Tiara Sparks and the Maid of Melancholy

Through the Lake of Glass

"Ti. Ti. Ti. Tiara!" Whispers Lorcan into my ear, as I trudge down the path.

"What?" I whisper back irritably. "And why are we whispering?"

"Because," he says, pulling my wrist and swerving me around. "We could get caught. They have rules for a reason, you know?" He glances above his shoulder at the merry party of The Forever Lonely Kids -cough cough- our fellow orphans from the Middleton Orphanage. They run around, clutching each other in fits of laughter as they play Blindman's Buff. The Sisters sit around watching the kids play, while the older kids hang out in the farther edges of the meadow, trying to act cool.

"What about the older kids?" I argue. "They're wandering around too."

"Do you even hear yourself? They're the older kids. They are basically above the law," he dreamily emphasises.

I roll my eyes and trudge away from him anyways.

"Oh, come one Tiara, please. What are you going to do there anyways?" He pleads, running to my side.

"I just want some peace and quiet, okay? This migraine's been eating through my head the whole entire day, and if spend one more second over there, I might just run mad!" I exclaim, exasperated.

"The headache you had since you got the dream? You still have it? Are you okay?" He asks immediately, his voice laced with worry.

"I'm okay. I just need some space away from those...things," I reply, smiling slightly at his worry.

"Then come. We're going to the lake," he says, grabbing my hand and pulling me forward.

I feel a pang of guilt. I wasn't entirely truthful to Lorcan, but there would be no way he would have let me go if I told him what happened in the dream. I happen to be a... prophetic dreamer. It's not like my dreams can predict the future or anything, but many things in my daily life- small or big always seem to be a déjà vu situation. Like I've been told about this before. Over the past few days, (yes, days. I happen to daydream a lot.) I've been getting this dream of a lake.

A lake with crystal clear water, nestled in woods. Even the dreams, the lake always seems to be attracting me, beckoning to come towards it, but when I try, I don't even move an inch closer to it. But last night, last night was a disaster. I had tried, and tried, and tried, but no progress, and with every try, pain seared through me. I had woken up shaking and quivering, with a hammering migraine since then. I just had to go to the lake.

Which was quite easy, even with having I'll-be-a-pain-in-the-ass Lorcan. I knew the exact location of the lake- I'd crossed it a hundred times before. But I've never been the most obedient kid in the orphanage and I've been grounded since ages. So, I conveniently asked for a picnic in this very area, making my task much easier. And not to mention, I, am a master sneaker.

The lake comes to my view and I squeeze Lorcan's hand in excitement. Something about this place makes my skin jump and my spine shiver. In a good, and a mysterious way. Lorcan climbs his way up the sturdy rock jutting out above the lake, and sits himself down at its base. He exhales and and leans back, soaking in the watery scent of the lake. His blonde hair flops back and he closes his eyes. I stand and observe him, his relaxed posture and his lanky legs. In all twelve years of my variable life, he has been the only constant. (See what I did there? It's math, you dunces!) On a more serious note though, he's been my best friend and also like a brother I never had, and the only person who's ever loved me.

Lorcan blinks open an eye and raises his eyebrow at me. "You have fifteen minutes, Sparks. Fifteen. And if you want to spend it all on staring at me, fine, but let me tell you- you're not going to come back to this lake for a while now."
I scowl at him as he cheerfully returns to his original position, and seat myself at the tip of the rock.