The Asteris

Chapter 8 - Mae

Walking to Alima's house provides me with a much needed break. For the past hour I have been working to try and control my magic and it has not been going well. Doing magic is much harder than I expected. You just suck. The voice returns. I try replying, Who are you? No reply. Maybe I'm going crazy. I continue making my way through the winding back streets of Erelphia, the rain has stopped but the streets are still empty. The drops clatter on the cobblestones, ringing in my ears. The isolation is surprisingly comforting. My mind returns to Luna's words, block out any distractions and steer all your focus towards what you want to achieve. Block out distractions! I have a million! She makes it sound so easy. She makes it look so easy. I was so rude to her, ruder than I've been to anyone in years. When I was talking to her, I didn't feel like me, but rather one of those voices. I try to push all thoughts from my mind but I can still sense a group of voices in my mind. What is happening to me? Suddenly, I sense a being following me. I slowly look behind me and spot a white owl flying behind me.

I quickly turn around and a million thoughts swarm in my mind. Who is that? Why are they following me? Could it be Luna? No, why would she be following me? What do I do? I try to quiet my mind, it's no use. Ok evil little voice, if you're not going to leave, help me. What do I do? I wait, bracing myself for the loud whispering to return. This time the voices are loud but steady. Go ask Alima for help. One voice whispers. No, go into an alley and kill the bird. A second voice growls. Return to the warehouse. Another voice mumbles. Try taking four rights and see if the owl is actually following you. A final voice murmurs. I go with the final option and begin to move through the roads at a faster pace. I scuttle along the back alleys, looking over my shoulder every now and then, fear creeping up on me. At every turn I take I check if the bird is still following. It always is. I turn into a dark alley and I am stopped in my tracks. A pack of wolves.

Ok, Mae, calm down. Keep facing them and slowly back up. It's too late. One of the wolves spots me. Idiot. The voice whispers. Shut it. The wolf shifts into its human form, a tall brown haired boy. I immediately recognised him as the same wolf as last time.

"Well... well..." He sneers, looking me up and down. "If it isn't the 'not human'." His tone sends dread running down my spine. What should I do? I scream into the back of my mind, hoping the voice is still there. No response. Oh great. Now you shut up.

"Umm... Who are you?" I ask, trying to play dumb. More of the wolves shift into humans.

"Don't play dumb with me." He returns, his eyes glowing a blazing emerald, as he moves towards me. My heart raps against my chest, threatening to jump out. Run. Something in the back of my mind shouts. Run. I don't waste a second before I spring to action, running as fast as I can from the pack of merciless creatures. As I run I, once again, notice the snowy owl gliding above. Although every voice in my head tells me no, I do the only thing I can think of. "Help!" I scream, praying it can hear me. "Please help!"