Strings - Camp NaNoWriMo 2017

«Castle in the Woods - 5»

The blood flowed like a crimson river.

Aurel never felt it, but she did see it. It trickled down her back, stained her skin and clothes. She touched it, fascinated. All the while Selphie worked, never pausing. Sometimes she would hum a song, a low, gentle melody that seemed to work its way into the crevices of Aurel's mind.

Sometimes Aurel would drift off to sleep. There wasn't much to look at, after all. But every time she dozed off she woke up feeling... different. It was impossible to pinpoint the change exactly. Sometimes it felt as if she was lighter than before. Sometimes her eyesight seemed sharper, able to perceive things that she normally couldn't. Other times the changes were for the worse. Once Aurel awoke after having lost all control of her right arm. She panicked, her head beginning to spin, no Selphie here this time to hold it all back. Shards of her memories began to rush back to her, piece by piece.

The setting sun. Overgrown stone against faded rose gold sky.

"I'm a bit... lost."

Emerald green eyes. The curiosity within them.

Selphie's fingers brushing Aurel's skin as she withdrew.

"Aurel!" A voice broke through Aurel's daze. "Aurel!"

An incoherent sound escaped Aurel's lips as she leaned forward, placing her pounding head into her hands. Selphie rushed to her, wrapping her arms around her small form. Selphie's fingers ran across Aurel, across the strings in the air.

"Rest," she whispered, her undertone of urgency evident. "Please Aurel. Rest, and when you wake up, stay with me." Her voice sounded almost sorrowful, a crack in her seemingly perfect armor.

Then light flashed across Aurel's vision as everything went dark once more.

But just as quickly as it went away, the scenery came back.

Aurel blinked a few times, trying to get her bearings. She knew this place. She knew it well. But somehow... it was different.

"Leave?" Selphie was asking, flashing that strange smile, the one that never quite reached her eyes. Her finger tapped faster and faster, as if she were anxious for things to move along quicker. "I hope you're not planning on leaving in this downpour?"

"Downpour? Rain? What are you-" Aurel said, the words escaping out of her words as if of their own will. Her eyes flicked towards the window. Indeed it was pouring rather hard, the raindrops splattering against the castle walls.

"Oh... I suppose you're right."

"Mm-hm..." Selphie stared out the clouded glass, gazing at the brewing storm. Aurel found herself mimicking her actions, watching the rain come crashing down outside. Her thoughts were still spinning around in her head, like sand in a bottle that hadn't quite settled down yet.

Suddenly the clouds churned. Lightning flashed. The ground began to rumble, giving off a low roar. The rain swirled, forming and deconstructing and reforming again until it created the figure of an enormous, angry beast. The form darkened, blending in with the night. Then it tilted its head back and let loose a shattering roar.

Aurel jumped back, her chair skidding against the wood. "Selphie!" she yelped, at a loss for anything else to say.

Selphie remained seated. She retained her composure, turning in place to face Aurel. Then she tilted her head and gave an eerie smile. "It's all in your head," she said, her voice soft and velvet. "It's all in your head."

Aurel clenched her fists, her fingernails digging into her skin, trying to steady herself. "What do you mean? What are you talking about?!" Her breathing came jagged, uneven. Her heart leaped into her throat. Everything felt wrong, different, as if she were.... in the wrong reality.

Selphie stood up. "It's all in your head." Her bare feet made no sound on the floor as she moved closer. "Listen to me Aurel." Her lips, forming the haunting words. Her eyes, glistening in the dim light.

Aurel tried to back away, inching into unknown territory, unable to look away from the slowly approaching figure and the creature prowling outside. Suddenly she tripped, sending herself flying down with a yelp. Selphie leaned down, kneeling beside her and calmly placing her hands on Aurel's temples. She tried to scramble away, succeeding only in pressing her back flat against the wall.

"It's all in your head."