Gothick

Prologue

An ocean. Tumbling waves rolled over her body. Was she drowning? Or was this how death was? She moved her arms, not daring to open her eyes-not just yet. She knew she had died, yet...she couldn't recall how.

She moved her hand to and fro through the dense ocean until-thunk. Something cold and hard cracked her knuckles. There was no pain, though the shock of it made her eyes open. Light blinded her. She gasped, taking in some of the thick fluid. She shut her mouth quickly, but the salty substance filled her cheeks, slick on her teeth. As her eyes adjusted, she saw light filter in through a small, circular window. Panic struck. She thrashed about, but her limbs moved only a few inches before they hit metal. She screamed, mouth shut. The sound echoed within her head.

A face appeared on the other side of the glass, though she couldn't make out the person's features. With a hiss, the top lifted. She burst out, leaned over the side of the basin, and coughed up the fluid. The substance slushed around her with each movement. Much of it spilled over, causing the stone floor to glisten in the dim light.

"My dear, me," a voice came from somewhere in the room. The young woman paid no attention to the voice, but hung over the side of the capsule, body convulsing with each cough.

"Stay back, Nan!" another said, this voice boisterous. The young woman cringed at the sound of their voices. The rough yet fluid language sounded foreign, but she still understood every word.

The young man dashed into her view, and she flung herself back.

"No, no," he said, raising his hands. "It's alright."

He took out a pair of thick, brass spectacles from his brown waistcoat and put them on his long face; making his hazel eyes appear twice as large. She stared back, trembling.

"My name is Dominick," he said with the slow deliberateness one would use with a child.

"Wh...wher..." she said, her burning throat causing her to grimace. It was as though she had never spoken before.

"Dominick, what have you done..." another person said at the far left of the room. The young woman's head snapped to an older woman. A dark blue frock dress adorned her hefty frame, and a red tie wrapped around her neck in a bow. The woman's squat face tightened, as though she wasn't sure whether to be in awe or in terror.

The young woman's eyes darted around the room. Test tubes and vials lined the stone walls. Each one sparkled in the faint light. A wooden chandelier squeaked above as some phantom wind struck it, casting shadows in the room's corners. Bronze machines the size of stagecoaches were attached to the capsule in a tangle of wires and tubes. The light, the colors, the smells. Everything was too vibrant, too intense.

A low humming filled the room-a sound that one wouldn't notice unless they stood in complete silence. Still, it rattled violently in the young woman's head. She pushed back, rising a hand to shield her eyes.

"Ah. There, there," Dominick cooed. "That's it. Now, I wish to ask you a couple of questions."

The young woman nodded, but froze when she realized that she was naked-bare breasts revealed for the room to see. She quickly crossed her arms against them. They felt wrong. Are my breasts bigger?she wondered, and searched her memory. She remembered nothing.

"Shake your head yes or no. You know how to do that, yes?"

The young woman nodded.

"Do you know your name?" Dominick asked.

The young woman stared off. My name...of course I have a name...but what is it?she thought. Every time she reached into the darkness of her mind, it was as though she were reaching into a void. She scowled, and shook her head. Dominick smirked.