My Gift To You. Happy Birthday Dementia

[•Mouse•]

Maeve leaned on the side of a rail, waiting for Dementia to show up. It was the birthday of Maeve's good friend. And as it was such Maeve had decided that the fair was the best bet as a gift to her. Waiting by the ticket counter was the aranged place of meeting. So there she sat, in her usual attire, looking up at the sky in boredom. Maeve had been here about ten minutes now and was begining to wonder where Dementia could be.

Where the hell is she?[/i] Seemed to be the main thoughts of Maeve as she tapped her nail on the rail. Someone walked by, who she wasn't sure and suggested she go with them on a few rides and have some fun. Wicked green eyes told the person now as she growled and told them to back off.

" Sorry, but I'm taken." Maeve added and the man, boy, kid, whoever it was seemed to walk off. Maeve gave a snicker as the person left her to be alone.

[Deon]

Dementia seemed distracted as she approached the fair with her cell phone pressed to her ear. She easily wove through the crowd of people, while at the same time avoiding the assortment of gum, wrappers, and vomit on the ground with a disgusted look on her face. She wasn't about to ruin her good heels. She was speaking in soft, fast French, with a slight frown on her face that was was caused by something not of anger or thoughtfulness, but of an emotion that was unable to be named at the moment.

She saw Maeve standing in line for the tickets, partially hidden by a sweaty, fat man with a wad of cotton candy twice as big as his head. Dementia tapped her fingers on the phone impatiently as she carefully walked over to her friend, wishing that her father would just hang up already. He had been talking nonstop for two hours, asking her how she was, how her social life was going, her studies, and anything else that was worded to make the most awkward conversation possible. And then he went on about things that she didn't want to hear, about his job, her half-sister, her stepmother, and then asked her everything he did earlier once more as if to make sure she wasn't lying or something. It was like he was trying to make up in this one phone call all the communication he didn't make during the rest of the year.

Had she gotten her present yet? Yes, but she hadn't opened it. Anaïs always works really hard on her letters to her big sister. Yes, she always noticed the care she put into it. Should he be meeting this new boyfriend of hers? No, it wasn't that serious (yet). How was she feeling? Her answer was the same as the first, second, and third times he'd asked.

The awkward conversation seemed to drag on and on and on. But she bore it every year, and she'd bear it again. Happy 18th, Dementia.

"Au revoir, Papi!" she told him with an air of finality, not waiting for him to respond somehow to keep his little Sophie on the line. She made a disgusted face at the large man who now looked like he was attempting to eat his entire cotton candy wad in one huge bite. God, that guy had a mouth. And horrible breath, too. She raised her hands and carefully stepped around the man, finally approaching Maeve. She gave her a little wave with a wag of three fingers and put her cell phone in the pocket of her tight leather pants, the ones that Maeve had liked so much when she had seen her a few days ago. She wore a tight, button-up crimson shirt with no sleeves and a close-fitting, dainty collar that rose to just below her chin. Her bare shoulders were a sharp contrast against the dark red, showing just enough skin to leave a man hungry for more. Well, well, well. If only father could see her now.

"Sorry I'm late, Maeve. I was held up on the annual father-daughter birthday phone call, you see," she told her apologetically, rolling her eyes. A slight French accent that stayed in her voice as she quickly switched languages lasted for only a few seconds before fading out into the way she normally spoke. "So what do you have in store for me today?"

[•Mouse•]

" Father-Daughter Call, eh? Interesting. I don't usually get one. Dad just sends me lots of stuff with one giant letter. He's too buisy to call." Explained Maeve, waving aside the fact she hadn't tlaked to her father in sometime. As she was handed two tickets, Maeve sighed and forked over whatever money was needed to pay the way into the fair. "Here."

" As for what I have in store for you, pretty much just an escape from the boring life of a student." Shrugging, Maeve smiled and walked through the gates and pushed her way through a crowd. Witrh each shove it seemed less people got in her way as she came to a more open area. Green eyes looked about vividly.

