A Lesson on Insanity Part 3 || i.n
contains: mentions of dark themes such as stalking, kidnapping, mentions of knocking reader unconscious, bondage, gomez being a nuisance, cannibalism, reader is briefly held hostage, mentions of death, isaac is a freak,
a/n: crazy chapter yall. enjoyed writing this one. hoping to sum it up in another chapter or two. hope you guys enjoy. part one and two can be found on my page :)
there’s a chill in the air. winter is beginning to roll around. you feel the eyes penetrating the back of your skull. you don’t turn around to look at them. you don’t acknowledge them. you can’t acknowledge them for the sake of your sanity.
there’d been hushed whispers since the night of the rave’n - discussions of you and isaac night. what had happened between the two of you, why you guys hadn’t been spotted together since.
everyone assumed you guys had been secretly hooking up and called it quits that night.
but what really happened that night?
“i heard a story that you kissed isaac night. is that true?” a vanisher appeared beside you. she was roughly your height, curly hair and a big wide smile that was borderline creepy.
“we never kissed. where did you get this from?”
“uhhh” the vanisher fell silent. “gomez addams?” her voice rose slightly, out of fear.
of course it was gomez addams. him and his girlfriend morticia frump had been lurking in dark corners watching everything. two soulmates hooked on the unravelling situation that was of you and isaac night.
“huh gomez addams” the name is like poison on your tongue. “do you think you can do something for me? i’m not typically one to take advantage of others outcast’s abilities but in your case, i require your help”
the vanisher nods quickly, eager for the attention. “i’ll do anything”
you glance around quickly to make sure no one is watching. “spy on isaac night for me. follow him no matter what - especially at night. i have a feeling he is up to something”
“may i ask what you think he is up to exactly?” the vanisher asks innocently.
“he-“ you furrow your brows, thinking ahead. you can’t incriminate yourself but if you want to be aware of what he’s up to then maybe just maybe you’ll have to let your guard slip. “he’s stalking me for reasons unknown. find out why and i’ll do your homework for the rest of the semester” you bribe the vanisher.
“no need” she smiles politely. “i like doing homework.”
you pull your coat around you more before glancing up at the sky. gloomy was an understatement. the sky was teetering in the edge of black. the clouds rolled around, covering up any trace of sun. the night was beginning to roll in.
the night. it had been a month since your last feed. you had been relying on the cheap makeup you had picked up in town ages ago as well as the uniform to hide the sickly shade of green you had become once again. you could feel your humanity slipping away by the second. it wouldn’t be long until you completely lost yourself to death once again, returning to the savage beast you once were. the vanisher had disappeared before you had the chance to catch her name. maybe next time you’ll ask her.
there’s a quick flash of something dark, something flowy behind a corner. it caught your attention. it disappeared too quickly for you to spot features but you already knew who it could’ve possibly been.
you follow it quickly. the dark shadow isn’t behind the corner by the time you run to it. there’s not even the trace of a scent in the air. whoever they were, they were fast.
whoever they were, they were watching you as well.
before you had the chance to react, a had wrapped around the back of you. a cloth in their hand. they wrapped it around your mouth and partially stuffed it into your mouth. the fumes from the cloth filled your slowly weakening lungs. chloroform. if it had been any other point of the month, it would’ve been rendered useless however you were in desperate need of a feed to replenish your body. you fall limp in the arms of the stranger who had just overpowered you.
your stomach churns as you begin to regain consciousness. your vision is foggy. wherever you are, it’s dark and dusty. the smell of dusty books and old paper fills your nostrils, penetrating deep down into your lungs. you notice the ropes holding you down to a chair. your legs had been tied tightly to the legs of the chair, prohibiting you from standing up at all. another rope wrapped around your torso and the back of the chair.
you want to scream out and cry but the gag in your mouth stopped you from doing so.
think. you picture strong winds, heavy rain pelting down on wherever you were being held. it was no use. you couldn’t hear any of that. either you were hidden deep underground, or you had grown to weak to utilise any of your powers.
there’s a soft noise in the distance. it’s not the rain, it’s not the wind. it’s clacking. like heels on tiles. it’s faint. definitely outside of the room you where being held in. the candles quickly light up.
eight hooded figures walk in.
you try your hardest to fight against the gag, trying to spit it out and talk against it. but it’s no use, all that manages to come out is muffled groans.
another figure walks in, making nine figures other than you. they swarm around you, forming a circle. the ninth figure walks towards you, finding their position in front of you.
there’s voices behind you. they talk in hushed whispers in different languages.
the figure in front of drops their hood.
morticia frump. she’s smiles politely. “isaac night suggested that we… indict you into the nightshades society effective immediately” her voice is soft, words chosen delicately.
