Call me : Darkness

Fault

"No-no-no-no, mama-"

"Shut up and behave," Malyen hissed with so much venom that shook Alina.
Clearly, she always knew Mal didn't like the child, but never in her life she expected her bestfriend to treat a child this way.

In this vast world of chaos and ruination, Alina wondered who was she and Mal. The alone Orphans of Keramzin, who were they?

In the end, was she not the same unnoticeable, weak, frail girl, standing up to the bigger Orphans?
Only this time Malyen wasn't the comedic brunette standing beside her.

And Aurora?

'What are you?'

The long lost words of The Darkling spoke in Alina's head.

The sun summoner's eyes fixed with her daughter's.

Was she the cause of this uproar, or was she the solution? Was it fair, much less kind, to treat a mere child this way? Was she a saint or was she a monster? Was she a mistake? Caused at the night of the winter fete?

The simplest answer -
She was Alina Starkov's daughter.

Her beloved sunshine, the little troublemaker skidding across the halls at night with her tiny feet, that flawless toddler who summoned light just like her.

'You're the first glimmer of hope I've had in a long time.'

She could fix this all, couldn't she? Aurora?

Whether The Darkling likes it or not she is his daughter as well.

Couldn't Alina be alongside him again? Couldn't she raise her lovely daughter with a proper father by her side?

'So that he could use her as a weapon too?'

Alina shook her head, she was going crazy, the emotions were overwhelming her. She wanted to be with Mal but she wanted her daughter safe. Her heart searched for The Darkling's voice and touch everyday while her mind battled torment.

Pressing her lips together, Alina hugged Aurora tighter.

At first, the tears of the toddler kept streaming, like an uncontrollable lake, but then they slowed as she melted in the sensation of the warmth of her mother.

"Oh please," Mal chided and pulled Aurora away with one hand.

"Mal don't do this," Alina said, surprising herself with the numbness of her voice.

A part of her always felt numb - who was she kidding, she, wholesomely, felt numb. Not one emotion gilded the surface of her mind, much less her heart. The fake smiles she threw everyday for her daughter's happiness were the only ones being very close to merry.
But as the first emotion of fear took over her limbs, fear for her only child, fear for her world, the void of endless nothingness crept into her voice.
Rather than a shaky whisper, she spoke with confidence.

Malyen snickered, "What can you possibly do Alina, you're handcuffed." He leaned in closer to the woman so that his face was mere inches from hers, "You're baby tricks wouldn't work. You can keep bluffing if you want," He made a vague gesture with his fingers - faintly resembling a dog's mouth closing and opening.

Now that Malyen was leaned very close to Alina's face, she smelled the bittersweet smell of kvas.

"I wonder how you couldn't see," He spoke in a calm voice, "how could you not see the monstrosity brewing within her. YOU WERE BLIND!"

Alina closed her eyes, and momentarily thought about The Darkling.

It was the barest of emotion, she couldn't exactly tell what. But the emotion faintly reminded her of the winter fete.