Connceting to the past with Cinderella as your guide.

The tv turned on to show a room in an angle. There was a young brunette woman sitting on the ground and another girl in the corner.

The tv in the room with the brunette turned on as well, showing the angle of the room with three people in it, a red headed young woman, a young woman with long black hair, and a man with red skin and purple hair.

Then the speakers turned on and a voice of a woman was heard over it.
"Hi, I know this is random and I probably scared you, but I'm actually a prisoner too, but I'm in the Villain's room with the monitors at my disposal, so I thought I would try and contact everyone from time to time to see how they are doing. I am currently talking to two rooms at the moment and I thought I would test out the connectivity to the tvs. I hope you don't mind that I chose your rooms."

{OOC: Okay XD}

Kayla froze at the woman's voice, her eyes looking around for the souce of the noise, they instantly fixated upon the television in the corner of the room. It showed another room. Kayla was elated with excitement, she was finally able to speak to other people other than Eilonwy, it was nice to have adult conversation from time to time.
"Hello..." She was a little cautious as she responded to the voice that had filled the cell.

Ariel jumped

"Jesus fucking christ"

Ariel looked at the TV. The girl. She looked so familar.

Ariel turned away.

"This is a joke isn't it, she's dead"

Ariel sat on the floor and ate one of her apples

Hi, I'm Cinderella, I don't think the rooms can hear each other at the moment. Let me see if I can work on that..." Cinderella said, over the speakers, before she started looking through the manual on how to have the rooms talk to each other.

"Sorry, didn't mean to make you jump. Do you mean the brunette? She's alive. You're both live in the tvs. Oh, I haven't gotten your names yet."

"But that girl looks like Kayley. And Kayley's dead."

Ariel swallowed.

"What is this shit?"

Kayla paused, edging closer to the camera and the television screen, she focussed on the red-head who was now sat with her back to the screen. Her face froze, she sank to her knees in shock and her hand clapped against her mouth. No. She didn't expect to see her like this. How could this be true? After all these years... Ariel was there. Right in front of her. Tantalisingly close but not close enough to touch. Words failed her, she gasped for air in shock.

"A-A-Ariel?"

[i]"....Um... okay, I think you two know each other, but one is in denial about the other one being alive and the other one is in shock... Oh! Hey, I know away for you to talk! You see the cellphones? I just activated them. You press the number of the room to talk. I'm guessing the girl with red hair is Ariel, who is in room 4, and the girl with brown is Kayley, who is in room 9. Why don't one of you call the other so we can see if you two are actually who the other thinks they are.... Did any of that make sense?"[i]

Ariel looked at the TV

"Yes?"

Ariel recognized the girl, but she wasn't sure who she was.

"How do you know my name?"

Kayla didn't know whether to reach for the phone or not, she could barely breathe anyway so her words would be short, the need to hear Ariel's voice though... it overwhelmed her. Snatching up the phone in her hand, she dialed the number and listened to the ringing. She watched the screen fixatedly, scared all of a sudden Ariel may disappear.

"Yes. I know that thank you"

Kayley. She said Kayley


"This...this can't be....no"

Ariel hesitated and picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

Ariel wasn't sure what to say.

"This is a joke right. You're dead"

Ariel's words hit Kayla like a stone brick, her heart was heavy. "You are dead." She gulped, knowing that this wasn't going to be easy for her to take, it wasn't easy for Kayla either. How much had Ariel changed in those years apart? Did she still love her? Or was Sinbad who her heart truly belonged to?

"I'm not dead, A." She took her breaths slowly, making sure not to choke over her words in anticipation. "I survived." She didn't know what else to say, her head was spinning at having this thrown upon her so quickly.

Ariel put the phone down for a second. Her hands were shaking. Her eyes filled with tears. Kayley could see her, but she was just out of shot.

She is alive. This cannot be true

"Kay?" Ariel whisper in the phone. She got in view of the TV again.

"I thought that storm killed you. I tried, I did everything to save......." she couldn't finished. She started crying. She put her hands infront of her eyes.

"Shush," Kayla bit her lip, she was trying to hold back the tears herself. "Don't cry, A, I'm here. I'm alive." Her voice was croaky, she couldn't hold back the water that was now welling up in her eyes. Her body was tense and she clung onto the phone like it was her life. Ariel was her life. "I tried to find you A... all these years. I didn't stop--" Her voice cracked and tears began to fall down her own cheeks. "I love you A, I love you so much."

