I didn't realize how expansive this place is.
We walk through marble corridors, paintings and statues scattered throughout and I pause to look at the humanoid ones: women with wings and three eyes, men with swords and talons on their feet.
"It's beautiful, right?" Mateo waits patiently for me to continue after him, Mel a quiet presence beside me.
"So, you really don't remember anything?" Mel asks as we turn the corner. A group of girls walk past us, doing a double-take as we walk by. "Everyone knows everyone," Mel adds before I can comment on it. "Oh." I clear my throat. "Yeah, I don't remember." My head still aches and I strain to grasp onto the memories—running and my name and–
"It'll come to you." Mateo says over his shoulder. Mateo greets everyone we pass and they all cheerfully respond. He must be well-liked and while a few smile at Mel, she mostly ignores them. Mateo wears similar clothing as her, though his sweatshirt is a light blue with the GU in silver stitching. His dark hair is pulled back in a knot on the top of his head, a few loose strands touching his collar. "Don't try to force it," he adds. Easy for him to say.
We twist and turn down hallways until I have no idea where we could possibly be. I haven't even seen any other students since we walked down a set of stairs into a windowless floor. It feels damp here, the smell of stale earth and something rotten that churns my stomach with nerves. Can dead people throw up? Finally, Mateo stops before a set of large oak doors, glancing back at me over his shoulder. His eyes soften, as if he can hear my thoughts and before he speaks his body ripples, translucent before solidifying again.
"We can't follow you inside of here." He says quietly. "I know this seems confusing and overwhelming, but trust after this moment, you'll find a place here." Mel moves closer, nudges me with her shoulder reassuringly.
"You got this. You're already ahead of most people knowing what to expect." She winks when Mateo levels her with a glare. But she's wrong. I don't know anything. I barely remembered my name. Will this place have answers? Will they tell me why I'm here? What happened to me?
"Remember what I said!" She whispers and pretends to bite the air. I snort, the tension melting, if only for a moment.
Mateo grabs the door handle, glancing over at me, waiting.
Before I can talk myself out of it, I nod for him to open it, stepping into the darkness of the room.
*
*
*
Silence.
I can't hear anything in here, not my heartbeat, not my breaths or my footsteps. It's void of light here and I reach my hands out to catch onto something—anything—but there's nothing to touch. "Hello?" What the hell is happening here? I'm turning around. This is ridiculous, some kind of sick prank, or trap—
The Forbidden Daughter, a disembodied voice whispers behind me. I whip around, yelping in surprise and fear but I still can't see anything.
You aren't supposed to be here. Another voice, slightly deeper, echoes to my right.
"Who are you?" I yell out. I retreat a step, clenching and unclenching my fists. Have I been in a fight before? I have no idea but I'm willing to try if it means protecting myself from whatever is in here with me. Mel and Mateo wouldn't have set me up, would they? I hardly know them, but they seemed kind.
You are a new thread, how peculiar. A third, guttural voice that sends chills up my spine. Fuck this, I'm running.
But I can't move.
My entire body is rigid and though I scream for my legs to respond, for my hands to raise, I can't do anything.
I wonder how you were hidden, the first voice echos. But now you are seen.
Your threads are everywhere, the second voice cries out.
The third voice, almost mockingly, asks, which one will you weave?
Images flash around me, blindingly bright and I can barely comprehend them. It's me, covered in blood, laughing in the sun, sleeping on the ground—reading a book—screaming—holding a hand—
They stop.
Everything quiets.
It's as if I'm thrown back into my body. Sensations return, feelings and fear and movement and I'm running without direction, until I slam into the oak doors and spill onto the ground outside of it.
"Thalia!" Mel is beside me, pulling me up, bright, confused eyes scanning my face.
"What happened?" She asks, but she's looking over at Mateo, who looks just as perplexed as she does.
"She..." He blinks, his body rippling as if he was fighting control over his ability. "She wasn't...I don't know."
My head is pounding, I try to stand but collapse against Mel, my vision blurring and tunneling. "Help me get her—"
I moan, pain splitting in my head.
"—doctor—"
A beach, waves crashing and a voice calling—
Darkness settles around me.
"Thalia!" I'm walking inside the crest of waves, the sun warming my back and the water spraying my skin. The voice calls my name again, farther away and I turn, only seeing the beach around me. "Thalia!"
"Mother?" I yell out, "I'm here."
"You can't leave me!" Leave? Why would I leave? "They are dangerous, you cannot trust them!"
The waves cascade higher, slamming into my thighs, rising rapidly as if they were alive.
Fear begins to ripple down my spine and I start wading from the water but seaweed tangles my ankles, pulling me back and wrapping around me. I'm pulled under, kicking and thrashing, my scream bubbling around me—
"Thalia, you're awake!" Mel is beside me, the back of her hand cool against my forehead. "Are you okay?" A dream. I sit up, blankets sliding down my chest.
We're in Mel's room, a dim glow illuminating the plush surrounding me and I blink down in surprise at the large, blue sweatshirt I'm wearing. Mel's cheeks darken. "Sorry, you threw up on your clothes." She clears her throat. "They're in the washer." She adds, "I stole a large sweater from Mateo and changed you, I hope it's okay" Well, that answers one question I had earlier.
"Thank you." My voice is hoarse, as if I've been screaming and Mel blurs in front of me. "What happened?"
Her fangs glint against her bottom lip and she shifts on the edge of the bed. "So, well. I don't know." A nervous laugh escapes her. "Um, you weren't given a uh, classification. It's unusual." Nodding to herself she clears her throat. "Unusual, as in, that has never happened before."
"Why is this happening?" I drop my head in my hands, rubbing my eyes into my palms. "Now what?"
"When you're feeling better, I'm going to take you to Clarence. He'll know what to do."
"Clarence?"
"He's like our Guardian." Mel nods. "He runs the University." I lift my head, chewing on the inside of my cheek. "He's odd." She adds, "but nice enough."
"So, what now?" I try to swing my legs off her bed, but my head swims. She pushes me back down, giving me a stern look.
"Rest a little longer." She gets up, moving to the door. "I'll go get Mateo and let him know you're okay."
I want to stay awake. If I'm dead, why do I need to sleep?
But somehow, exhaustion rakes my body and this time, I don't dream.