The rain fell steadily on the Malkavian's head as he looked eastward. The gangrel that had chained him here had seemed harmless enough. What a strange reaction to a little prank. such a simple little prank... she should have been grateful for the new tail. It WAS such a pretty little white wolf tail, after all.

Of course, she was obviosly NOT amused.

What could it matter?

Eight hours left.
Oh well. Everything's eventual.

NO TEA.

Gods.

NO TEA.

These words repeated in the malkavian's mind like repetitive little water droplets from a leaky faucet. The raindrops. everything.

This seemed like an occasion to sing...
"you are my sun-SHINE... my only sun-SHINE...
you make me Ha-PPY... When skies are GRAY...
no-BODY knows DEAR... how much I LOVE YOU...
please don't TAKE... my sun SHINE a-WAY!"

The Malkavian hoped that maybe... just maybe... If he sang loud enough... someone would hear him... set him free.

NO TEA.

bay at the moon:
"AWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

haha.
ha.
haha.

"you are my sun-SHINE... my only sun-SHINE...
you make me Ha-PPY... When skies are GRAY...
no-BODY knows DEAR... how much I LOVE YOU...
please don't TAKE... my sun SHINE a-WAY!"

It was a long unlife. It had seemed worth un-living.

7 hours left....

[i:cefc658092][b:cefc658092]"You are my sun shine..
my only sun Shine!...
you make me burn-UP...
when Skies are Bright!...
nobody knows dear...
how much I hate You!...
OH PLEASE! GOD! TAKE THIS SUNSHINE AWAY!"[/b:cefc658092][/i:cefc658092]

The malkavian thought it funny how being near final death brings forth so many memories....

Like the memory of escaping Valek's dungeon... only to be sent into torpor by the twins immediately after...

Then there was the memory of waking up in New Orleans... buried under the floorboards of his old haven... more a shack in the swamp really...

Then he met this gangrel bitch... and she didn't like the new tail...

[i:cefc658092][b:cefc658092]"You are my sun shine..
my only sun Shine!...
you make me burn-UP...
when Skies are Bright!...
nobody knows dear...
how much I hate You!...
PLEASE Someone TAKE...
THIS SUNSHINE AWAY!"[/b:cefc658092][/i:cefc658092]

The malkavian reached out to other malkavians in the world....
-The first mind he felt seemed like one useless repetitive "BEEP! At The tone malkavian time will be... RIGHT FUCKING NOW!!! October second... Two Thousand and THREE! BEEP!" Only a few months asleep? Things couldnt be much different then... could they?

The malkavian continued to swim through a sea of minds....
[i:cefc658092]"Kill Kill Kill Kill"..."I'm having this horrible dream.. when will I wake up?..."..."What happens if I twist her head... THIS WAY! ooo... neat..."..."We tie the ropes... just like so..."..."Lets play Darwin's Grab Bag! Quick... Get a gangrel!"..."YOU LOOK LIKE MY MOMMY! DIE!"..."I want my mommy!"..."... ... ..."..."This number has been disconnected or is no longer in service..."..."What do you get when you cross a Tsimisce with a brujah?... A DEAD BRUJAH!"..."Should I Talk to the Blue One... Or the Red One..."..."remember... It's all in the mind"......[/i:cefc658092]

Finally He felt something familiar...
It felt like a mind... but more like a fruit... maybe... A Pineapple!

The malkavian sent images of his current situation to the pineapple mind... and to all the other minds he could reach...

[i:cefc658092][b:cefc658092]"You are my sun shine..
my only sun Shine!...
you make me burn-UP...
when Skies are Bright!...
nobody knows dear...
how much I hate You!...
PLEASE Someone TAKE...
THIS SUNSHINE AWAY!"[/b:cefc658092][/i:cefc658092]

Something had happened while he was in torpor.. he felt.. somehow... Stronger. What had the twins done this time?

