into this body. Yet after an eerie silence, I instinctively stood up, as a light above swung in a hypnotic motion. Three bodies laid faced up feet towards me, slowly approaching the curious mannequins. As soon as haze floated into the chamber from the side walls, through vented holes. The dead rose, staring at me with their eyeless sockets that poured massive amounts of blood.

"Alice, don't you remember us?" A female voice shrilled, "Your parents, my little Violet,"

That nickname from the years, I followed her every whim. One memory in particular the day of her anniversary with my father. For that changed everything, her attitude towards me and my volition. Where this chaotic scene as usual, I worked on my advanced placement homework, at the wooden kitchen table. This troublesome math problem, many attempts littered the tiled floor. As my mother made noises from the kitchen, with her pop music blasting loudly.

"My little Violet," my mother sang, "Don't push yourself too hard,"

"But, mom, there is a deadline for this," I banged my head on the table, "It is due on Monday,"

"Take a break. Here are some snacks, your favorite."

My mother slid a snack plate of green grapes, crackers, and cheese in front of me. She danced while pulling out a chocolate cake from our white oven. Since my mother opened the fridge, placing this pastry inside to cool off. A key jiggled in the front door, popping open; she ran over and greeted my father. I popped a sour grape into this mouth while walking into the living room. 

"Nathaniel how was work?" she leaned forward for a kiss, "Do you like my new outfit?" she spun.

"Yes, honey, it is beautiful," he stared at his phone, "Work was hectic," 

"Nathaniel you aren't even looking at me. Stop staring at your phone."

My father's phone rung: he answered as he dashed out the door with his laptop bag. He jumped into his car, speeding away into the late evening. So, my mother turned, pulling out her smartphone, and desperately called my father. Each time he hung up; she stomped her feet like a child until my dad answered. She put him on speaker, cussing him out for leaving on this special occasion. 

"Where the fuck did you go?" My mother screamed, "Do you know what today is?"

"I have a work emergency," he sniped, "All of this extra work in hope of a promotion, so I can pay for Alice's damn Education," in an irreverent tone, "Oh, and did you see the paper? From school? She will need therapy, apparently she is being bullied," 

My mother hung up, clutching her phone in hand and launched the device at me. But she nearly missed my head by me rolling behind the couch. Only furthering her rampage as she tore up my weeks' worth of homework. My mother stomped into the kitchen, tearing the room apart, a happy pop song turned on. With a chocolate cake in hand, she walked into the living room, tossing the crumbled mess onto the table.

"This is all your fault," she pointed to the cake, "I don't want this going to waste, eat it all," 

"But..." my head twinged, "I am not hungry,"

"I don't even know why we adopted you. You can't even eat a fucking cake."

"I'm adopted?"

Reality mixing with this fragmenting memory, these bodies phased forward. "You aren't real..." I walked backwards. "This is his test," shutting my eyes.

"Oh, sweet death you have graced us with." Curtis spoke. "I love my little sunshine. The fun times we had."

"Fun?" I opened my eyes. "You took advantage of me."

"You are the one, your perfect..." he came closer to me. "Lips,"

My body tremored as I‌ screamed at the top of my lungs. While collapsing to the ground, memories of our trysts, Curtis called them; flooded back. Using his size to control me through violence and sedatives. To sobbing uncontrollably his death by me, justice? Even in his demise, he tormented me. Blood... we need blood.... fuck that voice again. I bashed my head with these fists multiple times until the figures vanished.

Another test? The heat raged as sweat dripped down my face. Barefoot, my skin on these feet slowly sloughed off with each step. Peering behind to my bloody footprints and bits of skin on the metal floor, I gagged. Flames bursted from the walls, Fire! This doctor's insanity showed through his actions. Deliberately trying to kill me, a human... wait... what.... My mind spiraled, a deeply buried memory pulled from the core of my being, projected into the room.

I heard voices around this room now pitch black, mysterious whispering ones approached. "The child is an abomination," a male's speech shook.

"What are we supposed to do? We can't kill the child, Icarus," a female's voice wobbled.

"If she is killable... the only force that I think that could do it is the sun."

So, we flew into the star and, my skin burning with that pain, familiar.

Icarus? from the legend, a memory of mine included this nonsense? My body engulfed in flames, I shrieked in pure agony until a cold mist blew in. After assessing the damage to my frame, no wounds, I healed, even my feet. No humanity inside of me, a monster who mauls others out of spite and anger. The doctor spoke on the intercom system.

"Fascinating, you are fire resistant."

"I am just following orders."

"Orders? Whose orders?"

"Mine." A male voice spoke.

A burst of light filled the room, unlike that filthy darkness from earlier. The warmth intoxicated my senses as a chain weapon appeared. Where a brilliant melded dark weapon wrapped me up with no hostility but, like a hug, entered my mind. Another conscience? a female? She settled inside before speaking in a distinct voice.

I am the Chains of Arachne; I come in the time of great distress.

I do not understand.

I cannot explain such matters. The gods forbid it.

Gods?