The Sacrifice [Undergoing Editing]

Chapter 46: The Remaining Silence

It had been a while since the lake incident, and I went out of my way to avoid its treacherous waters. Aisu and I had gotten back into our Alpha-Beta friendship, but there were times when it felt like we were something...more. Nathan hadn't talked to me for ten days now. I was getting worried about him. As for my vision... well the story goes like this:

My vision wasn't cured, not at all, but with the help of Hail, I almost had 20/20 vision, with a catch of course. When I'm tired, my vision quickly begins to rapidly deteriorate. To top it all off, I had to give up color vision in one eye. My eyes suck.

It made me wonder. I'd pondered for weeks what had caused my vision to change so much, but I honestly didn't know. Maybe it was the fluid in the IV that had been attached to me in the Government facility. I'd get them back for it, some way, somehow.

It was now a Tuesday, and I sat on the hilltop, my eyes straining. half of my world was colored vibrantly. The other half was like a charcoal sketch. It hurt my brain a bit as I attempted to decipher what my eyes were telling me. I flopped onto my back and basked in the sun as Aisu slept beside me. Nerr lay to my left, peaceful for once. Birds tweeted cheerfully.

"Do you think of home? Of your family?" Nerr asked suddenly, opening one vibrant eye lazily.

"Sometimes." I replied. "I don't really remember much, though." Nerr nodded, her hair falling over her eyes.

"I miss my family. " Nerr said with a sigh. "My parents and my brother. My cousins." It was my turn to nod. Did I even have cousins? I frowned as I searched my empty memory for perhaps even a scrap of a memory. Did I have grandparents? Did I have aunts or uncles? Godparents? It confused me. The farthest back I could remember was the day I was chosen, and after that there were only fragments.

I could easily remember remembering. I remembered remembering my 'friend', who's name now escapes me. I remembered remembering how much I missed someone, but I could no longer remember who that special someone was. I did know that I still missed them.

Aisu cracked open one of his icy eyes. "Mistress, why are you frowning?" Aisu rumbled, his ears flicking back and forth as his tail twitched. I stopped frowning and smiled a bit.

"No reason, Aisu. It's not important." I said in return, internally grimacing at the lie I'd just told. I wanted my memories. I wanted my past. I turned my gaze back to the clear, bright blue sky and the charcoal-colored trees. "I was just thinking, that's all."

Aisu crawled up to me and licked my cheek with his long pink tongue. He nosed me when I didn't respond. "It seems important." He rumbled again. I continued to stare at the sky, watching fat clouds float by.

"Aisu, tell me about where you come from." I said, my gaze flicking over to him. Aisu sat on his haunches, his tail twitching nervously as he tilted his head to one side. I nearly smiled as one of his ears folded a bit.

"Why, Mistress? It is of no real importance." Aisu said. I looked back over to Nerr, who lay fast asleep, soft snores escaping her slightly opened mouth.

"To know someone, you must know who they are, and where they are from. You need to know them. I don't know you, not really. Tell me about yourself." I said, my hands behind my head. "I want to know you."

Aisu looked at me, something similar to nervousness in his eyes. "Are you sure?" He asked, his eyes bright, and dull at the same time. I nodded my head. "Very well, Mistress. I'll tell you about myself."

I closed my eyes and bided him to start. "I was born in the countryside of the Familiar World. It's really nice there. Lots of wide open spaces. It's very grassy, and good for growing crops. I lived there with my parents. The local school was a two mile walk, and I'd leave home early so I could enjoy the walk to school with my friends. At the end of the day, I'd race home because I'd want to tell my parents about everything I'd done."  I smiled. His family sounded so happy.