“cara mia” gomez purrs “maybe you should remove the gag” gomez suggests underneath his hood. “you know… to allow for conversation”
“hmm” morticia ponders, a solemn looks across her face.
she removes the gag that’s being held in your mouth.
“where’s isaac?” it’s the first question to leave your lips.
“so there is something going on between you two!” gomez exclaims. “i knew it! he’s been avoiding this conversation for weeks” morticia swats gomez, shutting him up quickly.
“why does Isaac night want you to be part of the nightshades?” morticia interrogates you.
you gulp. your mouth was getting drier by the second, your body growing weaker. you were unsure of the time but if you had to assume, it was late.
“where’s isaac?” you call out again, ignoring morticia and gomez.
“i’m here” there’s movement off in the shadows. you can’t mistake the voice. it is in fact isaac night. he too, is dressed in a hooded robe. “leave” he instructs to the other nightshades. they scurry off quickly, hoods falling as they do so but the back of their heads provide no identification. “i said leave” his voice raises, almost snapping. morticia and gomez grab each others hands before scurrying off into the darkness.
you remain silent as isaac night walks around you. his cane is concealed by the robe but you can hear it clanking against the old tiles. he walks around you slowly as if waiting for you to speak up and start the conversation.
“for someone so antisocial, i didn’t expect you to be part of the nightshades society” you spit at him, anger boiling in your blood.
“i’m not” he replies nonchalantly. “but gomez and morticia are, and believe me i have enough information to hold over their heads to make them bend to my will.”
“coercion is wrong” you spit back at him.
“coercion gets you places. i thought that had already been established between us” he tsks.
“will you untie me?” you ignore his statement.
“no” you snap back, defiantly
“then i won’t untie you” he stops in front of you. he shrugs the robe off of his body, revealing his uniform underneath it. “and it’s late” he looks down at his wrist. “and i know you need another feed very… very… soon” his voice drops. it’s quieter, softer, malevolent in tone.
you look away, refusing to make eye contact with him. it’s an act of defiance, a way of trying to regain control in the situation.
“i’ll untie you on the condition that you don’t feed tonight”
your eyes widen in shock. “no that’s not fair! if i don’t feed i’ll just wither and decay and before anyone knows it, im just some crazed zombie slurring the word brains over and over again” you feel the panic rising in your chest.
isaac night drops to his knees in front of you. “remember what i said at the rave’n? you don’t feed until i say so” his eyes are almost puppy like, soft and wide. “so if i say you can’t feed… that means that you can’t feed.” anyone else would mistake his behaviour as kindness but you can see through the tone and the fake puppy dog eyes.
you pull against the restraints that hold you down. isaac chuckles darkly, acknowledging the fact that you’re trying to escape from him.
“let me help you” his voice is soft, kind, nice. it’s almost too nice. his hands work at your ankles, untying the thick ropes that bound you to the chair. “flex your ankles for me” he instructs. you do as your told. they tingle with a brief sharp pain, replaced quickly with the sensation of pins and needles. he begins to work on your hands. his hands graze against yours. it’s intimate. too intimate for the situation you’re in.
his hands. they’re cold. freezing in fact.
“are you sick?” you inquire, in reference to his hands.
isaac night looks up at you. his eyes aren’t the crazed maniacal ones you had come into contact with lately. “i’m always sick” he states firmly. “why do you ask?”
“your hands are freezing cold” you state calmly.
“i’ve always been cold. ever since i was little” he moves, avoiding eye contact.
“francoise isn’t cold like that thought.” you rebut. “why is that?”
isaac ignores you. he leans in closer to work on the rope that’s wrapped around your torso. his hands are quick, untying the rope in just under a minute.