The pen scrawled across the page at great speed, with inhuman accuracy. The half written words in conjunction with diagrams and scribbles formed incoherent sentences and patterns. He sat with his back against a steel framed bed, the journal propped up on one of his legs. Turning the page, he tapped the pen on the edge of the journal as he silently looked out into the night, trying to focus his thoughts.

His mind travelled through time, plucking out memories, recent and old, bringing familiar feelings and sensations to the forefront. But there were also occasional glimpses into what he knew had not yet come to pass, the future. Or maybe just random thoughts and ideas created by his imagination.

He took a deep breath and looked to his journal, ready to continue his writing. The blank page was now covered in text and pictures. Raising an eye brow he cocked his head to the side and analysed his writing.

Dominating the centre of the page was a large oak tree with the sun rising on the horizon. Beneath it the portrait of a familiar man, bound with chains to the trunk of the tree. Black heavy letters scrawled beneath it, New Orleans. Lyrics surrounded the picture:

"You are my sun shine..
my only sun Shine!...
you make me burn-UP...
when Skies are Bright!...
nobody knows dear...
how much I hate You!...
PLEASE Someone TAKE...
THIS SUNSHINE AWAY!"

Miming the words as he hummed the tune he felt a connection in his mind, a connection to the subject of this black ink portrait. He rose to his feet snapping the journal shut. His coat was hung over the desk in his room, taking it he slipped it on and opened a draw in the desk, the journal was a snug fit, he closed and locked the draw.

He stepped out of his room and into the hall, a beautiful lady, one of his most loyal servants turned to face him. He brought his hand to her cheek and brushed it softly with the back of his hand. She took a shy step backwards and smiled warmly.

“A friend, he’s in trouble. Could you please ask the others to join me? We have a little rabid dog that needs putting down.”

It would not take long for him to arrive at New Orleans.

Six hours left...

Sun shine.. sun shine...

AUGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

chirp... chirp... chirp....

The raindrops continued to echo in his head while he recalled the past few weeks...

He had been in a dungeon cell, accused of some crime or other against the then-prince, Valek. He somehow managed to escape with a 'helpful' nosferatu. Once outside, he remembered seeing the face of a young girl, then darkness.

He awoke beneath the floorboards of his old haven in new orleans, a shack deep in the swamp. And THIRSTY.

not for tea.

The desire for tea caused his finger to itch.

He walked into the city, and hunted for something tasty. A whore maybe, or some high school kids playing where they shouldn't. He was invisible to them, and lurked in the shadows.

Two kids on a date... how cute.

"Good night sweetie."

-sweetie- .oO(something sweet) "Sweetie.. sweetie..."

"Did you hear something?"

-something- .oO(something sweet) "Something... some thing... thing..."

"No.. did you?" The girl poked her head out the door, and looked around. "Probably nothing. The wind maybe"

-the wind- .oO(yes, the wind) "maybe... wind... wind... shhwhhhwhhhh...."

"Yeah. okay. call me."

-call me- .oO(no, you should call me) "call me... call me..."

The boy was too old for her anyway. He had too much facial hair to be in high school. Probably one of those desperate college boys that take advantage of young girls. The malkavian poked around in his mind just a little. Yep. College. 'midterms next week... i better study.. I'll do this one later'. The world would be better off without him. the boy was walking slowly, almost to the end of the block.

-later- .oO(I'll do this one) "do this one later... this one later... one... later.. later..."

The boy spun around, expecting to see someone. "Who's there!" the demanding tone was almost humourous, coming from one this young... and alive.

-the wind- .oO(I'm the wind) "Shhhwhhhwhhh.... wind... wind... Shhhwhhh..."

"SHIT!" the boy started to run, and as he ran, he collided with a woman of about apparent thirties. The woman deadlocked the boy and pulled him into an alley.

.oO(hey... that was MY dinner) "the wind... wind... shhwhhhwhhhh...."

.oO(this bitch is gonna get it... a little prank maybe...) "shhwhhhwhhhh...."

