Darkest Desires → Caliban [CAOS]

v. dahlia

DAHLIA
CHAPTER FIVE

Dahlia's hair flowed around her with the wind that gusted past as her feet landed softly onto the gravel. Instantly, the fresh smell of pine and leaves filled her nose, the wind brushing softly against her skin. It whistled and whispered in her ear, making the voices of the people around her hard to hear, but she didn't mind. The cold autumn wind that had Dahlia shivering ever so slightly was no bother to her, too enchanted and bewildered by her surroundings.

Every tree stood tall, every shop on the street was filled to the brim, and the people that walked along the pathways or into stores were a relaxing sight for Dahlia. Their happy smiles while being surrounded by friends or family brought tingles of joy to her cheeks as they puffed into a smile, and jolts of electricity pulsing through her veins in excitement and nervousness all at once. Her eyes jumped from person to person as they walked past her or across the street, their voices and laughter filling her ears like the most majestic music she had ever heard. Everything was perfect.

Dahlia looked around, absorbing everything in sight. More and more goosebumps covered her skin, and she wondered whether they were out of coldness or happiness to finally be in a town again. As her eyes landed on a street sign that said GREENDALE, a wider grin covered her face. No, she hadn't known where Greendale was– she had never heard of it. But physically seeing and reading that she was somewhere, anywhere, that wasn't her djinn bottle or Hell, brought her a kind of joy she hadn't felt in a long time.

Right now, her life was devoid of magic and demons and Hell and the burden she had carried and she wanted to savour every second of it. She wanted to hear every sound– from the birds, and the wind and the people. She wanted to see everyone and everything from the smallest ant to the tallest tree. She wanted to pay attention to the little things she had taken for granted years ago in her old village.

Greendale reminded Dahlia of her village. From the fraction of Greendale she had already seen, she could tell it was small. But even so, everyone was happy. They were content with their little shops that lined the street, and the big amount of green nature that took up most of the city. It was much like Arkala, Dahlia's village before it had turned to ash and dust.

Taking in a shaky breath, Dahlia stepped past the rose bush she landed behind. Feeling like she had just stepped past the final barrier preventing her from feeling human, butterflies filled her stomach and what felt like fireworks erupted in her chest. She began walking, her eyes lighting up at everything she passed, from bushes to a girl walking a dog, cafes, shops... Everything was beautiful in her eyes, from the dark, cloudy sky and the tall intimidating trees to the happy groups of people walking past her.

Enjoying being outside so much, Dahlia was hardly bothered or confused by the weird looks people gave her as she walked past them. She was indifferent to their odd behaviour and slight unkindness, refusing to allow it to ruin her mood. But, as she further progressed through the town, her eyes were slowly being more and more drawn away from her surroundings, losing their brightness as she focused more on the teenagers she made eye contact with. Every single one she passed eyed her up and down, as though they could tell she wasn't human. It made her heart race and her palms sweat, leaving her anxious and wondering what was setting her apart from everyone else.