ofgeneticperfection

[ofgeneticperfection]

V; Alien Earth "Wʜᴇɴ ɪs ᴀ ᴍᴀᴄʜɪɴᴇ ɴᴏᴛ ᴀ ᴍᴀᴄʜɪɴᴇ?"

For years Isrieal has worked alongside Weyland-Yutani corporation as a satellite business. She runs a biotech lab that helps analyze samples and provide information to them, along with creating drugs and gene therapy to augment humans. Her labs, Biosynth Technologies, are funded by the corporation and she has helped in the process of creating Cyborgs and helping the technology adapt to human bodies. She has also gained the knowledge of how they create Synthetics.

However, Isrieal’s true passion is immortality. A way to defy both death and time. It became an obsession of hers and a secret she never shared with Weyland-Yutani. The mind is data and she spent years on her consciousness theory and if it could be uploaded, aside from testing on rats she has not mapped any other human consciousness but her own. She created a Synthetic version of her body in her labs and tested her theory on herself. She successfully uploaded her consciousness into the Synthetic body and shared the information with no one but her most trusted until further analysis could be done. She is also unsure of sharing such a technology only for Weyland-Yutani to claim it but she must now go to great lengths to hide it.

When the Maginot crashes into Prodigy territory, she is sent in as an undercover agent to help locate and obtain information on the lost specimens. While in Prodigy territory, she becomes interested in the projects of Boy Kavalier, catching onto the fact that he may have achieved something similar. She may have more information to share than she initially was sent for, or perhaps more secrets yet to keep.

[ofgeneticperfection]

//Fuck it. I'm writing an Alien Earth verse.

[ofgeneticperfection]

(     *     ALIEN: EARTH PROMPTS   !    

quotes taken from episodes 1/2 of alien: earth. feel free to change pronouns / details as needed  !

❛ you gonna eat that, mate? ❜

❛ you're not a doctor. ❜

❛ you alright there, gorgeous? ❜

❛ we're talking about the earth. who rules that? ❜

❛ are you asking if i did my job? ❜

❛ those things give me the creeps. ❜

❛ we lost a lot of good men getting them. ❜

❛ you got any bedtime stories? ❜

❛ what do you think we should do with it? ❜

❛ think of how the scorpion must feel. trapped under glass, menaced by giants. ❜

❛ go on. i'll be here when you wake up. ❜

❛ are you gonna kill it? ❜

❛ is it gonna hurt? ❜

❛ it's just like... falling asleep. ❜

❛ deep breath for me. ❜

❛ you know, i had the weirdest dream last night. we had a baby and it was a pig. ❜

❛ do you want to see a magic trick? ❜

❛ the body is a vessel for the mind. ❜

❛ so, what am i? if i'm not human, what am i? ❜

❛ i got you something, for your collection. ❜

❛ darling, you're never alone. you got us. ❜

❛ you can grow big and strong like me. ❜

❛ don't be sad. i'm gonna fix you right up. ❜

❛ when do we get to go home? ❜

❛ let me in! please! it's coming. ❜

❛ why are you doing this? you fucking asshole! ❜

❛ we're being rescued! ❜

❛ look, we don't want any trouble. ❜

❛ so we're stuck with you. ❜

❛ look at the size of that thing. ❜

❛ i should have called in sick. ❜

❛ keep this quiet until we know the damage. ❜

❛ you can follow orders, right? ❜

❛ it was scary. lying in my bed every night thinking i could die. ❜

❛ dude, this building is gonna come down any second. ❜

❛ just let us go and we'll pretend this never happened, alright? ❜

❛ come on. you can't leave us like this. ❜

❛ something crawled out of here. ❜

❛ in the animal kingdom, there is always someone bigger or smaller, who would eat you alive if they had the chance. ❜

❛ that's what it is to be an animal. you're born, you live, you die. ❜

❛ this day just gets better and better. ❜

❛ i can solve any problem. ❜

❛ you're talking about achievement. but it's about becoming. ❜

❛ what we're doing here... you and me... is exploding human potential. ❜

❛ we did something nobody thought was possible. ❜

❛ i want to talk to somebody smarter than me. ❜

❛ we're gonna have to jump. ❜

❛ don't you fucking drop me. ❜

❛ i got you. ❜

❛ there's a... a creature, she's loose, approximately eight feet tall, armored. ❜

