Floral Visages: Part 3

Insanity

Beauty can be defined in many ways. While it may be in the eye of the beholder, some aspects are undeniable to all. One creature in particular had her gaze fixed upon a body she found to be without flaw. An angel with pale skin, and violet eyes; it was without wings, and terribly flawed. Its weakness designed to appease those with a cruel heart.

A high pitched voice called out to its dear friend. "Alia dear, why does it look the way it does."

"It's modeled after you dear. She appears irresistible does she not?" A raspy voice replied.

"Perhaps, if I could see it!" The friend joked. "You forget the abyss welcomes only you."

The intrepid designer practically squealed upon witnessing light. Her friend's attempt to lighten the mood had blinded her every sense.

"Block it block it! Please!" Alia pleaded in desperation.

While the situation seemed grave, it was no more than a farce. Alia quickly recovered after a few painful moments, and began to glare towards her visible friend. Its body was that of a toy. A stuffed bear with a surprising amount of intelligence.

"Bear-Bear..." The girl paused, as her toy began to embrace her black skin.

"It's been far too long since I've seen your face. You lock yourself away for an ungodly amount of time. It's not fair!" The Bear whined.

Alia appeared unfazed. She had only one desire. Her blackened station was filled to the brim with an assortment of unsightly beasts. All surrounded her first beautiful creation, and none would ever say her name. For the dark mistress rarely treated her toys with respect or care. Instead, she preferred to torture and maim. A sort of twisted compassion given to the forsaken. In these ways, her doll would be no different.

"Tell me." She whispered as she pried the bear off her arm. "Does she look like you?"

Before the bear lay a pale skinned doll. Her appearance was akin to her maker, with some slight alterations. The eyes were a lighter, and far friendlier shade of purple. While the hair and body appeared to be a heavenly white.

"Its as if we..." The bear stammered.

"A child? Never. Not with what I have planned for her."

"You cannot! She is but a child!"

Alia ignored the bear and resumed her work. She raised one of the doll's arms and began to fiddle with its innards. But her lack of rest resulted in a slight mistake. A drop of blood, black as the abyss, seeped out of the doll's hand.

"Alia..."

"It's the only way."

"A fool's assumption!" Bear-Bear snapped as it slapped the black skinned girl across the face.

Alia reeled back in pain, before being forcefully dragged away from her station. She screamed in frustration as the unusually strong toy forced her into submission.

"Release me!"

"So you can hurt her? All you have done is inflict pain upon yourself! I will not allow it!"

"You know why I have to!"

"And I know why you do not wish to!"

The toy ended the argument by pinning Alia to the floor. Only time would allow her to reconsider. She appeared hateful at first, resisting as much as she could. But her defeat was inevitable. Alia began to cry upon recognizing her own heart. Indeed, she had no desire at all. Only a solemn duty that would require the greatest of sacrifices.

"I fight because I love you." The girl sobbed.

"Likewise my little serpent."

"But you cannot stop me."

"She can."

Both outcasts began to rest within each other's embrace. And together, they dreamed of a life without the pain and misery they would soon inflict upon the doll.

___________________________________________

Being an outcast wasn't exactly unusual for the serpent girl. She was in fact one of a kind. Her strange appearance had always attracted both friend and foe. Though in the end neither possessed the hope of pleasing her. Alia was alone, just as she preferred. The apex of her isolation lay within the arguably pleasurable gardens of the menagerie. Here she willingly resided in captivity, watching over all the world had forsaken.

It was an exhibition of sorts, a neatly decorated prison containing various life forms. In a way she felt as if she belonged here. Alia was different in nearly every way. And she of course took no shame in this fact. Though like most of the accursed, she was quite vulnerable at heart. Loneliness and depression in particular had easily crept into her fragile mind. Without a friend her sanity had begun to fade. The dark expanse held little in the way of sentient life. There was an abundance of nooks and crannies carved into the ancient trees. But it would appear the purple mist that now enveloped the encased jungle had decimated the wildlife. All hope seemed lost for the time.

But this would not be her demise. Not yet at least. Upon wandering deeper into the shadowy jungle, she encountered a peculiar animal. It comfortably nestled deep within the tree, its hind legs positioned with pride as it stood far above the purple mist.

"Oh dear, lost are we?" The little lizard taunted, its scales glowing with excitement.

If Alia were of the right mind, she would have ignored the creature with all her cruel might. But this was not the scheming masochist. Alia was but a small little girl, lost and afraid of the world at large. Her response reflected this greatly.

"I-I...no-no!" She stammered.

"Hmm how peculiar. Your immunity to the mist must be derived from your rather comical appearance."

"Well that's not very nice! How would you know?

"Your far to stupid to survive without it. I continue to wonder why I even speak with you."

Despite being young and naive, Alia was no fool. She could easily dissect the creature's behavior and begin to understand its motives. They were of course, composed of nothing but pettiness.

"Oh?" She smiled. "You like me then."

"N-No I don't!" The creature reeled as it refused to admit the truth. "You're ugly! Ugly ugly ugly!"

"Can I sit next to you!"

"No of course you can't! You can't even climb up here, you're so fat and worthless."

"Thank you." The girl continued to smile as she easily clambered up the tree and took a seat next to the creature.

"Ohh fine." The lizard chirped as it jumped into her lap. "Where did you come from anyway? I'm surprised the bumbling fools captured something as beautiful as you."

"Some place very far away." Alia blushed.

"You don't belong here?"

"None of us do."

"You're quite clever for your age."

"Enough of me! What about you! I've never met a talking lizard before."

"Oh you've never met anything like me. I'm...alone." The lizard paused.

"One of a kind? I feel it too. A somber note to be sure. I feel so special yet so cursed. Do the voices cheer? Or do they scream in horror as they say my name. Am I the hero? Or am I merely another tool for those accursed meddlers."

"You know what Alia...I think we're going to make great friends!"

The girl paused, her eyes drifting off towards the sky. She knew the future ahead of her was bleak. But in a way, she was almost thankful to be a part of the abyss. How else would she save the one she loved? "I...never told you my name." She whispered.