"...averin.. I'm.. this isn't… I.. we" Rina tried to speak while Joel roughly ran his hand through his face, while working towards me. Pants down. The room bounced in rhythm to the heavy beats from the music downstairs but I was frozen. Trapped in this moment, I was breathing but it was like something snatched up the air before they made it to my lungs. The back of my throat burned with raw disgust and anger. My eyes were heavy and itching..no, they were burning. I kept staring at Rina, no words. I mean what could I say. All questions… why? how long has this been going on for?. My eyes blurred with tears that has welled up in my eyes. Too painful to keep them in and extremely hard to keep them from falling.
Then my vision was blocked by Joel, his hands clamped my shoulder "Babe…I" his sickening voice ran through my ears and I wanted to rip them off. I pulled his hand off me. My eyes reached his, then it dropped. Those tears that hurt so much but the pain that provoked them even worse. I walked away, headed down the stairs, where the music and voices reminded me that this day was supposed to be mine. I made my way through the dancing drunks and hollow strangers , their laughter's and voices ripping through my thoughts. I reached the front porch and immediately my shoes touched the grass on the lawn "I wanted to tell you… I did , but then your dad died, you started slipping in classes, came late.. I just couldn't add more weight " that spineless backstabbing cunt. I turned and she was crying.
Seriously?. I just caught you with my boyfriend and you're the one crying? YOU'RE CRYING?. Joel emerged from behind her, right on time. "It's not her fault…we really didn't want to hide it. You were becoming distant avey. You stopped communicating and she…she filled in".
"MY FATHER DIED!!" I screamed and he went silent
"I really expected more from you Rina" I heard my voice accompanied by a broken laugh "I mean you could have aimed higher, at least you could've gone for someone with more than 3 inches to offer" then out of nowhere the laugh that ripped out, loud. broken. sharp.
Joel immediately went red with rage, Rina was more surprised that I was cackling with tears streaming from my eyes but in truth, I had no control over what I was saying. "I loved you..both of you. You were the sister I never had. I LOVED YOU AND YOU BETRAYED ME… with him" this time, I knew these words were mine. My head hurt, my knees were like frail twigs barely holding up the weight of betrayal that had rested on my shoulder's. Then again that cursed laughter broke from my lips, starting slow like a chuckle then it spiraled into something mad. I felt the itch first, then the dirt, then I realized my knees had given out and the grass on the lawn had caught me.
By now Norman and half the other kids who came for the party were outside,watching us. Rina ran to me mumbling those words. The same one's my dad left behind "I'm sorry". She knelt in front of me, repeating those words like an anthem. My head went light,…things had begun to loose their shape, colors fading into darkness, my hands trembling violently like my body wasn't strong enough to contain me. My lips moved faster and faster till nothing was heard. I had tried to understand what I was saying, they were words..
Words that tasted like ash and iron . I felt something cold touch me and almost as quickly as they landed they left. Then I heard her voice
"Averin… you're burning up" she tried to touch me again but this time, she screamed in pain. At this point all I could see was blurred movements and shapes that I couldn't make out. More hands reached for me, all of them felt cold. I could hear my voice getting louder and louder. I heard someone ask "what's wrong with her?" "Are tears supposed to be black?". All of them confused but not as much as I was.
Still saying things that made no sense. Rina's voice screaming my name, moved weightless in my ears. Then I heard her ….my mom, her voice, the only sound that cut through the chaos and darkness. I went numb and then nothing but darkness
—
"Ekthar maluvé… se drakan volith… venas kai morith…" a lady whispering in the dark, hair like rust, eyes completely grey like they were filled with smoke.her fingers closed on my throat, as air grew thin…..
I gasped awake, rushing air into my lungs like a thief. The taste of ash strapped to my tongue. I was in my room, sheets soaked while I was dry. My mom walked towards me, regret and pain growing in her eyes.
"I'm sorry baby. I thought I could protect you from it. I thought I could hide you from it, you have to go"
"What do you mean? Mom, go where?" She pressed a locket into my palm and muttered something about forgiveness. I realized I was already dressed and my bags were packed. She took me downstairs and a raven came out of nowhere. Mom addressed it like a friend and told me to get going. I had questions but I knew I wouldn't get any answers at least not now.
Mom muttered something, they were almost the same with what I was mumbling last night but hers felt less dark and ominous. Wind poured into the house from everywhere it found access and just behind the bird I could see ... .a gate, rusty and tall with a skull mimicking where the handle was supposed to be. "Go, I promise you'll find your answers" mom whispered behind me, my legs moved to her falling on her shoulder "mom please don't send me away. I'm sorry" I was already crying. Her lips landed on my head "oh child, I wish I didn't have to but you need to be prepared when it happens and I can't prepare you. Trust me you'll be fine" she cleaned my tears, pointed towards the portal and I went. Hesitant at first but my mom would never lie to me. I didn't understand anything but I knew I just needed to trust her.
The bird went first then me, immediately I stepped in the gates opened on their own and I walked through, trying to notice my environment and still look like I was familiar with the place. The bird flew to the top of the building looking like a haunted castle and turned into one of those gorgeous things in books. I looked around and there were more people like me. Heading into a crowded space. I followed them, at first I thought they were human like me.
Until I saw a boy with scales on him, at first I thought it was a really good tattoo but as I watched closely I found out they were real, that was his skin. A girl with an insane amount of hair, I'd have thought she got her nails done pretty good, if she hadn't smiled, her teeth were like a dog's. I started noticing more of them. Kids with ears longer than they were supposed to be, skin like they were dead. I noticed a trio of girls floating atop us. This was…this felt unreal.
While in my world of wonder, I felt an insane chill behind me and boom. I was on the ground but I remember hearing a sound before I flopped to the ground "move" and then a very unsuspecting shadow blocked the sunlight from my eyes. As I raised my head to look, capturing every detail his outfit spared me with. Hands veiny, skin pale. Then I caught his face. Jawline smooth and asymmetrical, nothing could be more beautiful, I thought before looking at his eyes and I was proven wrong. His eyes were a dark kind of red that was almost unnoticed, like champagne in a dark room. Hair covered his perfectly matching eyebrows.
He bent his head a bit, enough to make the sunlight he'd shielded me from, hit my eye. Just like that he disappeared into the crowd.
"Don't mind draken, he's just void of emotions and manners. I'm syla" this overly beautiful creature hovered over me.