My View From the Window
~ Chapter Two
Wake up!!
“Ughh...” My head was still aflame with a powerful burning
sensation, and my body had turned limp
from my lack of blood. “...I...I can’t...” I replied softly to
the coaxing voice. “...I’m...I’m so tired...just leave me
alone...”
Open your eyes!! Look around you!!
“Nnggg...not so loud...” I choked. “My head...it hurts so
much....just let me sleep...”
You’re alive!! Stand up!
“...Stop it...” I cried through gritted teeth, bracing myself
from the flaming agony that spread through my
bones. “Stop calling to me....I just want to rest....I want
everything to go away...”
You didn’t die! Get to your feet!
“............No...no, I can’t do it....Not after that.....Just
let me forget everything.....”
You can stand! Do it!
Though my eyes remained sealed, I felt icy hands slip beneath
my arms and begin to pull me up. Around
me I could feel the frosty touch of what felt like water, and as I
was drawn up out of it the pain in my body angrily
burned and writhed. “...Let go of me...!” I ordered weakly,
slumped tiredly in the unobserved person before me.
“..I...I won’t...! Let me be...leave me alone...!!”
Open your eyes!! See where you are!!
“Ahh--!!” I drew in a breathless gasp as my eyelids
flew open and I sat straight upwards. Panting, I
slowly directed my indistinct vision about me, then clutched a
shaking hand against me. “....Oh my God...” I
breathed unsteadily, my eyes wide. “.....Where...where am I...?”
The persuasive female voice that had beckoned me only a few
seconds earlier had completely disappeared,
and I emitted a frightened scream as a small cemetery gradually
came into view below me. “Christ in heaven!! I’m
dead!! I’m having one of those goddam out-of-body experiences!!”
My heart hammered mercilessly in my chest, and I forced myself
to calm as I noticed my view into the
graveyard was through a large window that I was now sprawled in
front of. I was at least a story or two above the
burial ground, which was maybe only ten or so feet wide situated
in the space between the building I sat in and the
one to the left and contained maybe twenty or so simple
gravestones. I gazed down at it for several seconds in
surprised noiselessness, then slowly shifted my sight to my
surroundings.
I was laid on my back atop a scarlet-colored couch, worn and
faded with age, facing out towards the large
pane of glass before me overlooking the cemetery below. I soon
realized why my sight had been so limited--my
right eye was completely covered by a long bandage that had been
wrapped around my head several times and
ended across my forehead. I was covered by several layers of
bedspreads, then drew in a gasp as I noticed I was
refreshingly naked beneath the sheets. “Wh--” I gaped down at
myself for several seconds, eyeing the crimson
dagger wounds that were slashed randomly over my pale skin--most
of which were also covered by bloodstained
compressions--and then my eyes slowly dropped to my left wrist.
It to had been wrapped with several layers of
ensanguined gauze, most of which continued on almost down to my
elbow. It still burned when I moved it, and I
stared blankly down at it for a number of moments. I suddenly
exhaled a sorrowful sigh and shut my eyes. “....I
remember now....” I whispered softly, forcing myself to stifle the
tears that threatened to escape my blurry eyes.
“...I remember it all....everything that happened.....I was caught
in the alleyway...that man drew out his
knife...and.....” I stopped and slowly opened my eyes again,
keeping them stuck groggily on my bandaged wrist.
“.......................I don’t want to be alive........” I choked
quietly. “.....Why aren’t I dead...? Why didn’t I die...? Who
in their right mind could ever have decided to save me...?” My
wrist dropped limply back down to the sheets
around me, and I gazed back over at the peaceful cemetery again.
I’m not sure how much time elapsed, or how long I had been
staring silently out at the graveyard at the
base of the building I was in. My hands felt sickeningly cold
against my exposed bosom, and my reeling mind
struggled pointlessly to piece together how I had ended up in my
position.
All at once I heard a door open behind me.
I emitted a alarmed scream and whirled about, immediately
throwing and holding the layers of blankets
against my naked chest. I covered my mouth with my free hand as I
caught sight of the startled form of Vincent
Valentine, standing towards the ajar door leading into the
apartment and staring over at me in shock. He blinked
several times, gaping at me, then slowly shut the door.
