Running…she rushed through the sickly green corridors of the clinic frantically, searching for something that was always out of reach, calling softly to hear in words that she could almost but not quite understand. Behind her…IT came The whispers from the restless dead filled her ears, urging her to go faster. The corridors flickered past her faster and faster, blurring into a tunnel of flashing lights and wordless screams. Hysterical laughter echoed in her ears as she turned a corner and confronted…herself. The image before her smiled softly, blood dripping from her mouth and sprang at her with claws outstretched.

"NOOOOOOOO!!!!" Isabella struggled with the blankets that seemed to cling to her sweat soaked skin. Fighting her way free finally with an effort, she stared with silent shock at the last lingering shadows of twilight filling her room. Whimpering a bit with the last remnants of her dream, she glanced over at the digital clock on the night stand by her bed and her eyes widen in dismay. Damn!!! I’m going to be late!!! She sprang out of bed and hopped about frantically trying to get into her uniform while attempting with one hand to restore some order to her long hair, currently streaked with all the shades of the rainbow. Managing to put herself into some semblance of order, Isabella rushed out the door while grabbing her purse.

Isabella shuddered slightly as she entered the ward. As much as she desired to finish her degree, the atmosphere of the hospital’s dimly corridors always sent a shudder of dread through her bones. Maybe it was just because of what she had sometimes seen…NO! It was just overtiredness! Hallucinations often accompanied sleep deprivation, it was a well known medical fact! Isabella shook her head to rid it of the memories of shapes half glimpsed calling out to her and punched in with her time card, nodding politely to the staff nurse. Being an intern was her least favorite part of her course of study, but it was required if she was going to finish her degree, so every night she came to these sickly green corridors and watched over the mentally unstable.

"Isabella! I need your help." Isabella glanced behind her and saw Dr. Watkins hurrying towards her with a small smile on his face. "We’ve been having a busy day…there’ve been 3 new patients admitted. Could you look in on them and give me your diagnosis of them later? It would be good practice for you…and maybe after work we could go get coffee or something?" His deep brown eyes sought hers beseechingly as he ran his hand through his dark black hair, a shy smile on his handsome face.

Isabella nodded in a business like fashion, "Will do, Dr. I’ll get right to looking in on them. I must decline your offer for coffee though, I hardly think it would be professional to be going out with one of the Drs. Thank you for the offer though." Isabella brushed past him shaking her head in resignation. I don’t’ think they’ll ever learn…I don’t NEED anyone, why do they keep trying to force themselves on me? She sighed and went into the first new patient’s room. The man lay strapped to the white hospital bed, his dark hair looking unwashed and oily where it lay across the pillow. She stepped closer, wrinkling her nose a bit at the smell of his unwashed body, apparently they had gotten him from the gutter. She reached for his wrist gingerly to take his pulse, "Sir, are you awake? I’ve come to talk to you." The man’s eyes snapped open, making her start back a bit.

His eyes gazed into hers, their black depths seeming to reach out and encompass her world. The eyes…they seemed to reach for her soul, peering at every little depth of her mind and laughing softly at what they found there. Oh, god…no….please let me go! Isabella fled into the blackness, screaming echoing in her ears as the ebony night came to embrace her.

Light…at the center of her self a soft glow filled a dark ballroom. Isabella looked around in puzzlement, wondering how she had gotten here. Her hair fell about her in waves, back to it’s normal dark colors instead of her current locks of rainbow colors, brushing the low neckline of the white, shimmering diaphanous gown that she wore. Turning slowly she inspected the room about her. Candles lined the sides of the room, and framed the archway behind her. Across from her a full wall shaped mirror reflected the candles and her shape dimly and she moved curiously towards the mirror as if drawn by something beyond her control.

As she reached the center of the dance floor, music began to play. As the stately waltz commenced she watched in bemusement as the dark figure in the mirror stepped out and spun towards her, the dark gown it wore swirling about it. As it reached her, it bowed and offered her it’s hand in an offer to dance. Staring into the black mask covering it’s head she bowed her head and allowed it to sweep her into the dance. The ballroom shimmered around them as they twirled faster and faster, the candles almost becoming streaks of light around her. Briefly she glimpsed the patient from the hospital standing in the archway, clean and dressed in stately renaissance garb with a sardonic smile on his face before the world began to spin again.

Faster and faster they spun around the ballroom, or did it spin around her? As the music reached it’s climax there was a sharp pain and she WAS her partner, swirling through the ballroom to the music in it’s gown. With one last spin the world settled around her again to the sounds of a man’s laughter. She spun to look at the archway and the man it framed with shock. "Ah, my daughter, such a lovely vision you are!!! You should see yourself my dear!!!" His form shimmered and shook for a moment and then he broke into a school of fish, each one swimming in a great spiral around her briefly before drifting off.

Turning to follow their path, Isabella once more caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror before her and she approached it cautiously. The reflection drew closer and closer, mirroring her movements perfectly and slowly she reached out to touch the mirror. As her fingers brushed the cool surface of the mirror the reflection in front of her smiled in triumph and with a great crashing, Isabella shattered into a million twinkling shards of glass before spiraling down into blackness once more.

"Ah…Izzie, my dear little Rainbow, what has happened to you?" The warm voice was the first thing that she heard as she awoke. Rain…bow? Was that who she was? Her head swam in confusion and her stomach ached and groaned in heart rending pain. A distant thudding filled her ears, and a delicious aroma assaulted her senses. Opening her eyes she saw a young man standing over her…briefly a name came to her…Watkins, and she felt his fingers smooth back the hair from her head. He smiled when he saw her eyes open and she sat up slowly, feeling her head swim with vertigo. All around her shapes shifted and changed, and the ghosts of the dead giggled and muttered to themselves.

"Are you all right? You had a seizure." She stared at him, something about the soft thrumming of his pulse in his throat mesmerizing her. He looked at her oddly for a moment and reached for her once more. The hunger filled her and as a red film fell down over her eyes she sprang and sank her teeth into his neck, feeling the rich red of his lifeblood flow into her. He gasped in shock for a moment and struggled but then sighed softly as his heart began to falter and slow.

The hunger faded slowly and she came back to herself. She drew back hurriedly and in her hurry his head came loose from it’s neck and hung from her hand looking at her with dead accusing eyes. "Oh, that was YUMMY!!!" Drawing the head closer to her she kissed it’s lips softly and laid it on the pillow beside her. "I love you, buh-bye….I have to go find the fishies now!!!"

Rainbow stoop up, giggling a bit at the redness dripping down from her chin onto her blue hospital gown and bounced out the open window. The fishies were waiting!!!