Darkness lurks in all of us. For some it’s contained by light, and others embrace it. The rare few cages it up and unleash the darkness when its most advantageous – Diary of a Mad Scientist

Operation Menu: Phase Dinner (D-/+ std::runtime_error)

FRAGO: Operation: Marianne's Vigil (D-/+ std::runtime_error)

In a dimly lit room, a sliver of white light seeped in between the door and the floor. Estelle extended her hand, only to be thwarted by a shackle around her wrist. Despite this situation, she rubbed her forehead, and still, she felt a bit groggy.

A pair of shadowy feet emerged, shifting the light of the slender gap of the door. The door groaned as it was pushed open, a woman with long black hair stood in the doorway. Her jade-green eyes glowed in the darkness, and her silk dress clung loosely to her slender frame. Pouty lips slightly parted, she waited before speaking.

"Little one, I do hope, for your sake, that you learned your lesson?" she asked in a melodic, sing-song voice.

The woman in the doorway rested her hands on her hips, while Estelle growled under her breath.

"Please keep me waiting for your answer; I find suspense quite enjoyable," she added.

Estelle discovered her right arm chained to the bed. Tugging violently at the unyielding metal, her hands curled into claws in frustration.

“I hate you Mother, you’re an idiot,” Estelle said, simultaneously yanking the chain.

“Yes, little one, I am an idiot. Now try telling me something that I don’t know,” Mother replied. “In the interim, did you learn your lesson, or shall I inform your school that you are sick…again?”

Entering the room with a graceful glide, she snapped her fingers. The shutters to the windows obediently opened, flooding sunlight into the nearly empty room in. The light danced upon the gold and crystal chandelier above the bed which created a cascade of colors to rain across the room. Estelle instinctively recoiled from the sudden brightness, she squinted against the bright light but maintained a cautious gaze on Mother.

“Be a good girl and fix those wrinkles on your dress. Honestly, you look like you just climbed out of the laundry hamper. I’d leave you at the orphanage, but those poor children have suffered enough without you making their lives more miserable.”

Estelle stood up from her place on the floor, still glaring at the woman she called mother. She ran her hands across her dress to fix the wrinkles.

Mother's form blurred and appeared directly in front of Estelle, who towered over her. She ran her fingers on her chin and gripped it tightly. Estelle winced and looked down. Her purple eyes teared up, and her lower lip quivered.

“You can try that submissive look with others, it might even win you a husband one day, but it doesn’t work on me,” she said squeezing her chin tighter. “Now, without the sass, what did you learn?”

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Estelle sighed deeply and relaxed.

“I was being a bully Mother,” Estelle said quietly. “But that Aiduin Brightwood started it, he…”

Mother let go of her chin and slapped her across the face. The handprint on her face disappeared before Mother had a chance to glare back at Estelle.

“It’s not about whether you can fight one or five or six of those troublesome Brightwoods, it’s about when ten or twenty show up. What would you have done then? Wait for some deus ex machine to save you?” She huffed and gently caressed Estelle’s face. “Little one, you don’t think or plan things through.”

Her mother sighed deeply and waved her hand. The window opened with a bang, and a cool breeze rushed in. Estelle bowed her head and placed her arms behind her back.

“I’m…sorry Mother,” Estelle muttered.

“Don’t be sad, little one, this isn’t your fault, but mine for believing in you. Now tidy up this room before my confidence in you drops any lower,” Mother said. “Not that I can be any more disappointed in you than I already am.”

“Yes Mother,” Estelle said looking around at the empty room.

The only items left in the room were a mattress, devoid of pillows and sheets, bed frame bolted to the wood floor and a closet. Mother ran her finger along the windowsill and rolled her eyes upon finding a speck of dust.

“If you can make it through the day without causing another international incident or embarrassing the family name, maybe I’d consider letting you stroll through the garden for five minutes,” she said moving towards the door. “But that’s much to expect. Hurry long and don’t dottle.”

“But Mother you negated my magic,” Estele said holding up her arm which was still changed.

“Must I do everything for you?” she asked and pulled a pin from her hair. “Would you like for me to chew your food next?”

She tossed the pin over her shoulder and walked out. If fell out of reach, she was able to move it closer with her toes. Estelle bent and twisted the pin with her teeth.

“Always…have a plan,” she muttered as she folded it into an ‘L’ shape.

Estelle winced from a sharp pain that originated around her right eye. She started to snicker. Then, she was hit with another burst of pain, this time causing her to wince as she closed her right eye.

The pain subsided, and Estelle breathed a sigh of relief. However, the sting struck again, causing her vision to blur, and when it finally cleared, she found that all she could see was total darkness. The sharp spike of pain turned into a dull throb. Estelle fought back the urge to laugh.

She closed her eyes and allowed her other senses to take over. Estelle tested the ground; it was a cold, hard surface. Beating the floor with her knuckles told her it was solid. Bringing herself to her feet, Estelle discovered that there were shackles around her hands and some sort of metal collar around her neck. Deciding it was too much effort, she sat back down.

Estelle opened her eyes and still saw nothing but empty darkness. Running her hand along the length of the chain, she found that it was mounted to a metal ring embedded in the wall.

“Just like home,” Estelle muttered and yanked the chain, testing its strength.

Reaching out with her mind, Estelle received only static. She extended her hand to summon a Battle City map but only saw a “Service Unavailable” error message.

"We remain situated within the municipal confines," Estelle said. "I anticipate assistance imminently."

A light flicked on from a single light bulb connected to a fixture mounted to the ceiling.

Estelle scanned the room. Chipped gray paint covered four concrete walls, with occasional scratch or claw marks that decorated the occasional place. On the far side of the room was a steel door with a palm-sized thick steel door frame.

Fed up with the situation, she ran her finger along the collar around her neck, counting three wires protruding from one side, and felt a flat panel on the other. As she tested the strength of the ring around her neck, a holographic screen materialized by the door.

Someone appeared on the screen, the face covered by a wide-brimmed hat and black net extending down to broad shoulders. The individual wore a thick terry cloth robe and black rubber gloves.

"May I ascertain whether you prefer my captor to be addressed as 'Guillotine', or if 'Ms. Kopf' would be more suitable?" Estelle inquired.

An electric shock surged through the chain, and into Estelle. She convulsed uncontrollably until the shocks ceased. Estelle wiped the drool from the side of her face and concealed her smile.

"Your penchant for deriving pleasure from these so-called games and causing harm to others has been noted, White Witch of the Tower" the deep, gravelly voice said. "Allow me to propose a new game with your freedom as the ultimate reward."

Subsequent jolts of electricity ran through her body, but this time, they didn't stop as abruptly as before.

***