As it turns out, the owner of said arm is Charis. She drags me down a hallway.

"Wait! I have to help Marie!" I object.

"I'm taking you to her." She says through gritted teeth.

What's her problem?

In my panicked state, I don't pay attention to where we are going, until we are at the library.

We go through the passage behind the bookcase.

Is Marie in Bennet's library?

Instead of going up the stairs, we go down a hallway I didn't even know was there. We go down several flights of stairs until we have are far underground. She opens a locked door. "Hurry, we have little time."

"Is she okay?" I say running into the room.

The door slams shut behind us, and a lock clicks in place. The entire room is pitch black.

"Charis?"

"She'll be fine, it's yourself, you should worry about."

The room fills with light, but there seems to be no source. I gasp as I see the room surrounding me.

Hung on the walls are corpses. Chained up with shackles that barely grip their sallow skin.

As I look at their faces, I realize I recognize almost all of them.

Katrina, the woman that showed me around and talked to me those first days.

Ravi, the man that told me the sad story of his life.

Luca, Bennet's friend that hung out with us some days in the main library.

Emery, the woman who served me dinner every night.

William, I had forgotten about him. The man I sat next to on the train.

Cynthia, one of Elizabeth's oldest friends from when she was alive.

Mr.Forgarty, my boss.

Alexia, my next door neighbor.

Then only person I can't put a name to, is an old man that looks like someone I know, but I can't figure out who.

"What the- what happened to them?!"

"Something much more pleasant than what you will endure." She growls.

"Wait- what? What's going on?"

"Well you see, you deserve punishment. All actions have consequences, and you cannot escape yours."

It hits me. Oh my gosh. They are dead. All those people are dead because of something I did. Nine people.

But you can't die when you are already dead!

"Quite the contrary, Ember dear, you can die in this world, only it won't be the wonderful world I've given you. It will be eternal pain and suffering." She smiles thoughtfully, "I can almost hear their screams."

I feel the tears on my cheeks before I know I am crying.

"You see, I have never wished such a extreme sentence on anyone until now. It just seemed to dramatic, that is, until I met you. And saw the malicious soul that dwells beneath your skin. The murdereous rage that lives in your heart."

"What?" I choke out.

"All I've ever wanted was to experience true happiness, to live happily ever after like a fairytale. But you just had to go and destroy any chance I had. You had to kill him." She spits the final word.

Antonio. I killed him.

I killed him.

He is in a forever hell because of me. Because I killed him.

"Ah there is someone in that head of yours."

"I didn't- I didn't mean to kill-"

"Shut up! Shut up you filthy pig!" She screams. "You killed him! You killed Antonio!"

I cower in fear, stepping backwards, and screaming when I accidentally run into Luca. His thin frame falls from the shackles and collapses on top of me. I push him of, my heart racing with fear.

"I'm sorr-" I try to apologize, not knowing what else to do, but the air suddenly seems to disappear.

She is glaring at me. I gasp for air but there is none. I clutch at my neck.

I am going to die.

"Don't be so quick to judge." She warns, and the air return a moment later. I lay on the floor, gulpin down air. "I'm not going to kill you."

"You're not?" I squeak.

"Oh no, that would be far too easy. Yes, the idea of having you wallow in pain for the rest of eternity sounds lovely, but I want to see it." Her face is a breath away from mine, "I want to see your agony!" She seethes.

I shriek in pain and look down at my arm. The cuts have reopened and are bleeding heavily. Blood drips down to the ground and my shoulder starts to ache. The previously healed burn is now once again raw, and the stone beneath me cause terrible pain.

I weep and scream, but she doesn't nothing but smile slightly.

The door opens and footsteps approach.

Bennet walks in.

His eyes are dead. He shows no emotion, his eyes floating over me as if I am no more than a speck of dirt.

He goes to Charis' side. He holds a rag and a bottle.

"Do it." Charis commands.

He doesn't hesitate. Bennet dumps some of the liquid onto the rag, and charges for me. Disputes my struggles, he smothers my mouth with the rag and I pass out.

~

When I come back to, I am lined up on the wall in shackles, in between Emery and Ravi.

Memories come flooding back, going back to earth. Samantha. Blake. Riley. Paul. Zoë. Andrew. Joshua. My mother.

I remember pain and darkness before waking up in the streets of this city. Everything comes back and it's like my mind is clear for the first time in so long.

My vision is foggy but I see Charis standing in the same spot. The only real difference in the room is Bennet isn't standing next to her, he is on the ground, looking sorrowfully at his feet. That's when I notice the blood pouring from his side.

Then I feel the breath get pulled from my lungs.

What? No! You've already killed enough people! Don't kill him too! I mentally plea. I can withstand the torture, I deserve it, but no one else has to die!

"Well isn't this a sad sad sight, you are riddled with guilt and crying out for your unrequited love, as you lay down with death. How romantically tragic." Charis says, twirling a strand of her silky back hair around her nimble finger.

"I'm not in love with Bennet." I say, though I don't know why I feel the need to defend myself.

"Oh you thought I was talking to you? No Ember dear." Charis hums. "Oh look, our business is done here." She nods to Bennet.

His body has collapsed onto the cement floor, blood creating a puddle around him.

No. He's dead. No! He was my friend! Why? Why did she have to kill him?

I stare at his body in shocked silence. He was my friend, but in the end he betrayed me, only to die himself.

"Are you warm enough in the ghastly gown Ember? We are going somewhere simply..." She pauses to think of a word, "Glorious. I want to make sure you don't stain that wretched thing with sweat."

I don't answer.

"Suit yourself, oh but before we go we have someone we need to visit. You might know her. Her name is Elizabeth."