Burn In Violet

06: Unyielding Lies

Chapter 6: Unyielding Lies

“Words are more powerful tools of deception than an illusion spell.” – Holly ‘Hope’ Esther

*

“Holly, what are you doing here?”

Holly hastily turned around, her stomach sinking. She found herself facing a pale-faced Emi. Although Emi looked faint and worried, her eyes appeared glazed and void of warm emotions.

But even that didn’t get her mind out of the things she had seen. Emi broke the awkward silence between them, “Holly, why did you…”

“…not respect your privacy?” Holly cut her short, this time not breaking eye contact.

Silence hung again.

Holly pressed on, “You will tell me everything.” It was somewhere between an order and a statement.

“But Holly, I’m still looking for the answers…”

“Then you’ll tell me all you know.” Holly hated it when Emi used that tone, especially that tone. It usually made her feel guilty. But not this time, though. She hated how this time, it just sounded like a farce.

Emi glanced away, her hands behind her back. Contrary to Holly’s expectation, she just turned around and walked away, towards the door. Unprepared, Holly wondered if she should storm after her guardian, making her pent up anger apparent.

But just as Emi was about to disappear around a corner, Holly felt herself jerked by an invisible force that swept her off her feet and flying towards the door. The tremendous speed caused her to pass by Emi, who swept her arm in conjunction with Holly’s movement. The door swung open and she landed lightly on the library’s carpet. She was about to speak when the same force sent her flying towards the door of the Room of Illusions.

With a gasp and a yelp, she tumbled head over heels into the room, this time looking like any normal room with blank walls. I feel no illusion or presence. Lucy?

“We’ll talk,” Emi mumbled, as if she had materialized suddenly without as much as a rustle, and Holly turned around. Soundlessly, the door shut behind her. “I know it’s not your fault.”

“Of course it’s not!”

“You’re angry… I know… and you’re puzzled.”

“Stop stating the obvious, Emi,” Holly spoke with clenched teeth. The image of herself submerged in the glass tank flashed in her mind, brains showing.

“Your cheek, it’s bleeding.” Emi pointed with a finger. Holly was taken by surprise, only then realizing that it was the place where the monster nicked her. Her back stung. But then her eyes hardened.

“I said stop stating the obvious.”

“We’ll talk, I promised…”

“I don’t trust you enough to wait for my fifteenth birthday.” Holly’s replies were all curt and suppressed.

Emi sighed. “There are things that you are not supposed to know, Holly. If you think you are surprised now, just from a little unfortunate peek, imagine your horror if the entire truth is divulged when you are not ready.”

“So you’re hiding something really evil,” Holly pointed out, but then her eyes widened from realization. “You… you pushed me out of the secret room because you don’t want me discovering more! You didn’t want me wrecking anything, that’s why you brought me here, for a talk!”

“The truth might be too much for you, Holly,” Emi’s answer was short and melancholic.

“Then what difference does it make, waiting for my birthday? I think even then you wouldn’t tell the full story, right?”