Call me : Darkness

Dark

As soon Aurora's skin collided with the girl in blue kefta, she felt....something.

The feeling, it was so powerful, so cold, yet so warm. She wanted to dive in it, to float above it - but something told her she would drown.

It was like a wild animal. It clawed on her skin, tingled her eyes. She rushed to put it on a leash, to put it on check.

Aurora felt it was so very easy to give in. To let whatever was within her be free. The feeling only grew stronger.

But then she casted a glance at her papa. He was arguing miserably with the grisha in red. Little Aurora caught fear in his eyes, something which rarely touched his features. She was so used to seeing him in his usual irritated demeanor that it hurt her to see him this way.

At that moment, she made her decision.

Aurora got hold of whatever animal was within her and exhaled.

She didn't push it back inside her, she knew she couldn't, but she kept it at bay, at least for that day, for that moment, nothing could let it escape.

"Nothing's happening," The one in purple spoke up and the woman in blue kefta pressed her lips into a thin line.

"Nothing's happening,!" She said and carefully placed Aurora on the ground.

"I TOLD YOU SO!" Mal roared and clasped his hands around Aurora's waist, pulling her close.

Somehow, Aurora felt incredibly uncomfortable in his arms. She couldn't decipher her feeling, not precisely, but she understood the cry of her head.

Fits of cries broke past her lips.

"You made her cry!" Mal exclaimed again and gently rocked Aurora back and forth who was clutching her head.

"We're sorry, sir," The grisha in blue said, bowing, while the grisha in red scoffed.

Mal scowled back.

As soon as the grisha were out of the doorstep, Mal placed the baby on the couch. She was still sniffing and doing a miserable attempt at wiping her wet eyes.

"Not grisha huh...." Mal muttered, he sounded amused, if anything.

"Mama," Aurora whispered and played with her fingers in midair.

"Mama....yes," A distant look crossed Mal's face, before he shook his head ever so lightly and directed his gaze back at the young child.

She had her mother's hair. It was a shade of brown the tracker couldn't name, but it glittered whenever Aurora stepped in the sun. He considered many times if the sunlight had something to do with the sudden glittering of the child's hair and body.

Alina hated it though, she hated it when Mal bought forth the same possibility the parents considered months ago. The possibility that Aurora may be a sun summoner, maybe a shadow one.

Mal missed Alina, though she had just left.

He missed her face, even her dark eyes and the bags underneath them. He missed her pale features, and her smile.

Aurora had that smile as well.....but it was different.

Mal had never known The Darkling, not like Alina had, but he doubted that the little girl's smile was somewhat touched with that entity.

"Mama, I wah' mama" Aurora babbled again.

"You know, your mama hid her powers for years.....I wouldn't be surprised if you did that too," Mal mumbled, more to himself than the only audience present in the room.

Suddenly, an idea - as strange as it might be - struck Malyen's head.

He scooped up Aurora from the couch.

Alina wouldn't be returning until the camps are here.

He stumbled on the stairs as he scrambled to get to the second floor.

This might be the only way.

Finally, the daughter-father duo stood before Alina's room.

"Alina summoned when she was in the dark," Mal mumbled again and swept pass the door. Keeping Aurora gently on the bed, he slowly walked away.

Aurora couldn't understand.

Mal, before stepping out the door, took out the only lamplight.

Darkness spread around Aurora as soon as the door closed.

At first, she wasn't afraid, just curious as to why her papa left her there. But then when minutes passed by and nothing happened, she felt the dark squeezing her.
Her fingers twitched as if they were being forced to twist together blocks of ice.

A scream of pure terror escaped her lips, followed by a wave of 'papa's .

The door did not open.

Soon enough, Aurora thought she heard the shadows whispering in her ears, and brushing themselves on her clothes.

She was afraid, she was cold, but most of all, she was alone.

There was no light in the room and the darkness seemed to stretch on forever.

Aurora wanted to grash at the door, to run to the comfort of her mother's arms. But her feet didn't work, they were shaking relentlessly.

It was as if the darkness was swallowing her, and indeed it was since the whole room was swarmed with it.

Aurora imagined the soft humming of her mother, the comfort of her smile and laugh, but all she could comprehend at that moment was the inevitable distance between.

The darkness densed.

The shadows swirled around the child as if to comfort her, but she didn't want comfort, she wanted to get away.

She wanted to leave the room, she wanted to beg her papa for forgiveness.

Maybe he wanted her to go with the grisha.

🌔🌑🌖

Malyen was so blinded with envy, so red with rage, he couldn't understand the sentiment behind the screams of the innocent child.

She didn't ask to be born, she didn't ask to be the child of the two most powerful grishas.

She didn't deserve to be punished.

But Mal couldn't understand that, much less understand the shadows - which he mistook as darkness - swirling around Aurora Enyo Oretsev.