They were being carried, not by a locomotive or animal, but it felt like she was floating. The last thing that she remembered was receiving a rainbow-colored pearl from her; it was a thought that refused to leave her chaotic mind. From far away, the sound of water drops echoed into her ear.
Ah, music.
She never gave her anything, and anything she gave her overthrew countless thoughts of pain. The sensation of floating began to drift away, and she could feel a chilling darkness overtaking the room they were in. Baby, what do you want for Masdew? That's strange; she never asked what she wanted. Instead, her only gift during Masdew was to build a snowman to bring to life and play with. Something nagged at the corner of her mind.
Baby, come here.
She was aware and yet powerless.
Baby, Mommy was wrong.
That's strange.
Baby, you're not a curse; you're my blessing.
She had been aware from the beginning that she was being carried by others but couldn't figure out where she was.
Baby, I love you; I don't hate you.That was a lie; she hated her. She could hear her thoughts; she could see her. And yet her Althma couldn't be found in her mind
A scream suddenly broke the stillness of the darkness, and it rose in pitch as others rapidly joined in.
Baby, stop listening.
A cacophony, no, a symphony
Baby, stop listening to my thoughts.Is it an orchestra?Stop it, stop it.Another scream joined in.Stop it.Then another
Please, stop it.A cacophony
Please
I wonder what they will sound like if I imbue them with Althma.
I beg of you.A little girl voice joined the din and added to the screams.
Monster
An excruciating pain suddenly invaded her consciousness and jarred her to reality, as her voice soon joined the cacophony of screams.Esther took a left turn and went down the campus stairway.
Esther POV
Shadow Academy for the Gifted was a place she would love to leave forever, but to gain the trust of her parents, she had to become a renowned shadower in the academy or risk losing her life. She was on her way to the lab when she heard her name being called from up the stairs.
" Hey Esther, where are you going " The caller was a blonde-haired chubby girl with freckles. Esther had always wondered how a girl could be so unlucky as to get her redheaded father's ill-placed freckles instead of her mother's divine beauty, but that was one of the reasons why Stephanie had been exempted from joining the newly acquired lighters. She was being spared the horrors of the underground.
She doesn't know how lucky she is, Esther thought to herself as she ignored her.
That didn't deter the girl from quickly running down the stairs to catch up to her. " Hey Esther, wait up "
Esther turned towards her in frustration and tried glaring to stop her from following her, but the girl continued running towards her. Esther's time was running out to answer the overlord's summons, and if she was caught coming in with Stephanie, she would be killed and used as feed for Anastasia. She was about to shout at Stephanie when a bloodcurdling scream could be heard from below the ground, which stopped them both in their tracks.
I can't hear.
Stephanie stopped in her tracks, her shock evident for all to see.
Why
Stephanie slowly fell to the ground, her body trembling, her body unable to bear the shock of her thoughts being invaded by a strange voice.
Esther looked at Stephanie trembling body. It was the first time the jovial girl had ever heard the scream that accompanied every new lighter's first introduction. In fact, to Stephanie, she must have thought it unbelievable when tales of the agony of lighters screams spread across the campus, as her parents made it their mission to show their only daughter the good side of the academy, unlike Esther's parents, who had made it their mission to use their daughter to obtain the power of Anastasia.
I'm in pain, I can't hear, I can't see. Where am I?" Did you hear that?" She asked. Esther froze. Normally every lighter could only break into the thoughts of shadowers only once, and thereafter, they were rendered silent to use as hosts for Anastasia. This voice was different. Stephanie could hear, and Stephanie was just ordinary; that was another reason why she had been exempted from partaking in the Shadows orientation. Normal people couldn't hear thoughts shared by lighters and shadows, but Stephanie could hear it,
And if she could hear it… impossible.Esther smiled at herself as she left the trembling girl on the ground and ran towards the dark entryway leading to the Shadows underground. The punishment to come was far from her mind, as her mind overflowed with thoughts of joy.
Anastasia