The Allure of Darkness

13

Cree

I've been watching the night turn into day from the window. The only window in this room.

They drugged everyone and branded them. They don't care if the brands will never come off, they don't expect us to live long enough to care. Those who were too young or too old either got killed or got sent to work.  I was the perfect age, sixteen almost seventeen. What game are they playing?

There were too many kids here. Their childhoods got stolen from them. They will never have a good childhood, they might not last long enough to live.

The sunrise happened an hour and twenty three minutes ago.

It was beautiful to see it from my home kingdom, again. The Kingdom of Arsher is beautiful but poisonous to those who live here.

I used to live here with my uncle up until I was twelve. He was abusive, a drunk and a gambler and I couldn't handle it. He never should've gotten to be my so-called "parent figure" but both my mom and dad died when I was young.

He was the only one who could care for me. But he never did care for me, he broke me into pieces and tried to fix me but once you break something you can never fully fix it.

Somehow throughout all of his beatens I started to voices, I started to hear my dad. I didn't know how it started but maybe I just made it up in my head but it felt, no it still feels like he's here with me.

My dad can just appear out of nowhere and talk to me in my mind. He's been here in my mind with me for years, he never leaves.

That's because I love you.

He tried to guide me onto a path that was horrible and sickening but I stopped myself from going down that path. I think.

I don't know what kind of control my dad has over me but even though he's dead he's still here, terrorizing me.

He keeps going on and on about Azia and him coming back here, alive. It's impossible and I won't help him.

He wants me to split open the world for a second just enough for him to reconnect to this world, find an anchor. I keep telling him I won't do it.

Even if I did want to help him, I don't understand what he means by "split open the world."

I have no recollection of my mom, all I know is she was from the Kingdom of Archer and all I get when I used to ask my dad of how she died he would just say "she just left us," that's all he could say about her. So I assumed she died because who could abandon their own child? Or did she abandon me, leaving me to think she died?

My dad died shortly after my sixth birthday, roughly two years after my mom died.

I woke up on a humid day and ran to my dad's room. I was so excited to tell him good news.

I finally had no nightmares about mum and I was excited to tell him.

The excitement didn't last long.

I opened the wooden door in our cottage and I saw him sleeping. He was always a calm sleeper, never moving from side to side. Mum used to say that's why she fell in love with him. I doubt it.

I jumped on him screaming about my new achievement and all of my screams were for nothing, he never woke up. He never got to see me grow up.

And now my dad is haunting me and all I can do is listen to him. I hope he leaves me alone soon.

And you will listen to me, son. Stop ignoring me. Don't you want to see your dad again?

I shake my head lightly enough that my curls fall over my face. I need a haircut.

"Attention all new arrivals come to the front gates! Attention all new arrivals come to the front gates!" The message rings froms the speaker through this house.

I scoff. 'New arrivals' is just another word for slaves.

I look once more out the window and I follow the instructions.

Loki

My dad, the king, hasn't stopped giving orders since everyone arrived yesterday. All I can hear is his voice, screaming at different people.

I haven't seen Emrys since late last night and I don't think I want to know where he has been.

I'm going to the front gates as my dad instructed me to do. I always have to follow orders or else Emrys gets time to scar my skin. He hasn't done it in five years. I've been following orders for five whole years.

Five years of no freedom. No contact with anyone.

I begged Emrys to stop and let me have freedom but he enjoys it, he enjoys feeling my pain. He makes me sick.

I'm almost to the front gates when I see Emrys walking out of one of the many house's near here. What was he doing?

I look at him. I studied him. He never changed clothes from last night. He likes to have fun with women every time we get home, he never changes.

I step into a puddle making mud splash onto me. Great, just what I needed.

Emrys

How I hate it here. How I hate the rainy weather and the cool breeze. I loved traveling in the Kingdom of Greenly; it was always so humid there.

I spot Loki from the corner of my eye. I give him a nod and a smirk.

I love toying with him. Father doesn't care and so that gives me free range of my brother.

Anything I wanted to do to him, I used to be able to do at any time. His body is filled with my artwork.

The scars on him run deep.

But father and Loki made a deal. Their deal states that I can only hurt him when he disobeys orders and he hasn't for five years. But he will soon, I'm sure of it and then I will take my time with him.

I look out in-front of me and see clusters of people.

My dad informed me that we brought too many
people, it's too crowded. So he sent the guard and my brother and I to take care of the problem.

Let the fun begin.