"I got taken away" Ariel choked.

"My father sent me away. I wasn't allowed back"

Ariel sighed and wiped her tears.

"He sent me to work. With Peter actually. But we got in a massive fight."

Ariel felt around her neck. Kayley's necklace.

"I still have your necklace" she said taking it off and showing it to Kayley.

"Kay. How did you survive?"

Cinderella listened to their conversation and started to cry a little. "You two have a lot to talk about, so I'll leave you for now and go check on the other prisoners...." She said, before turning off the speakers to the rooms, leaving the two alone to talk.

{OOC: Now off to Poca's Room! 8D}

"Peter..." Kayla grimaced at his name, he had hated her and she hadn't had much tolerance for him. It was mainly jealousy that fueled his hatred so she assumed since he had been so in love with Ariel and he couldn't stand seeing them together. She bit her lip... had anything happened between them? Romantically? Her head and heart pounded together in unison. She couldn't ask that now, she had to focus, bu she couldn't, her eyes stung from the tears and she began to shake. "I don--don't r-r-really know. I just w--woke up-p-p..." Her words weren't really making sense but she couldn't think. "Your with Sinbad." She tried to hold herself together as she stated the fact, but her feet were unsteady and she was losing focus on the screen as her eyes filled with tears. "Do you love him?" Kayla's voice cracked again, she felt so fll of emotion she couldn't bare it.

Sinbad? HOW THE FUCK DOES SHE KNOW ABOUT SINBAD?

Ariel sighed

"Kay. I love you. I really. But I really did think you were dead and were never coming back to me. I do love him. He is my boyfriend. Kay I'm so sorry. Its been so long and I really did think that storm had killed you."


Ariel started crying again.

"Kay. Kayley. Kayla. Please I love you. And I always will. I'm so sorry"

Ariel loved him.

A loved someone else.

Someone that was not Kayla.

Kayla's heart split in two, her stomach screamed in agony and she doubled over, feeling like she was going to be sick, she winced and shut her eyes tight. I love you Ariel. Dammit. I love you. Clutching onto the phone, she pressed it hard against her ear, tears seeping down her cheeks.

"It's okay A, you didn't know sweethe--" Kayla broke down, her voice cracked and she fell to the floor, the cold hard stone grazing open her knees. It hurt. It all hurt so much. She closed her eyes once more, trying to shut out the pain. "I-I-I... know I c-c-can't just walk b-b-back in here and expect things to be l-l-like they were..." Her voice shuddered as she opened her eyes slowly, blinking back the red hot tears that were springing to her eyes. She dug her nails into her palm and attempted to hold back the tears. "Y-y-your happy.... I won't ruin it f-f-for you... darling." She was trying not to cry, trying to act like everything was fine.

But everything was not fine.

I love her so much.

"But Kayley. Just look. Look around our neck. That necklace which I gave you when we were 13."

Ariel sighed.

"Kay. I love you more than anyone. I always have and always will. That necklace Kay. Will always be close to you, forever"

Kayla nodded to the screen where she could see Ariel's blurred figure through her tears, her heart was breaking but Ariel's words were of some comfort. "I love you too A... so, so much." She smiled a little through her tears at the necklace, she remembered it all so well, but now... now they were here... in this dingy place.
"I'm so scared A..." She had broken, she could no longer even try to hold onto the steady and unafraid front she had been trying to put on. "I'm scared I'm g-going to d-die here. The v-villain has a sick sense of h-h-humour. You... to... seee.... me ... die.... twice." Her words were shaky and tears wet her sticky cheeks, she still had her eyes fixated on the television. She couldn't bare to tear her eyes away from her. Never again could she bare to lose Ariel.

But she had to. She couldn't cling to the past any longer, it was all too much. Ariel was her life. That was all there was too it. But Kayla was no longer hers. Ariel had Sinbad now too. She couldn't bare the pain anymore.
"Cindy?" She called out, her voice cracking, after all this time, she didn't want to see Ariel's face any longer. It haunted her and it seemed even she could not calm her fears of dying in this place. This conversation was just causing them both agony. "Can you switch o-off the tele-tele-vision p-p-please? ..." Is this really what she wanted? No. But Ariel wasn't saying a word on the other side of the phone and she could bare the endless silence between them no longer. "A-Ariel... it's b-better for us to s-s-stay apart... The V-v-villain..." She was so afraid of what he may do to her... to them both. It was better for Ariel if she didn't have to grieve for Kayla again. It would break Kayla's heart to not be able to hold her one last time... but it seemed the only way. Tears filled her eyes and stung her cheeks as she angrily brushed them away, slowly moving the phone away from her ear. Did she dare put it down...?

