The Drowning City

Chapter Two

So... it had been discovered I had something wrong with me. I can see Hell. No one else can, only me, and unfortunately, it had been discovered in the most popular event: the Kings birthday. Plenty of people saw me, and while I wasn't worried that they'd known about my ability, but I was more embarrassed of the fact that they saw me weak and crumble. I felt bad about Tric, too.
    "So nothing's wrong?" I heard one of my two moms ask. "Nothing at all?"
    "Nope. Tests concluded that your daughter is perfectly healthy. We can't figure out what happened..." I didn't recognize that voice.
    "Can we take her home?" My other mom begged. "If there's nothing wrong with her—"
    "Unfortunately, we still have to keep her here. There are some questions we want to ask her. It could be something... psychological, and we don't want that to affect her without our knowledge. I think it's best you give your daughter some space, and you two get some rest. I'm sure this is very stressful for you two."
    I heard feet shuffle from the room, and the door shut behind them.
    The room was silent, and I took the chance to open my eyes.
    "Krystyna?" A soft voice from the corner of the room sounded. I followed the sound to a creature.
    "Tric? What are you doing here?" I was honestly shocked. I knew I had scared her, I must've, but I never expected her to be this worried; her being here... I wasn't predicting it at all.
    "I was concerned," she began. "I didn't know what happened. I'd never seen you like that. You're normally so nice and calm, but you freaking out and yelling and screaming—"
    "I was screaming?" I asked. I didn't know that. I guess it makes sense if I couldn't hear myself, and if I was in pain...
    "Yeah, really loudly. The King was really worried as well. He wanted to make sure you were okay before he continued with the celebration, and even then, there seemed to be an awkwardness in the air after that."
    I couldn't help but smile. The King cares about random civilians? Most don't. I guess that's a perk of being one so young: you're still innocent and caring.
    "Maybe he likes you," Tric said softly, but with an energy I don't see often in her. She snickered and stuck her tongue out at me, attempting to lighten the mood.
    I appreciated that. "How could he possibly like someone as great as me?" I asked sarcastically.
    Tric sat on the bench beside my bed and rested her folded hands in her lap. "My parents were also confused as to what happened." She paused. "What did happen?"
    I hesitated. How could I explain to her what happened? Tell her that I just had an unbelievably bad headache? No. She deserves to know the truth, doesn't she? But what if she doesn't believe me?
    "Krystyna, I'll believe anything you tell me, a lie or not," Tric said loyally. She was allowing me to lie.
    "Look, I know it sounds crazy, but I see Hell. In the Grand Tree. Demons and darkness, a doorway to Hell," I explained quickly.
    "Oh— oh. I thought you were going to say 'I got a really bad concussion the other day and the noise was hurting my head a ton.' That's not what I was expecting at all," Tric said, wide-eyed. It was weird, because her eyes were already big enough.
    "Please believe me. You know they exist, if you believe in what happened thousands of years ago," I pleaded.
    "I'm going to be honest, I don't know if I believe what happened thousands of years ago. Someone could have just written a story and spread it around to be a long-lost legend. The stone could be a fake. Nobody knows... But... I can't say I don't believe you. What happened... you were truly scared," Tric began to explain. "I didn't understand why."
    "The demons were calling my name," I interrupted. "They were screeching this high-pitched noise. I swear it felt like my head was about to explode."
    Tric nodded. "I think I need to go soon, Krystyna, I'm sorry. Hopefully the healers can get you on the right medication—"
    My heart sank to my stomach. She didn't actually believe me. She only believes that's what I saw, what I heard. Not that it's real. "I'm not mentally ill, Tric! They're real. How can I see something I've never seen before? They aren't what's portrayed in many books. They're all different, with twisted features and scars and long claws. They have tails and dragons wings, cat eyes, spines that slowly kill them. They kill each other just to get to the Grand Tree, just to see me, just to call my name and hope to be set free. You can't say I'm imagining this all!"
    Tric walked to the door, taking a deep breath. She was trying to hold back something. "I'm sorry that your mind has to be so wicked." And she left.
Well... she believes I saw them... but... I felt tears burn the back of my eyes, my throat swell. Nobody can help me. I can't let anyone know I can see demons. But that thought scared me. I had been living with this secret all my life, told nobody (well, I told my parents when I was, like, 5, but they figured it was just my five-year-old imagination being filled with horror stories from other kids.)
I turned to my side, closing my eyes. Was there anyone who would believe me? One that I trusted? Perhaps there was someone...
His name was Konnre. He was a firm believer in Hell and the demons that forced Princess Dinia to sacrifice herself to the Stone. Often he's gotten into fights with creatures who doubted that the events actually happened. He's a trouble maker, yes, but now that I had gotten a taste of what it's like to lift a secret off my shoulders, share the weight with someone else, I was desperate to let someone know.
I yawned, a drowsiness overcoming me.