Towards the Sapphire Light.

Familiar

Day - 3 The enlightenment ritual.

I woke up gasping for air, it felt like my lungs were closing with every breath I took. The healer and Grandma's younger sister (Latewa) who was next in line to take over the compound, were sitting next to me waiting for me to wake up. They got into a frenzy and got up and backed away as soon as they realized I was having an attack.

"My... Purse..." I said in between laboured breathing pointing to the mirror in front of the bed. My vision was getting hazy but I could make out the looks they were giving. It was like they were dealing with an infectious disease. I pulled myself slowly to the side of the mirror my breathing only getting worse. At some point, I started feeling like my lungs were combusting. The closing airways were normal for my asthma, but this burning sensation was new. The more I dragged myself to the dresser the worse it got. I could almost taste ash and smell smoke from internally. And all these backward people did was back away even more. I finally got a hold of my purse and grabbed the pump. It didn't take long for the medication to kick in my breathing got better I shot glares at my great aunt and they still looked mortified. Did I perhaps have something on my face? I looked in the mirror and I saw my vitiligo started showing again. It wasn't extreme I had only that one spot around my left eye that made me look like I was wearing a white eye patch. I usually covered it up with makeup to avoid questions, and because I got so insecure about how those who saw it here reacted to it, I just thought that's how everyone else would react.

I looked in the opposite direction in an attempt to hide my eye "Can I please be left alone?" I asked.

"If you need anything just ring the bell l put next to your bed. Ok?" Latewa said lowly. I saw the healer whisper something to her in the mirror and she seemed to agree. She cleared her throat to get my attention.

"Also, you should rest I will bring you dinner here so that you don't have to walk around much with your condition and all." She added. To read in between the lines they were confining me to my room to hide this dirty little secret just like Grandma did. I gave a small nod to agree and looked the other way again, hoping they would finally leave. And they did.

I laid my head down soon after they left as I suddenly felt dizzy and feverish. So I got under my blanket and held my knees to my chest as I shivered and coughed the minutes away. Eventually, I drifted off to sleep.

"Lady Camille I fear the worst has happened." An elderly man in a black tuxedo said walking into my room. I was certain I had never met this man before yet the feeling of familiarity overwhelmed me and like a reflex, like I had already done this before my mouth spoke without intention.

"What's going on Lorenzo?" I said baffled by the man's words.

He took a few seconds trying to find his words it was noticeable that he was finding it hard to say whatever was weighing down on his chest.

"Speak!"

"It's your about your husband my lady he eerhmm.." he started and stopped midway in a cold sweat clenching onto his hat nervously.

"Your silence will not explain to me what happened to my Husband damn it Lorenzo speak up!" I yelled in panic.

"The thing is the Prince strayed too far from his hunting party, they say a bear got to him"

"What are you talking about, the bears are always hibernating this time of the year where is he?"

"They are taking the body to the mortuary washroom. He is in a gruesome state to look at at the moment."

I dropped the small hand mirror I was holding and dashed out holding the many layers of the dress I had on. Too many thoughts were roaming in my head to pick one. The further I ran down the stone-walled hallway the longer it got. I suddenly sensed an eerie presence behind me. I stopped and turned to see when suddenly everything went black and I was no longer in that dress, but in a white nightgown on a metal bed with a thin mattress, this place felt familiar as well. It gave me a heavy sense of Deja vu and not the normal kind, it felt like I was walking in a place I knew was dangerous.

Suddenly the bed started moving, it felt like it was being lifted from underneath and being dropped. I grabbed onto the sides of the bed as it kept happening over and over again till it stopped. Moments passed as I sat in the same position gripping the sides of the bed anxiously waiting for what was going to happen next, then I felt something underneath where I was sitting I quickly moved away from the place and sat at the head side of the bed. I looked at the lump where I was, my heart was pounding up a storm in my chest as I watched the lump slowly move from the centre of the bed to the very edge and disappear. Heavy breathing and grunting were coming from under the bed. Every fibre in my body was telling me to be scared but my curiosity was also very peaked. A bloody and torn hand suddenly grabbed onto the bed sheet from under the bed where the lump disappeared. "Camiiillllleee" A familiar raspy male voice came from under the bed filled with so much pain. What was this overwhelming feeling to respond to its call? "Hello? Is-is anyone there?" I stuttered. The bloody hand weakly slipped back down leaving behind a blood trail on the white sheet. I closed my eyes as I could feel my breath growing more rapidly to calm myself down. I could feel a weakly pulsing object in my hands but I refused to look at whatever it was. The pulse was growing weaker and weaker.

" It's just a nightmare, Alaine, just wake up. Wake up!" I whispered to myself.

My surroundings started becoming very hot I could smell something burning and my eyes fluttered open to see what was burning. I was sitting in the same position from what I realized was just a very vivid dream. I looked around to see what was burning but both the smell and the heat were gone. I finally calmed down when my brain finally registered that I was in the comfort of my bed. I let out a sigh of relief and I rubbed my eyes slowly just to make sure I still wasn't dreaming. Soon as my eyes closed some form of vision flashed into sight. A gorgeous man in his early 30s or late 20s, clothed in very fancy mid-evil times clothing standing in a very green and floral garden turned to me and seemed to be ecstatic to see me.

"Camille I finally found you!" he said and started to walk to me, his hand reaching out to me. I felt a sense of relief but the vision didn't last long my eyes flew open before he could reach me. "Daniel..." I said unconsciously, as I looked at my reflection in the mirror I realized I was tearing up when I brought my hand up to my face to wipe the tears away I noticed I was clenching onto something. I slowly opened my hand hoping that it wasn't something creepy at all. Only to find a small heart-shaped locket. I lifted it by the chain to examine it. It had a familiar feeling to it but I was certain I had never seen it before, it was gold with the letters "D & C" engraved into it. While looking at it I noticed something at the right corner of my bed. A blood stain just like in the dream. That can't be right.

Sings "I feel it coming!!"

See y'all next time

Tina