-Break-
Intrare Frumos Nightfall was my one-year-younger sister, and she was talented. She was smart, brave, sociable, and had a special mutation of our family curse, giving her capabilities beyond her years. No matter what she did, she exceeded, and even at her young age, she was rewarded multiple times.
Location: Soarele Blestemat; Throne Room
Standing in front of a room filled with everyone of importance within the country, my sister takes a bow as the Queen walks in front of her and plants a necklace across her neck, and as she moves echos move from within the room into my ears.
"What a beautiful young woman."
"To think she was able to discover the trade routes of those disgusting grave robbers."
"She has already rescued more of our people's bodies than some of the most famous houses have done in the last century."
"All at the tender age of 9. A strong future lies ahead for her; she may even become a hero like Behíque of Bendícon."
"I am sure her half-human blood will work wonders in her establishment of Nightmares outside the country."
"I hope to aid her; maybe I can even become a sponsor for her escapades."
"Maybe I should see if she would like one of my children as a suitor."
"The Frumos family have borne another gift for this country."
"She is Captivant's daughter, I guess that adventurous spirit mixed with our country's most creative has created an undefinable wonder for us. Her as the next head of the Frumos will be amazing."
"Next head? That won't be happening; they have an elder son."
"Really? I haven't heard anything about him."
"Because he is just regular."
"Normal."
"Uninteresting."
"I guess genes don't always work perfectly."
"Well, someone needs to continue the family lineage. Getting pregnant is a waste of time for someone like Intrare."
"At least he will have lots of money from both his family and his sister's glory will keep his stomach filled."
"I can see why the dog Captivant stopped after the second child."
"Shh, he might hear you."
Their sound roars through my ears, but as the Queen finishes speaking in front of me, the sound of claps soon drowns it out, leaving me with nothing but my own thoughts.
Each clap that sounds in my head feels like nothing but a stab through my chest, its pain is so apparent and so consistent I feel like I am going to throw up at any moment.
I reach out my hands to my side to grab hold of my father, yet in that moment, he runs out of the crowd along with my mother running forward, and tackling my sister.
"WHO IS THE GREATEST PRINCESS IN THIS COUNTRY!"
"IT'S MY LITTLE PRINCESS!"
They rub their cheeks against each other, and in that instant, I see the eyes of the room fall onto me. Throughout the crowd, I see eyes move from my bone to my face, to my body, and the expression that creases their faces as they shake me.
I want to cry, I want to scream, I want to run, but it would only make it far worse. So I stand still, feeling all the pressure of the world fall upon me.
That pressure never left me since that day; it kept growing, and growing, making the very air around Blestemate heavy for me, so I went to the only place where I could find salvation.
Location: Varage; Village of Zaad Ziener
Sitting in a two-story cottage not even a quarter the size of my house at home, I hold a book in front of me and read through it with my eyes encroutched on the text, yet it is soon ripped away from my hands, moving my head upwards to where it was taken.
There I see a large chicken with a large and cute head, which is so blended into its body that you can't see where its neck begins and ends, and riding on its back is a small old woman with a tray in her hands.
She hops off the back, and hands me a cup of tea and freshly made bread, then sits beside me.
"Thank you, Grandma."
Just like always, she merely nods in response to my words and places her head against my shoulder. Looking at the chicken moving around, I say, "Father really got you a nice Cursed Chicken, its coloured feathers mean it has great amounts of vitality. It must be a great partner for you at your age."
Grandma nods, and turning to her, I ask, "Though I am sorry. I didn't want you to be serving me like this at your age. You can ask me if you want me to do any-."
She strikes me at the top of my head, before staring into my eyes, and when looking at her, I can't help but cry. My head falls into the palms of my hands as I try to stop the tears from flowing out, and in response, she rubs the top of my head.
My Grandma was my escape from everything in Blestemate, someone who could ease my heart. I am sure to someone like her, I was strange, some kind of creature that a human like her who lived in the same place since birth would ever be comfortable around. Yet she loved me all the same, even though I was a Nightmare, and made me feel comfortable, but in the end, even that couldn't last.
From outside the cottage, I hear a voice scream, "Stop messing with me, Nightfall. I know what you've been doing."
Grandma grabs me and pulls me close, then I hear Grandpa's voice outside say, "Please be quiet, my grandson is over."
"Why the hell would I care? Do you know what you're doing? You've been sending produce all the way to Blestemate, admit it!"
"I have no idea what you're talking about!"
"Then let the king of the country audit your lands!"
"I don't think such action would be wise on your parts minister. Our family has owned this land longer than a King has existed in it, and we've always paid our taxes and sold produce first in this country. I can't even write down the number of people who dodge such responsibility in this country, and for some reason, you seem to want to put pressure on those who do? If you'll scrutinise me like this, you'll scrutinise anyone."
