Not My Eden

Iced air filled her lungs in quick gulps, an almost drunken glare given to the slim beams of light escaping a partially shaded window. It made her temples throb, the back of her head ache with a dull sense of hard wood beneath the nape of her neck. Both hands flew to her eyes to hide them from the invading light and digits slowly shifted upward through the masses of red curls to rest on the top of her head.

She was drowning in the iced air, her mind told her so and made her body play along. With quick shudders and huffs against gasps of air, choking down the morning with a cough and tightened chest. It was no addiction she had, but a sudden need every now and then, and now she needed it bad.

“Tom...”

Her voice sounded like a little girl’s again. Almost a squeak of a cry for her want, and craving. She sat up suddenly with a panicked glare replacing the drunk, searching her surroundings for the parchment and quill. Hadn’t it been in her lap? From last she could remember, she had fallen asleep writing to him. Maybe...maybe someone stole it?! Her eyes jolted fully open now, and her ear strained to listen to the whispers outside her secluded Four poster.

“She’s doing it again...can you hear her? She's freaking out..totally!”

“Oh my god, I know! She like..always talks to her self!”

“No wonder , I mean, even Colin thinks she's nuts..I think he adores you though!”

“Yeah..you think so? Oh she’s up I think..let's go...”

The whispers died down, and Ginny recoiled from the edge of her bed with a red tint appearing across dotted cheeks. They despised her. She heard the same gossip every morning. Of course they would despise her, they were always so jealous! Who wouldn’t be, with the genius Ginny held in the tangled webs of her mind?!

Ginny felt a soft chuckle escape her lips, and her breathing calmed once more as she noticed the quill and parchment laying in her lap from last night. So it was there all along, she just misplaced it for a second.

The quill hovered over the parchment, while jaded oculars swept over the chicken scratch writing.

/Ginny? Oh Ginny! What ever is the matter? /

Matter? What was the matter? She wondered what had gotten him to ask such a question, when a sudden splash of salty tears hit the parchment in contradiction. She was sobbing by the time she had finished writing out her message.

/Oh Tom! They keep laughing at me! Tom what do I do? Tom.../

She watched with blurry vision as the writing appeared letter by letter, and faded again as she fell back into her mind of twisted fairytales for a solution to her pain.

/You must allow me to take care of everything dearest...Everything you have? Give it to me... You re no one unless you are someone through me. Only...through me. You are..../

She was sitting upon a large swing, one snowy leg crossed over the other, the poise of a perfectly able ballerina, made to dance for all. A curvaceous frame of snowy flesh, adorned with a Jet gown , of corset laces and clasping fairy skirts flowing to the ground like liquid coal being melted by the tresses of flame dancing down her back. Frail neck adorned by chokers of slim cut diamonds sparkling against the dark fabric stretched over her body. Bony hand had clasped them about her neck, before trailing her exposed shoulders.

She smiled at his touch, but at the same time felt the sudden urge to retch, and pull from his grasp on her shoulders. He seemed to sense this, and tightened his grasp to pull her back from the swing , pressing her against his chest. Tom...was always so...needy, wasn’t he? He -needed- her, like she -needed- him. Did he have to be so forceful? Why did he always grab her shoulders like that...and pull and tug on her hair... and make her...why did he..

She couldn’t breathe anymore, it was like she was choking on icicles that just wouldn’t melt. In real life, in the physical bed of her Hogwarts dormitory, Ginny Weasley's heart gave a shudder of effort before it slowed in exhaustion . Her body jolted, and her precious jade orbs fell forever as in her Mind, Ginny was forced into her prison again. A bleak cell of glass windows held her for Tom to see. So Tom could examine his “Sparkling Diamond” like any other exhibit.

Ginny had fallen Physically, and screamed mentally as her demon took her again.

/Tom... why won’t you just die?/