A Marionette's Dream

April 5, 1900

“We’ve spent almost a whole year looking for Adeline Scarlet. She’s not here anymore.” Lucas spoke tiredly, I ignored him and kept walking down the alley. “She deserves to pay the price for what she did to me. She tried to take my life away, she stole Aidan’s life away.” I reply harshly. He sighs heavily and places his hands in his front pockets. She has to be here, she is still mutilating children, she is still ripping their bodies to shreds. Succubi aren’t even supposed to do that! They go after men, they steal men’s lives away not children. A loud scream caught me by surprise, “Thought she wasn’t here anymore!” I yell as I run towards the scream. I can hear Lucas’s heavy footfalls from behind me, I got her now; this time she won’t get away.

“Oh goody! Just the two demons I was waiting for!” The sound of her voice really ticks me off. Adeline is standing over another little boy, it looks like the boy that was with Aidan. I slowly pull out two long knitting needles from the black sash of my dress, I smirk and point one of the needles at her. “You’re not getting away this time,” I say softly as I take a step closer. “At at dear, did you really think I came unprepared?” She said with a malicious grin plastered on her face. Confusion spreads across my face, she couldn’t have known that we’d be coming. “Would you like to know a little secret Lass?” She asked.

I glare at her and hold my stance, “What is your secret wench.” I spat out venomously. She began to walk closer to me, “I’ve seen your future. I good friend of mine; who is a seer might I add told me about it.” I try to play it cool, she continued to speak. “She told me that your fantasy world would be coming to a major halt. She said that the life as you know it will be gone, tonight.” I felt my whole body shake, I can’t let her unnerve me like this. “Scarlet!” I heard Lucas call my name, I turned around quickly and tried to warn him to run, but I was too late. A silver dagger had pierced his heart, he stopped dead in his tracks. He looked down momentarily then looked back up at me.

Tears filled my eyes as my master turned to ash, “N-NO!!” I screamed. A hard blow to my head knocked me to the ground, “Go on cry little dolly! Cry for your new master!” I heard Adeline scream. New master? What is she talking about? She began to laugh as she picked me up by my hair, “Oh this is rich! He didn’t tell you did he?” She asked gleefully. I look at her with a tearful glare, “T-Tell me what.” I spat angrily. She grinned at me once more and whispered in my ear, “If anything were to ever happen to him; you’d belong to me.” Once again my world crashed around me. Lucas wouldn’t do that, he loved me, he said he did.

“Y-You’re lying,” I say softly. She erupts with laughter as she throws me to the ground, ”Arachne Stop.” My eyes widen as the familiar silver strings appeared on my wrists and ankles. I look up at her with fear, she smirks and forces me to stand. “You’re my pretty little dolly now.” She whispered menacingly as she forced me to walk out of the alley. I look back and see the ash of my former master and the small mutilated body of the boy who once called Aidan his brother.

” All the metal will rust away, rust away, rust away. All the metal will rust away my fair lady.” She was singing my melody, again. Just like last time, it was hurting me, my screams echoed around us. The metal stitches that Lucas provided me with was tearing into my skin as it rusted. “S-STOP PLEASE!” I yell, but Adeline just laughed at my pain. ”Every stitch will stay in place, stay in place, stay in place. Every stitch will stay in place, my fair lady.” She sang again. Tears streamed down my cheeks at the pain, the rust of the metal was burning my skin. “W-Why are you doing this to me?” I ask softly.

Adeline gripped my hair tight and forced me to look at her. Her green eyes and light brown freckles stood out on her pale face, her eyes held so much hatred. “How dare you ask that! You know why!” She yelled. I force myself to shake my head, I have no idea what she is talking about. “You stole Lucas from me! You stole his heart, the moment he made you, you had him wrapped around your pretty little cloth finger.” She spat angrily. Stole him? “Y-You loved him?” I ask quietly. “Yes, I did, but you took him away! He loved you not me!” She yelled as she pulled my hair tighter. I held back a scream, I will not give her the satisfaction of hearing me scream.

The hatred in her eyes disappeared, it was replaced with something sinister. “I’ll break you, I’ll break his little toy. I’ll break you until you can’t feel a damn thing.” Her voice was so quiet and evil. Adeline pulled one of my knitting needles from her coat pocket, she took the sharp point of the needle and began to pry one of my stitches off. A scream of agony ripped through me, she laughed as she continues to work the needle under the stitch. “Go on scream!! Scream like the bitch you are!” The pain was becoming too much, the edges of my vision started to fade to black. “I-I’m...s-sorry.” That was the last thing I said before darkness consumed me.

“Scaret! You’re home!” Aidan’s happy voice called from inside our little home. I smile at him and motion for him to come outside, he ran out and jumped into my arms. “I saw daddy today, he said he misses you very much,” I say as I hug him tightly. “Is he coming home tonight?” Asked Aidan. I look away from him and sigh. “No...he said Mummy won’t let him come home, Aidan.” The sad expression on his face breaks my heart. “It’s your fault daddy can’t come home.” I was taken back by what he said. To my horror, Aidan’s smooth skin began to morph into the mutilated skin of a murder victim. “It’s your fault that I’m dead.”

I scream loudly, a dreadful pain was ripping through my very soul. “There you are!! I thought I lost you!” I heard Adeline’s demented voice. “W-Where’s....w-where’s my brother!!” I scream. I heard her laugh loudly, “He’s in a graveyard in old London town! Remember I killed him.” What I saw was nothing more than a crude dream, a cruel false world. I’m not human, nor am I home. I am a demon in my own personal hell, though I guess this is where I belong. “W-We’ve all fallen down it seems...y-you...me...a-and Lucas. W-We’ve all fallen down into our own p-personal hells.” I mutter as I force my eyes to open. Adeline was covered in blood, she was covered in my blood.

“I think I’m in paradise, you maybe in your own little hell, but I’m not.” She replied softly as she ripped the stitch around my neck off. I felt my warm blood gush from the wound, I was fading fast. I need to get out, no I have to get out. I try to move my hands, but I can’t, my strings are still around my wrists. “Don’t worry my little doll baby...I’ll put you back together soon, but when I do; I’m going to break you again.” She whispered softly in my ear. Someone please save me from this hell, save me from this pain and suffering. “S-Save m-me from this curse,” I whisper. Adeline chuckled softly and whispered again, “No one can save you now little doll.”