"Is that a threat?"
With a calm voice, Grandfather says, "Fear and distrust start to set in when the common person feels like they can be targeted. You would be wise to inform the king of such things."
With anger fuelling the man's voice, he says, "Gevurah influence spreads and increases by the day, and they look for any reason they can find to justify whatever war they wish to wage on anyone. You may be long dead by the time it happens, but be assured that those who will one day walk the land of Varage will deal with whatever your foolishness brings."
As he walks away, I pull away from Grandma and look her in her eyes, where I see the worry buried deep within, and I feel nothing but hatred for my own existence in the sight of that.
Yet with the grace of an angel, she wraps a little bracelet around my heart, and says, "I, love, you, Dragoste," in a quiet and weak voice.
Each word that reaches my ears feels like a struggle, as if she were stabbed in the throat after each syllable, yet the smile that fills her face is nothing but one of happiness.
It was the only place I could feel at peace, but the danger it brought to those I loved more than the world itself was far too great, far too overwhelming, and far too deadly. So I had to return to hell for the sake of their happiness.
Location: Nightmare Nation, Blestemate; Căderea-Dracului; St. Alucard Community College
Yet despite the resolve I had in my heart, the reality that faced me was no kinder than before.
Standing in front of my desk, I see writing etched into it with some kind of sharp weapon that says, 'Anathematised freak, half monkey, human lover, stranger, corpse robber, failure of a man.'
I quickly turn my head around, and throughout the room I see Nightmares, my own age, giggling and smirking as they try to hold back their laughter from bursting out.
I need to leave, I need to get out of here, I can't stand this. I need to grab my thing-. Realising it's not under my desk, I turn my head and shout, "WHERE IS MY BRACELET!"
The eyes that once looked down at me fill with contempt at my anger, yet it only fuels me more. "DID YOU IDIOTS HEAR ME? I SAID, WHERE DID YOU TAKE MY BRACELET! YOU FREAKS!"
From behind me, I hear, "Freaks? What an unkind thing to say to your fellow Nightmares."
Turning my head, I see a Nightmare whose face looks like half of it is a rotting corpse, and the other half is bare bones. He sits leaning back on his desk with his legs up against it, and then says, "That's the kind of thing I expect a human to say?"
Seeing him fiddle with his hand in his pocket, I say, "LICH! YOU HAVE IT, DON'T YOU!" I march all the way over to him and hold out my hand, as I say, "GIVE IT HERE!"
"Stop being such a demanding little bitch. Or do you get like this when talking to lesser creatures like us?"
"STOP BEING AN IDIOT, YOU KNOW WHY I AM SCREAMING AT A, AT A-."
Standing up, gets up in my face and says, "At a what? What words are on your mind? Do you have something to say to someone like me? Or are the words out of your nicely sculptured human mouth too valuable to waste on a Nightmare like me?"
I say nothing, holding back my fury, and he presses his forehead against mine, saying, "Our does your human privilege make you feel like you can start screaming at us, and throwing around accusations like a judge?"
"Stop lying, I know you have it."
"What proof do you have? Why did you even suspect me? Is it because I am offensive to your human sensibilities? Are you just looking for a reason to spread hate for us Nightmares for just being ourselves?"
"I am a Nightmare as well, I don't hate you peo-."
"You're anathematized not a Nightmare, remember that, human." He raises both his arms up out of his pocket, bringing my eyes towards them, then he steps forward and says, "It seems I stepped on something."
Kicking his foot forward, I see that underneath my grandma's bracelet pops out, and I instantly move to grab it, where I see its tattered and crushed form.
Fury in this moment overtakes me, causing me to shout, "YOU DEMONS!" And as those words leave my mouth, I quickly cover them, then look upwards.
In that instant, all of the people around the room stare at me with hostility so deadly it feels like poison is flowing through my veins. Their eyes can't look at me the same way they look at each other, and in the face of that, I say, "I didn't mean th-."
Lich shouts, "YOU HEAR THAT, GUYS, JUST LIKE ALL THE REST! WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO IT, HE WILL CALL US DEMONS!"
"No, you were just annoying me, and I was angr-."
Grabbing me by the collar, he says, "So you use the word they said for generations to justify killing us? Why was the word even on your mind in the first place? Any normal Nightmare would have buried the word so far deep in their mind that they can't even recall it. You know why you said it, and it is because you hate us."
"No, no, I DON'T!"
I move my head all around where I see all of their hatred evolve into murderous stares that feel like they're one second away from striking me, so I grab my things and run, run as far away as I can from that classroom.