❛ i've got to keep my promise. ❜

❛ it feels like christmas. ❜

❛ it's been a very expensive day. ❜

❛ you have something that belongs to me. ❜

❛ i'm afraid i can't allow that just yet. ❜

❛ this is what lawyers are for. ❜

❛ i miss baths. i used to hate baths, but now i miss them. ❜

❛ fear's for animals. you are not animals. now move. ❜

❛ i want to go home now. ❜

❛ it's a monster. let's kill it. ❜

❛ see if you can find something to capture it with. ❜

❛ um, wait. was that blood? ❜

❛ we're having a dinner party. ❜

❛ we belong to the same club. ❜

❛ what's in the bag? ❜

❛ you're making a mistake. ❜

❛ don't move. don't blink. ❜

❛ just stay calm, friend. they can sense fear. ❜

❛ i'm not your friend. ❜

❛ just so you know, i'm the least of your problems. ❜

❛ i need you there. ❜

❛ sometimes the world gives you a moment to shine. and if you do, well... there's a name for that kind of hero. ❜

❛ lives are at stake. ❜

❛ we're not children anymore. ❜

❛ there'll be loads of people there... bloody, wounded, exploded. ❜

❛ it's me. i found you. ❜

❛ i've been watching you. ❜

❛ you help people. ❜

❛ they said i was special. ❜

❛ mm. looks like eggs. ❜

❛ stay here. look at me. stay safe. ❜

[ofgeneticperfection]

// Hey guys. I’m probably not going to get to many replies until mid September with the wedding need of next week. There’s a ton of crap I still need to get done including writing vows so probably shouldn’t be writing RP first 😂😂😂

Most of the big things are sorted but I single handedly contacted everyone involved and got it all together which I don’t really recommend lol…

I’ll be more active when all this calms back down again for sure !

[ofgeneticperfection]

"STOP PUTTING YOURSELF INTO DANGER!" PROMPTS *  assorted dialogue for expressing your fear that the person you care about might get themselves hurt if they keep acting like this, adjust as necessary

i thought i told you to stay back.

i love you too much to let you get hurt like this.

this affects me, too, you know.

every time you leave, i sit up all night waiting, praying you'll come back alive.

you keep pulling stunts like this and something bad will happen.

do you have a death wish or something?

this isn't fair to me.

i deserve better than this.

i didn't get any sleep last night because i was so worried about you.

you promised me you'd stop going out at night.

i don't like hearing this.

you've been risking your life, and for what? so you can feel like a goddamn hero?

i said i would handle it.

what the fuck are you doing here?

you told me you'd stay put.

so much for laying low.

you remember how bad it was last time.

seems like you haven't learned anything.

i believe you promised me you'd lay low.

i can't keep doing this.

don't give me that look.

we'll discuss this later.

this stops now.

i'm tired of picking up the pieces once you've left.

you keep throwing yourself into danger.

you don't give a shit about yourself, do you?

i'm sitting here, worried out of my mind, while you're out doing god knows what.

that was really stupid of you, and you know it.

i thought you knew better than this.

what's your excuse this time?

you do realize what this does to me, right? seeing you get hurt like this? you know it hurts me, too?

you really don't give a shit how this affects me, huh.

that was the dumbest possible thing you could have done.

i need you to stop throwing yourself into harm's way.

that was completely unnecessary.

they had it handled.

you didn't need to step in like that.

why do you think you're invincible?

the last time you pulled a stunt like this, it nearly got you killed.

i can't just sit here and watch you get hurt.

what are you trying to prove?

you just like fucking with my heart, don't you.

this shit hurts me, too, you know.

you're not the only one affected by this shit.

you've got a lot of people counting on you to come home every night.

what happens if you don't come back?

you think we can just carry on without you?

you think i can handle things if you end up dead?

i'm not sticking around to watch you get hurt.

you're not even slick.

you think you're invincible, don't you.

quit pretending you've got everything under control.

let someone else do it for a change.

you can't keep putting yourself through shit like this and expect me to just sit back and watch.

i'm done with this.

next time you do this, i'm not coming back.

promise me this is the end.

look me in the eyes and tell me you'll stop doing this.

let the authorities deal with it.

you're making a big mistake.

is it worth dying for?

i've dealt with enough pain over the years.

