The Fire Lily [On Hold]

Chapter 3: Questions

The pain stopped and Olive wondered if she was dead. Her throat was sore and her muscles were stiff. She felt like she'd been there for hours. Daring to open her eyes she lifted her head from her knees and looked into the Red Sea that was surrounding her. Panic and fear built up inside of her, freezing her muscles, stifling her scream and filling every inch of her body with terror.

She was unaware when a pair of hands reached down to grab her. A hand touched her. An icy cold feeling swept through her body. Her mind felt clear. She stood up and looked up. When she saw the hands trying to help her out she grabbed them. As soon as she was up and free from the fire she fell to her hands and knees. She crawled away from the house to the edge of the street and retched onto the road. Once the worst was over she became aware of someone standing behind her. She couldn't stand up to look at them for fear of seeing the house. Thoughts of it paralysed her and she could hardly breathe as another panic attack ensued. The person behind her rested their hand on her arm and came round to crouch in front of her. Again at the touch of their hand a cold clarity came to Olive and she no longer felt fearful of the bonfire behind her.

"Who are you?" She asked in a scratchy voice. She winced at how grating it sounded. She looked up at the person in front of her. They were a boy. The one she had seen being attacked earlier. He had a sedated yet defiant look about him. His hair was short and brown, his eyes were light and grey and his jaw was strong and square.

"I am Bernen from Ort der Ruhe." He stated proudly. He had some type of accent but Olive couldn't tell which. She stared at him warily.

"How did you beat those people back there? Why is my house on fire? Why am I not burnt? Why am I cold when you touch me? Who are you in more detail?" Olive blurred some questions out. The boy smiled, as if slightly amused by Olive's questions,

"I am trained in fighting. You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Details about me will have to wait till later, there are more pressing matters you must learn about." Bernen answered the questions and indicated that he would answer no more. He stood up but kept his hand on Olive's arm. As Olive watched him mutter a few words she started to feel sick again. Bernen started to fade and Olive stood up in alarm. A sudden feeling of tiredness came over her. The last thing she remembered was Bernen disappearing and the road rushing up to meet her face.

•••-•••

Olive woke up. She was in a pitch black room. She could only just see her hand if she stuck it in front of her face. She sat up and shifted around. She heard a clicking sound and a bright light flickered into existence. Olive shielded her eyes from the sudden onslaught of light. She gradually got used to it and opened her eyes. She stared in front of her.

There was a sheet of glass with someone standing behind it. Focusing in the girl behind the glass she frowned. A worm of horror squirmed inside her belly when she realised that the girl behind the glass was her. She was staring at a reflection.

Her eyes were sharper, icier and colder. They used to be a deep and smooth indigo colour. Now they were
forget-me-not blue crystals embedded in the snow of her skin. She used to have a light tan but now that was gone, her skin was a pinky-white. It was also smoother with less blemishes. Her previously light brown hair was now blonde. It looked longer and straighter. She didn't like it, she decided she preferred how she looked before. She turned away from the mirror in disgust.

As she looked round the room she saw a door on the wall to her right. She sank to the floor and closed her eyes, trying to get the image of her new appearance out of her head. She was disturbed by how much she had changed but she couldn't get her new appearance out of her head. She couldn't stop thinking about the most horrifying change of all: her arms. They had tattoos on. Tattoos of fire, twisting around her arms and clogging her mind when she thought of them.

It looks so real she couldn't stop thinking, it looks so real.

A tear rolled down her cheek and she wiped it away, trying to stay calm. It didn't work, memories of the red flickering sea came back to her and squeezed her heart with fear. She was drowning in the fears in her mind, in the memories of the horrors she had seen.

There was the sound of a key turning, a bolt sliding and a door opening. She didn't move. She stayed hunched on the floor in the middle of the room. A hand rested on her shoulder and a familiar freezing but free feeling came over her. Memories came back to her of the boy rescuing her from her burning house. She looked up to see Bernen standing in front of her, gazing worriedly down at her. She stood up to face him. Bernen was about the same height as her so she didn't have to look up or down to him. She shook her limbs to relax them and smiled at Bernen, waiting for him to speak. He did,

"Please come, there are some things I need to show you." He started to walk out the door and beckoned for her to follow him. She didn't move.

"Are you going to explain?" She asked. Bernen turned around.

"Not yet, but soon." He replied. Suddenly Olive felt angry at Bernen, really angry. She took a couple of steps closer to him and sent punch to his face. She didn't even realise she had clenched her fists. He caught her fist in one hand and with the other he reached out and slapped her. Her reactions were too slow to stop him but she tried to kick his shins. Bernen shuffled his feet back but kept his hand on her fist. Suddenly he disappeared. Olive blinked. The next thing she registered was her arm twisted behind her back and a hand forcing her to bend over slightly. Bernen stood behind her.

"I'm sorry ok, I can't do anything about it. I don't know all the answers to your questions." Bernen said, he released Olive and walked past her to the door. His actions raised more questions but her anger had dissipated. She didn't understand why she had suddenly exploded at Bernen. As Olive was walking towards the door she shivered. The girl frowned as she rubbed her arms, she felt unusually cold after her small fight with Bernen.

Olive followed Bernen out the door and traipsed after him as she looked around her.

Please vote or comment to let me know if you want me to keep writing and, again, if you have any ideas please comment - I will try to reply. 😊