Candlelit Shadows

Chapter 4

“Isn’t the snow beautiful, darling? So pure and white—but too much of it, and some may feel it…drab.

      “Another of the Twelve Survivors was the Arctic fox, elegant and swift. She chose not to fight, but evade, which was precisely what her nimble body was programmed for. Unlike many, she knew her strengths and weaknesses, her prey—and her predators. Why pick a fight when you’re just fine as it is? So the only fights she was ever in were those of her choosing, where victory was certain, and injuries cut down to the minimum…on her side, at least. A fast and effective ticket to the highest ranks. At the end, her only enemy— was herself.

      “Having lived her whole life in the dreary whiteness of winter, she yearned for something more inspiring, more exciting— Color. So when time came for her to choose her power, she chose the ability to make her most colorful dreams come true: the power to weave illusions. With it, she trapped and destroyed many of her rivals, by using their curiosity and fascination against them.

      “What she failed to realize, was that the one truly trapped in her virtual world was none other than herself. There was no need for the others to make a move—eventually she overused her abilities and lost her sense of reality altogether. Her competitors merely watched as she dived headfirst into a bottomless chasm, chasing an unreachable dream as futile as her final moments with the snow drifting down ever so slowly, taunting her as her life slipped away.”

*

Not exactly the story you would want to tell a three-year-old in her pink pajamas. And it only got worse. But somehow she always knew there was a hidden meaning behind all her mother’s stories, and now she was closer to deciphering their message than ever.

      Cera remembered now, that particular Christmas had been particularly memorable, not only for the wonderful story she had lapped up with earnest, but also for the especially scrumptious feast laid out that night. Unusually excited, Mom had almost blown up the entire kitchen in eager preparation. It was because Father was always away, and it was actually the first Christmas they would truly spent together as a family.

      The food would lie cold on the table that night, as cold as freshly driven snow outside her window. As cold as her tiny little heart as she retreated into the feeble warmth of her covers, lulled into sleep by her mother’s incessant sobs. In fact, the little girl was used to her father’s absence. What disturbed her most was the thought of tears rolling quietly down her mother’s bright face when she thought her daughter wasn’t looking. Because regardless of what happened, her mother knew better than to show any signs of distress in front of her.

      The girl’s next Christmas was spent alone in the hospital morgue, staring down at the mangled body no longer recognizable as her mother. And that face…

“—as I was saying, it’s been awhile since we’d had such a charming young lady join our ranks…”

      Cera nodded politely at Corvus’ words, not really hearing anything. There was only one other at the table now, besides herself, Corvus and Avian—a young girl slightly younger than herself. And it was this girl who quickly reacted to Cory’s complimenting words.

      As if on cue, she looked up from the remains of her breakfast with an expression of mock exasperation in her bright golden eyes. Her silky silver hair rippled on her shoulders in the chandelier’s light as she shook her head theatrically. “Cory! Don’t be mean! You said the exact same thing about Nyctea when you first saw her.”

      On the other end of the table, Avian broke into a fit of loud laughter as Corvus pouted, blushing slightly. Cera managed to crack a smile too, more so when she noticed how pleased this girl looked at Avian’s evident delight, even if her mentor was too busy teasing Cory to notice. Quietly, she made a mental note to confront the girl about it, and possibly give her a push in the right direction.