Pieces of Time

Piece 5- Dreams and Ashes

Alissida, 8 years old

The walls are so bleak. They seem to leach the colour from my cheeks, my hair, my ragged clothes. Our footsteps squeak too loudly in this cold, grey tomb. A shiver runs through my body and I risk a glance up at Sophie. A second after her hand tightens in warning, I cry out as a smack to my head makes pain lash up my spine, the sound reverberating around these cold walls. I stare straight ahead but am powerless to quell the cool kiss of tears sliding down my face, their salty taste stinging my sore lips. My vision blurs, and I clutch Sophie's hand tighter. She squeezes once, in comfort, and so I lift my chin, eyes narrowed, and march on, ignoring the sniggers from behind me. I am Alissida Pretorius, and I will not be afraid.

Alissida- present

My eyes fly open and I lurch up in bed, a scream gathering in my lungs, but cool, firm hands grab my shoulders before I make a sound. I glance around the room quickly, then lift my eyes to Sebastian. Sebastian. He's knelt beside me, hands holding my shoulders, eyes searching my face. I listen to the sound of my ragged breathing and he slowly uses a thumb to wipe the tears from my cheeks. Leaning into the coolness of his hand, I close my eyes, my breathing once again steady.

"You were crying," he says, hopelessly, "and screaming."

"After you blacked out yesterday I carried you to bed- you've been asleep ever since then." He peers at me, questioning, but I can barely open my eyes let alone talk.

"Nightmare," I whisper, my throat rasping. I let myself fall back onto the pillows, and close my eyes. "Just another nightmare." It's too soon to face my past, when my memories have been suppressed for so long. And with that, I drift into a dreamless sleep, his presence a shield from the memories that have haunted my dreams for the past 10 years.

Sebastian

Her face is so young, so peaceful. I watch as her brow relaxes, her lips open slightly, and I tuck the covers closer around her sleeping form. The sound of her screams still echo in my mind, the pure, undiluted terror within them causing my blood to run cold. She shifts restlessly, and a name dances on her lips.

Sophie.

I rise reluctantly from beside her, the rumbling of my stomach overriding my urge to protect her. I stand up and stretch my back, listening to the music of singing birds outside the window. Dawn was always my favourite time of day- cool, clear, and quiet. With a childhood like mine, silence was a luxury.

Leaving Ali asleep, I pad out of the room and into the kitchen -only pausing to flick on the coffee machine on my way in. The rhythmic thump of a tail against the floor reminds me to bend down and give Max a belly-rub; his mouth parted in a wide, doggy grin. I groan as I stand up, much to Max's disappointment, and slump on a comfy, worn chair with a mug of strong coffee.

Thoughts whirl around my head as I struggle to make sense of the blur that has been these past few days. The dance that I was mysteriously invited to, the shock of finding Alissida, the note I found on her door when I plucked up the courage to find her and explain, and the dread that curdled in my stomach as I found her, curled up and beaten, under a tree in the middle of a wicked storm. I lean back in my chair and sigh, absentmindedly running my fingers through Max's soft fur. "At least you never change," I mutter wearily to him, "even if the world makes no sense anymore."

"Talking to yourself is the first sign of madness, you know."

I leap up and whirl around, the steaming coffee splashing down my clothes. I swear silently, but relax my tensed arms when Ali steps, grinning, into the room.

"Don't do that." I frown, peering into my now-empty mug. "You nearly gave me a heart attack." I grab a cloth from the sink and roughly wipe the coffee from my pyjamas.

"Looks like someone woke up Grumpy this morning," she mutters, rolling her eyes. "I usually let him sleep." She walks carefully towards the fridge and grabs a yoghurt from the top shelf. Claiming my now vacated chair, she curls up like a cat and looks hopefully towards the coffee machine.

Point taken.

Five minutes later, with Ali smugly clasping her coffee mug and me depositing her empty yoghurt pot in the bin, I settle into the chair opposite her and consider how to bring up the topic of... well, everything.

"I'm not going to faint again, if that's what you're thinking." She raises an eyebrow. "I'm back to being the badass-bitch I am." I watch with amusement as she inspects her nails, picking out the remainders of dirt and moss from beneath them.

"Why did you enter the Academy of Light 10 years ago."

She pauses abruptly, and I immediately regret my bluntness. A beat passes before she replies.

"I- we- had no choice." She speaks softly, gazing into the mug clasped between her white-knuckled hands. "We heard the rumours that the Academy would help us, offer a refuge. We did not know the truth until it spat in our faces and slammed the door behind us." Her voice shakes as she reins in the tears threatening to cascade down her bruised cheeks.

"I would have helped you," I say quietly. "I was there for you that day, but you didn't see me." My own voice wavers and I take a deep breath. "I was waiting for you." A lump burns my throat as I watch a single tear escape her closed eyelid.

"I thought you had left me, Sebastian." Her voice grows angry, her tears subsiding. "Neither Sophie nor I had seen or heard from you in 3 years!" I cringe as she glares at me, her gaze searching for the truth in my eyes.

"I was 7, Ali. You were 5. We were just children." I opens her mouth to interrupt, but I shut her off with a look. "But I never forgot about you. No for one damned second." I rise from my chair and prowl over to her, bracing my hands on the arms of her chair. She stands to face me, her breath warm on my lips. "I have been waiting for you for 10 years, Alissida Pretorius. And I will not lose you again."

And then she kissed me.