I'm not sure why I'm typing this.

Obligations are horrible things. Yet, it feels as though obligation has fueled everything we've done since we began running. We run because we feel obligated to live, and waiting around would surely mean death. We stuck around Tori, a proxy who could be ordered to kill us any day now, because our love makes us feel obligated to "protect" her. We took in an undead child, a child of the cold, because we were made to feel obligated by our friend who is probably dead at this point. 

And if you've noticed the use of 'us' and 'our', don't pay it any mind. I use these terms because of habit and nothing more. It's been two years, and Skye is still broken by his own choice. Still hiding and yet as much as a coward as he is, I will admit that he is stubborn. It only took me a week to notice that even though I was mostly free to do as I wished, it was almost as if what was left of Skye had set rules that I had to follow. As far as I've noticed, none of it has been too difficult, but it is annoying sticking around when all I want to do is leave.

I still take care of Alice, I still clean, I still make the meals, and I still work a part time job at the library. All out of obligation. I've tried to break Skye far enough to let me finally be rid of all of this, but it has yielded nothing even after two years. Tori doesn't really talk to me, having given up on forcing the subject of Skye's "imprisonment" after about a year. And as much as it's hurt him to leave her by herself for the most part, he knows better than to actually try to take control back.

I've tried everything. Even to the point of trying to get Tori to kick me out. I treat her like shit, if I actually respond to her presence it's with nothing but irritation. But as frustrated as she's been, as many times as she's threatened to kick me out or kill me, Tori eventually just shrugs everything off and tells me that she still needs help "Paying the bills" and she "doesn't want Alice to lose another family member." 

Alice strangely enough treats me just like Skye. Even when I try to explain to the little brat that I'm not Skye and that Skye is basically dead, she flashes me this infuriating little smile telling me that I'm silly and that of course I'm Skye, just a different part. 

In other news, about a month after I took over, Kris dropped back by. The enigmatic rune teacher decided I would have to do, since I've taken Skye's place, she's began teaching me. I can make runes that do things that you wouldn't even believe, and under her guidance, run of the mill proxies are barely an issue anymore. I don't think that flower maidens will be either, but I haven't gotten the chance to test this because none have bothered us since the last one a couple of years ago. 

I'm not actually sure I had a reason for making a post after so long, but maybe I'll actually start updating again, or maybe I won't.

I don't know.

Okay bye now.

Greetings or something

It feels so good to move around. Even just lazily gliding my fingers across the keyboard is a nice sensation. I'm used to being what could be considered incorporeal. A "figment of the poor kids screwed up mind" I was normally called. No one believed him back before he started running. Maybe that's why he ended up running, because he was sick of the looks. The slightly nervous smiles his parents would give him. Would give us. When the thin faceless fuck took an interest in him he didn't say anything because his parents only believed a 4th of what he said anyways.

I'm getting off of topic.

He finally lost his marbles. His fragile little mind shattered into a million pieces and I was there to pick them up and make sure they could never be put back together. Gone for good is the shy little boy from before. I'm here to stay and I'm overjoyed to say so. There wasn't much of fight and Tori hasn't even noticed yet. I think the brat, Alice, may be suspicious of something.....I always forget she's older than she appears.

The day it finally did happen was the day Tori came back from another mission, this one had been for a couple of weeks. I made sure dinner was laid out as it normally would (I've watched Skye do it so many times I'd consider myself a master chef by now). We had dinner as normal though I made a few off color comments that I'm sure would have made her suspect something if she hadn't been so tired.

We even had a little guest. Apparently a proxy meant to deliver the instructions for Tori's next assignment. It was late and I didn't want him disturbing the fast asleep Tori. So I lead him to the kitchen (didn't want to make a mess on the carpet after all) and stabbed him with one of the larger kitchen knives. It was a slip of the hand. The other six times afterwards were not.

I made sure that he was good in dead before quickly hiding the body...well I would have but when I left him in the backyard for a moment, when I came back the body was gone. (Slenderman I presume) 

Cleaning the kitchen was a trivial task afterwards and a quick shower later I was back in bed. 

Ah....a good first night.

Right then. That's all for now, you can call me....I'll keep the name he gave me. Call me Alter.

Oh. Tori actually will know now. Oh well, this will be fun.

Until next time.

~Alter

Been a while....

