The world was trembling. Shaking. Blurring at the edges. Vivian couldn't tell up from down. She wasn't sure if she was breathing.
A cataclysmic, blinding light ensnares the universe. Vivian chokes as she was pulled apart, slowly imploding from the physical stress and pressure of it.
A scream is torn from her chest. Quickly, a shadow falls, washing away the blinding sharpness of the sky. A moment of silence. Then everything shatters.
A sweet, smooth, mellifluous music flows gently through the glass. The mirrored edge of the world has broken into a million pieces, too thick to ever see through, but still, the music comes. Relief floods her existence. The dulcet golden melody washes over everything, leaving a sort of glow in its wake. This feeling, she can't capture it with words. She reached out slowly trying to catch a fragment. And then it's gone.
A sick feeling bubbles up in her stomach. She was longing for a place that never was there, she realizes. Never. Always. Alone in the vanishing mist of harmony, she began to cry.
And then she woke up. Tears still falling from her eyes.
Darkness had not long surrendered to the light, and she could see the thick gray clouds that were cast over the sky. The sea was tainted; no longer an abyss of black, nor did it appear blue. Instead, it looked a metallic gray, glistening as the occasional spear of light pierced through the clouds and danced over the surface.
Vivian quickly wiped the tears from her eyes and shivered, slowly getting out of bed and wrapping the blanket around her. She pulled her hair into a tight bun and slipped on her shoes before stepping out into the outdoor hall, the wind sending a chill down her spine.
She moved through the passageways, confused when the night air whisked her heat away, and ended up with the blanket clutched tightly around her. Soon she came to the parlor and she swung open the doors, staring at the true outside.
She walked there quickly, and with even more pace, shutting the door, not wanting any more air to crawl inside. Vivian continued her walked ignoring the bitter cold and her sore joints that ached for her to stop.
And then she reached her destination.
It was described as a formal garden. The trees lined the perfect lawn in their wooden boxes. In the center, there was a pond as large as a small lake with flowering lily pads and a wooden bridge that crossed the middle so you could look down at the fish that swam there. The flower beds were a riot of May colors, and even on close inspection, they were weed-free.
It was Theo who showed it to her a few days ago, and Vivian had fallen in love with it. She walked across the bridge before stopping in the middle and then turned to look down.
Below the ruffled water surface was a fish: small, barely a dart of silver, yet fast. Without visible effort it moved from plain sight, glimmering in the early morning sun, into the reeds, disappearing from her sight.
A sharp pain bloomed behind Vivian eyes making her gasped shutting her eyes tightly and clutching her head.
And when she opened them she was no longer in the garden.
The stench of dried blood filled the air. The victim was female with black hair and light brown eyes. Her once lively skin was now dull, gray, and was covered with insects that crawled up and down her stiff corpse. She was staring off into space, but Vivian couldn't tell what it was she was looking for.
Fear pierces her thoughts and Vivian took in a sudden intake of breath and stumbled backward, jamming her heel into the wood behind her. Her shoulders shook in fear and it wasn't until she took another look was when she noticed she stood in the garden once again the silver fish darting around below her.
A lone tear traced down her cheek as her breathing became more rapid, more shallow.
"Vivian?" A voice. Vivian wiped the tear from her eye and spun around.
It was Lola. Against her navy cloak, the girl's blonde hair was almost white. It fell to a straight line midway down her back, absolutely flat and shining in the light. Vivian then noticed Damian in the back, his eyes emotionless as he stared back at her.
Lola took one look at Vivian and frowned. "We'll talk later, Damian," She said softly, and the expression on Damian's face grew unreadable, then curious. And then he was gone, and Lola walked up to Vivian a small smile on her face.
"What are you doing out here so early? Damian and I were training." Lola explained this, and showed Vivian the hilt of a weapon under her cloak. Vivian nodded.
"I...Couldn't sleep." She stated honestly, and Lola nodded, taking Vivian's hand and leading her through the garden with the ease of familiarity. A bench then appeared before them and they both sat, while Lola eyed her.
"What did you dream about?" The cloaked woman asked, crossing her legs. Vivian bit her lip before speaking.
"I'm not sure. I was watching the world shatter apart before me...It pulled me apart from the inside out." She started shivering slightly, before continuing.
"But then it stopped, and it was beautiful...and it felt like home. Then it disappeared and I was alone." Vivian finished and looked at Lola, tears formed quite obviously in the eyes of the Vivian. A part of her wanted Lola to feel her pain, so she wouldn't be so lonely with it, but part of her was glad she couldn't shade it. The tears finally fell, and she quickly tried to wipe them away, before a hand grasped her own tightly.
"How foolish, Vivian. You're not alone" Lola said softly, letting her hand fall. "Me, Theo, Eliza, and even Damian care about you. Sure, we do...questionable things, but we're still a family."
"How do you know that? I could be with you today and alone tomorrow." She blurted suddenly, and immediately regretted it as she Lola's face fall, and eyes look away.
"I used to be connected to the government." Lola stated suddenly, making Vivian look up in surprise. Lola put her hands up in defensively. "My family was! My father is a representative of a sector of villages in the North." She explained, her eyes filling with disgust as the words left her mouth.
Lola's face disappeared, replaced by memories that that didn't belong to Vivian. A mother shouting, A father screaming back, louder, brasher, scarier. A small child with pale blue eyes, crushing a doll in between her fingers quite by accident, tears in her eyes as she sat alone in a room.
When it was gone, Vivian stared at Lola. Shs suddenly realized how little she knew about Lola or any of the members of the Omen.
"I know what it feels like to be alone. It's the reason as to why I joined Eliza." Lola smiled, the corners of her mouth barely lifting. "The Omen? The people here? We're a family, Vivian, one that would give their lives for each other." Lola's brows were furrowed and serious, her intense eyes staring focussedly at Vivian, making the latter pause.
A family.
The Omen wanted to be in her life and she wanted them, the people within, to be in hers. They accepted her for who she was and made sure she could protect who she was and others. They made her smile, laugh, and cry, sometimes.
That was what family was.
And she trusted that the Omen could give that to her. Lola wrapped an arm around Vivian's shoulders and pulled her close. Vivian didn't resist. They sat like that a minute, enjoying each other's presence, before Lola spoke.
"So...You and Theo?"
"News travels fast doesn't it?" Vivian burst out laughing as they separated, hitting Lola playfully in the arm.
"What news? I knew you two would hook up, the minute I saw you." Lola smugly stated, and chuckled, throwing her hair over her shoulder, and laughing some more.
They stood from the bench at roughly the same time, extending their appendages into the air, and letting the moon shine upon their upturned faces. Lola sighed, before looking towards the manor. "Let's go back to the house. I'm pretty sure they have cinnamon buns for breakfast." She starts walking, and is stopped by Vivian's hand on her shoulder.
"Thank you, Lola. We're a family, I know that now. I'm proud to calk you my sister, if you would have the title." She whispered, and Lola turned to look at her. Her eyes were filled with a kindness that seemed so innocent and genuine so endless; big and blue as the sea.
"I've always wanted a sister."
YOU ARE READING
Cloaked | Book 1
Fantasy"We know this fight won't be easy. In fact, it'll be one of the hardest things you'll encounter in your life. You have to be passionate about this rebellion. People will die. But this fight isn't only to save us. It's to save the generations after u...
