She had been beyond excited when the package finally came! Wind chimes for the backyard, huge ones, 66 inches to be exact, not those little tiny ones. Nope, these had some heft to them, and would make beautiful music when she sat outside drawing or reading.

She tore into the package, eager to get them out and hear them! Cardboard and padding went flying around the kitchen in a swift motion. A giddy smile appears as she carefully hefts them out, the copper cool in her hands. Holding them up, she gently pushes on them, listening for the music they promised.

As soon as that first note sounded, her blood ran cold and the chimes crashed to the floor. Sera was rooted in place by a sinking feeling in her stomach, the fear crawling its way up her spine as the room faded to black.

Before she knew it, she as back there.

Standing on the marble pedestal that had become her stage, and existence. The angelic song of her voice was barely audible, but it was there. She remembered that song, remembered singing it over and over. Each note required to be perfect. Nothing else would be accepted.

Then she heard it, the single tune of a chime. The room in front of her becoming dim, the cage lowering upon her. She had missed a note and HE wasn’t pleased. The panic and fear set in as the world became black. Not just dark, but the blackest of black, not natural. HE knew her fear of the dark, of how it traumatized her from her previous life. As the tears fell and her body shook, she heard the laugh.

It was always amusing to him.

And she screamed.

Screaming in terror, she dropped to the floor. The logical part of her brain registered hearing Rhodes voice, the concern…the fear.

But she was too far into the memory and scrambled across the floor into the corner of the cabinets, knees to her chest, tears streaming down her face, gently rocking. Even as he reached out to gently pull her into a hug, she fought against it, her mind completely focused on the memories.

There was absolute terror in her sapphires, focused on a past memory, even as she felt his arms around her. Eventually, she gave into the darkness that was enveloping her, body going limp as tears continued to fall.