THE LAST OF US : SHADOW AND DARKNESS

BEFORE

The people of the village looked at her with fear whenever she passed by  and smiled , she was different, she  knew it too well, but she  didn't understand what she had done so badly to deserve all these looks. She felt like she was burning, all these eyes were on her but she didn't pay attention to them, she passed quickly and entered the small church, she could swear that she heard people talking among themselves about her.

— She is small and damned! She has nothing to do here, what a shame .

—Didn't you see how he was smiling? Like a witch, she must be planning something.

The girl closed the door behind her and took off the hood of her cape and with slow steps approached the altar where she knelt down and prayed, she prayed for a better day, she prayed for peace and maybe even a miracle. She prayed that the saints would forgive the people of the village, she knew that they did not do it intentionally, she had no intention of harming them, she had promised her mother this.

Footsteps were heard and a man's voice like a whisper made the girl stop.

—I didn't want to interrupt you, I didn't know there was anyone .

— Don't do anything, said the girl. I have to go home anyway, it's getting late.

— Why do you always pray for them? They will not see you better the next day.

— If they are bad with me, why should I be the same with them? I would only help feed the evil instead of diminishing it.

The man sat down on the bench behind her and looked at her carefully, a moment later he whispered:

— I for one don't think you're an evil child, I think you're a miracle.

— Then why am I always looked  with fear? With hate?

— Oh my daughter, sometimes those with the purest heart are born with a hard fate,  they are born in a dark and  cruel world,  where they are made to pay for the mistakes made by their ancestors.

— When I grow up I will repair what the Heretic destroyed, I will change the course of this world and I will prove that I am not like him.

—  May the saints listen to your prayers, and may your words come true, the man stood up and took her small hands in his palms and helped her to stand up. Go home now, your parents will worry.

During the day the girl spent her time around the village looking for food, on other days she ran on the plains and through the orchards smiling and laughing. Dancing from dawn to dusk with other children who, despite the warnings received from their parents, decided to ignore them. And when the sun started to set, he would run to the small church located in the center of the village and pray, then he would go to the house where  would eat and sleep. But this evening was different, the mother's face was full of sadness and the tears were perfectly visible in the corner of her eyes.

— What happened ? The girl asked while sitting down at the table.

— Oh my little one, if you only knew how bad it hurts. I would like to be able to do something, but I think that,  for the moment this is the only good option.

— What you mean ?

— We will send you to live with your aunt in Ravka. There, no one will know what you really are. There you will be able to lead your life in peace and maybe with a little luck you will be able to meet Genya again. Please understand, my little one, and with these words the tears flowed like beads on her pale cheeks, sprinkling the wooden table.

— But I don't want to leave! I don't want to leave you like Genya did, I don't want to have the same fate to be in the service of people who don't care about their own people. I want to stay here and fight! To fight against everyone and prove to them that I'm not a monster, the girl let all the anger she had accumulated in her for days on end erupt, the shadows danced and rose up towards the ceiling swallowing the room and leaving her in darkness.

- Naiara! Stop now! Her father's voice sounded like a thunder that would have hit a tree.

Fear gripped Naiara out of the blue, she hadn't realized what she had done. She slowly backed away and ran up the stairs to her room.  Closed the door and fell down crying loudly and hitting the floor with his fist, she could have killed his family. From a small mistake, because she was stupid and couldn't control her emotions. She could still hear the voices of her parents arguing, but she knew too well, inside she knew that for the moment the best thing was to keep her head down and accept what her parents had decided for her. She knew that one day her moment would come.