Hidden Before Their Eyes

Chapter 11: You Will Regret What You Have Done

When I open my eyes I see a magnificent garden. Near the end of the hedge lined walk I see a small, simple gazebo. I see someone sitting in it so I approach. Upon closer inspection I notice that it is Kalvik. Why does he keep coming back up, he knows too much for me to be able to handle.

I tread silently and when he looks up at me he looks bemused. He is like that for a while until some realization dawns on him. Mean while I do down at the chair across the table from him. The glass table is not quite like anything I have seen before. The glass crystal clear, resting atop a magnificent yet simple base.

"So you have made contact with Syllax," Kalvik states, drawing my attention away from the table.

"Kalvik," I murmur in a whisper. "Is the magic that alters my appearance disappearing?"

"I would have no way of knowing that Esklan," he answers.

That does nothing to calm my nerves. Everything hitting me once more. All the fear. All caused by one little color change. A color change that could easily give me away, with how unique they are. Slowly I take the frayed strings within my mind and imagine pulling them back to their origins, effectively locking them deep inside.

I open my eyes and I know they are duller than before. "Why am I here?" I ask emotionlessly.

"I'm interested in why you are Carino," he says.

"Because Esklan was not herself," I answer coldly.

"You will regret what you have just done in the long run Esklan. You naturally thrive off of interactions, that means emotions are essential to you," Kalvik warns.

"I can get by alone," I snap, my body going ridged.

"But will you succumb to loneliness now that you have rejected a piece of yourself? What price are you willing to pay for Carino to remain? How much will Esklan loose because of your selfishness?" He inquires.

"You say that as though we are so very different," I scoff. "In the end I am both Carino and Esklan."

He shakes his head in disappointment before the scenery fades away. My eyes open and I let the memory fade away, disregarding the warning I have been given. I am slow to get ready as I pull on new clothes and then head out with Erphi.

I am alone in the open green space. Taking the moments of silence I lean against one of the cherry trees and blankly stare up into it. The leaf green covered branches at the beginnings of an infestation of the deliciously dark red fruits.

"Carino?" Someone questions, pulling my attention away from the tree. "Good, you've saved me the effort of finding you."

He has a high and mighty tone but I can tell he is a student. "How wonderfully nice of me," I snap back, my tone cold.

"Come along," he says, disregarding my comment.

I stand and follow him, paying more attention to my surroundings then his voice as he drones on about something. I feel sort of, odd. Then again it is not every day that you let your emotions shut down to protect yourself from silly fears.

"Are you listening?" He suddenly snaps at me.

"No," I answer, annoyed.

"I was saying, you have a placement test to take," he says slowly and loudly.

"Okay," I respond, retuning to my uninterested state from before.

When we arrive at a door he informs me that we have arrived. I push the door open and see some or another professor grading something at his desk. He looks up at me at the sound of the door clicking shut. He motions to the chair in front of the desk and goes back to being engrossed in whatever he is doing.