King of Hearts

The flower. Our flower. It was dying. Withering, fading, its petals had turned grey. This wasn't supposed to happen. Before I killed them, the flower flourished. It grew, it prospered, its color more vibrant than ever.

Then again, it'd never been a rose before. There have been tulips, daisies, dandelions, any kind of flower you'd imagine. But never a rose.

It never occurred to me that the type of flower affected the outcome. But I suppose anything can happen. There are no rules. Each and every one is just broken anyway, so there really are none.

I'd invited Patrick for a rematch. I always did, it was when I stole their heart. And it was the end of the line for all my hopeless victims.

They always came. They always felt the need for closure, but they never knew what of. It wasn't a rule, because rules don't exist. It was simply a fact of matter.

But this time was different. This time, he became sane again. This time, he didn't see the garden. This time, he was different. This time, he was Patrick.

I'd never been unsure of anything in my life. It was simply a fact (not a rule) that nothing worried me, that everything went my way. The reason being that I live in my own world, and live by my own rules.

But Patrick brought his sanity into my world. Like splattering red paint on a white wall. Only, the other way around, because white isn't as harsh.

He brought the real world in. And when the world isn't mine, I don't know what to not expect. There are rules I can't follow. There are facts I can't understand. I only understand nonsense. When sanity is played in the game, the outcome isn't so black and white anymore.

"He'll come. I know he will. They always do." But they also always see the garden. They always become crazed. They play by the facts of matter. Patrick doesn't.

I pushed past the doorway into the small room. The one with the candles, the one with the table, the cards, the one with the secrets. I didn't know if I was waiting for him in vain, all I knew is that I was waiting for him.

Waiting for a time that's past, a person who will never come, it's not easy. I knew that the time of simplicity in my game was over, but I was still ready for it to come back. I knew Patrick wouldn't come, I knew he wasn't really 'muffin' anymore, but I yearned for it to be so.

As I sat in the dark, I even waited to get lost in my own thoughts. It never happened. I suppose I already am, the mansion, the rooms, everything I see and hear is made up with my mind. I guess you could say I have a strong imagination.

Strong enough for it to be tangible. But just as you touched it, it all got ripped away. Your heart included, as something sharp would sink in to your chest.

This is the way it's supposed to be, I let people into my mind, I let them into my heart, but before anything happens that could damage me, I take everything away from them, and send them back into the cruel reality that they knew.

I heard a knock on the door then, signaling a certain someone's arrival. I knew he would come, they all do. Always. It's a fact of nature. They couldn't resist a chance at understanding what exactly this game is about.

"Uh, P-panda?" it seemed more of a corrective stutter than a nervous one. He had trouble not calling me Pete. It was upsetting in a way, as if Patrick were rubbing my isolation in my face. He knew I was alone, and he wanted me to know too.

"Hi muffin! Come in!" of course, I knew that wasn't really the reason for his behavior. The real reason is that I am alone, and I don't want to be. "Panda, I'm not really sure. Aren't I supposed to trust you?"

In a single second, my mood changed from worried, almost sad, to hostile and insane. "You do trust me, Patrick. You do. Whether or not you know it, you belong to me." I grinned at him, more of a sneer than usual.

It was harsh, the way I was so mean to him, but it was all a part of the game.

"I don't even fucking know anymore!" he yelled. It would have startled me, but his behavior wasn't normal, and therefor easier for people like me to deal with.

He looked angry, desperate, sad, confused, and so many more emotions that I could spend a lifetime listing. Well, at least a short lifetime. One that was cut off before it really started. But, a lifetime all the same.

"Yes, muffin. But I do. You trust me. I know you do, and you know as well. Why not just admit it?" he sunk to his knees, knocking his hat off as he ran his fingers through his hair. It seemed as if he was trying to pull it off of his scalp.

I was getting to him again, he'd be mine soon. His heart, his soul would just be another added to my collection. His body, just another reminder of how I spend my free time.

"Let's just play the game, Panda. Let's just play the game." he was shaking, his voice was on the edge of insanity. I needed to push him if he was ever going to fall. "But we already are, Patrick. We always have been, though it may not have been conscious. This is not something you can escape."

As the words left my mouth, he began screaming. He gripped at anything, from his face to the floor he was still kneeling on. "Exactly." I said. I lifted up his body, and placed it in the chair across from me just as it went limp.

I'd play with him when he woke up. I don't care how long it takes, this game will be finished. And I will come out victorious.