“francoise and i are different” the air is thick. it’s laced with awkwardness, anger, and obsession. “you’re free now” he redirects the conversation away from his family.
you lift yourself up out of the chair. you’re wobbly, weak, exhausted. you feel your stomach churn - the insatiable hunger growing stronger.
“run along now doll. show me how badly you need that feed” and just like that his demeanour switched, returning back to the cold hearted cunning twisted maniac. “i’ll be watching you” it’s a threat and a promise mixed into the one sentence.
you can feel the eyes watching you off in the distance. you feel the skin of your next victim snap under the pressure of your teeth. blood drips down from your lips. you quickly wipe it away with the back of your hand. you gnaw down on the arm of an older man. his eyes are glazed white, his body is warm. a fresh feed is always a good feed.
the eyes move closer to you. they stalk you like prey in the forest surrounding nevermore. isaac night is infatuated with the sight. his clockwork heart ticks away quickly, causing him to breathe in deeply in an attempt to catch his breath.
not so far behind him is another pair of eyes. they too stalk like prey however they don’t stalk you. they stalk him. they stalk for you. those eyes watch isaac snap a couple of photos with a small camera. those eyes watch him shove the camera in the pocket of his coat. those eyes watch him grip onto the tree he was hiding behind, like it was the only thing keeping him alive. it was borderline erotic. the way isaac night hugged the tree and pushed himself against it like he was trying to get off to the situation unfolding in front of him.
the vanisher lingers for a little while longer, eyeing the da vinci carefully, jotting down notes in his behaviour into her mental notebook.
she will be there waiting tomorrow morning for you. waiting to pour all the information into your system for you to pull apart and think about.
isaac night wants to call out your name. the words get caught in his throat, tying up into knots, unable to form proper words. he watches you silently, his jagged breath soft and quiet in the night.
saturday morning lulls around. rain pelts down on the windows quietly - a rare weather occurrence that was not of your doing. whispers fill your room from behind you. they’re quiet. male and female. you roll with a groan, muscles stiff as a result of the position you fell asleep in.
francoise sits cross legged across a tall lanky boy on her bed. his hand cups her face gently, a shake evident in his extremities. isaac night. it wasn’t uncommon for isaac to be in your room comforting francoise and spending time with her whilst you slept in, on the weekends. you typically ignored him. he’d ignore you, not in a manner of rudeness but he prioritised time with his sister on the weekends.
“hush” francoise giggles through her commandment as you pull yourself up into a seated position on the edge of your bed. you rub the sleep away from your eyes.
your mouth is stale. the taste of old blood lingers on your tongue and dances on your breath every time you inhale and exhale.
you take in the situation in front of you. isaac is incredibly pale in face. his skin almost bordering a sickly grey. his hair, extremely greasy as which wasn’t uncommon. his hair stuck out in all sorts of places, curls and frizz sticking up in the air like there was a thunderstorm in the distance.
he turns to look at you over his shoulder. “i don’t suppose you have anything to do with the weather this morning?” it’s not rude, it’s not condescending. it’s just a normal question, with a light hint of a joke hidden in his tone.
“i’ve just woken up. do you expect me to do anything about it?” you groan, slugging on an old knitted jumper.
francoise swats at isaac, it’s a friendly warning. “i wasn’t complaining about it. you know this is my ideal weather” there’s a shake in his voice, like a cold was beginning to brew in his fragile body.
“oh that’s probably that girl from earlier” francoise sings, twirling a loose strand of her hair. “she came by knocking hours ago looking for you. big wiry hair, creepy grin? didn’t give me a name though” francoise shrugs.
you bolt for the door. the vanisher stands in the other side of it. she’s smiling, politely unlike her description given by francoise. she peeks behind you into your dorm room.
“i needed to discuss last night with you” the vanisher squeaks. her eyes shift from yours to directly behind you. “oh uh nevermind. i’ll come back later when you don’t have company” she notices the siblings behind you.
you can feel the tension radiating off her like electricity.
isaac watches intently from his sisters bed.
“whatever you’re up to over there, cut it out or you’ll lose your hand” you shoot the threat at isaac who holds his hands up defensively.