Dull green eyes, stared in to mine. They were filled with glee. I weakly struggled against my bonds, trying to escape my chair to no avail. The woman in front of me giggled slightly as she dragged the scalpel slowly up my forearm, cutting deeply and eliciting a scream of pain from me. Though it came out as more of a weak rasp. I stopped struggling. Struggling made it worse, I realized. It was better to just sit there and take it. I tried not to scream, not out of pride, but because it hurt. My throat felt raw from all of the screams. Seeing me not screaming anymore, made the woman frown in disappointment. I dully realized that this was a bad sign. She reached forward with her scalpel and began digging it in to my cheek before slowly dragging it across my face. I felt a scream building in my throat and I opened my mouth to release it-

My eyes snapped open as I bolted upwards from my desk. It only took me a moment to identify my surroundings and realize that it had only been a dream. I looked down and my eyes scanned the familiar symbols that could be found within the book laying open on my desk. I had fallen asleep studying again. I had been doing that a lot lately.

"...it to fucking deal with people." I blinked sluggishly as I heard Tori's voice come through my door.

I had been avoiding everyone lately. I knew I was being childish...I knew I was acting like a pouty teen. To be fair, I am a teen. But I also know that in my situation, one where people depend on me, I shouldn't be acting like this. Tori didn't deserve this, Alice didn't deserve it, I hadn't even spoke to Opal...someone who could relate as well. I should have been helping her adjust to her new life as Tori had been doing.

I heard a dull thud on my door. "All of them don't know what's out there. I hate this. I hate having to keep all of myself hidden from people."

'You don't have to hide it from me.' I wanted to say that, I should have said that. This was the part where I listened to her frustrations, comforted her. Just as she had for me, time and time again. But I didn't. I remained silent as I had for days and days.

"Anyway, I have to go on assignment now. I stocked the fridge yesterday so that's that." I heard her sigh as she began to walk away.

"Thank you...." my voice sounded foreign to me, it felt like I hadn't spoken for weeks...I probably hadn't.

"Anytime." I waited for the sound of the front door shutting before slumping back in to my chair. I stared at my book, the symbols blurred together until I couldn't make out what they were saying. I stared at it in confusion. 

"Why can't I read it....?" 

"It's because you've lost your will." I nearly fell out of my chair at the voice. I whipped around and my glance fell on a figure sitting in my window sill. It was the cloaked figure from before, the voice matched up, as did the cloak. It was the woman who had saved me from the Rose Bride all those months ago. But what was she doing here?

"My will...?" 

"The book can only be read by those with the will to fight, I'm not surprised that the old woman didn't explain this to you when she gave it to you."

"It's just a book. To be read like any other-" She cut me off with a giggle.

"And I suppose the symbols are just doodles that are pretty to look at?" I sighed, she had a point. After seeing what the runes could do, I shouldn't be surprised that the book was semi-sentient. 

"And just who are you?" I probably should have asked this first.

"I...am..." she paused for dramatic effect as I leaned in slightly. "...the book." My eyes widened, and my jaw basically dropped. Was this like Bleach? Was she my zanpakuto? The spirit of my book? My thoughts froze when she began laughing. I stared at her as she continued to laugh. She eventually stopped and wiped a fake tear from her eye. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry...just the look on your face just now." 

My eye twitched as I felt irritation, one of the first things I had actually felt other than emptiness in weeks. "Then who are you?!" I would wonder later why my phobia of girls wasn't kicking in here. 

She removed her hood and smiled at me. She looked to be a woman in her early twenties, long blond hair and bright green eyes, her skin not pale, but not tan. If I were being honest I would have called her beautiful. "My name is Kris, it's nice to finally properly meet you Skye." I held back the retort that this meeting was anything but proper. She stood up and walked over to me, circling me and looking me up and down. She stopped in front of me and set a hand under my chin, lifting my face so that my eyes met her's. I gulped and I felt the blood rushing to my face. She leaned in slightly, our noses almost touching. 

I'm ashamed to say at that moment that I froze up completely, it had only been in recent months that I had gotten used to Tori, I didn't know what to do in situations like these. 

Her voice was soft as she spoke her next words. "...and might I add, you're much cuter then I had imagined." Just like that she leaned away again, still standing in front of me but with an amused smile on her face. It wasn't hard to imagine why she was amused, given that it felt like my face was on fire. I was speechless, literally, I didn't even know how to respond to what she had said. She reached forward and squeezed my upper arm and nodded approvingly. "Some muscle but not too much...an agility fighter than. I can work with this." She nodded to herself again. "Well, when you get your will to fight back, anyways." 