“....You’re awake....?”
“...Guuh.....Guuuuuuhhhhhh...” I gawked over at him in absolute
terror, then forced myself to leap to my
feet and kept the sheets protectively wrapped around me.
“.....Y....you...!!!!”
“.......Yes, me,” Vincent replied confidently, staring over at
me through his frightful red eyes. “...Calm
down, don’t get so worked up. It’s ok.”
“Ok??!!” I screamed in panic, staggering several feet
backwards. “And what part of this, exactly, can be
classified as ‘ok’??! What are you doing here??! Why did you save
me?! What do you want?! And why did you
undress me, you pervert!!”
“Easy, easy,” he coaxed, holding a hand out towards me.
“You’re in no condition to--”
“Don’t touch me!!” I ordered sharply, immediately causing him
to draw back.
“All right, all right, I won’t touch you,” he replied. “Just
don’t go insane. I won’t hurt you. I saved you.”
“Oh, yeah?! Why?!” I demanded angrily, backing up again. “What
in hell could possibly have possessed
you to--”
“I couldn’t just leave you. Despite your first impression of
me, I actually do have morals.”
“I slit my damn wrist for a reason!!” I shouted. “Why didn’t
you just let me die??! I never did anything
charitable towards you!”
“Calm yourself, please. Such anger might cause you to--”
“And where are my clothes, you lecher?!” I interrupted. “Damn
you, you’re no better than that lousy
bastard who did this to me in the first place!! How am I supposed
to know what you did to me while I was
asleep??!”
“Your clothes were completely torn and bloody. Infection might
have resulted if they weren’t removed.”
“Why...why are you doing this...?” I stammered despondently,
now completely against the wall. “I gave
you back your stupid money.....Why are you....uuuuggghhhhh....”
All of a sudden I swayed unsteadily on my feet,
then dropped weakly to my knees. My breaths had become ragged,
and my legs seemed incapable to support my
weight any longer.
“...See, I told you.” Vincent slowly approached my side and
knelt down, then reached a hand out towards
me.
I let out a shallow cough and glared over at him through my one
eye. “....I....I don’t need you...I’m
fine....”
“You’re still incredibly weak from your significant loss of
blood,” he told me. “You won’t be able to do
much anything for a while. Your physical wounds might be mostly
healed, but your psychological scars might not
amend quite as quickly...”
I stared over at him in silence for several seconds, then
exhaled a weary breath and lowered my eyes to the
floor. “.....I.....I said I’m fine....”
“.........Well, do what you want.” He stood and walked back
towards the direction from which he had
come. “But as soon as you faint, I’m putting you back on that
couch.”
I glanced up towards his back, then brushed aside several
loose, knotted strands of my hair.
“....Why...why are you doing this...?”
He didn’t reply for several seconds and stood silently, then
seemed to regain his senses and continued with
what he was doing. “.......I’d be a lower creature than I already
am if I deserted a wounded, unconscious girl alone
out in a snow storm....especially one that had just...been....”
His voice gradually dissolved into silence.
I didn’t reply. My eyesight slowly fell to the floor, then to
the bandages about my wrist. I slowly closed
my eyes in order to stifle the tears that threatened to escape and
began to nervously fidget with a strand of my
disheveled hair.
“....Here.” A large white bathrobe suddenly fell across my lap,
and Vincent turned and continued with his
task at hand. “You’d better put that on before you catch a cold.”
I watched after him as he casually exited the room, then
cautiously shifted the sheets from around me and
wrapped the robe over my shoulders, slipped my arms into the
sleeves, and tied the belt about my waist. It was
much to big on me; the sleeves fell several inches past my
fingertips, and the bottom fringe hung down to my
shins. I pulled my hair from the collar and slowly shifted to my
feet, bracing myself against the powerful wave of
nausea that washed over me. “.......Uggghhh....so dizzy....”
“.....Are you thirsty...?”
I glanced up and met Vincent’s scarlet eyes, and then my vision
gradually fell to the glass of steaming
herbal tea he was now holding out towards me.
