Trapped In A Dead Man's Mansion

The Day I Fell Ill: Mice In A Maze

The Day I Fell Ill: Mice In A Maze

    Raine... Raine...

   Huh?

    Raine!

    What?!

    Z!

    I opened my eyes to a new,  beautiful world. Everything was clear, clear as day. I could see, hear, smell, feel, sense, everything! Like a newborn, my eyes opened wide to a sight I'd never seen. I could seemingly see every particle in the air above me. I could see the oxygen going in and out of my body. And most importantly, I could see the face I loved in all new detail.

   "Z," Aaron sighed in relief but stared at me in confusion. As I took in my surroundings, I realized that we were in our guest room.

   Things were different, though... No they just appeared much clearer and I could smell each and every object in the room. Surely, I had changed much to drastically. I felt high, like a god. The feeling of easily being able to alter and change whatever I wanted, I relished in it for a few seconds before realizing that Aaron was probably clueless to the state I was in.

   And all of a sudden, the memories came rushing back to me. "Aaron!"

   "You fainted in the hallway..." his face was sour with sadness and since the details were so much clearer than before, his face made me want to cry. So I did.

   "What's wrong?" Aaron quickly composed himself to care for me before himself.

   "I know what's happened," I muttered as I wiped the warm tears from my face. And it felt weird, like a whole new experience though I knew I should feel accustomed to the action I'd done countless times before. "My abilities have been magnetized."

   Silence followed my statement as we both struggled to understand what I'd just said. It was obviously the truth. How else could I explain the floating feeling in my stomach? The power I felt in my head? The unfamiliar lightness in my heart?

   "How is that possible? I don't understand anything of what you've gone through. Melony called me from dinner and told me that you'd been acting weird," his eyes dropped to his hands as he explained the events from before my unconsciousness.

    "Remember when I was kidnapped?"

   I regretted my words as soon as I saw Aaron's terrifying expression. He looked murderous.

   "Yes," he said through clenched teeth. "But what has that got to do with what happened?"

   "How long has it been since dinner?"

   Taking a look at the clock, Aaron replied, "Daylight is approaching..."

   "It hasn't been long..." I whispered. "Do you remember when we made our escape from The Village?" I still didn't understand how Aaron established that feat...

   "Yes."

   "Before you found me, they injected me with a dull-purple liquid."

   As I spoke, Aaron's eyes widened and his face took on an expression of mixed surprise and rage.

   "Do you understand what they've done to me?"

   "That's not possible," he said quietly, his face calculating. "If they injected you with any amount of A1, then you wouldn't be here right now."

   "No," I said, my mind was revolving around the earth at an incredible speed. "A1 would kill any fox-spirit or Whispe in a tiny amount... But I'm not a normal Whispe. I don't think they meant to kill me. If D knew, he'd-"

   "D?" at this rate, Aaron's eyes would pop out of his head soon. "Don't tell me that monster was there?"

   "He was the one who injected me."

   Aaron's fist made incredible impact with the nearby wooden desk. And it created a visible indent.

   "Calm down, " I whispered to the panting fox-spirit.

   "So since your body has absorbed the A1, what do you think will happen?"

   "My abilities will increase until it is at it's full power. At that point, I'll have to learn to master my skill or I could die from all the power my body won't be able to control."

   "This is too horrible," Aaron laid his head against my neck. "The next time I see that scum, I'll-"

   "He did it on the order of The Elders."

   That comment caused the shock on Aaron's face. "How did you come up with that conclusion? And why would they want to inject you with a death serum such as A1?"

   And that's when I pieced half the puzzle together.

   "Maybe they wanted to see if I could die."

   And I could instantly tell that we were both thinking of that day, years ago. When we were both young and didn't understand why I had been taken to that place.

   The place I left The Village to escape from.

   "Whatever their plans, I'll make sure they don't have the chance to touch you again."

   I smiled sadly as I remembered what Aaron had said yesterday.

   A Friend.

   And we laid there on the bed, thinking over the future. What would I do with these powers?

   The possibilities were endless.

   "AHHHHHHHHHH!" I winced at the noise. My new ears were so sensitive...

   We both jumped into action as the shriek pierced the peaceful night.

    "Raine," Aaron whispered as we ran down the corridors.

   "I'm perfectly fine," I muttered as I picked up my long dress which was hindering me. No, better than fine!

   "What's with all the noise?" Aaron questioned as we both found that all the mansion's guests were gathered at the main entrance.

   "We don't-" somebody began to say.

   "How could this happen?"

   I turned to stare at the shocked Kat.

   "What exactly occurred?"

   "Look for yourself," she whispered through chattering teeth. Her eyes were wide with shock and her skin had become a deathly pale as she stared at something behind me.

   And that's when I finally took note of our surroundings. And I smelled that horrid smell that I'd only sensed once before.

   Blood.

   Aaron was the first to push through everybody and to find the body.

   I quickly followed and found an elderly man's corpse lying, chest-down, on the carpeted floor.

    And wasn't that surprised to find that the victim was Edward Lurrenwood.

   Before I could even assess the situation, I noticed a commotion near the mansion front doors.

   "What are you doing?" a group of teenagers were staring at the double doors, wide-eyed.

   "The door..." one girl muttered.

   "It won't open," the Asian boy finished her sentence. And for some reason, the smell of fear that the room reeked of gave me a tingle of pleasure.