Drip. Drip. Drip. The drops of water fell in constant rhythm, landing in the puddle below the leaking waterline. Piper sat as she had for hours, quiet and still. Occasionally, her legs stretched out for a brief moment, and then she tucked them in again, becoming invisible against the wall.

She'd finally found him. The man who made her into the monster so many feared. Because of him, she had been kidnapped, poked, prodded. Every bit of her humanity had been taken away from her because of him. He had sealed his own fate when he threw her to the wolves. A whole year in that lab had instilled only one desire in her. Revenge.

When she escaped, it had been the only thing she lived for. Every decision she made, every action she took, every word she uttered, all of it was done in order to achieve vengeance. Now she was so close. But he wasn't here yet, and she must be patient. Always patient.

She breathed silently, creating tiny white clouds of frozen water. Her grip on the 'gift' he had given her was slipping. Ice formed beneath her fingertips, and she curled her hands into fists. Not yet.

Control was crucial. Mandatory. Without it, she froze everything. With it, she had a chance. A chance to make the man who did this to her pay.

Then she heard it. A footstep. It echoed through the abandoned warehouse. The sound hit her ears like a thunderclap, and she shifted, preparing to spring. More steps resounded through the emptiness, coming closer and closer.

She pushed off the ground, a sheet of ice moving across the floor as she did. "Professor," she said.

His gaze shot to her. Her frosty blue eyes collided with warm brown ones, and her lips curled up in a smile. He remembered. "Piper," he whispered. "I had no idea that you..."

"Escaped? Do you have any idea what those scientists did to me after you left? I have scars covering my body from sessions with them." Arms extended, she stepped forward and pulled up her sleeves. Her words hadn't been a lie. Ugly red scars stretched across her brown skin, forever marring it. She brushed aside a lock of black hair and glared at him, daring him to deny his actions.

"Piper I swear, I didn't know they would harm you. The promised to help you! I thought I was doing the right thing."

"You created me, and then you left them to tear me apart. Except I escaped, and now I'm here." Her fingers flexed, causing the temperature of the air to plummet.

He stared at her, fear reflecting in his eyes. "You're here to kill me." His voice was soft, but she heard the terror in those words.

Knowing you are doomed to die changes your way of thinking. Piper knew this. She'd seen it many times in the lab. Watched as other helpless experiments were terminated. Watched as new ones were created. Now she saw the change in him.

The energy drained out of his body.His arms hung limply at his side, and his breath whooshed in and out, sending more moisture into the air. She could feel the water droplets condensing on his skin. Rolling slowly, slowly down his face.

"They say revenge is a dish that is best when served cold," she said. "Shall we see if they're right?"

His lips turned blue, and he began to shiver. "P...Piper please... I didn't mean to hurt... you."His whole body vibrated, and she stepped closer.

Her hand closed around his arm and she leaned in close. "But you did." The control she'd so carefully built shattered, and ice raced up his arm.

When she stepped away, his frozen body stood staring at her, mouth open. His brown eyes were no longer warm, or scared, or anything. Just empty.

She was free now. All of the people who hurt her were gone. Her reason to live, to breathe, to be, was gone. So she would take one last walk through the town, and she would make sure no one could ever hurt her again.

Rain turned to hail around her, sidewalks froze beneath her feet, and windows frosted over as she passed. Then she found the river. The water tumbled over itself,creating waves and little eddies.

 She threw herself into the water, letting it encircle her. Her hands uncurled, and she used her powers one last time. With her face tilted up toward the stars, she let the ice form around her, using the river to create a coffin. No one ever found her body, and she stayed there. Forgotten.