" Well, what to do first. That seems to be my question." Maeve said, turning on a heel to look inquisitively at her friend.

[Deon]

"What to do first?" Dementia laughed, letting her eyes rove over the wide, diverse attractions that the fair had to offer. "Whatever you think could possibly scare me out of my high heels," she told her with a smirk, examining the tall stilettos with an exaggerated, overzealous curiosity.

A 13-story building rose in the center of the fair, erected especially to look like it had stood for centuries. The haunted house attraction. Oh, joy. A sign outside boasted that no one had ever made it up to the rotted planks of its thirteenth floor, and offered a prize to anyone who did: free passes for the rest of the fair's season. She chuckled and rolled her eyes as she pointed to the building to catch Maeve's attention to where she wanted to go. The architects had done an okay job making it look old, and a little spooky. The grayed paint chipped off the rotting planks, cracked shutters hung at odd angles from broken windows, and the veranda looked like it would fall through if any pressure at all was applied to the wrong place. Screams and howls could be heard escaping from its doors even from over here. Well, well, well.

"That looks interesting, to say the least. What do you say?" she asked her friend, tapping her on the arm. "Oh, by the way, how's Ven doing? Claws still pleasing?

[•Mouse•]

" Hmm, It does look interesting. Let's go." Shrugged Maeve as she looked upon the old building. It at least seemed to be old, which Maeve was sure the point had been. The sign caught her attention. A little stroll through a mansion would earn her probably 100 bucks worth of comming to this place? Hell, she was certain to stroll through that place and not be effected. Horror seemed to be something gifteds had seen a lot of.

" Oh, Ven? I haven't seen him for a little while. I should go and see him soon. I do so miss our meetings." Sighed Maeve, thinking about her boyfriend. And especially about his delightful claws and how they were so very pleasing indeed. Tapping her boots on the ground, Maeve set off at a leasurely pace towards the supposed Haunted Mansion.

" Let's show these boring normal people how simply pathetic it is to find this place scary, shall we? We can talk more once we are inside." And upon saying something about people being pathetic a large man came bumbling from the exit screaming as if he had seen a ghost. Maeve figured with his big strong appearence that man would have been able to handle it. However, it seemed he was yellow on the inside.

" What did I tell you? Pathetic." Scoffed Maeve as she placed her hands on her hips and stepped into the relatively short line. Turning she waved a hand for Dementia to join her.

[Deon]

Dementia followed Maeve, listening to her as she talked. "Really? You haven't seen him lately? Is everything okay between you--" she was cut off as the large man who was running screaming out of the mansion clipped her on the shoulder. She stumbled, not ready for the sudden accidental assault, and got her heel wedged in the crack between two planks of wood. The burly man tripped over himself and fell flat on his face, sliding down the stairs. She got in a good kick with her free foot on the back of his leg before she yanked her other one out using both of her arms, getting a bit more resistance than she expected.

She caught up with Maeve, brushing a bit of dust off of her black leather pants, and pushed her way behind her into the line. A man that she swore must have been 2 and a third meters tall, dressed in Frankenstein's monster's attire greeted them and ushered them inside with a large hand. She giggled at his grotesque face and gave him a flirty little wave before going inside. She was greeted by a rush of cold air that sent goosebumps up her arms, though only from the sudden temperature change--not from fear. She blinked her eyes to adjust to the darkness, looking for Maeve's face. The booming voice of Frankenstein's monster reached her ears as the last people went into the mansion and he shut the doors.

"No more bodies allowed." Ooh. Spooky.

Dementia smiled, her blue eyes glittering in the dim light. "Well, let's see the best of what they've got, eh?"

[•Mouse•]

" What poor decorations..." Sighed Maeve as she touched the dried ketchup that seemed to be found about most of the wall. " So cheesy and poorly done." Whispered the girl. The chill had rushed up on her, but only because it was dimly lit and very breezy it seemed. Now, where the hell the stairs were was beyond Maeve. But, they would find the stairs, climb to the thirteenth floor and probably walk out unphased by the horribly made haunted house.

