Breaking Chains

Playing with Glass

“Valentine!” Indigo shouted.

Valentine stopped to examine a speck of dirt underneath his fingernails. Could he save the young lady from bleeding out, perhaps. Now was he going to? Not when he had dirt to vanquish from underneath his nails. After all, proper care of one’s hygiene and appearance were important. To neglect them would be a travesty.

Valentine’s services were not needed in this situation, Indigo, being the valiant knight he was, could deal with this. Besides, his presence would only serve to complicate matters. He very much doubted Ms. Crick would find his presence soothing.

Sarah was staring at him. Damn, this wasn’t going to end well.

“Mr. Thorne she’s bleeding,” Sarah implored. “You have-”

“I don’t save lives,” he interrupted. That wasn’t his job occupation nor was it in his nature to be an aid.

“I do.” Ah yes, Sarah and her irritating sense of self-righteousness.

“You are nothing more than a hallucination,” Valentine said, more to himself than her. Sarah stood in front of him. Her eyes were as cold and hard as he remembered and her face retained it’s strict demeanor the same as the original. She didn’t look fake, but Valentine knew he was just staring at an echo in the air.

“Mr. Thorne--”

“I only know how to kill,” Valentine said, cutting her off. Saving lives had been Sarah’s territory. He had no real desire to save the girl either. In fact, it would have been better if she died. Less trouble for all parties involved, with the exception of Ms. Crick of course.

“You know how to torture, thats close enough.” A faint smirk crossed Valentine’s lips.

“True,” he agreed. “But I don’t see why I should save her. She is a threat to Celia and of no use to me.”

“She is your responsibility,” Sarah said. “You put her here, you brought this upon her, you did this.”

“Valentine!” Indigo shouted again. God, he hated that name. It sounded so much worse when said by a family member.

“This is all on you. Now clean up the mess you made,” Sarah ordered. Valentine smiled and clapped his hands together to applaud Sarah’s honorable but futile attempt to convince him to be anything other than what he was: a killer with no obligation to preserve life.

“A commemorable speech, but alas, not enough to warm my stone heart.”

“I almost died trying to save her. Don’t let my efforts go to waste.” Valentine leaned on the corner of the wall where the corridor turned. From here he had a perfect view of the misfortunate Ms. Samantha Ferris Crick bleeding out on the floor despite all efforts from his brother. She was dying, slowly and painfully.

“Why should I save her? She’s the reason you’re dead.”

“That wasn’t her fault,” Sarah said in Samantha’s defense. “Jacqueline manipulated her. Samantha is not the one to blame.”

Valentine disagreed. Jacqueline was the main villain, yes, but she would not have been able to enter the house without a key. Samantha had gotten that for her. Samantha had opened the gates for evil to enter Valentine’s home and Sarah had been the one to pay the price. Valentine had already inflicted his revenge on Jacqueline and hadn’t even killed her in honor of Sarah’s memory, but he didn’t need to do anything in this case. All he had to do was stand there and watch.

“Look at Celia.” Celia was on the ground, blood staining her right side frown where she had supported Samantha earlier. Her eyes were wide, her body shaking, her expression shocked. She didn’t understand. She couldn’t understand. “How well do you think she’ll be able to handle Ms. Cricks death?”