Flying Colors

Chapter II Emmilia Part III

As Lady Nefare droned on and on about the dates and names of the Festival of Lights, Emmilia drew on her desk. She drew a picture of a white-haired lady, that resembled her aunt floating above five people covered in mist. It was a dream she had been having for a couple of weeks. This woman's eyes were so filled with distaste, hatred. The look in the lady's eyes was so compelling and almost sinister. Emmilia looked closer and felt herself moving toward the drawing if only she could just see it better. She got closer, looked farther. She felt herself changing, almost like the drawing was calling out to her.

"Emmilia are you even paying attention?" Lady Nefare asked snapping Emmilia out of her trance-like state.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, yeah... I'm listening," Emmilia stumbles out, looking quickly up from her drawing.

"Then..." Lady Nefare thought for a moment. "What was the name of the first person who started the tradition of the Festival of Lights?"

"George Newman," Emmilia answered quicker than even she excepted.

"When did the first proper festival of lights take place?" Lady Nefare asked trying to trip Emmilia up.

"The year 1127," Emmilia answered quickly again.

"Well, I can see that you have been paying attention, now let's continue." Lady Nefare said making herself stand up as straight as she physically could.

As Lady Nefare began talking about the Festival of Lights, Emmilia could feel her eyes slowly shutting, her head began to fall, and each time her eyes almost got to fully shut she would jerk her head up suddenly without thought. Then the process would happen all over again until she was no longer able to lift her head.

SLAM!

Emmilia's eyes opened wide, her head jerked up faster than she thought it could. Two large history books around four inches thick were now sitting on top of Emmilia's desk. Attached to the books were two small, well-manicured hands.

"You were asleep, I thought this would wake you up." Lady Nefare said politely, but her face told a different story. It was twisted with anger, but it would be improper of her to yell at a time like this, so she kept the anger inside. Only letting her face show what was brewing on the inside.

She leaned into Emmilia's ear and whispered, but with spite, "I wonder how your mother would think of this improper behavior. Maybe I should go wake her," She paused for a second letting a twisted smile appear on her face.

"Oh, that's right she's not your mother she wouldn't care about you."

Emmilia's eyes went wide, everyone knew she was a bastard child, that her mom wasn't her mom, but no one dared speak about it. Except for Lady Nefare only she said the quiet whispers that no one else dared to say. The whispers that broke Emmilia's heart into millions of tiny pieces. She could feel them crack and fall to the ground leaving her to pick them up, leaving her to put the puzzle back together.

Lady Nefare lingered in Emmilia's ear for a moment letting the words hang in the air, untouched.

Lady Nefare pulled away from Emmilia's ear, "I'm going to get back to teaching you if there won't be any more disruptions." Lady Emmilia said, proper and regal acting like that moment never happened.

Emmilia listened but did not speak.

She pictured herself in a dark room, she was on her hands and knees trying to find the pieces of her heart that had fallen to the floor, but no matter where she tried to find the pieces they were never there. The room was too dark, the pieces were too small and broken. Her heart had been broken too many times in the past for her to find them easily, and it won't be the last time Lady Nefare would say these words.