My embarrassment mostly gone I looked down. "I don't even know how too...after I...killed...whoever that was, I just felt empty. No remorse, no sadness. Nothing. I don't know if I can fight again, not if I can kill that easy. I think it was my other...my Alter...." I heard a snort inside my head when I said this.

"Then why don't you start there?" 

"Huh..?" I looked up at her, wondering what she meant.

"Enter your mind, you know how right?"

I scratched the back of my head, feeling uncomfortable with the idea with what happened last time. "Well, yeah, but why?"

"Go in to your mind. Talk to your Alter. When you gain your will to fight...to live...back, come find me. I'm staying in town for a while so I'll be around, I'll know you're looking for me when you do." 

I shut my eyes and sighed. "Why would I-?" I opened my eyes and blinked, my room was empty, my window shut. I groaned and muttered something along the lines of 'showoff' before going and sitting on my bed, legs crossed. I would listen to her, what did I have to lose? I took a deep breath and began trying to enter my mind as I had before.

I opened my eyes and found myself in the kitchen of Tori's house. Somewhere I was greatly familiar with at this point. I glanced around for a moment, this was nothing like what I had grown accustomed to when it came to entering my mind. For what the millionth time that night, I was confused.

"You're mind is running damage control on your psyche. It's vulnerable, and with that being the case your mental plane has reverted to the place you view as home."

I whipped around only for my gaze to settle on my Alter. His bloodshot eyes looking in to my own from a seat at the dining room table. His legs were propped up on the table, a surprisingly blank expression on his face. There was something off about him though, and I meant more than usual. Absent was the crazed glint his eyes usually held. He just looked tired. I didn't know what to make of it, since the only thing he ever did was mock me, or scream at me. Any other emotion or action was unfamiliar. It was....unnerving, to say the least.

"So brat, what do you want?"

I ignored the fact that he had just called me brat even though he was just as young as me. "The runes, why can't I read them?" This was the first question that I asked. If Kris thought he would know, than he may have something to do with it.

"The woman explained well enough didn't she? Or did your trauma render you mentally handicapped?"

I shook my head. "All she said was that I had lost my will to fight. How do I...?" I wasn't really even sure why I was talking to him. He had never said anything that was useful nor was he trustworthy.

"That's all you need to know. You've lost your will to fight. Why would the book assist someone who had no use for it?" 

And even Alter was speaking like the book was a person, as if was sentient. He stood up from the table with a groan and then smiled at me, this was the type of expression I was used to when it came to me. The grin was wide, challenging.

"So here's the deal. Since you don't want to live anymore...I'll be taking your body. I'm not quite prepared to do so yet, but soon I will be. You'll have no choice in the matter."

I wasn't actually sure how to respond to that.

"And if you actually feel like putting up a fight...come back. We'll settle things then and there." He glanced over at a clock which read 11:20. "But for now, leave. I'm sick of seeing your pathetic face." and with a wave from him I was back in my room. I had broken out in a cold sweat. As I stared at the ceiling I could only wonder what I was going to do.

I once again felt an emotion other than remorse, for the first time in weeks. I felt fear.

Too simple my ass

Blood....and a pounding headache. That's all I can remember. I woke up in a dark room, my hands bound, and lying on a hard...cold...cement ground. I sat up with some difficulty feeling particularly weak. Looking down I took note that it was rope tying my hands. I pulled on them experimentally, testing the bonds, and grimaced as they dug painfully into my wrists. I wouldn't be breaking those with my own strength. And without my hands I wouldn't be drawing any runes. I glanced around the room, trying to find any escapes.

I found a door, but that was it. The room was dark and my eyes were having trouble adjusting. I leaned against the wall and began to slide up it only to collapse as my legs failed me. They felt weak. I sighed and tried again, this time with success. Though my legs were still shaky. The door was locked of course. Didn't know why I thought it wouldn't be. The click as the door opened made me take a few steps back, stumbling and falling on to my butt with a sharp intake of breath.

Light flooded the room and made me squint my eyes. All I could see was a silhouette. A deep chuckle filled the room, and for some reason it filled me with fear. I scooted back to the wall as fast as I could with my hands bound.

"You're awake...." She began, her voice smooth and elegant. "That's good, I was beginning to worry." I could hear her words dripping with amusement and my brain registered the words, but they were the last thing on my mind. My mind was working on overdrive trying to figure out how I had got here. The woman in front of me was only vaguely familiar. But it wasn't her features, of which I could barely see. It was something else.