[ofgeneticperfection]

// Does Alien Earth warrant a rp verse? Seems up Izzy’s alley.

[ofgeneticperfection]

ANTAGONISM — APATHY

"What do you want?" "You're still here?" "Heartless bastard." "Empathy, heard of it?" "Why should I help you?" "Beg, and I'll consider." "Why do you think I care?" "You won't even listen to me!" "Are you seriously this cold?!" "Why waste your energy on them?" "Why feel so strongly about this?" "Boohoo, my heart's breaking for you." "Save your words for someone who cares." "Is there nothing you won't do for money?" "Just this once, please, I need your help." "You think you deserve my help? That's rich." "Coming from you? I take it as a compliment." "Please, I don't have anyone else to turn to." "Don't know, and I don't care to know either." "Don't you get tired of every fruitless attempt?" "Go cry somewhere else, I'm tired of hearing it." "… And? You expect me to do something about it?" "Don't come at me with your self righteous bullshit." "You may think me cruel, but I do what must be done." "You could be dying in a ditch and I wouldn't help you." "So what? You'll just turn your back on an old friend?" "Their lives were a necessary sacrifice, you know that." "You're seriously just going to ignore me? Real mature." "I cannot cry for every death. You understand that, yes?" "I'm not ignoring you. That implies I think about you at all." "If you want to survive you have to turn your heart to stone." "I've got lax morals and I'm easily swayed by cash, what can I say." "I haven't paid attention to a single word you've said this entire time." "One day you'll need my help! And I'll give you the same answer you just gave me!"

[ofgeneticperfection]

"Mɪɴᴅ ᴏғ ᴅᴀʀᴋɴᴇss, ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ ᴏғ ʟɪɢʜᴛ. I ᴀᴍ ᴏɴʏx, ʙʟᴀᴄᴋ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡʜɪᴛᴇ."

Apparently, I inverted myself.

-Munday

[ofgeneticperfection]

Isrieal glances up from her clipboard when she hears the sound of his voice and sets it atop the desk beside her. President or not, these halls could be dangerous. Luckily, he wasn't in the depths. It wasn't a matter of if the Director was busy. It was if he wanted to waste his time chit-chatting to people with foolish questions. In most cases, she was the better one to speak to, but could be just as intimidating.

She rests a hand at her hip near the cinch of her waist bound by the metallic rings of her waist belt. The black fabric of her dress contrasted against her moon-white hair and doll-like skin. The sharp blues of her eyes hold him steady in their piercing gaze. Analyzing.

"What do you need, Mister President?" She asks. "I assure you that I can handle it from here."

@cunningxleader

@ofgeneticperfection

Rufus was walking down the corridor of the science department of Shinra. There was nothing off limits, being the president. He looked over and noticed the woman holding a clipboard. He's seen her around plenty of times and he knew exactly who and what she is.

He'd mainly acknowledge her in passing. Either a polite nod or even a 'hello'. but nothing beyond that.

"I'm guessing the Director is busy?" he asked her.

[ofgeneticperfection]

— Sylvia Plath, quoting an acquaintance in ‘The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath’

[ofgeneticperfection]

Psychopath Sentences, Vol. 3

(Sentences for conversations with psychopaths. Adjust phrasing where needed)

"Why don't you kill him? You could always say that it was me."

"You are a very young sociopath-in-training."

"You know, what's funny is the experts say that torture doesn't really work."

"What are you worried about? If I wanted to kill you, you'd be dead already."

"Psychopaths are not crazy. They are fully aware of what they do and the consequences of those actions."

"Death excites you, doesn't it?"

"I can't believe you actually shot me!"

"When you speak, I feel like it's the Devil talking."

"Generally, if I have a misgiving or a doubt, I kill the guy I have a misgiving or a doubt about."

"I've never felt as alive as I did when I was killing him."

"Don't worry, I won't tell. I want you to kill her."

"There is something seriously wrong with you!"

"Despite all evidence to the contrary, I am a gentleman."

"Isn't ordinary death exciting enough for you?"

"Murder's not what it used to be."

"There's a bloodstain on your floor."

"I am, as you know, no stranger to killing."

"How do you do it? So easily cope with all the people we've killed?"

"Are you beginning to appreciate my lack of sympathy?"

"I think we should kill someone tonight."

"A rational society would either kill me or put me to some use."

"I am not the intelligent psychopath you are looking for."

