Walls of Gray

Chapter 12: Apparition in Red

Lianna heard a whisper in the wind the moment she stepped out into the early sunlight. She stopped, pausing to hear anything that seemed remotely amiss -- this early in the day it was usually either the trees rustling in the slight breeze or her mind was playing tricks on her, still bogged down with fatigue from a long night's sleep. By all accounts, nothing should have been out of the ordinary; she'd left Esther and Lawrence fast asleep, waking at the first sign of light to find something to eat. Fortunately for the three of them, she wouldn't be gone long. They'd all become acquainted with this particular spot in Trench, camping out at the lake to gather resources when they weren't concocting a plan to break into Dema or scouting its perimeter. Not to mention there was something about the waterfall at the edge of the clearing that seemed to calm Lianna's nerves every time she came near it.

She shook it off, stepping into the fog, dismissing the strange noise as some far-off animal in the shrubbery. The fog might have been thick, but at least she knew where to look for everything she and the others needed. And assuming everything was right where they'd left it, she wouldn't have to make it much farther past the lake at all. Lianna waved a hand in front of her, the fog dispersing as she walked around the edge of the lake, then past it until she reached another set of trees that framed the other side of the clearing, and as she continued onward she could feel a familiar sensation swirling at the back of her mind. A memory flashed behind her eyes, completely unbidden -- a memory of a more peaceful time, a time before Dema and the Bishops and everything she had come to resent, long hours spent behind the easel, contemplating the bright future she once had.

If only things didn't go so terribly south. 

Lianna sighed, forcing the memory back from where it came; if there was one thing she didn't want to do today, it was to be miserable and dwell on a tragedy that had long since passed, a horrible happening she couldn't have done anything to prevent despite what she might have thought that day. Finally, she reached her destination: a small cluster of younger trees, stubborn handfuls of berries still clinging to their branches in spite of the fact that the weather was growing more inhospitable by the day. 

You know, you could waste a few minutes trying to catch some fish, a voice in her head whispered. 

"I'd rather not," Lianna muttered to herself, not wanting to waste her time or her patience so early in the day trying to catch a fish that would evade her for hours. She could try her hand at that later in the day. Besides, the berries looked good enough. 

She reached up to the lowest branch, fingers poised to start picking at the yellowish berries clustered at its end when she heard it again. Another whisper, near indecipherable just like the first, only a few words intelligible to Lianna's ears. 

And the words that she could make out bore a terrifying resemblance in tone to a certain someone. Before she realized it another memory forced its way forward; a warm smile, a soft voice encouraging her to push the boundaries of what she could do with her talents, the one she'd come to call her mentor, the one who had made her believe she could get that full scholarship if she tried hard enough--

Lianna clenched her fists. "Get a grip," she snapped before turning in the direction of the whispers, an urge to find their source rising up within her. She stormed away from the tree, but not before snatching the bushel of berries. 

She kept walking until she saw something strange not too far off in the distance. 

It was only then that she stopped -- or rather forced herself to stop. Standing about fifty feet or so away from her was an eerily familiar silhouette; definitely human, and if she had to take an educated guess they could probably have dwarfed her by at least six inches. And to top it all off, as the fog was just beginning to clear with the morning sun, Lianna could see a faint haze of red if she squinted hard enough.