“....You must be at this point,” he continued, slowly reaching
forward, taking my wrist, gently placing the
mug in my hand. “You’ve been unconscious for almost a week. You
lost a great deal of blood...”
I gazed nervously down into the cup, then back up at his face.
“....And how do I know I can trust you?
You could’ve drugged this so I’ll faint again and you can--”
“If that’s what I wanted to do, why didn’t I do it why you were
unconscious in the first place?”
I stared over at him in silence for several seconds, then
slowly lifted the glass to my lips and took a
cautious sip. I hesitated for a number of moments afterward,
tasting the drink, then took another sip. I
immediately froze as I noticed his enigmatic eyes locked on my
face. “...What?”
He didn’t reply for a while, then exiled a sigh and cast his
gaze aside. “.....Nothing. Why don’t you sit
down?”
I kept my eyes on his face but slowly shifted my body over to
the couch I had awakened on and sank down
into the cushion. “...Thanks. Now, what do you want from me?”
“.......A name might be nice,” he answered. “It’s Eliza,
correct? I heard that group of men calling you that
before I found you.”
I nodded, then hesitated and shook my head, exhaling a sigh.
“......No, actually, it’s Allie. Eliza’s just my
‘street name,’ if you will. I.....With the job that I have, I
thought it would be better if no one knew my actual name.
..........You’re Vincent, right? Vincent Valentine?”
He whirled around to face me in shock. “How did you--”
“Relax. I read it off your ID.” I let out another sigh, then
gazed towards my wrist again. “....About
that....did you search through my shawl?”
“No...”
“You should. In...inside it....there’s 75 gil. I...I never
gave it back. I didn’t think you’d notice.” I closed
my eyes, then took another sip of the tea. “...I’m....I’m
sorry.....about that. Selling flowers isn’t exactly the best
paying job in the world. The only way I could afford to survive
was to steal money from potential customers. I...I
really do feel bad about it, and...and I’m sorry. And....and
thank you...for saving my life...”
He stared at me in silence for probably close to a minute and a
half, then said, “....Allie, could you do
something for me...?”
“Huh...?” I blinked. “Wh..what...?”
“...Your hair....pull it back into a ponytail for a second.”
“What??”
“Please. Just let me see.”
“.....Umm...” I slowly lifted my hands, took my hair, and held
it behind my head in a disarrayed clump.
“..There. Now what--”
He gazed at me expressionlessly for several moments, then
slowly lifted his frightening metallic claw to
his face. Numerous more seconds of silence elapsed, and then I
could see his sharp, sorrowful eyes staring out at
me from between his fingers. “.....................No........why
won’t you let me be......why won’t you leave me
alone...?”
“...Wh..what??” I gaped over at him in surprise, then pressed
myself back against the couch, dropping my
hair and seemingly awakening Vincent from some sort of
preoccupation. “....No...You’re insane...What...what
the--”
“........Thank you,” he finally said, ignoring my terrified
babbling and dropping his hand from his face.
“I’m sorry, that must have seemed like a rather unusual
request...”
“Damn straight that was a--”
“..........It’s impossible...” he murmured to himself, standing
and walking unsteadily towards the kitchen.
His voice was quiet and barely audible, but I could feel it
burning in my ears. “I must be going insane........there is
no way that--...yes, that’s it......I simply see her face and hear
her voice everywhere...there is nothing different
about this...”
“....W...wait a second, you!” I cried, shifting myself forward.
“What are you talking about? Who? What?
What’s the matter with you??”
“....It’s nothing...” he repeated, brushing aside several loose
strands of hair that dropped into his face from
his scarlet headband. “Just don’t worry about it....”
Ask about Lucrecia.
“Who??” I snapped nastily, causing Vincent to turn and face me
again. “Ask about who??”
He gaped at me in silence. “.....I....I didn’t say
anything....”
“...What...?” I blinked several times, then heard the voice
inside my skull a second time. I recognized it
this time--it was the same female voice that had beckoned me in
unconsciousness. I covered my ears, trying to
listen to the voice. “What...? Am....am I flipping out...?”