“don’t know what you’re on about”
you roll your eyes at him. you turn back around to face the vanisher you had ‘employed’ but she was gone. crazy curls were racing down the stairs. “yeah i’m sure” you protest sarcastically, following the vanisher stairs.
the vanisher spins around. fears twisted in her features. “he was out in the forest last night watching… something” she hurries.
“he was… odd. i can’t explain it-” a creek from above you interrupts the conversation.
isaac night hovers over the railing. you can see him breathing in deeply, as if the wind had just been knocked out of him. a pale, thin hand wraps itself around the railing of the stairs.
“did you see what he was watching?” you let your voice drop in hope that he wouldn’t be able to hear you from downstairs.
“no” the vanisher shakes her head profusely.
“i can get closer next time if you want” there’s a glimmer of hope in the vanisher’s eyes.
you rest a hand on her shoulder. you notice the dirt under your fingernails and make a quick mental note to scrub your hands when you get the chance. “no no it’s ok. i don’t want you to be caught. thank you though for this. i do appreciate it” you smile weakly at her.
you turn to face the staircase and crane your head upwards. isaac night stares down at your blankly. his expression is unreadable, unlike his usual manic dark look on his face. this was almost tired. like he had began to give up trying.
the rain continued to pelt down for the rest of the day. most students stayed inside, away from the cold and the wet, seeking heat in the common rooms. francoise was knitting by one of the open fires, tucked away in a quiet corner, humming a tune quietly to herself.
you watch her from the doorframe of the common room. students shove by you, entering and exiting in groups, hot chocolates in hands and laughter echoing in the hallways, heading towards staircases, dorm rooms, and secret gathering spots.
footsteps shuffle behind you. “you wouldn’t expect her to be a hyde” the voice is quiet and solemn. it’s isaac. “i mean i never thought she was that was until…” it’s like he’s holding back a sob. “our father beat her so hard one day she snapped.”
“i know” you whisper. “i’ve heard this story before from her. she’s never been afraid to tell me the truth about herself” you look over your shoulder. isaac watches his sister intently, his eyes admire her for her strength and courage. the rest of his features lack emotion.
you turn the rest of your body to face him. he leans against the doorframe across from you, positioned just outside in the hallway. he rests his frail body against the wall, his cane is limply holding himself up.
“did you mean it?” his eyes perk up a bit. they meet with yours. “that night at the rave’n. you said you could possibly find… a cure. you could make me alive once again” there’s no hope in your voice, just fear. the fear of being alive, the fear of getting to age once again, the fear of looking human.
he remains emotionless. “i have been working on a machine… it was supposed to cure francoise but it failed. the hyde cannot be removed from her but i believe if i adjust the machine accordingly, maybe i could provide some relief” he flexed his wrists. a grimace runs across his face.
he grimaces again before excusing himself back down one of the hallways. you follow quickly behind him.
“you’re dying… aren’t you?” you call out.
the words make his head snap upwards. he doesn’t turn around to face you, he was afraid to be seen as weak and defenceless. he can feel the cogs in his mechanical heart creak and groan against each other.
“i have always been dying. death is inevitable” his words are cold, distant.
“for some yes. but for others we get a second chance at life after our last breath” you confess quietly.
isaac night turns to face you. you can see him clearly now. dark circles wrap themselves around his eyes, his cheeks have rapidly hollowed out over a period of several weeks. isaac night no longer looked like the remarkable young boy that haunted the halls of nevermore. he had now become a shell of what he once was. a memory, some might say.
“you were lucky” he spits out, finding a staircase to sit himself down on. “you died and you came back. i’ve already cheated death too many times in my life” he heaves in deeply, trying to catch his breath in between sentences. “you don’t age, you-“
“i’m not lucky, isaac. i died with my family. someone dug me up and experimented on me. shocked me till my heart started beating again. i’d rather be in the ground right now instead of going through this same monthly cycle”
“you said some people got lucky, getting a second chance after death?”
“i never said i was lucky” you admit. you huff, annoyed by his insensitivity, and you cross your arms over your chest.
the silence swallows the two of you. isaac night looks down at his lap. you can see him heaving even in the terrible lighting.
