The Allure of Darkness

8

Azia

We made it. To the meeting post. Only a half of a day's travel then we will be in the Kingdom of Arsher. Can I make it there?

Night is about to sweep through the camp. The darkness is going to claim everyone. It will engulf everyone but it will spit them out in the morning when the sun rises.

Cree left me when we first got to this post. He left me alone.

The guard kept us in a small house. It looks like 10 houses in total. All the small kids went to eight houses while the older women and I went to the other two.

I haven't seen Emrys and Loki since last night. I can still replay what happened. The moment Emrys stabbed me in the shoulder. The sympathy in Loki's eyes. The questions they asked me.

I've been sitting on my twin bed for hours it feels like. My back starts to ache. I can feel the roughness of the bed touching my skin. It hurts. It feels like sandpaper. It wraps around me, consuming me. I have to get out of here.

I get up too fast. My head starts to spin. I see tiny light specks in front of me, blocking out the darkness.

I move towards the door to open it. I pull the door open and I'm met with fresh air. Clean air. It pushes all of my guilt away from me.

The sky is dark, filled with stars, too many to count. It provides light that reaches the ground. I can see where I'm steeping, where I want to go.

The guard has people posted to the right and left of me. I feel trapped. Because I am.

"Hey, get back inside women." The guard to the right of my yells.

I look his way, trying to get a good look at him. His eyes are blocked by the little darkness surrounding us. He's wearing all dark clothes. He looks like a shadow himself.

"It's okay. She can come with us." I know that voice. It's a voice that I just learned yesterday.

I turn to my left to see Loki and Emrys. They are standing next to a wagon looking as if they were just getting a drink from it.

I look at Loki and he turns his gaze to the ground. What's so interesting on the ground Loki?

"Loki just doesn't like looking people in the eyes. He's never been able to stare people in the eyes." Emrys laughs. "Right Loki?" Emerys says, looking at his brother. He read my mind. What the hell.

Loki tips his head down just a bit. How does he live with Emrys? How can he live with a mind reader?

"It's because he loves me, Azia. Something tells me you've never been loved." Yes. No. I don't know.

"Let's go brother." Emrys looks at me. "And Azia. We all need a drink."

I take a step back. The guard to the left of me shifted his gun. I stop breathing,walking,thinking.

"Come on Azia, it will only be a drink. Besides, it seems like you can't seem to sleep." Emrys says in a harsh voice.

I walk towards them not because I want to but because I had to. I just need a break.

Loki looks down at me. Considering how tall he is, I'm surprised that he doesn't have to squat to get to my level. It's embarrassing, I feel like a child.

They take me to a house that's as big as the ones we were given. As Loki opens the front door I realize that the stars aren't out. I can barely see around me.

I step into the house and the floor creaks. It's the only noise that I can hear. Loki goes in and walks straight to the kitchen. Emrys follows right behind him. What is happening?

"Um yea let's just bring me to your house and not say a word to me." I say with sarcasm in my voice.

Loki peeks around the corner. "You were supposed to follow us to the kitchen."

I walk around the corner and see three plates on the table with a big bowl of fruit in the center. There's three cups filled with something I don't recognize.

"It's liquor Azia. It's just a drink." Emrys says as he sips the cup. Loki follows his lead and sips.

I take the cups into my hands and sip. I felt it go down my throat burning it. How can people drink this?

"It gets easier as you drink more." Emrys says tiling his cup at me.

"STOP READING MY MIND YOU, YOU SNOWMAN LOOKING-"

"Wow Azia! And here I was thinking we were just gonna have a nice dinner." Emrys stands up with a smirk on his face. He takes my hand that holds my drink and grips my wrist hard. It's like he's crushing my wrist.

"EMRYS STOP." Loki screams as he grabs my other arm. I'm stuck between two crazy brothers. HOLY PLOY.

Emrys doesn't let go of my wrist. His grip tightens instead.

A voice slithers into my mind. I think my brother cares about you, Azia. Wouldn't you say? He never has raised his voice at me. I could hear him chuckle. I look at Emrys and I see him smiling at me. I look to Loki and he's standing a foot away looking at his brother.

The room starts to turn darker. I try to pull my wrist away from Loki and he lets go. I stumbled back a few steps. I hold myself up with the wall.

I look back up and see Loki and Emrys staring at each other. Twins but with different eyes. That's the only difference between them.

I can feel a bruise forming on my wrist. Can Emrys feel my pain?

"Yes sweetheart. I can feel it." Emrys says, still holding his brother's stare.

Loki's mouth twitches as Emrys spoke. I hold my tongue. Don't talk Azia. Please don't talk. Don't play his game.

The room gets lighter like it was a trick of the light. It looks like it was never dark here. But I swear the darkness was here.

My wrist burns in pain. How can someone have this tight of a grip?

Emrys sits back in his chair and tilts his head back. His curls falling to the back of his head.

"I'm starving. Are you guys still hungry? Or do you guys want to skip to the-" Emrys looks up at me and laughs to himself.

I look from Emrys to Loki and I start walking towards the door. Fast. Someone grips my wrist in the same spot where the new bruise is forming.

I turn to look who grabbed me and I'm met with blue eyes. I let out a breath.

"I'm sorry. I'm so so-sorry Azia. I didn't know that he was going to... to do this. Please forgive me." I stare at him wondering how he thinks that he deserves forgiveness from me.

"Your brother is insane and you're just a coward." I say as calmly as I can. I shake his hand off my wrist and wince.

"If I'm insane then you're insane too Azia." Emrys yells from the other room.

I walk straight out the front door. Slamming it. I run quickly to my assigned house. I slammed the door and the noise shook the room.

I need sleep. I need to think. I need to leave this place.