Monday, November 02, 2009

Chapter One: Goodbye

          There was nothing else to hold her down now. She stared at the grey scene in front of her expressionlessly. Slowly she lifted her right arm and made slight flicking motions with her wrist, as though trying to dispel the imaginary dark thoughts clouding her breathing space.
          “Goodbye stars, goodbye sun,” she murmured to herself. A single tear betrayed her emotion, trailing a thin gentle rivulet against her heated skin. She hooded herself and turned abruptly against the sight she just drank in unwillingly. Walking at a cautious pace, she flitted in and out within the shadows, mindful of the numerous traps waiting to be triggered all around. This was one of the reasons why she hated this place so much. There was never a moment of peace amidst the stillness and solitude. Not that she minded the latter too much; being alone allows her to unclench her muscles enough to relax without anyone scowling at her.
          There was not much to miss here, she thought wistfully. It may be a place where she had wasted her entire childhood, but it was never a place she could call home. Perhaps that is the reason why she prefers to be alone rather than with her rowdy mates. They could never understand why she would cry over a dead cat, or worry when a fight broke out. After all, she was never one of them to begin with.
          That mere thought cut deep within her. Here she was, sixteen and all alone facing the harsh world beyond this very dismal tunnel. Those whom she treated and cared for as friends are strangers without names to her now. She can never trust anyone again. 
          “Stand up Alexis, you should never stoop this low to be like them.”
          Her hands touched the damp walls lightly, using the sense of touch to guide her further away from the place she had just came from. Her feet quivered slightly as they tread softly and warily across the unnatural stillness of the rocky floor. This will take forever! she thought.
         “Come on now, sweetling, it’s not that difficult to pass through that!”
         She stopped suddenly as she felt the air stir uneasily around her. Unsure of what caused the disturbance, her eyes darted back and forth seeking for a sense of movement in the cold darkness. A normal human would never be able to cast his senses like she just did. But then again, she was never described as ‘normal’.
        “You should be ashamed of yourself. Emotions are not allowed to be exposed in the faces of many others. You fail as a part of this family.”
        She gritted her teeth when she recognized the silhouette shadowing her. “Dreziel,” she said flatly, “How long have you been shadowing me?” A deep chuckle vibrated in the air. A tall and lean figure stepped out from the darkness.
        “I can never fool you, can I?” he said laconically. He lifted his hood to reveal a pair of cool piercing blue eyes boring holes into her. She lifted her shoulders slightly and stood there wordlessly. She knew what would be coming next, and she had to brace herself for it. Treachery is well known among her people, but with her it was never the same.
        “You twit! How dare you release my pet! Just because Papa said you were special, you just had to turn all bitched up at us, huh? You’ll never be worthy enough to hold Power!”
        She continued staring at the man whom she once called her brother, her confidante. His ash-blond hair was cropped short at the sides, giving him a fierce and menacing look. His blue eyes portrayed a cruel outlook of one living a harsh life. Yet what strikes her the most about him was his warped personality. He never did look that part, and he worked hard not to show it either. It never pays to reveal the full extent of your power, her master always said. He took those words like a dying fish would take to water.
        “So you found me,” she found herself saying calmly, “Now what?” His eyes narrowed as he scrutinized her slowly. He took slow deliberate steps towards her, smirking slightly when her left hand flinched involuntarily as he neared her.
        “Yes...” he purred, “Now what?”
        “For all Halla’s wrath and glory! Do not make the same mistake twice, get that motto into your addled brain! My goodness, how did we ever end up with such a lamebrain girl?”
        She gritted her teeth. He was provoking her to do something, she knew it. Determined, she stood where she was, staring dispassionately at his approaching figure. Her hands trembled slightly at the thought that he could easily run his two-pronged blade across her throat without hesitation if necessary. She tilted her head slightly to her left, indicating that she is still waiting for an answer, and was nonchalant about it.
        She shivered as he smiled even wider. “Now...you shall die.”
 

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