" This is when I wish I had a lighter or maybe a fire related gift. Oh well, See any stairs?" Asked Maeve as she walked about the front room, examining the very decor itself. Once or twice something like a mirror would flicker and reveal some sick and twisted face but Maeve just chuckled and looked about. Is that really all they can come up with?[/i] She asked herself and looked about to face Dementia.

[Deon]

Dementia's pale face seemed to reflect any of the pale light in the house, giving the illusion that she was the source of the strange illumination that lay on the house's scanty features. Maeve was milling about, looking for the stairs to the next floor, as Frankenstein's monster staggered over to the small crowd of people, stooped like a hunchback. He dragged one foot across the thinning rug as he walked. Thud, scrape, scrape. Thud, scrape, scrape.

Dementia gestured to Maeve to come back away from the wall and join the group of people, her glance resting on a portrait that seemed to be eying them with malicious intentions. Oh, boy. That was one ugly guy. She was so scared.

Once again, the growling voice of Frankenstein's monster had the displeasure of entering her ears, giving some kind of a speech about the origins of the house, and the ghosts that haunted it, blah blah blah, yada yada, nothing she hadn't heard before in any other generic horror story. Please. Get a new gig. Maybe he could be the giant at the top of the beanstalk or something. At least then he wouldn't have to wear that horrible makeup. Before she knew it, their group was being led towards the parlor by the monster, who left them immediately. The doors began to close up as the walls of the round room rotated, eating up any form of exit. The room seemed to shrink in diameter with every passing second, before they were plunged into pitch darkness. Someone started screaming uncontrollably. Dementia rolled her eyes, and was suddenly struck with an idea as the monster's booming voice crackled demonically from some hidden speakers to a background of creepy organ music.

She leaned over to where she could see Maeve's outline, and whispered into her ear. "What do say we make this whole thing a little more... interesting?" As she spoke, bones slid out from her fingers, clicking against each other as she tapped the fingers of her hands together. She could feel the thick, sticky wetness of her own blood. This would be a snap. These people scared too easily, anyways.

[•Mouse•]

" Oh, Sounds delightful!" Chuckled Maeve. And at the scream from just of her left ear she turned and shoved the woman who had done it. People had ears and this pathetic person happened to let out a peircing scream as she was shoved as well. This was why Maeve grew a bit annoyed with people. They tended to freak out over every little thing. She looked down into the darkness where she could hear the woman sniveling and cowaring.

" If you can't take the dark, weakling, get lost!" Growled Maeve violently as she sent a kick into the woman's left leg. The woman yelped and screamed some more. " Dear God, Shut Up!![/u]" Maeve yelled over the woman's screaches about someone trying to kill her. A roll of her dark eyes couldn't be seen as she tapped a foot impatiently.

" What was that plan, my dear? I feel like making these wimps wet their pants and fill them with their own disgusting bowel movements." There was a hint of wicked laughter dancing in her voice as she pushed the annoying sound of the cackle and organ playing. It was growing on her nerves to her Frankenstien's Monster laugh as if he was untouchable. "Give me a second." MAeve said before turning to face the main source of the laughter and music.

" Do you mind, Mr. Monster? I'm trying to carry on a civilized conversation with a friend. So, Shut It![/u]" Maeve demanded, turning back to Dementia. Maeve didn't expect the stupid wanna-be monster to shut up. And when he didn't, Maeve made up her mind that if anyone was to get hurt first...it would be that annoying fellow.

" Let's show them who the real monsters are." A wicked smile pulled at the lips of Maeve as she raised a brow with severe attitude. Now, they would see what it was like to have monster's in their pressence.

[Deon]

"I don't think that he can hear you," Dementia murmured as an afterthought as Maeve angrily yelled at the speakers. "Dude's probably reading from some script way off in the light somewhere. You know, I'm starting to miss the light. At least my eyes are starting to get adjusted. Of course, I don't really like what I see. The incompetence here is horrible. If only the darkness dampened my ears instead of my eyes." The last sentence was a bit louder than usual, making sure the woman who was still screaming her head off could hear. Well, perhaps she couldn't, but Dementia would find a way to make her shut up.