"What makes you think you wouldn't pass a psych evaluation?"

"Did you tell them about the man you killed? The way you did it?"

"Do you think that one more corpse means anything to me?"

"In this world - my world - only the biggest monster survives."

"There's no such thing as right or wrong. There's no such thing as fair, or moral. Those are words men invented to scare and shame other men."

"I would just like to point out that the word 'sociopath' has not been used by any respected psychiatrist since 1968."

"Once you take a life, there's nothing like it."

"Tell me, did your heart race when you murdered her?"

"You have a very disconcerting gaze."

"Keep lying and I'll murder you in that chair."

"You've got a dark turn of mind."

"God, you really care about them, don't you?"

"Don't you understand? You caught me because we're very much alike."

"You just can't go around killing people!"

[ofgeneticperfection]

A Vampire of the Russian Bloodline known as the Yagnatia. Known for their noble lineage and being beautiful despite being a Nosferatu. Isrieal is a ruthless player in the game of the undead. Others are mere stepping stones in her path to claim her desires.

She owns a nightclub called Hypnotiq, a meeting ground of mortals and monsters where she can gain intel from around the city. The lower rooms serve as a meeting place for her contacts and alliances. She prefers having the mafia on her side, with a preference to the Yakuza.

She is often a go-to source for help and loves to make deals with others. In the underground and supernatural world, she is known by the alias of 'The White Queen'. She holds a powerful sense of pride and don't you dare insult it.

'Blessed with beauty, cursed with fear.'

The Yagnatia may have beautiful looks but their terror lies in their aura of predatory dread. No matter how pleasant she may try to appear, others can sense that they are being evaluated by the presence of something dark and scheming. This makes it hard for a Yagnatia to earn trust and loyalty.

Her own curse manifests as a wicked aura that sends chills up the spine, paired with unease and looming dread. Others feel an icy chill creep up their spine when she enters the room. Yagnatia are ambitious and ruthless, willing to do anything if they can justify their means. It is difficult to shake their sense of self, even with immoral actions that become a means to an end.

(Based on my character from Vampire the Requiem by White Wolf. Does not necessarily have to follow this.)

Horror Verses

[ofgeneticperfection]

DARKER STARTERS

Sentence starters of varying degrees. Change pronouns as you see fit. TW: Psychological horror

❛ Don’t look behind you. ❜ ❛ Something just whispered my name. ❜ ❛ It’s been dead for years, but it’s still calling. ❜ ❛ That wasn’t you breathing next to me, was it? ❜ ❛ I think… I’m being followed. But no one’s ever there. ❜ ❛ There’s something in the walls. I can hear it scratching. ❜ ❛ Why does the mirror show something I’m not doing? ❜ ❛ We buried them. I watched it happen. So how are they here? ❜ ❛ The lights won’t stay on anymore. It’s like they’re afraid. ❜ ❛ There’s blood under the floorboards. It keeps spreading. ❜ ❛ I dreamt of them again. But this time, they noticed me watching. ❜ ❛ I can’t tell if I’m sleepwalking or being moved. ❜ ❛ That wasn’t my voice on the phone. But it said everything I was thinking. ❜ ❛ The photo changed. They weren’t smiling before. ❜ ❛ Why does the attic door keep unlocking itself? ❜ ❛ Something climbed into bed with me last night. I was too scared to move. ❜ ❛ That thing outside? It’s wearing your face. ❜ ❛ I saw you die. I felt you die. ❜ ❛ My reflection blinked after I walked away. ❜ ❛ That voice… it said your name. But it wasn’t me. ❜ ❛ They said if I looked at it, it would follow me home. I looked. ❜ ❛ There’s something living in the basement. It doesn’t like light. ❜ ❛ She’s been dead for a hundred years, and she wants me to take her place. ❜ ❛ I keep waking up with dirt under my nails. ❜ ❛ It said it would kill me last night. Why am I still here? ❜ ❛ Something touched me in the dark. It was cold… and smiling. ❜ ❛ There’s something in the photographs. Behind us. Watching. ❜ ❛ I can feel it watching me, even when I shut my eyes. Especially then.❜ ❛ My shadow moves differently when I’m not looking. ❜ ❛ The voice in the radio said it’s coming for you next. ❜ ❛ I don’t think this is my body anymore. ❜ ❛ I’m not alone in my head. It’s louder than me now. ❜ ❛ You said we were alone. Then who was standing in the hallway? ❜ ❛ Something’s wrong with the baby. It has too many teeth. ❜ ❛ Every mirror in the house cracked at the same time. ❜ ❛ It keeps offering me a choice. I don’t like the second option. ❜ ❛ They never left. I can hear them under the floor, screaming. ❜ ❛ I think the house is alive. And hungry. ❜ ❛ The dog won’t stop growling at the empty corner. ❜ ❛ It wants to wear your skin. ❜ ❛ You weren’t born. You were made. ❜ ❛ Why does the music box keep playing, even with no key? ❜ ❛ It’s not pretending to be her anymore. It is her. ❜ ❛ The dreams aren’t dreams. They’re instructions. ❜ ❛ You were never supposed to find this place. ❜ ❛ They stitched a mouth shut in that painting. Now it’s screaming. ❜ ❛ I think the stars are in the wrong place. ❜ ❛ The last thing I saw was its smile. I can still see it when I close my eyes. ❜ ❛ The door was locked from the inside. ❜ ❛ It said if I ever tell anyone about it, you’ll be next. ❜

