fandomhigh | Detention, Depths of the Castle, Thursday

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Detention, Depths of the Castle, Thursday

Another beautiful day had begun in Fandom, not that anyone in detention would have noticed. The lack of sunlight, the pleasant sound of Umbridge's voice, and the slightly stale smell of breakfast were all important aspects to making every day in detention routine! Surely everyone knew that surprises were no fun.

Look, the week was half over already and no one had been taken out and killed so far. That had to count for something, right?

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Sookie resisted, even though she knew what was going to happen. She'd pushed too hard, and Raven had snapped as she'd known she would.

She held onto her hopes, her fears, her triumphs and tragedies -- everything that made her Sookie. She held them tight, as long as she could.

Everything splintered around her. Time stood still, and did backflips, and spun. Nothing made sense and suddenly everything made sense. She was exhausted, and hateful, and loving and broken into a million little pieces, but not because of her, not because of her, and everything was exploding and contracting and she was ripping apart into nothing.

And in the external world, Sookie's lips barely moved. "Bobby, I lo -- "

Something far away in her brain split, shattered, and Sookie stopped shuddering. Her mental landscape blinked out, as quickly and smoothly as turning off a television. Her eyes were still open, unblinking and brown, and after a moment of tottering on her own, Sookie's body fell backwards.

Eyes glowing red, panting, chest heaving, Raven pushed away from the wall as she yanked her mind of out Sookie's as she died. For a moment she looked down in confusion at Sookie's crumpled body, not quite realizing what she'd done.

"Sookie?" she said softly, poking her shoulder. "Wake up."

She'd tormented people, cruelly and viciously, but never before had she killed. And for one brief moment the shattered pieces of her mind clicked into place, and she stared in horror at what she'd done.

The emotions coming off of Sookie and Raven had been enough to pull Phoebe out of the safety of her own mind. She stayed pressed against the wall, wishing like hell that she had any kind of power that would help Sookie in the battle she seemed to be waging. When the emotions from Sookie suddenly stopped, Phoebe got to her knees and then to her feet. She stared, hoping that she was wrong, but then she saw Sookie's body fall and there was nothing at all coming from the other girl.

Phoebe pressed her hands tight against her mouth to keep herself from screaming.

Bobby had been spending more and more time inside his own head lately, where it was safer. But even then, Sookie was there, had always been there, a comforting presence just on on the edges of his consciousness.

Until, suddenly... she wasn't.

The first sound Bobby made in days was a desperate wordless keening, loss and rage and hopelessness all in one.

And then a thought occurred to him that broke through that haze. A single, simple thought: being close to her wouldn't hurt her anymore. He could hold her again, after years of only getting to do so on the astral plane.

So he moved, something else he'd done rarely in his time here, and knelt to pick up her body before slowly, carefully carrying it back to his own corner.

They wouldn't be separated again. He'd see to that.

"Bobby? Bobby, please..."

Oh, god. Was there anything that could make this more of a nightmare?

Please what, Dinah? Bobby didn't understand what you wanted from him. Didn't understand anything but the body he held cradled in his arms: cold and lifeless, just like he was.

Dinah was choking back sobs with everything she had. "Don't--" Don't withdraw? Don't grieve? "Please come back. Please let... let her go."

She didn't really have any hope he would. But she had to ask.

The slightest shake of his head was the only acknowledgement that Bobby had heard what Dinah had to say. She was all he had, he couldn't leave her now.

She could feel tears chilling on her cheeks as a few leaked out. "We're going to miss her too. You're not the only one. I swear. We're all here."

No, no, they were all there, where Sookie had been but he couldn't be but now she was here. Here with him. Even if they'd never get to go on a real date or show each other New York or Louisiana at least he could finally touch her again.

Looking at Bobby -- unmoving, impenetrable, captured but untouchable, clutching Sookie so close-- and Sookie as still as a fairy tale sleeping princess... Dinah put a hand over her eyes, shoulders shaking.

Stark knew that sound. Stark had heard that sound far too many times. Stark had made that sound. Stark hated that sound. And when he heard it he stopped, bowed his head and closed his eye for a long moment. But that wouldn't help. But maybe there was something he could offer to Bobby. He was, after all, far too well-versed in death.

"I'm sorry," he whispered to Bobby as he approached, stopping before he got too close. He knew better than to get too close. "So sorry. So so sorry. It hurts. I know it hurts. I know."

Poor words. But all of them were. Nothing anyone could say would help now. Later, perhaps. But not right now.

Bobby looked up at those soft-spoken words. Here was someone who understood, he could tell.

Hopefully that meant he wouldn't try and take Sookie away from him. Because no one was going to do that to him again.

At least he'd heard. That was good. He met Bobby's eyes with his own and nodded slightly, just once.

"I'm going to stay here," Stark said, still very softly. "If...if you don't mind. Right here. Unless you want me to go."

And he would go. Though probably not very far. It wasn't good to be too alone, not like this. Even if none of them were ever alone down here. Not really.

No. No.

Rinoa watched Sookie fall as though it were slow-motion. One minute, her friend, fighting to protect all of them from that horrible hell-demon, and the next -- the next, there was no spark in her eyes. There was only a shell of what had once been Sookie.

Sookie was gone.

Sookie wouldn't ever see the sunshine again, or take them all home for a big family Christmas, whatever that even was. Sookie wouldn't make them smile or send calm out, even when she was exhausted herself, or --

Oh, Hyne's mercy, Sookie would never anything. Ever.

She had been right before. Hyne had no mercy. No gods did. They were all going to die in here, one by one by ...

Karla glanced over to see Sookie's body fall backwards almost in slow motion. There was a part of her that wanted to scream and cry and buck off the compulsion, but the pink, fuzzy blanket of calm covered that back up again.

Well, shit. There went a whole afternoon's worth of effort, wasted. Ugh. She'd have to take this up with Raven later.

She felt a bit of wetness on her cheeks. Huh. Raising her hand, she found her eyes were tearing up. How odd. Shrugging, she did the only thing she could do--looked around to see who the most broken of the prisoners were, and see if she couldn't salvage something of this wreck.

God, Raven.

Stark stopped his pacing mid-step and turned quickly in Sookie and Raven's direction.

"Nononono," he protested almost inaudibly.

He wasn't sure how long it had been since the last time he'd felt someone die. Time didn't mean much down here. Time never meant much when you lived in a box or a cage or a cell. But it hadn't been long enough. It was never long enough anymore.

Death was not a bad thing, not always. He knew that better than most. But here it only meant that the others had won, again.

Perhaps it was a good thing he had practiced his prayers this morning. It made those for the dying easier to speak between gritted teeth now as he headed in that direction. It was too late to do anything now. He couldn't help. He should have been able to. He was Stykera and that was what he was for. But she was gone and all that was left were prayers.

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Detention, Depths of the Castle, Thursday

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