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⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽ reverie ☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅
Floating.
Suspended in the abyss, Lorna felt as if she was floating, adrift in a sea of nothingness. The only thing around her was the desperate cry that had erupted from Edmund's lips as she drove the knife into her stomach. His frantic scream reverberated in her mind, echoing endlessly, and the raw agony in his voice seemed to eclipse her own physical pain.
She had hurthim.
It was the last thing she ever wanted to do. All she had sought was to break the curse, to bring an end to the suffering that plagued them all. But in her attempt to help, she had shattered his heart.
"Please, wake up," a voice pleaded, muffled and distant, breaking through the haunting repetition of Edmund's cry.
"You can't be in here. This is the Outcasts' room," another voice cut in, laced with impatience.
She recognised that voice. It was Gale.
"God, I wish I could be a bird just to shit on you," the first voice muttered, the bitterness unmistakable.
Edmund.
"Why, you insensitive — " Gale's voice thundered.
"Can we stay calm and collected here, please?" a third voice intervened, authoritative yet weary.
Aiysha.
Lorna couldn't see them, couldn't move, yet their voices surrounded her as though they were right beside her. It was disorienting, like being trapped in a dream where she was both present and absent, a mere observer to her own fate.
"Come on, Aiysha, why are we showing favour toward this little prince?" Gale's voice dripped with scorn.
"You do realise I am a king, right? Far more powerful than a boy who merely fancies himself important," Edmund replied, his tone cool, yet underlined with a quiet fury.
"I am surrounded by idiots," Aiysha whispered to herself, exasperation clear in her voice, and Lorna could almost see the annoyed roll of her eyes.
The girl fought to move, to make some sign that she was still there. Drowning out the sound of the bickering boys, she tried to move her fingers, but they remained stubbornly still. She willed her toes to twitch, but they too refused to obey.
Had she succeeded in ending the curse by sacrificing herself? If so, why could she still hear them, feel their presence?
Confusion swirled within her, but not for long. Slowly, as if breaking through layers of darkness, she felt a small victory. Her middle finger twitched.