"No Kay please. Please!" Ariel cried

she put her hand on the screen.

"I want to see you. In person. Please Kay please"

Ariel sat and felt in phone in her fingers. Her nails slid over the buttons"


"I'll leave Sinbad" she yelled. She was lying. But she loved Kayley so much.

Kayla blinked, taking a deep breath, she didn't know what to do. Ariel's voice... that tone... what did that tone mean again? "I'll leave Sinbad!" Oh. She was lying. She wanted to stay with him. Bastard. But he wasn't as far as she knew... as far as she knew, he was good for her. Her head was saying to put down the phone, her heart was screaming no, to fight for her. But she had no fight left in her. She was weary from searching all those years, and what had she found? Ariel. But not as she had known her. She was Sinbad's Ariel, not Kay's. Tears shone in her eyes as she picked up the courage to put the phone down. She was lying to her, she knew she was. If Ariel was happy with Sinbad, there was no need for her to have to pretend with Kayla. As the phone was replaced onto the hook, she stepped away and towards the screen, pressing her hand onto where Ariel's was on the television. "I love you..." She mouthed and touching her lips with two fingers she then pressed them against the screen. Tears falling down her cheeks, she blinked and turned away. Walking towards the bathroom. She may never see her again.

When the phone died. Ariel couldn't believe it, she slammed the phone down an picked it up again to see if it was still working. She stood up and brushed her hair behind her ear. Ariel looked up.

"Bring her back. Please" Ariel cried in a whisper. She threw her head in her hands and screamed.

"KAYLEY. PLEASE. I LOVE YOU" She cried. She looked at the screen and hit it as hard as she could. The screen cracked.

"FUCKING BRING HER BACK TO ME" Ariel screamed.

Ariel sat on the floor, she held her knees and rocked back and forth.

"Please. Please. Let me see her. Please" she whispered.

Cinderella turned away from room two to check and see how Ariel and Kayley were doing.

She turned on her speaker, worried. "Hey, is everything all right? I'm sorry, I was checking on a friend who was hurt... What's wrong?"

Ariel looked up.

"She's gone" Ariel whispered.

"I'll never see her again. She's just gone" Ariel cried

Tears rolled down her face.

".....I love her so much"

Kayla sat on the bathroom floor and began to cry, digging her nails hard against her skin she wailed. "Dammit Kayla! Your such an idiot!" Her voice was broken and cracked as she turned and thumped the wall with her other hand as hard as she could. "Why would she ever love you?!" Crying, she continued to hit the wall, again and again until her knuckles became scraped and bruised. "She's better off with Sinbad! They love each other!" Her shoulders were shaking and she had no idea what to do. Why am I even here?

Cinderella could hear Kayley talking to herself in the bathroom. She turned her mic off to room 4 for a moment.

"Kayley? Are you all right?"

Kayla heard the woman's voice again and winced as she called her Ariel's personal nick name for her. "I-I'm a-alright," She croaked ad tried to blink back the tears. "It's j-just... I love her s-s-so much and s-she thought I was d-d-dead and now she's with S-s-sinbad..." Her voice was strained through the tears but she did her best to explain to the woman what was going on. Every time she spoke Ariel's name... it broke her heart, so she deliberately avoided it by saying "she" and "her". Ariel...

Cinderella's eye widened in surprise. "She's with Sinbad? ...Wow..." She said, in shock, not knowing exactly what to say.

Ariel sat on the floor. Her makeup was down her face.

She held her face in her hands. She had Kayley's necklace on. She opened it and looked at the picture inside.

"Kayley" she whispered.

"How could I do this to you?" she yelled. She ripped the necklace off and threw it. It broke when it hit the floor.

"What have I done?" she cried.

