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ʚ 𝐁𝐚𝐝 𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬ɞ
Light footfalls could be heard as they echoed around the desolate hallways, partied with the light sound of rain as it hit a tiled roof. A small blonde child sprinted through the halls, dressed in nothing but a white nightgown trimmed with lace. She panted and heaved, legs beginning to burn from the overexertion she felt. She wiped fervently at her hair, constantly batting it out of her face as she raced forward toward her destination at breakneck speed.
The child tripped and fell on multiple occasions, bruising her pale skin that was already scattered with band-aids and minor cuts from days past. She listened to the dull thuds of the rain outside, hearing how it began to grow in strength the longer she ran, transitioning from a soothing rain to a full-out thunderstorm. She jumped and flinched each time lighting struck, but refused to slow and hide away as she wished dearly to.
Leaving one hallway and entering another she had a particularly bad spell, crashing down harshly into the cold, wooden floor. She felt the grain of the wood grinds against her revealed skin, crying out in pain as her knees begin to bleed from the abuse. Ignoring the bloodstains on her nightgown and ignoring the burning pain eating through her body and stamina, the child stood and being to run once more.
Only when she thought her body would give out on her and collapse, did she see the ornate door she was looking for come into view. It was a sliding door that was quite pretty in the dark, with intricate inkwork painted onto it from top to bottom, displaying a beautiful mountain scene with flying birds–cranes if she remembered right–in the sky. The girl was only to a moment to stare and tidy herself, fixing her long hair and attempting to hide her bloody knees and the mess they made.
The thunder outside roared as she gently but firmly knocked on the door, doing her best to listen to what she was about to walk into, but heard nothing but silence. But this news did nothing to ease her racing heart. Instead, she could feel it pick up; silence was never good in this estate.
After a beat of nothing, a plummy voice from the other side spoke, beckoning the girl to come closer. "Come in." It said, sending shivers down the blonde's spine.
A shaky sigh left thin, chapped lips. Tiny hands grabbed onto the heavy door, sliding it open with practiced precision. Slowly, the girl stepped into the room bathed in darkness, unable to stop herself from imagining it as walking into a lion's den.
The lion in question was a small, lean man with ink-black locks that were tousled and covering his just-as-black eyes. She could feel his stare burn into her skull with sharp eyes, glowering down at the small child like she hurt him personally. Her shoulders dipped in as she looked away, unable to meet his cruel, demeaning eyes.
"Y-You requested to see me?" She stuttered out, tucking her hair behind her ears to clear her face.
A sneer came across the young man's face, striding with confidence towards the child who was half his height like he ruled the world. His hand, cold and defiant, reached for her cheek almost lovingly, stroking her cheek with his thumb. She was thankful he ignored how she flinched at the contact.
