Deleted Scene

This scene is from a few hours after Addie is cursed, when she finally realizes what she did to herself, from the perspective of the Dark (aka Luc).

The Darkness senses her as she walks falteringly into the forest, into the crowded shadows.

“Show yourself!” she calls into the seamlessly everlasting dark. She gets no answer, though she waits; the Darkness is vindictive, mocking her without her notice. The only response is the woodland sounds of birds shuffling and leaves crackling in the near-still air.

She continues on, deeper into the dark, to a stretch of brambles and overgrown brush. She pushes through, the Darkness gleefully watching as she stumbles. The trees’ limbs here are so interlocking that the moon is impossible to see.

“I call on you!” she screams. The Darkness, of course, doesn’t make a move to form into a physical being, only watches her struggle, knowing a good decision was made. She would give up soon enough at this rate, ensuring her soul as his.

She catches on a low limb and falls, now sprawled on the ground. She pounds her fists into the ground in frustration as tears start running down her face. The Darkness doesn’t take pity on her; it is, after all, just a fickle god of old with selfish desires.

Then, she whispers to herself, “Wake up,” like she thinks she’s dreaming. The Darkness is almost offended. Did she really not believe what she’d done to herself to be real? It’s anger spikes, a volatile thing.

So as she falls asleep on the forest floor, he sends a single, resounding word into the darkness, to make sure she doesn’t delude herself that what was done is a fantasy. And the Dark definitely wouldn’t want her forgetting.

“Done.”

After all, the deal is the deal.