"The real monsters?" she repeated with a chuckle. "Yeah. That's us." The smirk still played across her face as she sauntered over behind the screeching woman, running her protruding phalanges up her back and across her face, leaving trails of warm blood on her skin. The woman went dead silent as she breathed on her neck and leaned in to give her a little nibble. She grew stiff as a board before her knees buckled and gave way, sending her sprawling face-first onto the dusty floor. Dementia wondered if she had killed her with fright, but didn't feel like checking. Too bad for her. She skipped back over to Maeve before anyone realized what happened.

As she moved, she felt the floor vibrate as the entire room moved up--it was a giant elevator.

"Well, looks like we're going up, whether we like it or not. Let's make this enjoyable--for us, at least." She took a sideways glance at the small group of people that were cowering about two meters away from them, as far away from the pair as they could and laughed coldly.

"Welcome to hell!" she exclaimed as she turned to the group suddenly, throwing out her arms with her hands spread wide. The bony extensions of her fingers cast eerie shadows on the walls behind her, and the dim light played on her face evilly. Her eyes were dark sockets with flashes of an evil blue as they came in contact with any source of light. It was as if they were a part of the act. She knew Maeve would play along, and add to the experience with some of her... talents.

[•Mouse•]

Maeve loved the sight of the woman passing. She had kneeled just long enough to whisper to her sleeping form something about not screaming in other peoples ears. Standing she welcomed her friend who skipped back over. With the jerk of the floor, Maeve only stumbled a little bit. And she smirked even more As Dementia turned to haunt their fellow passengers. With a smile, a tender hand touched the side of the wall, a small black line etched it's way across the room's walls.

" You came at the wrong time. You see, the ones you should be afraid of...aren't these glamorfied hollywood monsters. But us." Snickering Maeve pressed her face and other hand to the wall. Slowly the line began to eat away at itself and turn to ashh in piles, revealing the outer workings of the elavator. Somehow, the line had mad it's way behind the huddle of people and cracked and pealed away, causing the people to scream and scurry away a little more.

" What's the rush? We don't bite. Well, that's a lie." She smiled, and looked to the people. One of her own hands gentle touched her face and her skin began to peal away a little. It wasn't an overwhelming pain but it was enough to make Maeve lick her lips in pleasure and enough to bring blood gushing from the small cuts that had appeared. One of the men passed out, unable to watch anymore. This brough an end to Maeve disinegrating her own face and laughter erupted.

" Am I still pretty?" Came the sarcastic question. Her face only had a few cracks in it which bleed a little more then expected. However, with every drop of blood that fell it seemed to back the small group further into a corner. Her airy laugh filled the air as she watched them cowar from Dementia's reach. " Why not have a little fun, while we wait?" Maeve asked Dementia with a bit of a casual tone in her voice.

[Deon]

Dementia giggled evilly as Maeve threatened the elevator passengers with the truth. They were the ones that needed to be feared. Those giants in grotesque makeup and tattered clothes were paid to do their jobs and weren't allowed to lay a dirty hand on the pedestrians. Of course, Maeve and Dementia were under no such rules. Not really.

"Well, well, well! Looks like you'll have to make yourselves comfortable in here, eh? How about a few icebreakers?" She seemed to float as she paced smoothly, quickly around the group of people who had huddled together, reaching out occasionally with her ever-growing chain of finger bones protruding from her hands to touch a fear-stricken passenger. The skin had peeled off and was loosely hanging by her knuckles, spotted red with her blood.

She noticed the fearful eyes of the passengers flickering towards Maeve, who was using her powers to peel the skin off of her face, as well as part of the elevator. She hoped she wouldn't go too far with her destruction of that... Dementia didn't exactly want to plunge to the ground without warning.

