-Prologue
The air was cold against my skin. The taunting voices in my head screeching as the room grew closer and closer. My body was slightly shoved toward the door, my blindfold slipping under my ear as i fought to keep it up with my shoulder.
I began to sweat. The heat was intoxicating as the door to the room was opened. I knew, at my young age, that any human entering this room on this very day would no longer be concise.
Although my eye's were covered i could already imagine the fire blazing in the center of the room. This day has been described to me for years. I had never understood what the meaning of it was. All i knew was it was the day i said goodbye to my mother.
My heart beat faster as the voices grew louder. I heard my mother whispering as she stalked toward the fire. My grip was tight around the thick lace that hung from her dress. My father's hands were placed on my shoulder's as he guided me deeper into the smoky room.
The wooden walls creaked and shook as we filled the room. My mother halted causing my small body to bump into her own. The blindfold slipped from around my head to my neck. I let go of my mothers dress and brushed the hair out of my face, my eye's widening at the sight.
The fire was brighter than any other. Ashes were thrown away from the flames onto the stable, wooden walls. I watched as the smoke swirled forming figures that began moving. Looking through the smoke figures as they moved and spoke to one another, dashing from side to side, i realized how scared i truly was on the inside.
I looked up at my mother as we formed a circle around the blazing flames. Her mouth was moving with soft murmurs and whispers being said. Her eye's would dart around the room every once and awhile glancing at the fire.
She locked eye's with my grandfather who stood next to the empty spot where my grandmother would have stood. I knew, though, that it was a good thing. She wasn't here for an important reason. Her grandmother wasn't there when her mother had sacrificed for her, either.
After many days, weeks, months and years of questioning the day we sacrifice ourselves for our daughter's i put the puzzle pieces together on my own. My mother alway's tried looking at it as a gift. A gift which was given at young age but stuck around, like a best friend, which gave pain.
I remembered how i would find my mother curled up in the study crying, late at night. She'd hold me tight, to the point where i could hardly breath. "I love daddy too much." She'd cry rubbing the small scar on my cheek with her thumb. "I cant hold daddy's hand...I cant kiss daddy goodnight." I never understood why. "I only hurt him." I knew what she was. I knew what she called a gift really was pain. Pain itself is what she was.
Those were the night's i lost hope. It wasn't a gift. It was a curse.
I looked up at my mother again. Her eye's were wild as her lips moved faster and faster. My father seemed worried but he knew he had no control of what was bound to happen.
I only stared at the fire hoping the day would soon end. I could no longer bare looking at my grandfather who was now used to loosing his loved ones or my father who was madly in love with someone who knew she was no good. I may have been young but i was strong.
I stared into the fire watching it grow. The smoke figures circled around us, touching my skin leaving red scratches, its heat burning my flesh. I only ignored them, sick of the idea i had something that wasn't supposed to come to life around my family.
The grey, steaming figure's swirled around our bodies moving around the room. I watched one as it carelessly danced around my mother grabbing her hair in its hands and softly letting go. I watched others frolic around the fire, the heat giving them power, it seemed.
I couldn't help the urge to touch one or motion for one to come over and stand with me. They seemed so alive and playful. The only harm was the heat that they carried around.
I listened as my grandfather chanted words i have never heard before, ignoring the presence of someone i suddenly felt. I breathed in the smoke, not minding at all.
I looked at my mother again and saw her looking at me, too. She smiled, my grandfather still speaking rather loudly to the flames. I closed my eye's as her hand ran over my scar, a familiar gesture that held reassurance and my favourite...hope.
She knelt in front of me allowing me to grab a strand of her long red hair in my hand. I looked closely as her hair began to loose its color. I quickly looked into her once blue eyes. Those, too, were fading to the color white.
I let go of her hair and smiled back. I wanted her to know i was confident in what was happening. Things are meant to be this way. There's a reason shes leaving and i know it.
"I believe in you." She whispered to me, grabbing both my hands in hers.
I nodded believing in myself too.
"Your going to change the world," I noticed the smoke figures curiosity guiding them toward my mother and i as we quietly spoke. "i can feel it."
I looked into her lifeless eye's. Her smile was shown again before she wrapped her arms around me hugging me for the last time. I hugged her back, watching as her hair began changing color even faster.
I looked up at the smoke figure who was watching us. I waved my small hand, smiling when he followed suit, bouncing away.
Something caught my eye, though.
A dark figure. It wasn't the same color as the smoke figures. It wasn't grey and see through. It was black. It stood in the back of the room alone and out of sight. I saw it's body moving as it breathed in and out. I quickly looked away hoping it would be gone.
My mother reluctantly let go of me and continued speaking to herself, her eyes set on the fire that had grown even bigger.
I looked back at where the black figure was and found him standing there. My heart dropped when i saw him smiling and looking back at me with the most dreadful red eye's.