[ofgeneticperfection]

"Well, like I said. I don't like being tracked." She removes a hundred worth from her wallet and sets it atop the counter beside her. She doubted she'd be spending a hundred on drinks, but if he could keep the extra, it might make her stay more tempting.

"I don't know what the others do. If they aren't paying, then I question why come down here at all." She catches the glass as it's slid before her and lifts it, examining the glittering blue under the lights. "Looks excellent, Adam." She emphasizes his name. "I find the drinks down here tend to have more character."

She tests the theory by taking a sip, the perfect balance of sour and sweet. She concludes with a nod of approval. "As do the people." She adds. She takes another drink before setting it down. "Delicious."

Her eyes dart about the bar, no eyes or ears to pry as she considers. She'd get nowhere making small talk. "Thing is, Adam, I believe you might be different." She hangs onto the word. "Not in a bad way." She throws in. "Are you good at gardening? Perhaps you dream of visions or hear whispers?" She trails her gaze back to him to carefully study his reactions.

@wingsofdogma

"Adam." It isn't his real name, but he's learned not to use his real name when the people above come calling. Rhys isn't on their radar, he hopes, but one can never be too careful when living in the underbelly of debauchery, or whatever people with higher means thought went on.

"Grudge? No grudge at all. We're just trying to survive down here, too, and you have no idea how many cards have been declined because whatever goes on up there has decided that anyone buying anything down here is probably fraud. And, inevitable, they have no way to pay because they 'don't carry gil' and I should 'just start a tab' that they, inevitably, don't come back and pay for..." It's an easy explanation to him, at least, and not an untrue excuse.

"Gil's easier to work with anyway. Reception for running cards is spotty at best when the trains go by." He doesn't look at her, acting as if the drink takes more interest than their conversation; it doesn't. He's made it a billion times.

With lips in a straight, firm, displeased line, Rhys slides the drink across the bar. It was a slow day, and she'd waltzed in after he'd told the usual bartender to fuck off for the day and decided to consider closing up.

@ofgeneticperfection

[ofgeneticperfection]

[ofgeneticperfection]

Come to think of it, for as much power as she held for the Research department she was still quite the mysterious figure. No one knew much of her past or what she did outside of the place. She was simply just suddenly ‘there’ and for years no one dared question it. Now Heidegger was starting to pry and she was getting tired of hiding. In a way, Hojo did make her.

If he loved the challenge, she loved to tease. Anything that could stir up tension was a game for her, and irritating Hojo was one of her favorite pastimes. She loved any form of attention, and anger-fueled tension was one of her favorites. “Oh, please.” Isrieal scoffs. “What do you think he would do? Shoot you?” She chuckles. 

Right. No one knew what he did to Gast, part of why she was here was to keep that hidden. Hojo was formidable in his own right, often others just weren’t worth the time. “Though if you ever wonder why a few Soldiers go missing here and there…” She shrugs. “They’re fun to play with sometimes, just don’t really tend to last too long in the territory.”

Soldiers didn’t always make it, though whether some of those were due to her was up to interpretation. She could just be fucking with him after all. She smiles at the waiter as he brings her drink over and takes a long moment to sip it, the smoke still swirling about in the glass. “So who is more dangerous…” She muses while setting the glass down and slowly trailing her fingertip along the rim.