"Cinderella..." Kayla's voice was filled with lack of emotion, she could not feel anymore, it was as if she had used all her feelings up and reached her limit. She could not take anymore. "Make sure she's okay? She is the only thing that matters to me. I am trusting you to look out for her." Kayla bit her lip, she didn't know what to do. Looking around the room, she looked for something that would ease her suffering. There was nothing. Just a sink and shower.

Kayla, frustrated, wiped her tears off her face and stood up, eyes narrowed, she had lost all base in reality. She didn't care anymore. She didn't feel. She wanted to become stone, become caringless. Walking out of the room, she didn't look once at the camera or the television where she would most likely see Ariel's face. She could not look at her as she made her way to the wall. Banging her fist hard against it, she yelled and swore at the top of her voice.

"SINBAD!" Kayla's voice was hard, she needed to speak with him, she needed to talk with him. "Fuck it. Are you even there?" She was grazing her already bleeding knuckles as they scraped against the wall, her face was contorted with the torment she had been through.

Sinbad sat on the mattress next to Meg. She was still asleep. He wondered if she would feel better when she woke up. But then again, what did it matter? She wanted to end it anyway. But he just didn't want to see her suffer.

He turned his head and looked at her. Then he heard Kayla's voice from the other room. At first he thought of just ignoring her. He didn't really feel like talking, and especially not with her. But then she called again. He sighed and walked over to the wall.
"Yeah, I'm here. What's up?"

"It's Ariel..." Kayla's voice was taught, unsure how the boyfriend of the girl she loved would react to her news. "I've been speaking with her, via the monitors." Before she continued, she wanted to see his reaction, their conversation needed to be calm so Ariel wouldn't wonder from the monitors why she was shouting at the wall.

Cinderella sighed. "All right. I'll do my best..." She said, before switching back on the mic for room 4. "Hey, how are you doing, Ariel?"

- Ariel? She had talked to Ariel?

He moved closer to the wall.

"What's wrong? Is she alright?" he asked worried, without really thinking about it was Kayla he talked to.

Kayla shut her eyes for a moment, noticing the care and sympathy as he spoke. Walking over to the phone, she picked it up and plummed into it Ariel's room number, 4. She listened to the ringing. "I'm going to act as an intermediary, you can both communicate between me." Her voice was simple, nothing in it would suggest the amount of pain it caused her in her heart. Deep within her somewhere, she was feeling agony, but the weak "Kayla" was buried inside her, she was crying out. The outer Kayla was aiding the communication of two lovers. "She is on the phone to me Sinbad, she is alright."

"What? A intermediary?" he said confused. He wasn't really sure what she was talking about.

"I'm glad to hear that," he said and smiled relieved when he heard Ariel was alright.
"Wait, on the phone?"
- So that's what she meant when she said she would be an intermediary.
He was really happy by the thought of being able to talk to Ariel, even if was just through Kayla.... who used to be her girlfriend.... who clearly still loved Ariel.
"But why?" he asked a bit confused. Why would she do that?

"She loves you." Kayla replied simply. She wants to be with you. She doesn't want to be with me. And I want her to be happy. Blinking back tears, she turned away from the camera so Ariel couldn't see how much this was hurting her. She wanted to scream, to run away, to get out of this personal hell. Her insides were tearing themselves apart. Emotionally, she was in pieces.

- But doesn't she love you as well? Don't you love her? he thought to himself. What had been going on since he last spoke with Kayla?

He wasn't quite sure what to say. It felt a bit weird, especially when it was through Kayla of all people.

"Uhm... Could you then tell her that I miss her?"

Kayla clapped her hand to her mouth to stop the scream of pain that was about to echo from her chest, tears flew down her cheeks as she steadied herself against the wall. I missed her more... All those years. My heart longed for her. And now she's with you... She tried not to double-over again but when you loved someone so much, the pain you felt emotionally was automatically reflected in your physical self, and her emotions were breaking down. She wanted to run from this place, take Ariel into her arms and hold her like nothing else mattered, their love was the only thing in the world that she cared about... but Ariel had changed, she no longer wanted the same things. Kayla was now left, left to her own unrequited love. "... H-He m-misses you--" Kayla choked out, drawing blood as she bit her lip so hard to stop it from trembling and slammed her eyelids shut to stop the tears. "He misses y-y-you, A..."

Ariel sat and picked up the phone.

"He does? Wow. I don't give two shits if she misses me. This is about you Kay. At the moment you are the one I care about at the moment."

Ariel sighed.