“your family is buried down in jericho aren’t they?” the words fall off of his tongue in the form of a question, despite it being a fact. “i’ve seen you visit them” he looks up though his eyelashes. “you should be right next to them, right? your name should be on that empty headstone” his voice is weak.
you ignore his statements. it hurts too much to hear the truth. you can’t bring yourself to face tje truth. especially the truth spoken by a madman. “how long do you have left?” you ask him.
“weeks at the absolute most” he sounds defeated. like he was finally caving in. he had no more energy to hold up the facade.
you heart sinks. you don’t want it to. you don’t want to feel bad for such a horrible person. you felt bad for the young girl in the common room, knitting away, unaware of her brother’s demise. “oh”
“francoise doesn’t know and she can’t know” isaac begs you to keep his secret.
“she hasn’t noticed?” you walk over to him, stopping at the foot of the staircase.
you watch him struggle for words. he opens his mouth, pauses, and then shuts it. he opens it again, shuts it again. he raises his right hand and points a wonky finger in your direction. whatever power he was trying to muster up, failed. you can see the anger fill his body. anger at himself for becoming so weak.
“if you don’t tell her, who’s going to look after you?” you ask.
he purses his lips. “you’re the only one who knows” his voice is shaky and you’re sure there is silent tears running down his face.
something maternal eats at you. seeing someone so admired for his strength and his creations, finally succumbing to something he thought he had cured, pulled at emotions you had long ago buried with your old self.
“i’ll do it. i will help you” you state firmly. he looks up, there’s almost a glimmer of admiration in his eyes. it quickly recedes into the depths of his body.
“we-we’re not even fr-friends” he stammers.
“no and i doubt we ever will be. but im offering my loyalty and my devotion to you. i will look after you until your final breath. mark my word” you sit down beside him.
“i followed you last night. deep into the forest. it took so long. my legs have become so weak these days. i rarely leave iago tower. but i did leave last night” he looks up at you. “i left for you” he holds a shaky hand up and pokes you softly. it’s almost like he’s joking around with you. “i should’ve been nicer to you”
“just because you’re dying doesn’t mean you get to become all sentimental on me now. i will leave you helpless if you think you’re gonna be my friend now” you warn him
you won’t leave him. you can’t leave him. you understand death more than anyone else. you understand the need for a support system.
“take me iago tower” isaac demands quietly. it’s not laced with rudeness like it used to be, it’s desperation.
uncomfortably, both physically and mentally, you wrap an arm around the dying body that sat next to you. you tucked your hand under the pit of his arm, supporting the frail boy as you both stood up. the shake in his body was evident, you could feel it. he reached to wrap his coat around him tighter, the cold creeping through.
“here. let me” you whisper. you slide around to stand in front of him, a couple of steps below him. from where you stood, you could see the early stages of matting in his hair and you make a mental note to brush it if you ever got the chance. your fingers are nimble, grabbing each side of the coat to pull it together. buttons doing up, in an attempt to keep any sort of warmth in.
he doesn’t thank you. he doesn’t have to. he looks over to the door to the common rooms. francoise stands in the doorway.
she smiles widely. she’s unaware of the nature of the situation. to her it looked like her best friend and her brother were finally getting along, making an effort to improve their relationship.
“francoise” you smile back at her, grabbing isaac’s free hand and helping him down the stairs.
“oh don’t mind me. i’m just so happy to see this day. i’m so happy for the two of you” she smiles like a proud mother at the two of you.
your heart shatters. if only she knew.
“oh” her face contorts. “oh i’m so sorry to interrupt you. i didn’t mean to watch you two. i didn’t realise you guys were on a date. i was just heading upstairs” she heads down another hallway back to the dorm room the two of you shared.
you don’t look at isaac. you don’t need to. his hand wraps around yours just a little more, and there’s the slightest squeeze. he didn’t need to say it either.
a/n: finally thinking about wrapping this story up. originally i made this just for my own reasons but im so happy people are enjoying this. this chapter was always meant to show a shift in dynamics. hopefully this is not too much of a shift. more to come in the next chapter!!!
tags: @maxxyferrari @m-ichelles-world @lunaryasha @llittle-monster @gossipbitchhh @cattleray @stranger-chan