“..............Allie, what--”
“Lucrecia??” I asked the voice. “Ask about Lucrecia? Who in
the world is--”
I was silenced as a loud shattering noise came from behind me,
and all at once I drew in a startled gasp
and whirled about. Immediately I noticed Vincent, standing maybe
three or four feet from me, staring straight
through me with terrified crimson eyes and his mouth half open.
He had dropped a mug of tea to the floor,
sending numerous shards of glass splintering to the carpet. I
gazed back at him for several seconds, then slowly
lifted a hand to my chest. “....Wh...what--”
“Who are you?” he interrupted me quietly, continuing to gape at
me. “What do you want? Who sent
you?”
“...Wh...what the hell are you babbling about?” I questioned
frightfully, slinking back a foot or two.
“Have you flipped or something? What in the world--”
“How did you know that name?” he snapped rather nastily. “Are
you purposely attempting to drive me
insane?? It’s bad enough that you already look
almost..............No, no, enough, Vincent, you’ve said
enough....Allie, how do you know Lucrecia?”
“Who...?” I blinked several times, still withdrawing slowly.
“How do I know--”
“Lucrecia!! The name you just said, dammit!!” His sudden fit of
rage sapped away as spontaneously as it
had come, and he exhaled a weary breath and leaned weakly back
against the bookcase behind him. “......Forgive
me......How do you know that name...?”
“...I--” I gradually lifted one hand to my ear again and
blinked. “...I...I don’t know....I...I think I’m going
crazy....I’m hearing voices....” I slowly lifted my vision to his
face. “........Who is--”
“...........No one,” he replied immediately, turning his back
and raising a hand to his sweating face. “No
one at all........Don’t ask me again....”
I watched after him in shock as he slowly managed to saunter
away into the kitchen, and then my body
fell to a sitting position onto the couch behind me.
He never emerged.
*****
“....Ugghhh....” I stirred, then gradually fluttered my eyelids
open. With an incoherent moan I managed
to push myself up onto my elbows and gaze around me, then
recognized the form of Vincent Valentine’s living
room about me. Everything had turned dark and silent with
unexpected nightfall, and after counting the number of
chimes that sounded from the grandfather clock in the hallway I
could tell it was well after midnight.
I was sprawled on the couch I had awakened on beforehand, and I
had most likely collapsed from
exhaustion judging by the fact that I had been sleeping atop the
crumpled sheets and blankets. Everything was
unusually still and dismal, and no signs of any sort of life were
evident; it seemed as if Vincent had disappeared
completely when he had entered the kitchen.
I slowly pushed myself to my feet, swayed for a second, then
straightened the robe about me and pushed
back my hair. Immediately I felt the presence of the bandage
still encircling my right eye and tore it away,
dropping it to the carpet beneath me. Out of the corner of my eye
I saw the gauze about my left wrist, slightly
stained with dried blood, and a feeling of depressed nausea washed
over me,
I’m not sure how long I remained in that position beside the
couch, but I eventually forced myself to
stagger my way over to the large window and place a hand against
the cold glass. Several streetlamps and other
illuminations from surrounding buildings were still slightly
visible through the continuous wall of falling snow, but
no other movement stirred the silent street; it remained still and
rigid, like a depressing oil painting. Below I
could still faintly see the small cemetery, refreshingly
melancholy and motionless, with its gravemarkers scattered
randomly amongst the white soil. My mind fell to the wound on my
wrist, pressed gently against the icy window,
and my eyes fluttered shut with jumbled meditation.
....There....that’s where I want to be buried......It’s so
quiet
and peaceful, like heaven......That’s where I should be
now.......I shouldn’t be alive.... My soft breaths left a stain
of mist on the glass.
I gradually turned from the window, then leaned back against it
and gazed rearward into the dark room
once again. It remained untouched, like I had seen it earlier,
cloaked in a protective sheet of dense blackness. I
glanced back and forth several times, then wrapped the robe around
me tighter to my body and slowly walked
forward, then down the small hallway to my right.
