Sorrow's Promise

Chapter 4

SLIGHT TRIGGER WARNING FOR THIS CHAPTER. SEE CENSORED VERSION BELOW DOUBLE LINES.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When I woke, I didn't know how long I had been asleep. All I knew was that my headache was gone, and that I was staring up at the blue, ruffled canopy of the strange bedroom I had fallen asleep in. Which meant either I was in some kind of coma and having the longest dream ever, or I had been wrong, and this wasn't a dream after all.

I made my way through the courtyard, then crept slowly into the foyer, keeping my eye out for any signs of the monsters returning. They were nowhere to be seen. There were, however, towering double doors that I assumed led outside. Should I just leave, get myself out of this strange place? But if what Grim had said was true, I was in some city I had never heard of before. As much as I might not want to, I was probably going to have to rely on the two strangers' help.

"Ah, there she is now," DiZ said as I entered the library. "I trust you are feeling better after your rest?"

"Yes," I answered truthfully. "Though apparently not dreaming, like I had hoped. Did you find anything out about how I got here, and how to get me home?"

DiZ gave a nod. "It's very possible, yes. I need to clarify a few things with you first, though. Why don't we all go downstairs so that we can sit?"

Riku and I followed him back into the basement, which I noticed was oddly out of place compared to the style of the rest of the building. "I don't know what I can tell you, but I'll give it a shot," I commented as we all took a seat.

Leaning forward, DiZ clasped his hands together on his lap. "First of all, I'm told that you've never seen the Heartless before. Is that true?"

"Heartless?" I echoed.

"The creatures that I was fighting earlier," Riku explained. "They're called the Heartless."

"Oh. Well, that depends on if you count nightmares or not," I replied. "I've certainly never seen them in person. I've never seen anything like them before, the way they just appeared and disappeared like that."

"What about magic?" DiZ asked. "Have you ever seen anyone perform magic spells, summon a weapon, or use the power of light or darkness?"

I laughed, thinking he was joking. When he continued to stare at me unblinking, I realized he must be serious and raised my eyebrows in surprise. "What? No! There's no such thing as real magic. I mean, I saw a magician perform at a birthday party one time when I was a kid, but I knew even then that those were just tricks."

DiZ nodded knowingly and leaned back in his chair again. "Tell me, how old are you, child?"

"Fifteen. What does that have to do with anything?"

"Patience," DiZ replied. "And your hair, is this its natural color?"

"This?" I pointed to my lavender locks and snickered. "No, definitely not natural. It's been so long since my hair was its natural color that I barely even remember it."

"It wouldn't happen to be a kind of dark red, would it?" Riku broke in.

I glanced over at him, very confused by this line of questioning, and how on earth he would know that. "Um, yeah...I guess it was sort of auburn-ish."

"Tell me a little about your childhood," DiZ pressed.

I cleared my throat and shifted uncomfortably in my seat. "Well, there's not much to tell." What did any of this have to do with what had happened today, anyway? "I don't remember anything before the age of eight. That's when I was...found, just kind of wandering around. I ended up in foster care after that."