"Darling, why are you ruining your pretty face? They should at least have something pleasing to gaze upon during their stay in hell. Why do you think we're so endowed with our looks?" The laugh underneath her words was mirthless and malicious. The elevator jerked slightly as the monster's voice came back over the speakers like nothing had happened. Dementia frowned and sent a bone from her arm hurtling straight towards the speaker, pinning it right in the center with a shower of sparks that lightly illuminated the scene for an instant--every panic-stricken, teary face, every clammy, sweaty hand, every evil glare.

"Now, those icebreakers, yes? My name is Dementia. Of course, I'm not the insane one here. No, not at all," she chuckled with a sweet poison as she gazed seemingly fondly at the group of people. "You are, silly! Or at least, you will be by the time that I'm done with you, don't you think?" she tickled the chin of a nervous college student, whose Adam's apple jumped up and down as he gulped repeatedly in fear.

[•Mouse•]

" No, no she's not the insane one." Laugehd Maeve as she strolled closer to her friend and leaned a head on the girls shoulder. A hand brushed away the blood which had dried on her face by now and smeared red across her cheek. " I am, though. You see...I like pain. You could say." The girl stopped, thinking of the correct word. Well, she knew the right word, but wanted to make the people think she wasn't sure. Maybe giving them hope of escape.

" Well, I guess I'd be considered...Sadistic." She said it with such a straight and serious face it was almost scary in itself. But tapping her chin, Maeve thought for a second. You forgot to introduce yourself, Idiot![/i] Her mind spat. Maeve growled to it mentally and looked to where the bone had struck the speaker. Well, if anything life would be a lot funner now that the dumb wanna-be was gone.

" Oh, yes...I'm Maeve. Pleasure to make your aquaintence." She said sarcasticly as she looked upon the people with sheer malice in her eyes. The fact she was being allowed to play with them was good enough for Maeve.

" You just work here, like the rest of these clowns." A brave woman said, seemingly standing up from the middle of the group. The people clawed at her legs, begging the woman to sit down. Too late, Maeve was ready to act.

" Oh...Are we? Would we destory our own ride to frighten you? I don't think so. Go ahead, see if that bone is real or just plaster, I gaurentee nothing that Dementia and myself do is for the sake of these boring people that own and work this ridiculous ride!" Laughed Maeve, she stepped closer and shoved the woman to the ground and smiled down upon her with such annoyed eyes. " So shut your filthy mouth, Human." Added the woman in such a malicous growl and deep voice it nearly gave Maeve goosebumps just saying it.

[Deon]

Dementia let the bones of her finger slide across the college student's neck in a slicing motion before finally pulling away. He fell over with fright, clutching onto his throat. She laughed coldly.

"Oh, yes, silly me. I forgot to tell you. Maeve is our resident sado-masochist," Dementia added as she introduced herself. "You'll have bundles of fun with her," she sarcastically told them, her eyes glinting with a dark glee as she spoke.

Her amused eyes turned on the woman as she stood up in defiance and was dealt with by Maeve. "Please, lady, don't be a hero," she told her in a bored voice as she examined the long extension of her fingers. "We'll just cut you down, disembowel you, and string your intestines across the elevator like streamers for decoration." Her voice was sickeningly even, as if she was retelling the events of a game on the television the other night that she was entirely uninterested in.

"So do any of you really, truly think that we're just part of the ride? That we're the reason no one's ever made it to the dreaded thirteenth floor?" Dementia laughed at the thought, finishing her examination of her finger bones and finding their form to her liking. "Yeah, right. The real reason is the incompetence of idiots like you, who can't even bear the beginning of your initiation to hell. We haven't even gotten started yet."

Dementia's smile reflected the grotesque thoughts in her head as she reshaped the bones in her body. Her arms lengthened and bent at odd angles with bones jutting out in ivory knives at each joint. Her spine rose from her back, pushing through her skin, and elongated itself so that it was a gruesome skeletal tail stuck halfway in, and halfway out of her body. She didn't stop there. Cells in her skull multiplied themselves, raising up into two small horns that were the icing on the cake.

"And by the way, we're not very safe."