Deluged by emotions (Neuvillette X FemCharacter)

Chapter three

It was an awful day, it was raining cats and dogs and if it wasn't enough, multiple flashes of lighting could be seen way off in the distance. A storm was approaching. A lonely girl was sitting in a small shabby room, its worn-out walls bearing the scars of time and neglect. The muted colors, once perhaps lively, now seemed resigned to a palette of muted grays and browns. The lone window, adorned with tattered curtains that clung wearily to their rods, allowed feeble streams of light to filter through, casting a melancholic glow upon the mismatched furniture. In one corner, a sagging bed occupied precious space, its sheets wrinkled and patched, telling tales of nights filled with uneasy dreams.

By the old desk sat a girl, that could have no more than 10 years old. Worn-up clothes were hanging on a skinny, faint body. Her unruly, chestnut brown hair was a contrast to her pale complexion. But what struck the eye first were her eyes. Her abnormal eyes looked like two gold ambers. She was currently bowed over something. And to be precise, it was an old piece of paper, on which was drawn something that looked like a giant serpent. It was colored in bluish colors and had horn-like things on its head. It was actually a dragon. She had no clue as to why she drew it, frankly speaking, she kept painting such things for a long time, and it simply felt natural for her to do so. While she was immensely focused on her work she didn't hear the footsteps approaching her room. Suddenly a group of children, similar in age barged in, causing turmoil. She subconsciously shivered, knowing exactly what was going to happen. She tried to quickly hide her painting, hoping that at least this one would survive, but it was all in vain.

A seemingly older girl swiftly came to the desk and whipped the drawing off her hands, immediately shredding it into smaller pieces. All of this was accompanied by loud laughs from the rest of the children. Tears appeared in amber eyes, both fury and sorrow filled her soul. In the heat of the moment, she pushed the intruder using as much force as she could, which resulted in the older child falling to the floor with a bang. Dead calm filled the room then. As soon as she realised what she had done, pure fright filled her. Before she managed to think of a way to escape, she was caught by the whole group and soon after dragged outside of the building. They threw her out right into a mud puddle, that was created by the constant rain. She immediately got soaked and her clothes were covered in dirt. A chestnut crown of faded hair covered her swollen crying face.

"You stupid weirdo! You really thought that you would get away with this?? Know your place idiot, you don't belong here, just look at yourself. Who has seen such eyes? You are a mutant, you do not belong here. Face the truth"

The front door was slammed right in front of her face and locked with a key, so no one could get in. A powerful and loud thunder could be heard nearby. The little girls shivered in fear. She quickly hid herself in something that resembled a shed, hoping that no one would find her there. Then she huddled in a corner, silently weeping. The storm has kicked up in earnest. Strong gusts and thunders of lightning added to the fear. She didn't know how long she was there, but when the storm was fading away, she was finally able to hear voices outside.

"Valerie! Where are you?? Valerie! Oh my God, that stupid child brings me nothing but troubles." A strong feminine voice could be heard. It was their caretaker. She curled up even more as far as possible, so as not to be noticed. She felt like a burden to everyone and saw herself as one.

.................

I slowly opened my eyes, adjusting to the light coming through the curtains. Assuming from the sun's position, it must have been past the morning hours. Feeling something wet on my cheek, I used my hand to weep it to realise that it was my own tears. Was I crying during my sleep? The little girl from my dream- was that truly me?

I quickly grabbed my dressing gown and went to the bathroom to stand in front of a small mirror. Indeed my face was a bit swollen from crying, amber eyes shining with fresh tears. It struck me then. It was indeed me. I looked exactly like the girl. This dream was my own flashback. I almost started to give up and accept the fact that I lost my memory for good and even if it was a small piece of it I still felt relieved. I was here, in this totally foreign to me world for almost 2 weeks with no clue about myself and at least I finally knew my name. People started to call me Lake Lady behind my back, not realising that I could hear it. They associated me only with this incident.

But what wondered me was these children from my dream. Why were they so mean? What have I done to make them hate me? Was I really abnormal? I looked in the mirror. My chestnut brown hair reached below my waist, but it was no longer as tousled as it had been when I was young. But my eyes, indeed seemed a bit different, but was it a good enough reason to bully someone?

Before I started to think things through, a knock on the door stopped me from doing it. Without hesitation, I went to open the door only to be met with these violet, captivating eyes. Before me stood none other than Iudex of Fontaine himself. There was no emotion on his face, but as soon as he saw my swollen cheeks, his expression changed slightly.

"What happened, miss? Is everything alright?" he asked, worry visible on his face "Ah, nothing to be fret over, really, just a bad dream." As I said this a forced smile appeared on my lips, but clearly, he didn't believe me. "Sedene told me that you were locked in here all morning, refusing to let anyone in so I decided to sacrifice my coffee break to go, and check on you personally as you are our guest here."

"You really needn't have to worry about me. I am fine, it was just a dream." he still did not believe in my words but decided to leave the topic at least for now. "Would you like to take a walk by the riverbank? I don't have a lot to do today and I will certainly finish my work by the afternoon. What would you say, miss?"

"With pleasure."

"Great, then we have an appointment. Till later then." Saying that he slightly bowed and turned away to go back. I closed the door, leaning on its wooden surface. What just happened?

If only Furina knew about this. Speaking of her, I decided to go and look for the girl. We weren't friends because we had known each other barely for 2 weeks, still, she often invited me to her tea parties and made fun of almost everything, sometimes it was truly hilarious. I couldn't understand her fully, something felt off with her but I didn't know what. Sometimes she seemed... uptight, even though a smile appeared on her face. I still had no idea why she cried that night when we met but I decided to not pry because if she wanted to, she would have revealed it to me. And she was literally a god here so I was a bit afraid to anger her.

I found out that in this world, Teyvat, there were 7 gods, and each of them had a different elemental power and let's call it attribute. Focalors or as people call her Lady Furina was the god of water and justice. But that was all she said to me. She didn't want to explain more, arguing that it would bore me to death and quickly changing the topic. She told me many stories about her country- Fontaine and from what I have heard and seen with my own eyes I must say that this place was truly fascinating. I was slightly curious about other lands, but it was Fontaine that mesmerized me the most.

I changed my clothes into an airy emerald dress. The simplicity of it was complemented by small details, such as tiny buttons running down the front, which added a classic and timeless charm. The overall effect was one of casual elegance, making it suitable for a variety of occasions, from a relaxed afternoon outing to an informal dinner. The fashion here in Fontaine was stunning. When I first saw these clothes I was in pure shock and decline, saying that it was far too fancy for a person like myself, but both Furina and the dressmaker insisted that it was normal here. Still, I felt guilty, because I was nothing but a burden to them, appearing out of nowhere and doing nothing, only living at their expense. I tried to think of a way to solve this, but nothing came to mind, so I decided to patiently wait and look for a way to repay the kindness shown to me so far, I had to.