"I will let you know though, I was disappointed in you little boy. I'm not sure of the difficulty I expected, but it was not a challenge at all to capture you." She sighed in an over exaggerated way, letting me know she was mocking me and I took a deep breath, remaining silent. I was racking my mind for details, any details of the events leading to this point.

A letter.

A plane.

A cafe.

And then waking up here.

My thoughts were interrupted as the room lit up, as the man hit a switch. The room was cement, bare of anything except for the single light bulb and a mirror on the far side of the room, that I noticed with slight interest. But my eyes finally settled on my captor. Black shoulder length hair, green eyes that were strangely dull and glassy looking. They reminded me of the eyes of one who has been long dead. Her skin pale, white as a ghost. Her smile was wide, one you would expect to see in nightmares on the face of death himself. What she wore was simple, a white dress that stretched down to her shins.

She took a few steps forward and it felt as if the room was growing colder. "What's wrong, do I scare you?" I didn't answer. I was having trouble even processing the situation, it left me at a loss of words. The confusion that overtook me, and the fear that slowly entered my body, as I finally realized the situation I was in. This woman, was not normal, her appearance alone was enough to figure that out.

It took me a moment to register that my other was screaming in my head, as I desperately tried to think of my next course of action. It had been a while since I had heard him so livid. I jumped to my feet and lunged forward, sinking my teeth into her throat, feeling the warm crimson splatter on my face as I ripped her throat out. Salty and....I blinked. I was back at my previous position, cowering against the wall.

Go then. What are you waiting for? 

I can barely even stand, you expect me to rip her throat out?

SHE IS ARROGANT! 

and at the moment, has a right to be.

This silenced my other. It would seem even he can see logic. "The silent treatment? Is that it?" all she got was a blank stare in return, as I calmed myself. There wasn't anything I could do at that moment, and I knew it. She chuckled darkly, "Fine then." Without another word she walked over to me, reaching down before I could make any movements and grabbed me by the hair roughly. I resisted the urge to scream in pain as she dragged me across the room by my hair. She dragged me through the door and out into a hall, she continued to drag me until we ended up in another room, similar to the room I woke up in. The only difference being a single chair in the center of the room. She shut the door behind her.

What happened next, I don't wish to describe, and I won't at least... not right now. I don't think I've ever experienced such pain and it'll haunt me for years to come. This went on for the next week. By the third day, I was broken completely. I didn't speak a word, and was then that I gave up any hope of escaping with my life. After that, she even stopped binding my hands. At the end of each of these "sessions" I would pass out, only to wake up in the same room I had the first time. I also asked her about the mirror, she had only giggled at that and told me that it was so I could admire her handiwork.

Each time I would wake up, there would be new cuts, usually fairly deep, and usually along my torso. Each of the incisions would be sloppily stitched up. The most noticeable had been the slash mark on my face, extending from one cheek to the other, across the bridge of my nose. I asked her over and over why I was here. She said that her boss, had ordered it. I proceeded to ask who her boss was. She only responded with a laugh.

It was after the eighth day that she finally slipped up. She somehow didn't notice the scalpel I grabbed when she dragged me back to my room after another "session". As weak as I felt, I knew that I would only have one chance at this. When she entered my room to retrieve me the next morning, I pounced on her. She seemed surprised, her initial shock was enough to end it. I lifted the scalpel into the air and stabbed downwards into her chest. I felt her blood stain my clothes but I didn't care. I felt her weakly struggle, but I just kept stabbing her over and over again. After she finally stopped moving, I fell off of her and crawled away as far as the room would let me.

I didn't feel sadness, or regret for the life that I had just taken. I didn't feel anything that I thought I should. I just felt, indifferent. I felt nothing. Which worried me. But later I would come to find out that this was due to shock. I scoured the place that had been my prison and found my bag. I took out my cellphone and took a few deep breaths to calm down as I heard it ringing.

"Hello? Skye?" The voice sounded slightly panicked.

"Hey Tori.....yeah, yeah I'm okay...." I slid down the wall, I didn't feel okay in the least. "You think you could come pick me up? Yeah...Germany..."

Just too simple

You know what I find funny about you "runners"? Well #1 half of you stay in the same place for long periods of time. Yet you proclaim to be "runners". You stay in that place, not even thinking about the consequences. The other thing though? That you seem to lack common sense. Some of you may seem smart, such as my red haired friend here. Who thinks that his weak glare is actually intimidating me from the chair he's ... "situated in"....glares are much less intimidating when one of the eyes is swollen shut, imagine that. But anyways, Skye was supposed to be smart. Little bastard got cocky just because he took on a couple of Rose Brides as if that would stop HIM. Smart because he can use a couple of parlor tricks, lot of good they do him with his hands bound. 