The clock sounded again, much closer now, and the floor creaked
softly beneath my bare feet. Down the
corridor I could see a partially ajar door leading into what
looked like the master bedroom, and suddenly my
thoughts fell to Vincent. What is he doing...? I thought
sadly. Why is he letting me live? Why didn’t he just let
me bleed to death in the alleyway? And now he’s letting me stay
here.....? I know nothing about him, but he acts
like he’s known me all his life.... I stared towards the
room for several seconds, listening to see if I could hear any
sound of ragged breaths or any other proof of sleep, but none
came.
I stopped as I noticed a small bathroom to my right, then
slowly entered and only to some extent closed
the door. I immediately spotted the dark, eerie form of my
reflection in the circular mirror above the sink,
frightfully unfamiliar in the murkiness about me. I exhaled a
quiet laugh at my disheveled appearance, then
leaned forward to get a better view. “Disgusting...” I muttered
wearily, flicking a limp strand of my blond, knotted
hair before my eyes. I stared at my image for several more
minutes in silence, then slowly leaned over and twisted
the knobs on the sink, spilling out lukewarm water. I exhaled a
sigh and cupped my hands, then bent at the waist
and lifted the water to my face. It was relievingly warm against
my cold skin, and I could feel it slithering off my
countenance in smooth droplets.
I had doused my face with at least half a dozen handfuls of
water before I, still bent over the sink, reached
forward and shut off the faucet then blindly groped to my left
until my dripping fingers seized a soft towel hanging
beside me and tore it off its rack. Sputtering softly, I lifted
it to my face and wiped it dry, then pushed back my
hair, stood, and opened my eyes. Instantly I emitted a terrified
scream and leapt backwards as the dark, uncanny
form of a young woman with long, tousled blond hair up in a
disarrayed ponytail and unnaturally pale skin glared
at me with sharp blue eyes behind a pair of wide-rimmed glasses
from the mirror. Her ghastly complexion was
littered with several droplets of blood, and the white lab coat
and green dress she was wearing were spattered with
scarlet blotches as well. Her pale azure eyes were frightfully
unfocused and furious, hidden beneath several loose
strands of loose blond hair that had fallen across her colorless
countenance.
At my sudden, frightened movement the mirror fell from the wall
and crashed to the floor, shattering and
sending countless numbers of glass shards scattering about the
white tile. Panting in terror, I stumbled backwards
into the wall, staring down at the smashed mirror at my feet, then
lifted a shaking hand to my mouth. I heard a
thudding sound coming from down the hallway, and all of a sudden
the door flew open and an icy hand seized my
wrist. “Allie?!”
I instantly let out a terrified shriek and lashed out towards
the figure, but my attack was caught by the
form’s other hand. “Whoa, whoa, whoa!!!” the silhouette
exclaimed, holding both my hands firmly down next to
me. “Calm down!! It’s ok!! It’s me, it’s me!! Can’t you see me??”
My breaths refused to stop heaving and my heart wouldn’t return
to its normal pace, but slowly my vision
decided to focus, revealing the startled face of Vincent staring
down at me in the darkness. I felt icy tears dripping
down my cheeks, and I lifted a hand to my pounding heart and the
other to my face. “........Oh.....oh my God.....” I
whispered shakily, my voice cracking from suppressed wails.
“...oh my God.....Oh Christ......I....I thought....oh my
God....”
“What?” Vincent questioned speedily. “What is it? What’s the
matter??”
“....Uhhhh...uhhh...” I stared perplexedly down at the glass on
the floor, keeping one palm over my heart
and attempting to calm myself. “.....There.....there was a
woman....! In...inside the mirror!! I....I just got up to
wash my face and....and all of a sudden there was this
woman....glaring at me from the mirror...!”
Vincent watched my face in silence for several seconds, then
slowly bent at the waist and lifted the broken
frame from the floor, sending several remaining shards of glass
tinkling to the tile. He raised it to his face, gazing
at his dark reflection in the few lingering, triangular fragments
of broken glass. “........I don’t see anything.”
“......Wh...what??” My head snapped up to face him, and
immediately afterwards I leapt forward and
brought his hands down so I could see my own reflected image.
“................No!! She was there!! I swear to God!!