“I suppose there’s only one way to find out.” She says with a daring smirk. “But I am curious who you would place your bets on.” She lifts her glass for another sip, her eyes carefully watching him from over the rim. What exactly did he think? She was curious to know. Times were chaotic enough right now. What would it hurt to play a game with Heidegger too?

@warprotocol

"ha-" he grunts in response to her quip, mouth pressed to the heat of his mug - hot coffee on his lips. a date? the thought amuses him, less-so the potential for romance and more-so for the fact it'd rile hojo something special.

hell, he'd half-wish this was a date.

he places his mug atop the table between them, cocks a brow when she asks. heidegger scoffs, hands folded into an arch "do i look like a waiter?"

initially, he says nothing else, only watches her with a stare and a half-smirk. the challenge of a tease, curious to see her response. thankfully, one of the waiters soon saunters by ( possibly having overheard her request ) a polite refrain as he reassures them that he'll be with there right away.

meanwhile, her words have heidegger thinking on her past and just how little he really knows about her. hojo's assistant - the shadow of the mad scientist himself. he can recall the first time he'd seen her from afar, the first thought to spring to mind - that hojo must have made himself a girlfriend. how romantic. how disturbing.

"while they see to warming you up" he coos, a question lingered with a breath "why don't you tell me a little more about the dangers of getting involved" it beats waiting on orders from rufus, listening to palmer grumble about the cold and accompany scarlet in the search for 'suitable clothing'. heidegger commits himself to the itch that urges him to probe for her past. "protective partner?" he sneers "or are you the threat?"

[ofgeneticperfection]

Pirate Verse starter for @a-ofspades:

The Romanov family held significant influence in Russia as a newly established dynasty. It was no wonder that when some of them moved to settle into England they were treated with such respect. One of the Tsarina’s Isabel Romanov had been promised to the son of the Gentry family. A well-established English name, all for political moves and power trades. It made little sense to her and created swarms of butterflies in her stomach. 

It was intimidating, but also exciting to get to explore a new land. What was fast to quell that excitement was meeting Edward Gentry. A pompous little heir that looked at her as if he had just won the best prize of his life. His grip was too hard as he dragged her along the halls of the estate, showing her to her room and bragging about every artwork and architecture along the way. She learned fast that her room was nothing more than a cage and herself the pretty little bird.

It was the night of the celebratory dinner between families and the wedding would be in less than a week. She sat in silence picking at her food as the families laughed and talked around her. They spoke of the celebration and gifts to come. That’s when she feels Edward lean in. “There’s only one gift I can’t wait to unwrap.” 

The sharp clang of her fork startles the nearby guests as she drops it against her plate. “Sorry.” She says while standing. “I need to go for a walk.” She quietly excuses herself from the dinner despite the glaring look from her father and hurries out into the gardens. She’s adorned in a white dress embroidered with lace and layered with the palest blue sheer netting between the skirts. Her corset pulled in tight to accentuate her hourglass figure. Her pale hair falls in loose curls with some pinned atop her head. 

Through the gardens, she hurries to the docks to watch the setting sun. If there was one thing she loved about this place, it was the ocean. Her heels test the wooden boards of the piers as she gets closer to those rolling waves that bring in the night tide. Her eyes close for just a moment as she draws in as deep a breath as she can muster but she’s soon startled from the sounds of clinking metal and whispers. She glances over her shoulder back towards the warm lights of the estate and flicks a worried gaze back over the ocean. What was better at this point? She didn’t really know but those people were getting closer. 

She dashes aboard the docked ship to hide, feeling her way into the hull of the ship to hide amongst some wine barrels. She wedges herself behind them and curls into a ball as the voices become louder. Her arms wrap about her legs as she listens with a furrowed brow. Pirates? Were they stealing a Gentry ship? Good. Well, as long as they didn’t kill her. Her breath catches in her throat as she feels the ship lurch and start to move. They were stealing this ship. 

“Great.” She whispers to herself as she clutches her silver necklace with a beautiful blue heart-shaped sapphire in the palm of her hands. A trinket passed down through the family. She closes her eyes and leans her head back against the wall behind her, listening to the voices above. At least this would take her far from the nightmare but straight into another one.