The Pain in My Heart [Completed]

Chapter Thirty-Eight ~Zaria

"So, this object. Do you have any idea of what it might be?" Lucy asks after a very awkward silence.

Turns out when Mika stalked out of the room she didn't go very far. The second I opened the door for everyone to file out, Mika practically fell on top of me. The sneak.

"Well, I was hoping you could tell me that. Is there anything of importance that could link you to Eden, anything at all?" asks Tyrian.

A lightbulb goes off in my head. "What about the necklaces? Crista's and mine. They come from the same cave our old necklaces came from." I try not to think about the black coal my crystal turned into trying to reach out to Crista. Is she okay or did that only happen because I let Eden into my head?

"I don't think so," he says blandly. "The cave is a shrine of magic, not a hall of fame about Eden. Annnddd no offense, but my visions aren't about you."

I press my lips together and nod tightly. "Noted."

Lucy's cheeks go pink. Her pace slows and her face turns from blushed to flushed.

"What's the matter?" I ask, worried.

"Why hadn't I thought of it before?" she mutters. "It's been so obvious."

"What," Tyrian asks looking as if he's about to shake the answer out of her.

"Follow me," she says running off. Her pale blonde curls flow like a river behind her as she races down the hall. I've never seen her run so ungracefully, but the view makes me smile. She looks like a little girl getting ready to play hide and seek while someone counts to ten.

We race through the halls. Voices pass us by.

"Hey, where are you off to so quickly?"

"Princess, is that you?"

"Who is that?"

We run all the way to Lucy's room. Throwing open the doors she dashes to her wardrobe and starts frantically digging through boxes.

"Lucy, what—"

"You know," Tyrian leans down and speaks into my ear. "I don't know if I want to know what she's looking for."

A part of my heart rips but I can't help but smile. This is what I had missed. Having a friend to joke and laugh with.

"Ah ha!" Lucy exclaims turning around wildly, flashing a worn doll in our faces. "I found her in the castle when I was little. I played with her all the time." She says shoving its ratted hair closer to Tyrian's face.

"Alright, I believe you!" he says pushing the somewhat creepy doll away from him.

It looks as though 30 years ago the doll would have been beautiful and pristine... now it is a beautiful disaster. The golden hair mattes on top of her head. There are cracks and some sort of paint that marks the skin. Its two blue eyes differ in color and the doll's dress is torn and stained everywhere.

There is an unusual smell that comes from the doll. Like an old library that got burnt.

"I had long forgotten about the doll, but now I remember why I loved it so much." She sits down on her bed cradling the doll in her hands, admiring it. "I had found the doll under the bed. I don't know how it got there but I remember hearing a whisper while I was dozing off to sleep. I was so scared. This had been after... everything that happened. They're coming for me, I had thought. By some miracle, I willed myself to look under my bed and I found Lucy."

"Lucy?"

"Yes," she breathes. "She told me her name was Lucy and that she would be my friend while I was in hiding."