I....I can still see her! She...she was so pale....and was
covered in spots of blood...! And her hair...her blond hair
was all ruffled and falling out of her ponytail.....and her blue
eyes were--”
Vincent spontaneously drew back in alarm, dropping the mirror
to the ground once more. I immediately
whirled about to face him, and I could see his frightened scarlet
eyes gaping at me in the darkness. I could faintly
see his body quivering, and all at once I lifted a hand to my
throat and gawked at him in absolute terror.
“.....She.....she looked almost.....dead.....”
No sooner had the words escaped my lips that Vincent was
suddenly driven into a fit of rage. I emitted a
terrified scream and leapt backwards as he unleashed a tortured
shout and began to tear at his hair and hold his
hands over his ears, staggering backwards and leaning weakly
against the wall. “NO!!! NO!!!” he howled,
squeezing his eyes shut. “No more!!! Anything but this!!!! Why
won’t you leave me alone!!!! Why won’t you let
me die??!!”
I remained huddled in the corner, both shaking hands pressed up
against my heaving chest. I watched
him continue to yell at some unseen torturer, begging for mercy
and growing increasingly weaker as his agony
continued. He finally collapsed to his knees, panting, sending
numerous drops of sweat splattering to the tile. I
couldn’t speak, but I continued to watch him gasp pathetically for
air until I slowly forced words from my lips.
“......Who?” I choked quietly, barely audible. “....who was it,
Vincent? Do you know who I saw...?”
“No one!!!!” he screamed, his face completely hidden by his
long, sweaty black hair. “It was no one!!! I
told you not to ask me again!!!!”
“..................................Lucrecia....?” I whispered
in a sudden realization, backing up several more inches.
“That woman in the mirror.........was that Lucrecia....?”
Vincent’s breaths turned advancingly more ragged, and he
emitted another agonized shout, lifting his
quivering hands to his face. “Why you??!” he snapped nastily.
“Why do you torture me like this??!! Are you
trying to kill me??!!”
It took several seconds for me to realize he was referring to
me, and I could not stifle the resulting jolt that
snapped through my body. “...........I........I don’t know, I’ve
never heard of--”
“Why??......Why...????” His voice gradually grew less furious
and more pleading, as if he were begging
for mercy. “I can’t get away from her....why should I try...?”
I stared at him in terrified silence, afraid to speak, afraid
to leave. All I could hear were his ragged
panting for at least five minutes more, and then suddenly with an
exhausted, “....Ughh...” Vincent shoved back his
hair and swayed falteringly to his feet. He lifted his head in
order to locate my position in the corner, revealing his
flushed, sweaty face. He gazed over at me in silence for several
more seconds, slowly beginning to catch his
breath, then exhaled a fatigued sigh and walked past me deeper
into the bathroom. “......I’m going to take a
shower,” he told me after an extended pause, starting to undo the
buttons on his black shirt. “....I...I think I could
really use one about now...” With that he turned his back, and
after gaping at him for several more seconds I took
it upon myself to shift to my feet and cautiously exit the
bathroom. After I cleared the doorway I turned back
around to face him, and I watched him gaze at me through his deep,
crimson eyes for several moments, obviously
deeply immersed in some sort of meditation, then exhaled another
sigh, closed his eyes, and softly shut the door.
*****
It had to be close to five in the morning when the loud flow of
water coming from the bathroom finally
stopped, and at least another twenty minutes or so had to elapse
before Vincent, with damp hair and now wearing
another black shirt and pair of pants, finally emerged, sending a
large cloud of steam spilling out into the cold
hallway after him. He wrapped the towel he was holding over his
shoulders, then cast one glance around him,
lowered his eyes to the floor, and let out a sigh, shaking his
head. He slowly turned and walked towards the living
room, then drew back with a startled jolt as he noticed my
silhouette sitting in the middle of the carpet, bathed in
the increasing pale sunlight from the large window and casting a
long shadow across the floor. I didn’t look up for
a second and continued with the sewing of my torn dress and shawl
in my hands, then slowly directed my vision up
towards his face. We exchanged glances for several seconds before
I suddenly whispered, “...........Thought I was
going to leave, didn’t you.....?”
~ End of Chapter Two ~
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