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WHEN YOU LEARN TO RUN FROM WHAT YOU FEEL, THAT IS WHY YOU HAVE NIGHTMARES. TO DENY IS TO INVITE MADNESS. TO ACCEPT IS TO CONTROL
Everyone on infinity island had been in a peaceful slumber, others awake to protect it. But one assassin in particular was tossing and turning, stuck in an awful space. Sleep eluded her, and when she awoke all she tried was to sleep because it was the question in her mind; Which is the true nightmare, the horrific dream that you have in your sleep or the dissatisfied reality that awaits you when you awake?
The answer, both. But, in her case, she'd choose to sleep because that seemed to be her only granted freedom anyway. She tried to count sheep, stars, recite a hundred digits of pi hoping to lull herself into a somewhat peaceful slumber.
"My little love," A beautiful woman spoke as she gently stroked a young girl's hair "Athena, you my dear are the best thing to ever come" Shadow found it odd to intrude into such a lovely moment but she was merely sat in a chair, restrained as the scenes in front kept changing
She saw the woman sitting near the fire place, reading and gently heard the bell ring. She went to answer it but immediate regretted opening the door for whoever was on the other side. But, the man managed to overpower her and entered. Shadow almost felt like she couldn't breathe when she saw Ra's.
"How dare you?" The woman questioned as she saw him enter her home, walking forward and looking around "After all that you and my brother conspired together, how can you even think to show your face here?"
"Your brother was a treacherous bastard and you were the manipulative shrew I made a fleeting mistake to offer my affections. But, that girl, I am her father and I shall have no one but myself to care for her" He stood in the centre of the living room
"Father? I would rather die. You—you have the audacity to enter my home and try taking my daughter?"
"My daughter! She is my child. I will raise her as I see fit!"
"You will do no such thing!" The woman countered "I left you, I left my brother and I am begging you leave me to live as I wish"
"Aphrodite, I am asking you this as the man you loved, I am restraining myself"
"It was a mistake, that much is true. You were the most self centred monster to exist if there was one. I want no association with you"
"I want nothing to do with you either, give me her" The woman blocked his path "You will ruin her just as you ruined your other children. She deserves to be happy, she—" She blinked away her tears "I have allowed myself to be manipulated by the likes of you many times, not her. Over my dead body." He stepped closer and reached for her wrists, caressing them softly and she tried to pull back but his grip tightened, restraining her before grabbing his sword and stabbing her in her heart, her eyes shined with unshed tears and betrayal as she let out a final gasping breath "Then so be it, my love" He spoke pulling the organ out and tossing it into the fireplace.
Shadow's restraints began to suffocate her and she let out a pained groan, watching as the woman's skin turned pale before a dark ink like blackness spread from her palm to where her heart had been thrown and the fireplace suddenly burned black, the flames changing their colour
"Mother!" The young girl who was meant to be upstairs screamed out and ran forward only for her path to be blocked "Hello, little one" She had tears in her eyes as she kept looking back at her mother "Why is she not waking? Will you please wake her?" She begged the man who nodded "She will no longer be bothered, do not worry" He picked her up gently and wiped her tears away, leading her away from the room and gesturing for his men to clean the mess "Tell me your name, my little warrior?"
"Athena"
"A befitting name, for a beautiful, brave little girl" He gently caressed her cheek and offered her a smile "You my Athena, are the most wonderful thing I have ever seen"
The girl only shook her head and escaped his hold, running back to her mother who still laid on the floor and she gently tapped the woman to wake her but it didn't work "Mother?"
She placed a kiss on her nose just as her mother would to wake her up but she wasn't waking "Please? I am sorry, please wake up. Mother—Mother!" She screamed as she was pulled back by Ra's who gestured for his men to get the woman away, they took her away in black bag and Shadow only helplessly watched on as the girl fought against Ra's but the demon head remained calm and shushed the crying child, gently kissing her forehead and took her with him.
The entire scene shifted and she saw any inky blackness surround her as the Shadow creature she feared so much took a seat next to her and she gulped in fear, tears pricking her eyes as it stroked her arm
"Wilson. Please leave"
The man scoffed, pulling the woman closer and taking her hands "Come on now, Aphrodite. The bastard's out of the picture. You, me," He looked at the young girl who was witnessing the scene from the living room "Athena. We can be a family" His grip tightened as his desperation increased "Every time I've pictured you, that's all I saw" She scoffed "You're out of your mind, there was never anything between us. I have never led you to believe such a thing. Leave"
"You're mine, I didn't have to believe anything"
"I am not property, Slade" She gently shook her head "Even if Ra's and I weren't...there would never be a circumstance where you and I are together."
He punched the wall near her head and let her go, only to place his hand on her waist "Don't say that! You—you are all I can think about Aph, you and I—I'm obsessed, mad about you and I need you by my side"
The woman didn't falter, not even flinching at his movements and simply glared at him "That is exactly what this is, a vile obsession, of the highest order. I suggest you leave my home. You're upsetting my daughter" A guard came up behind then and was leading the Wilson man away but he just pushed him back "I'll leave. But, believe me, I'll rip out your heart, just like how you did mine and it will be by the hands of the man you love"
The woman remained silent, shaking her head and walked away. Picking up her daughter and gently rocked her "Oh my stars, I am so sorry" Her eyes glistened "Mother?" She smiled at her still "If I wasn't such a lovelorn fool, we'd be freer, you and I. I fell in love with a demon. I must face the music for it" She gently placed her forehead against the young girl's affectionately "But I promise you, my little love, through everything I will always love you. I will cherish you." She pulled back and gave a smile "Now who's ready for the tickle monster—" She said as she gently tickled the girl's side causing her to let out giggles of joy
Shadow who was watching the entire thing with wide eyes tried pulling against her restraints only for the white room she was in to be engulfed by dark flames and she helplessly screamed as tentacles wrapped around her mouth, muffling the sound
She woke with a strangled gasp, drenched in sweat. Her chest heaving up and down as she looked out her window to see it was dawn, the sun only just reaching the horizon and sighed. Drinking from the glass of water beside her bed, she shook her head and tried to forget what she saw
It was no different from the nightmares she had everyday, except without faces and names. This one was just more...
She had read in one of her favourite books 'Even if she be not harmed, her heart may fail her in so much and so many horrors; and hereafter she may suffer—both in waking, from her nerves, and in sleep, from her dreams.' And somehow that quite literally became her life at the moment. She could only hope what she saw was a nightmare. A vivid, vision like nightmare. But, not the truth. This could not be truth. For the truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn't.
