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Chapter 4

Blinking my eyes open, my hands shook as if I had tremors or Alzheimors, but I shook my head slowly, still on the ground. I was near the glass door as well it seemed, there were more shards in my chest and arms, not the best for my now blood flooding the ground to a minimum. "God.." I muttered before slowly sitting up and attempting to brush off the shards only causing more gashes in the already large open wounds.

Blood stained my sleeves and shirt as my breathing heavied and quickened as I slowly picked out each one once more as when I had entered the building in the first place. Sniffing lightly, and wiped my nose with my bloody arm leaving dark red salty liquid to remain and drip from my face down my neck. Gulping, I reached my hand to the ground and grabbed a large shard of glass and pushed myself off the ground with my other hand. I held the shard in my hand as I slowly began to walk out of the hospital facility, a trail of blood following each time I set and lifted my bloody boots onto the ground.

"God damnit.." I muttered under my breath as I glanced back at the facility, "I ain't going back there." Talking quietly, I took a deep breath before looking forward and continuing to walk step by step. "D-dumb," finishing my breath of speech, my gaze tilted down to the ground, searching. "Huh?" My eyeing gaze caught something move then stop. I froze at the sight of a large figure, but not human of any sort, shift and move with an ominous yowl coming from the shape like a tiger's snarl to attack and rip it's enemy or prey to shreds.

My body froze, paralyzed by the fear, the sky dark with the sudden dark clouds only a bombastic flame burning and imitating in the sky would. I couldn't tell the time so much, it was dark before the shape looked directly at me, luminescent glaring blue eyes staring with nothingness flowing through and away. I gulped and slowly backed away, my muscles slowly regaining themselves before my right ankle sprinted in pain and I fell to the ground, my leg twitching and shaking from the pain.

The eyes in the shadow blinked a few times, the size was up to 4 feet, but it stayed low and long on all 4 of its feet. I blinked a few times, my pupils shaking as the shape got closer and closer before jumping straight at me, the huge shadow tackling onto me before I had the chance to scream. I closed my eyes as I fell the pounce before the weight seemed to lift and I slowly opened my eyes and stared straight into the slit pupils and blue irises of the large creature.

I gulped before attempting to move, but found unable to move and on top of that the creature had one large long haired paw on my chest, pushing when I even attempted to back up on my back even. The creature's head shook before it lay down on my stomach. Blinking a few times, I took a deep breath before looking up at the sky then at the creature. The appearance was becoming more visual, a dual-colored creature, black and a type of orange. The eyes of the creature were a bright, yet darkening, hazel color that gazed into nothingness with misty white pupils that seemed to not even exist in the creature.

As I stared into the eyes of the beast, my eyes widened, I blinked a few times before getting up, I wasn't here. I quickly sat down in a black chair with some kind of symbol on the back of it. I gulped for a second, I held a large silver object in my hand. I blinked a few times at the objects pure size and was frankly confused at my easy going posture being able to hold it just right. It was a bass flute. I didn't know quite how I knew the name, let alone how I put it together with the beast of an instrument.. Instrument, what was that?

My gaze wandered from side to side as I noticed another kid next to me, the exact same age as myself, or at least that's what it seemed like. "Aoife, you okay..?" The person held a Bassoon, what was a Bassoon? I supposed it was another instrument. I took another breath for a second before nodding slowly and saying lightly. "Yeah.. Um, where are we..?" I asked, trying to figure out what the name of this person was however couldn't quite put my finger on it. The bassoon player's gaze was confused before she smiled and turned forward and whispered once again in response. "We're a states festival, you know, that thing we've been working for, the whole band has." I now noticed people all around me, not just this person who played the Bassoon. I gulped for a second before looking down then forward, there was a stand, what was a stand..? I shook of the question and saw paper with strange writing on it, rather more symbols than anything.

I made out the title of the paper and symbols; "The Dark Moon." I blinked a few times before looking forward more and on, a man had a suit on that stood on an object, was it a podium? A podium, I wasn't quite sure what that was, just felt natural. My gaze was fixed passed the Conductor, conductor.. I shook the word away as the many others I'd have been as to somewhat avoid, I didn't exactly think of anything much when it came to emotion usually, however now, I felt different..

"Aoife E O'Sullivan." There was a man sitting at a desk who was looking up at the band with a gaze that showed only a man of a true gaze, a gaze of wonder. However, this man hadn't said the name, the Conductor had. Taking a quick breath, I quickly stood up almost voluntarily, why didn't I wait? I pushed the question, I must have missed some of the conversation, perhaps the man at the desk had asked my name? My questions continued as I nearly zoned out again, however the questions were pushed to the side and my focus returned.

"Have you played the normal flute?" The man at the desk was standing now, I must have missed when he did. However, shaking off the thoughts once again, I answered with knowing, no hesitation. "Yes, for my first three years, this is my first year with the bass flute." My accent was as strong as ever, I wasn't from this state, this country even, I was an Immigrant.

"For your first year, the sound is beautiful, especially with the blend with the bassoon player next to you." My expression hadn't changed, it was plain, it was constant, no smile, no frown. The bassoon player next to me smiled and bumped me, likely to get me to smile as well, thus I did, but I didn't exactly feel the emotion, only attempted to mimic it.

"Thank you." I said simple with my mimicked smile soon fading once instructed to sit, was in instructed or did it because my legs were getting tired? Can my limbs even get tired..? My questions flooded again before disappearing at the next statement, rather question asked. The man behind the desk was asking this, "Could you play measure 60 to the end?" I blinked a few times and glanced at the paper, I now noticed numbers next to each little section. My eyes fluttered with blinks before the person next to me, once again guided me by putting her finger on the paper. "Right there," She whispered.

My gaze wandered a bit before finally resting where she had pointed. "Okay," I muttered before as if done my whole life, I played, I played every rhythm, ever dynamic gave shape.. I didn't know how I did it, I just, just did. My gaze stared to slowly blur out, became blank, became black.

The final note of the Dark Moon played and I opened my eyes. The large beast was in the same position it was when the scene, the scene changed. I was shocked, petrified. Petrified from memory I never had, the memory faded and I was back, I stared into the eyes of the beast. "Scotch."