The malkavian followed the woman into the alley, and watched her suck the boy's neck. A little bit of rage was creeping up on him... nothing that couldn't be kept under control. .oO(must observe...)

The woman whistled a short whistle, and out of the shadows came a large, white wolf. Perfect. must be a gangrel.

"wind... wind... shhhwhhh..."

"What? who's there?"

"who's there.. there... there... wind... wind... shhhhhh..."

"I know where you are you crazy fuck!"

.oO(this could be believable if she was looking in his direction)
"I KNOW WHERE YOU ARE YOU CRAZY FUCK!"

"Stop it!" The boy opened his eyes, looked at the woman, and ran off into the city.

"Stop! Stop! Stop!"

The woman clutched her head and hit the ground. Echoes of her every thought flashed through her mind.

"he was mine... mine... mine..."

"Yeah! well I got there first!"

"I got there first... first... first..."

The malkavian knew the gangrel woman could not see him. He stalked her and her dog for the next three days, always getting her prey before she could, preventing either from feeding. and on the third day, he let her see him.

"Hello... hello.. hell..."

"You bastard."

"You bitch... bitch. you need a tail... tail... need a tail..."

The malkavian snatched up the woman's wolf before she could think, and drained it dry. "tasty.. tasty... tasty... I got this from the blood bank... blood bank.... blood.. blood.. blood... want some.. want some.. some..."

He was tossing what looked like a water balloon up in the air, catching it. she could smell what was inside. "GET AWAY FROM ME!"

"NO!" he chunked the balloon at her, covering her in sweet, fresh, blood. The woman freaked. "IT'S DARWIN'S GRAB BAG!" he laughed hysterically as the woman frenzied... lapping the ex-contents of the ballon up with her tongue, just like a puppy. he laughed harder. "Look! You got a tail! HAa haaa hahahahaaa ha ha!" the malkavian ran off into the night.

wind... wind... shhwhhhwhhhh....
shhhhhwhhhhhh....

[b:d33a461a98]Five Hours Left...[/b:d33a461a98]

The situation seemed hopeless. The malkavian screamed into the night, hoping that possibly... someone had heard his call.

The night fell silent. nothing.

Silence Echoed in Silence. A pandemonium of nothing rang in his ears. and then:

nothing.

This close to again being nothing.

From the from the dust the dust from dust you you came you came came... ... ...

these thoughts echoes in his mind... bouncing down the granite hallways
*FLASHBACK*

...the white lady again stood before him... and the first words he could clearly ever remember hearing filled his mind...

"Thy Madness thy madness Is madness is thy is Exquisite exquisite.. it..."

He heard his scream inside his head... bouncing off the granite walls of the mausoleum... the coffins... the broken wall where she had first thrown him. very strong was this white lady. Her skin seemed like... perfection barely covered in a flowing white (silk... satin...). But this was to be his mother. She had always cared for him, been there to guide him through... his first hunt...

she was a pretty thing, the year was... so long ago... it was the early 1800's... but now, so close to the end, vivid. He remembered she was walking past the cemetery on her way to... who cared?

She was singing a song. It was a very lovely tune, and he wanted to sing along. Amazing Grace... she sang so beautifully.

"Ama-zing grace...
..zing grace...
"how sweet the sound...
..the sound... sound...

The young woman had paused.. looked around.
"must be an echo...
..echo... echoe...

"Who is it?"

The white lady was leaning against a gravestone. She spoke melodically... "The wind... wind... shhhhhhh....."

"wind.... shhhhhhhh.... "

The young woman resumed her course, and her chorus...

"That saved...
...that... saved... saved...

The malkavian clearly remembered few things... but he remembered this was the first time he had discovered his gift.

"A wretch...
...a wretch.. retch...

His voice had become exactly as her voice. the white lady's eyes widened, and she smiled. A thought came into his mind. "take her, my echo..."

"like... me...
...like ...me..

"Twas grace...

"That taught...

"Funny... Where is the echoe?"

