Living on the Island of Vaas (A Farcry Fanfiction)

Chapter 20: Can You See the Dark?

Everything's got a moral, if only you can find it.

Chapter 20: Can You See the Dark?

Myra surged up from a dreamless sleep, eyes fluttering open in a swift motion. She stared at the ceiling, feeling the pains in her head and face. Breathing heavily, she remembered Vaas' outbreak. Where was he now? Would he even remember what he did to her face? She didn't even want to see her face, it was enough feeling the bruises, she didn't need to see them. But she was tempted to observe Vaas' art. She started by lifting her head, which she regretted. The tremors pounding in her head made it difficult to sit up on her mattress. It took her two tries to sit up, the bruises on her face making it difficult to make any facial expressions. 

She heard the squeal of Bella when she sat up. She smiled when the little tiger jumped her way up on her lap. She sat on Myra's crotch, observing her face like it was abstract art. And it probably was. "Hey there," Myra murmured, stroking behind Bella's right ear. Purring, Bella closed her eyes and enjoyed the sensation. "Sorry about last night, you know," Myra chuckled, wincing when her cheek started to burn. Bella lay down in her lap, closing her eyes slowly as Myra continued to scratch her ear. "Hope we didn't scare you too bad." Another chuckle, another wince.  

After a while of contemplating the small creature sleep on her lap, Myra got the mirror. Hesitantly, she brought it up to her face, her heart squeezing. Her face was bad. Blood had dried underneath a cut lip and a bruised chin. A bright blue bruise covered the right cheek, connecting to her eyebrow which was crusted in dried blood. Her nose was bloody, blood running down to her mouth, but it didn't seem broken. Under her left eye, there was a purple bruise, not big enough to deny her eye from opening. Luckily for her, Vaas had spared her eyes, but she couldn't say the same for the assortment of bruises on her jaw. When she pressed a finger on the sore spot, she winced. Her face was a complete mess. 

Sadness overwhelmed her body then. It washed over every bone in her body, pulsating in her veins and contracting in her muscles. Her face slid down in the mirror as the emotion took a hard grip on her. The realization that, on this island, anything could happen to her. Her face was the proof. She couldn't walk out without fearing for her body or mind, couldn't think about wondering the camp alone at night. She was a woman captive, living on a certain degree of freedom in a pirate world. She wasn't going to change anything here, probably just end up like every other captives: dead. Bella would probably run into the wild after Myra's death, so she didn't have to worry too much. She wasn't totally free, and when Myra's freedom was limited, it made her itch for that breath of life. That breath you take when you leave detention, feeling free and light. She hadn't taken that breath in almost a month. A month. How were her parents doing? Her sister? Did they move on already, thinking their creepy daughter was finally out of the picture? Or were they still searching for her? She hoped that they wouldn't search, not to waste their time on someone who would never come back. Either way, Myra wasn't leaving this island. If they let her go by magic, she would chose to stay. There's nothing for her to go back to, except the life of restrictions. The other way she could leave if she wasn't set free, was death. The latter one was becoming a real consideration. 

A soft pounding on the door shook her from her daze. Bella lunged for the door, scratching her nails on the wood. "Bella," Myra ordered her back, the cub obeying magically. With one big gulp of fear, Myra spoke to whoever was behind that door. She hoped it wasn't Vaas, but she couldn't be scared of him, she just couldn't. "Yes?" she asked, her voice louder. The door creaked open, squealing as Bella ran to the intruder. However, it wasn't Vaas, but Carlos. 

"Hey," he said, poking his face through the door, checking to see if the coast was clear. Myra frowned, examining his dark disheveled hair and chocolate eyes, scanning the room. Bella jumped at his feet, demanding his attention. She scratched as his calves, squeaking at him.