The Portal

II 2.7 Vision

Serena was taken aback as she twirled around. Her head felt heavy and her body limp. Bad sign. She was in the middle of Mrs. Ainsley's waltz lesson. She noticed the curious look of Méline, her partner, when she stopped suddenly, planting both feet on the ground.

- Serena? Are you feeling okay? - asked Méline.

She was right in front of her, but her voice reached Serena's ears as if it were far away. She started to sweat. Desperate, Serena looked for Chris and Bia, but they waltzed far from there, across the room. She felt her fingertips tingle. Serena's vision blurred and she saw a figure approaching. Instinctively, she knew that this figure was not in Mrs. Ainsley's waltz lesson in Shailaja. She felt she was losing her balance. I need to act. Fast, she thought.

Serena concentrated and looked around. To the left, a half-open door opened into the hallway. Careful not to trip, she left the room and leaned against the wall. The hallway was empty. Méline did not follow her. She is probably calling the tutor. I need to hide.

She walked as fast as she could down the hall. She forced the handle of the first door she found. The figure was coming closer now, and she barely saw the inside of the room when she entered. It was a classroom, the desks scattered around the room showed that it had been used a short time ago. But now it was empty. Fortunately.

In a cold sweat, Serena leaned against the door and let her body slide to the floor. Her breathing quickened and the vision engulfed her.

She saw a white man. His hair and beard were black and a mark cut across his face, a deep scar. Over it, the skin was darker than on the rest of his face. It might have been shaped like a half moon, but part of it was covered by beard. The vision was blurred. She didn't know where she was. She could only see this man. He was coming towards her. He was the leader of a group. It was five or six of them at most. She didn't know him. She couldn't hear anything. She tried to look around, but then it was over. Darkness. She was back.

Her head and eyes ached, her body was exhausted. Where am I? I can't see anything. The ground felt cold under her body. She had fainted. Serena was frightened. This was rare, she was trained precisely to avoid blackouts. Tears began to pool in her eyes. Where am I? I need to find out.

She groped in the dark. As she moved forward, she saw a sliver of light and turned. It was a door. She was blocking the light that came from outside. Suddenly she remembered. She had left the dance lesson. She had found a room, the vision had taken her. She had been there ever since... What time would it be?

She braced her hands on the floor and, using all the strength she had left, heaved herself up. She thought her knees were going to give out, but she managed to grab the door handle. She braced herself and tested her legs. They were weak, but she could walk. She turned the knob and went out into the hallway. It was empty. Leaning against the stone wall, she slowly made her way to the Mavi Hall. Every couple of steps, she needed to stop and catch her breath. Assessing the darkness outside and the silence in the hallways, she sensed it was quite late. The others would be desperate over her absence. I hope they didn't do anything stupid, she pleaded to the gods.

She took a curve and entered a new corridor. When she heard the excited voices, she realized she had made a mistake. It was the fastest way, but she would pass in front of the game room. Can I make it through the hallway unnoticed? The path wasn't well lit and she was barely making any noise... Serena wondered if she could turn around, but the trembling in her legs indicated she couldn't. She was exhausted. If she exceeded the limit of her strength, she would pass out again.

Serena continued the journey. Leaning on the wall, she walked two steps, stopped, caught her breath, I won't faint, two more steps, breath, I won't faint...