He stepped in front of the young woman "Right here... here..."

The girl had barely enough time to let out a short scream before he took her. At the time he discovered his greatest gift, he had also discovered his lust for blood. He drank hungrily, nearly killing the woman. The white lady's voice entered his head again "STOP!" it racked his mind like a torrent. "SsTstOtostoPoppp!"

He stopped drinking, only to see the wound vanish. Instinctively.. he hid.

Again.. nothing. DARKNESS. nothing.

((Is Anyone Reading this?))
[b:5c886349bf]Four Hours Left...[/b:5c886349bf]
The malkavian looked over the vast ocean of trees... Not a sign of life within his range of sight. He struggled against the chains that bound him to the tree, but to no avail. The gangrel had wrapped him up good and tight. It reminded him of....

**Flashback**

The White lady stood in the entryway of their victorian-style home, speaking to to an uninvited guest. From his pretty looks, it might have been another Ventrue... He couldnt hear what the guest had said, but the White Lady's reaction was memorable enough.

"What? You came looking for a little entertainment?"

"Think our madness is funny. do you?"

"Well if you came to laugh, you came to the WRONG place....."

"Oh yes... there WILL be entertainment....And guess who is going to be the main attractraction?"

"ME?"

"Nope!Guess again!"

"Having trouble guessing?"

"Youv'e been good so far.. so I'll tell you.. Oh, i can tell by the look in your eyes you've got it right, now.. So Ill just spare you the stuttering and tell you..... Its YOU!

"You are going to put on a show for us... You are going to react... to everything thing we do... even Trying NOT to react to us is a reaction... We revel in it."

"My evil side tells me thatt you CAN'T ignore us... you think THIS is my evil side?"

The White Lady motioned to her young malkavian childe, and he got the idea in a flash. Her voice in his mind called for 'the ropes'. He silently rushed through the shadows and quickly bound the guest's hands together behind his back, and his feet, up to the knee. He was not surprised the guest didn't notice. White Lady had a way with people.

"Noo! You havent SEEN my EVIL side... you wouldn't LIKE my evil side... Trying to defend yourself?"

The Malkavian quickly returned to the shadows.

"There is a REACTION... too bad you didnt realize my friend already has you TIED UP! YOU CANT MOVE! And IF you HAD managed to kill me, and escaped ALIVE from my home.. There would STILL be more of us... And every nut job From every Blessed Asylum within a hundred miles would know... And where would They Be?"

"Umm..." The guest tried to pull free of the ropes, but he was well bound.

"THATS RIGHT! Right in front of you, inside your crypt, walking through your streets.. YES, YOUR STREETS, inside of your head, driving you to frenzy... watching your willpower weaken, reveling in it... and behind you... EVERYWHERE!" With a quick flick of her wrist, the ropes were cut.

"Run along now, would you like some cookies and milk before you go? WE HAVE TEA!"

"Ummm.. n-No."

"No? how about some nice warm vitae?"

The pretty Guest ran off into the night, screaming foul murder.

Well how do you like that Echoe? He didn't even stay to chat after the entertainment!"

***End Flashback***

Echoe resumed his song, more out of self-pity than hope of rescue...
[b:5c886349bf][i:5c886349bf]Y.You a-are m.my s.s-sun-sh.shine
m.my o.only s.s-sun-shINE!
You MAKE ME BURN UP!
w.wheN SkiEs ARE BRIGHT!
n-n.no no-bod.dy Kn-n.KoWS DEAR!
How MUCH I HATE YOU..hate you...you...
P.p.PLEASE SOME-ONE TAKE
MY SUNSHINE AWAY!!![/i:5c886349bf][/b:5c886349bf]

[quote:d4e4200697="Echoe"]((Is Anyone Reading this?))[/quote:d4e4200697]

Oh, definitely. I'm curious as to where it's going. You haven't bored me yet, which is saying something. I rarely stick to a thread long unless the author keeps my attention. :D

:wink: I am reading it....but I don't count.