⊹ ࣪ ˖
𝐈'𝐌 𝐒𝐔𝐏𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐄 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐃. I've counted three minutes and forty-five seconds since I've gone underwater, and my body hasn't shut down yet. As far as I know I can still feel all my limbs working perfectly. That shouldn't be possible. Despite the force of gravity in this depth, I'm functioning like any other normal human should. Only that I'm twenty feet deep into a gloomy lake, without any aid or oxygen. Just me, the water, and the darkness surrounding my figure.
The depths of the lake pull me in deeper, as if calling out to me. As if I belong within the shadows. I only see a faint shimmer of brightness at the surface. My hand lifts with a slow movement, dragging the water along its fingertips as it reaches for the light.
Within the span of seconds I've suddenly returned back to the surface. Water spills from my lips. I cough out and gasp for air, and my fingers curl themselves into the grass beneath me to ground myself back to reality. My head spins. The place is too bright. My lungs expand until my chest fully rises, taking in every bit of oxygen possible to compensate for the lack of it the previous minutes, though functioning perfectly without it just seconds before.
My knees have sunken into the dirt beneath me. Children scream in the background and my ears perk up. The river had taken me away from the orphanage, but not far enough to let me escape it fully. I was still bound to this place.
While it was still a murder attempt, a part of me had hoped it would either work or would at least gift me the pleasure of freedom. But I didn't get either of those.
The children run around in chaos. It is play time. With a pull and a shove, two girls bump into me and they turn awfully quiet. Their eyes reek over my figure and take notice of my dark glare, immediately shuffling backwards with a faint gasp at the sight. Even my presence irks people.
I drag my feet back through the gates until I've properly entered the orphanage again, and the others make sure to stand at least ten feet away. Miss Caradine stands upon the stairs. She sweeps her eyes over the crowd of kids, with the obvious signs of despair visible in her eyes and even a faint wrinkle seen upon her forehead. She's starting to look more and more her age.
As I pass, I'd hoped she wouldn't bother picking on me again, but I could not be more wrong. I must be her favourite, or the kid she detests more than the rest. Hope is no emotion I'm familiar with.
"And where have you been?" The sharpness of her tone cuts through the thick air, stopping my in my tracks. I speak no words.
"I asked you a question." Miss Caradine adds, this time removing herself from her original position and taking slow steps towards where I stood.
I finally turn to her. My cold eyes peer through her skull, and she can only barely hide the shiver that ran down her spine. "The lake." The words fall from my lips. My tone is dull, bored, like I have no intention to keep this interaction going further than those two simple words.
When she doesn't speak, I ought to turn away again, but to my despair she was apparantly not done.
"There's a visitor." She sneers, as if not believing someone would come to see me. I would suspect it was one of the doctors again that she'd called on me before, for my strange behaviour, but this time I had a different feeling. With a simple nudge of her head, she ordered me to follow her back inside the building, where my visitor had been waiting for me.
• • •
"Miss Caradine has told me all about you." The old man speaks before me, his voice calm and composed. "About your behaviour, and your little tricks." He gazes at me with intent. "You can do tricks, can't you?"
I peer up at him. I have no interest talking to this man. I have no interest talking to anyone. My lips are sealed shut, not a single sound spills out. The bed creaks beneath the man's weight as he settles down, getting way too comfortable in my space and I have to resist the urge to hurt him however I can. Detest courses through the veins in my body.
"I could kill you." I say.
His lips curl into the faintest smile for just a second. "I know you can."
"I understand your worry, but I'm not here to scrutinize you." He continues. Reaching into his pocket, he retrieves what looks like an old letter with the name spelled in ink almost faded already. Then, he hands it to me. No one ever handed me anything. "I know a place for people just like you. I think you'd fit right in."
When I don't take the envelope, he simply places it down by the table. The man takes another look around the small room, before his eyes fall back on me. It's like he's analysing me, though I have the feeling he doesn't need to put in too much effort in order to get the information he needs.
"An asylum." I state and receive a shake of his head.
"A school."
A quietness falls between us. I don't believe his words. They're deceiving, I know they are. Their plans with me have been plain as day for ages. They don't want to help, they don't want me to improve my behaviour or quit my little tricks. They want to get rid of me. And this was their attempt to.
The man finally raises to his feet and heads towards the door. His hand stops reaching the door's handle and turns to look over his shoulder. "Read the letter and think about my words." He says. "Perhaps you could become something great, if only you allow yourself to broaden your mind."
And with a simple click of the door, the man disappears.
YOU ARE READING
Whistle In The Dark | Blaise Zabini
Fanfiction[MOMENTARILY DISCONTINUED] The end was near. People were frightened. War had been declared and everyone was distraught, bunched up concern and hopelessness nearly overloading all witches and wizards. There was no saviour - no hero who knew all the a...
