The Allure of Darkness

22

Azia

"Azia, Azia darling." I feel my hand connect with my wrist, shaking me. "Wake up. Wake up honey."

These voices seem distant. They seem so similar but so foreign. My family. My family is here.

Am I dead?

"Azzy? Azia, it's me. It's fayln." I can feel her hugging me so tight. "I've... I've missed you," her tears are falling down her face onto my shoulder , "Azzy y-you're finally here." I pull away from her and I'm surprised that everything seems so real. That she seems so real.

I look at my sister, at my mom, at my dad. A family. We're a family that's been reunited.

"Fayln get off of your sister. You know she can't stay here." My mom's voice is a command.

I look at her and see how broken she'd become here.
Was this all my fought?

"Azia I'm fine here, I'm not broken, I'm not upset-."

"How did you know what I was thinking mom? Are you... what's all of this.... Why do I have to leave?" I just got here. I died for them.

"You need to wake up and live. Honey, you have so much more to do, you have a path to follow. Protect your mind from those who can read it, exploit it. Your mind is an open book." I look at her and I don't do anything. I miss her.

"Focus all of your energy on blocking your mind, picture walls surrounding your mind, blocking it from all those who want to get in. Please honey do this. Don't let them get into your mind, you won't last long if they do. Your mind is the only safe place. Never get distracted, never trust anyone." Who is she?

"I'm staying here, I died for you guys," a sob breakers through me. "I'm finally here. We can be a family again."

I don't remember Fayln leaving my side. "Dad." I look over to him. I look in his eyes and see nothing.

"What is this? Where are we?" I start to back up. Back up from my family.

My foot catches on something and I hit the ground. Fay, Fay was behind me. "You...You were just over there." I point, I point to the spot where she was but I don't even know where that is.

My mom shows up right next to Fay, my dad follows.  They just showed up out of no where.

"You weren't meant to go that far, this wasn't meant to happen. Azia you must go back, go back and shield your mind, shield your heart, follow your path."

Shield my heart? Shield it from what? A path?

"I love you Azzy." Fay looks up at me and wipes her tears. "I'll always love you no matter what you do."

She disappears. "Fay. Fay. FAYLYN." I scream. I scream for her, my sister, the one I left in the meadow, alone.

My dad disappears. Not uttering one word to me. "Dad." No response. I get no answers from anyone.

I turn to face my mom. A knife is in her hand. Her hand is shaking.

"Guard your mind and heart honey. You're gonna need them." She takes my hand and holds it open.

"MOM, MOM, MOM," I am screaming. I'm screaming for her. For her protection, for her love, for her to stop. 

She cups my face in her hands and she's mumbling nonsense.

"Mom please." I plead. How can a mother send away her daughter?

"You have too much love for the world." No I don't. "Hide your heart from everyone, even yourself."

"I love you mom."

"I know." She slices my hand faster then someone she needs able to.

The world goes dark when she touches my hand to  my face.

I didn't need to open my eyes to know I'm not dead anymore. I can sense the crowd of people in my room, surrounding me.

I didn't need to open my eyes to know Emrys is here. I can feel him trying to break into my mind. My mind used to be easily breakable. Breakable, that is what I was. Not anymore. My own mom broke into my mind.

I shut my mind off from everyone, the headache kicks in. My throat. I don't know how fast, how hard I can breathe. Will it break the stitches on my neck?

No one is talking. No one is touching me. The only noise that fills the room is the beeping next to me.

I was so ready to leave. I wanted to, I still do. I want to see my family again, I want to be free. But no, what do I get? A room full of people who think they're better than everyone else.

A door squeaks open and the room goes deathly quiet. Like the graveyard quiet. Like someone just died and they walked into the room.

"Open your eyes,Azia. You've outlasted your stay in this room." A voice with high authority speaks. One who thinks highly of himself. The king. The king of death and blood.

I slowly open my eyes and smile, a smile with all my teeth out. "Hello to you too." Around the room are faces I don't recognize, only when I look at the door I see four faces I recognize.

The king, the queen, and the twins.

All looking down at me with hatred. Oh so they can hate me but I can't decide my own life choices.

The bed I'm in starts to roll, roll towards the only door in the room. Towards the family that doesn't have remorse.

I try to sit up but my feet are held in place. Chains. They chained me up again. Love the hospitality they are showing.

Emrys' lips tug up a little. Great, my mental shield was down.

Hello Azia, welcome back to the world of the living. His voice preatrates my mind.

Instead of answering him, I put my mental shields up or I think I do.

Emrys

I look at my father when her mind becomes unreadable. His face shows fury.

Everytime I try to go into her tiny mind I'm met with a wall. A wall that is untouchable by me.

I look back at Azia and she keeps pulling at her chains. Her defiance will soon stop. She will soon do whatever my dad wants and she'll even learn to love it.

With her and my family's power we can hopefully take over the other kingdoms. Finally, we can start working towards a better world.

"So is everyone gonna ignore the enormous elephant in the room?"

Why does she say things like that?

No one responds to her.

"Are we gonna ignore how you tried to kill yourself?" Loki's strained voice speaks.

He was hit hard by her mishap. But I don't know why, she hates him.

Azia tries to muffle her laugh but fails.

"You," she points her finger at my dad. "Took me from my home, drugged me, chained me to a wall, locked me in a room, and now you want me to comply with whatever you want ."

"Yes, yes I do and you will do whatever I say because I think you like your ginger friend alive, right?" My dad has all the power, she doesn't.

I try to get into her mind but it's still walled up. No one can protect their mind that well except Loki. Did he teach her?

I look over to Loki and he's looking straight forward, his mind is unreadable.