"Kay listen to me please. I have been a selfish, heartless bitch to you. And when we were together it was fantasic"

Kayla was slightly taken-aback by her response and had no idea what to tell Sinbad she had said in reply. Her eyes welled up at her words, "Yes Ariel, when we were together, it was so fantastic. Exhilerating. I... I have never known happiness like that I shared with you." Her words were filled with truth and she bit her lip at what she was about to say next. "Those days always will be the best of my life, but what was, was, it's about what is now." She shivered as tears fell down her cheeks, she picked up the courage to look at the television. "I won't ruin you and Sinbad, A. He makes you happy now, and that is all I want for you." As long as she was with him, she would not try anything with her, she was entirely against cheating in any form. Especially when it came to A. A meant too much to her to just be a fling. She is worth everything I have, even if it means I have to live the rest of my life as a lonely and single woman, she is the only person I would do it for. "You have never been any of those things to me, A. You thought I was dead." Kayla winced at the harsh sounding word but continued none the less. "I love you Ariel because you are a beautiful person, inside and out. You are all I want, all I have ever wanted... But I will not ruin your happiness for my selfish gain. Forget me, A. Continue with your life like before, when I wasn't here." Tears flew down her face as she looked through the screen into Ariel's big, blue eyes. How she loved her. How she would do anything for her. Anything for her happiness. Even if it meant her death.

"Sinbad... I'm not sure you want to know what she said..." Kayla bit her lip, she felt rather uncomfortable in what she was about to tell him Ariel replied in response, but after all, she had volunteered to be an intermediary. "She said 'He does? Wow. I don't give two shits if she misses me. This is about you Kay. At the moment you are the one I care about.'" Her voice was tight and filled with guilt, she hated admitting what had just gone on and wished she had let Ariel calm down and realise he was best for her before consulting Sinbad.

Sinbad sat and listened to Kayla talking to Ariel. He wasn't sure if he should, but it was easy to hear when he sat right next to the wall. She really cared for Ariel. And he could hear that Ariel had said something about caring about Kayla as well. He just wasn't sure what.

At least not until Kayla started to talk to him again and told him what Ariel had said.
"I see," he said and laughed slightly. "Well... good for you."
He looked over at Meg who was still sleeping on the mattress. He tried to think the situation through. Was this really the end? The end with him and Ariel. The end with Meg. The end of everything. There was nothing left.
The tears silently started running down his cheeks.
"C-could you...." He paused. He needed to get his voice under control. He took a few deep breaths.
"Could you tell her that I really enjoyed being her boyfriend? ... No, you don't have to tell her. She probably won't care anyway. Just...." He took another deep breath before he continued. "... Don't die again. Just... take care of her... M-make her happy...." His voice broke again.
-.... Because obviously that isn't something I'm capable of doing, he thought to himself. Not when it came to Meg. And not when it came to Ariel.

"She isn't splitting up with you dammit!" Kayla became suddenly angry, it was like she was flashing forward through emotion after emotion, pain, love, anger. "She said she would leave me for you but she was lying. I know that tone of voice. She loves you Sinbad! Don't give up on her." The fact she was consoling Ariel's boyfriend twinged at her heart, but they were happy together and she had just ruined it. All this time spent waiting... searching... for what? To ruin the only person she has ever cared about's happiness?! She was a cow. She was a selfish cow. Hitting the wall with her bleeding hand, she let out a minor scream of torment. I should've just stayed dead.

Ariel sighed. She heard Kayley talking to someone.

Sinbad?

"KAY WHAT THE FUCK. WHY DID YOU TELL HIM THAT?" She yelled. She looked at the screen.

Ariel sat on the floor and stared at the broken necklace at the other side of the room.

"I am such a fool."

Sinbad listened to Kayla's words, but it was hard to believe. Ariel loved Kayla. She didn't even care that he missed her.
But if that was how she felt, then there was nothing to do about it.
But he wasn't giving up on her. He just truly wanted what was best for her. And maybe that wasn't being with him. The thought had crossed his mind so many times. Back when they first met. When he was with her. When they were separated.
He was happy being with her. She was everything he could ask for... almost, at least. But Kayla was her first love. And he was pretty sure she still loved her.

He wasn't sure what to tell Kayla. Most of all he just wanted to end this conversation. It was so hurtful. He just kept silent, caught up in his own thoughts.