Jester

Nightmares.

She kept herself scarce in the back of the ship for the rest of the quiet flight. Her arm was unfortunately starting to itch just under the bandages. She glanced over to Halo, what felt like a rock sank in her stomach. She didn't watch them carefully enough and Halo died.

Something that none of them seemed to mention to the older group. Something odd she noticed. She carried Halo's dead body to the cells, there was no pulse and she was cold. She took a breath to try and forget the feeling.

The ship landed in Happy harbor, at the same house they had left some hours ago. They left the ship with Wing and the dark one leaving to their own homes. Halo left with the blonde while the prince and Forager reentered the bioship after it transformed into the rv again. Conner and Megan looked to her after looking at each other.

"We could set you up on the couch for tonight. We don't really know where you'll stay, but for now you'll stay with us okay?" She nodded and followed them inside. They set her up with a change of clothes and information on where specific places within the house were like the bathroom and the kitchen. They then left her to her own devices as they went to their room.

She changed her clothes and made sure to fold the clothes she was wearing so they weren't left on the floor. She went to lay down on the couch when she glanced at her arm. The bandage could use a change.

Unraveling the bandage on her way to the kitchen went smoothly until she passed the entry way. A sharp pain spiked from her shoulder. She paused on her way and closed her eyes to will the pain away, it only got worse.

Her eyes flew open but she was not in the house, it looked like the decrepit fun house. Only this time it was better lit and in better shape.

"I do so love anniversaries, don't you my little Jester?" The voice was familiar but she couldn't see a face. She closed her eyes again and went to scream but no sound came from her.

She heard a laugh but couldn't tell if it was one or two laughs she was hearing. The pain burned across her back in stripes, she didn't understand why the pain was there. Her legs gave out from under her and she fell to her knees, hands barely able to catch the floor before her face did.

A glove covered hand crept over her shoulder one finger at a time.

"You look so good in blood. Too bad you hide away anytime we play." The voice was much closer to her ear this time. She forced her eyes open again, but the location hadn't changed. She was however wearing orange gloves and blue sleeves.

'What is this?' She wondered as she went to scream again.

"Nine years my little Jester. You've been mine for half your life now." The man laughed, it sounded more distinct as just one without the overlap of another.

Phantom hands touched her back and she reeled in pain.

"Leaving that circus was the best decision you ever made." She chanced looking over, even with the blinding pain. The man wore a suit, she wasn't sure the color just that the top and bottom matched. In his hands was a red hot tipped fire poker, or maybe it was one of those fancy lighters, it was hard to tell with the tears blotting her vision. What wasn't mistakable was the pale skin and green hair.

Once she recognized the man's featured she was gripped with fear so cold it blocked out the burn of the pain in her back. This man was bad news. Who even was he though? Why is she here? Where did the house go?

He came closer and she could see the red lipped smile painted across his face as he gripped her chin.

"Let's see if we can make it to ten then darling." She closed her eyes and felt a cool breeze brush against her skin.

Muffled noises were in front of her. She had to focus. Where was she?

"Are you back?" The sound was still muffled but she could make out the words now.

"What even happened?"

She opened her eyes as the words blurred together again. She was back in the house and it was dark. Her back felt wet, and it seems to have traveled down her arm.

'I'm hurt?' She wondered as the color of the liquid registered in the dark.

"Something triggered a memory and in doing so it seems old wounds were reopened." That was Megan. The words were more clear this time.

'Jester. That man called me Jester. If that was a memory then the pain I felt was from the past. So why is it bleeding?' She looked up to see the worried faces of Conner and Megan.

"Are you okay?" Megan asked. She slowly nodded, other than her back and the recovered memory she was fine. "You're bleeding, can we get you to the bathroom?" She nodded and went to stand, but moving anything hurt.

"We can stay here for a bit." Conner was hovering, almost like he was worried that if he got too close she'd break. She glanced at his outstretched hands and saw that they too had blood on them.

'The phantom hands.' She realized. 'He tried to help.'

After a bit the pain subsided considerably, she got up and went to the bathroom to get cleaned up now that some of the blood was crusting. Megan had followed her in, and kept Conner out, to help clean up. The shirt was peeled off with little difficulty, but in definite need of a wash.

"That's odd." Megan said slowly. She glanced to the side and caught the reflection, Megan was staring at her back where the pain originated. "They're scared already." At this she turned a little more so she could see part of the reflection.

Megan wasn't wrong. Under the dried blood there were nine tally mark scars on her shoulder. The skin was slightly pink so it looks like it was just healed, but odd none the less.

With this realization she glanced back up at Megan's reflection to see she was worried.

'If they know who I am, they'll know what these mean. And who that man was. But if he gave me more scars will each memory I recover have the same effect?'

[A/N: this was not intentional, but the release this week happens to land on my birthday and a family members anniversary. Which is why there's a double feature. ^.^ Anyways I hope you have a wonderful day/night. ^.^]