Dancing With A God

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The sun was rising in the bright sky, shining over the heads of everyone already working in this early morning. It chased away the last stars, the last brink of dusk, giving light to this world who had been in the shadow for too long.  The white trees and the bloody flowers opened up to get all of it energy, the sea started again to come and go on the finest beach that world had to offer. 

In short, it was a normal day who started again. 

Only, not for Quinn. Not for her. Today was special as she was going to the Forbidden City. But of course, it wasn’t truly forbidden otherwise she wouldn’t go but it was called that way because of its past. A past so dark that it would still haunt the present…

Quinn shivered with qualm as she wondered what she would see, what she would discover or even know more on what happened. She wasn’t only exited but bouncing with apprehension to that wonderful day she had been waiting for so long. Because Quinn was eager of new discoveries. She always had been and her parents used to mock her around about that. 

“Do we need to go ?” Whined Rosalinda as she was put her scarf around her neck. 

Sasha sighted with annoyance at the complains of the younger one but he ignored them while putting the coat on her fragile shoulders. 

“Don’t you want to know more about the fabulous mystery that is the Forbidden City ?” Inquired with an ironic smile,  Hayley. 

She knew that the child would be excited at the mere idea to go out of the estate of the orphanage but that the coldness the trip towards there would give away would stop her on her way. And it was actually true that today wasn’t the hottest day they had during the whole winter. 

“I do ! but I don’t want to go out !” Replied with a pout Rosalinda. .

And everyone near her laughed at that adorable face of hers. 

The truth was, the little girl was the cutest of the entire orphanage, her green eyes mesmerising any one staring at her too closely. And with those blonde hair of hers who would descend until her waist but being usually tied in a tight braid, the little girl of eight looked like a doll.

Quinn watched her brothers and sisters fighting and blabbing about how the Forbidden City would be like when they’d go visit it, waiting all impatiently for the last person to come on the trip with them. She smiled at the sweet atmosphere in her orphanage and she wondered silently terrified if what an old friend of hers said was right :

Whenever happiness is destroyed, there is the smell of blood. 

She didn’t want her little paradise to be annihilated by battles and fighting, she despised even the mere idea of it.  But she knew she would held no choice except to flee if such things happened. Because years ago, all the jolly atmosphere of a custom city was ruined by one man. One god some even dared to say. And there had been the smell of blood going with the dead corpses of that once innocent town. It was then that the Forbidden City was made.

And she had been there, seeing everything, looking at that happiness being destroyed. 

“Hey, Quinn ?” Called out Sasha, worried of that glare on the face of his friend. “Are you sure you want to come ?” 

She nodded without a word, thanking the boy silently on his concern. The girl was one of the rare one who could stay at the orphanage instead of going on with the group and go on the trip, the reason being : Quinn was one of the orphans of the Forbidden City. 

She had lost her mother and father at the age of six at the same time at the time of the attack. And she knew all too well that it wasn’t a god who had killed them. It wasn’t their time yet to be sent to purgatory, they were still young when they died. Quinn knew as a matter of fact that the man who took their life, took all the happiness from her family, was only that, a Man. A man being greedy with power and greatness, even daring to kill innocent only to prove themselves. 

She had seen that day what a human full of hate and might, could do. What they were ready to do. How far they dare to go. 

“Oh my !” A voice they knew all too well. The voice of their warden. Miss Marsh. “Where you all waiting for me ? Dear me, let’s all go running towards the bus. We wouldn’t want to arrive late.” She said in her usual soft voice and in an instant, all the children hanging in the corridor did as they were told and the next moment, they were all out, the door wide open.

“Oh my !” Miss Marsh chuckled with a gloved hand in front of her mouth. “They seem pretty eager to go on that trip.” 

Quinn looked up towards the woman, musing on the way Miss Marsh acted. When she was older, Quinn hoped she could as kind-hearted as her.  Because, even if she wasn’t a model in beauty, Miss Marsh held, indeed, a golden heart. 

“Anyway, we should go also.”  

***

It was terrifying. Beautiful but terrifying. Rosalinda and all the little children were frozen in shock since they came in, Sasha and Hayley wouldn’t pip a word, staring at everything that moved as if someone was hiding to attack them.  And then, there was Quinn. 

Walking down the lane, glaring at those broken building that once made the proud of the town with tears, she couldn’t believe that it was there she was born. 

“Darling,” Called out Miss Marsh. “ You can wander around if you come back at six.” 

Nodding without a world, the girl went away from the group, crying now freely without being afraid someone would see her that way. 

She could remember her small self running down those streets who had once been filled with colours and light. Where was now a boulder big enough to squash three people, there used to be a giant market where the people would sell their food and drinks. All those people, Diany, Gregory, Sarah. Where were they all ? The girl couldn’t, and wouldn’t, believe that they had died like her parents.  They were strong, full of life and … they were innocents. 

How could anyone kill innocent people ? 

Only a god could pretend to have the power to control the life time of a human. A god with no heart and no soul. Because killing children, killing grandparents, killing parents . . .  Only a mercifulness monster could. Because no emotions were binding them to reason. They were free from anything, no chains of rationalisation putting a limit to their power. 

But when Quinn turned the same street she would take when she was a child and going back to her home to kiss good day to her parents, when she changed St Mary Street to get to Salama Street, she fell on her knees, unable to move. The house where she had grown for nine years, the garden where her mother built a swing for her,  the road where she had learnt for the first time to ride a bicycle. Their were nothing expect a gash. An enormous gash who seemed to not only stab the earth in the two but also her heart who made a snapping sound. Their were no evidence that her memories were true anymore. Without her house where so many souvenirs layed, who was she ? Who was Quinn without her childhood memories ? Who was she if there were nothing left ? 

She had never knew that when a stranger took her away from the dead corpses of her parents, saving her from the danger, she had never knew that when she would come back, there would be nothing left. And now ? It was too late.  Years had passed, everything that she used to own were dead. 

This is a nightmare, She mused as her eyes slowly opened up and whilst a smile drew himself on the face of the girl. I’m going to wake up in my bed, Dolly in my arms,  and then, I’m going to eat breakfast with dad and mum on our wooden table . . . 

Quinn couldn’t believe that everything she had stood for were now annihilated. She couldn’t dare herself to accept such a thing. 

“I’m going to kill you with my bare hands…” She hissed, drying her tears before standing up and looking at the grey sky, her eyes narrowed as she seemingly tried to see beyond the clouds themselves. “I’m going to kill you even if I’m a  human and you a god. Be sure of that  because you are no god to me.”

And a heartless chuckle was heard by then as Quinn promised it to her. 

She was going to kill this god 
who killed her parents mercilessly.