But no, he was supposed to be smart. Yet nothing about his situation is rational. First of all, he lives with a proxy. One that claims to have good intentions, one that he has a little crush on. As cute as the whole "star crossed lovers" thing is, won't matter when she kills him in his sleep, because Tall and Faceless decides to hollow her. While I don't claim to understand the suited bastard, I do have a vague knowledge of some of his tactics, at least when it comes to causing pain; usually of the emotional kind. So really I'll be doing him and his little girlfriend a favor when I end his pathetic life. Damn, I keep getting off topic. So no, he's not as smart as he claims. 

You runners....I set the most obvious of traps, and yet you still come. All it took was letter saying I had Roy, and Skye came running. All common sense went out the window. 

He's been here for exactly one week. It's been fun and I'm sorry to see it end. But I won't kill him, not yet. I'll take you all on a walk down memory lane, and at the end, Skye will be dead. 

Oh would you look at that, he passed out again, I thought he had learned last time, looks like he needs a refresher. Guess that's my cue to leave then. 

Goodbye, for now.

-L

I'm off to Europe. I have something to take care of there. I'll post details later because my plane leaves in 20 minutes.

Tori if you see this, I left a note in my room explaining everything, and I'm sorry.

Goodbye

I heard a yawn and the quiet noise of footsteps as Alice walked into the kitchen. I continued to watch the pan, waiting for the perfect moment to flip the pancake I was making. "Good morning...." I heard her say with a sigh. I looked over my shoulder to see Alice sitting, her head resting on the table. I flipped the pancake, and heard someone running down the stairs. I saw Tori walk into the kitchen dressed for work.

I smiled, "Tori, you're just in time for breakfast." I set a pancake on the plate and poured more batter into the skillet. I turned to see Tori sitting in one of the chairs, quickly tying her shoes.

"Sorry, Skye I don't have time to si-" She began to say before I set down a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich, wrapped in a napkin on the table. She finished tying her shoes and stood up. She gave me a peck on the cheek with a quick "thanks" before grabbing the sandwich and her car keys, she went for the door and rubbed the top of Alice's head. "See ya kiddo." and with that she left.

I set down a plate of pancakes in front of Alice who mumbled something that I assumed was thanks. I sat down and took a sip of my coffee as I watched Alice slowly begin to wake up as she ate her pancakes.

"You're leaving already?"

I saw Roy fasten the straps on his backpack. "I have to Skye, I already told Alice goodbye."

"If you're ever back in town...you know you're welcome here." He smiled sadly at me. 

"Skye, this is goodbye. I'm afraid we won't be seeing each other again." To me he sounded defeated, as if he had simply given up. I found myself growing slightly angry.

"So that's it? You've just given up? Your just going to go find somewhere to die quietly?" I look back at it now and realize that this sounded harsh. 

He chuckled, not the reaction I had expected. He grinned at me, "Of course not. I'm going to fight until I can't anymore, and when I go, I'll go swinging." 

I looked at him in disbelief. "Aren't you scared?" 

"Honestly?" I nodded, "Fuck yeah I am. But that doesn't mean I'm going to spend the rest of my life hiding. Would that increase my life span? Maybe. But that's just not my style." He had accepted it, he was accepting the fact that he was going die. Yet he kept walking, moving forward. I looked down trying to hide the tears building in my eyes.

"What about us?" It came out slightly choked. "You're just going to leave us behind? The rest of us runners?" It sounded selfish, and I knew it was, I could tell that he was tired.

He chuckled, setting a hand on my head. "Skye, it's because of runners like you, and Med, and all the others, that I can keep moving. I'm not afraid to leave this fight to all of you, because I know that you're all strong, and smart." He laughed again, "Hell of lot smarter than me." He lifted his hand and turned to walk away. I watched through blurred vision as he kept walking, he stopped for a moment. "Take good care of her alright?" 

I nodded even though he couldn't see me, "You got it." 

He lifted his hand "Goodbye." 

"...Skye?" I blinked and looked at Alice who looked concerned. I reached up and felt that my cheeks were wet. I shook my head, feeling embarrassed.

"It's nothing, sweetie." With that she went back to eating her pancakes, glancing up at me with concern every now and then. I simply stared at my coffee.

'I'll do my best Roy, I promise you that.'