Harm and Harmony

-Chapter 101-

Day: 126

Days Left: 5354

Lives Saved: 0

The soft, gentle tune of a piano sounded. It was like each note was played with hesitation and caution as if even the slightest touch could break the key. Slow and repetitious, the melody lulled like a lullaby, the hushed vocals' barely audible but rather an intimate whisper.

Harmony's head rolled to the side, drooping and jerking up and down. She jolted awake, her eyes flickering incessantly as she slowly regained her vision. Squinting, Harmony gazed around at her surroundings. When they were no longer blurry, seeing the stacks of boxes and clothes, she realised that she was in the basement. Her shoulders aching, Harmony attempted to roll and stretch them, but something constricted them and tightened, digging into her skin. Confused, she peered her head and found that she had been tied to a chair. Not only was she restrained by several lengths of rope but also scarves and garments. Her hands tied to the arm-rests of the chair sweltered in the heat from the numerous layers of gloves.

In a panic, Harmony thrashed her body around, the chair scraping against the floorboards, but to no avail. It was impossible to free herself with so many restrictions. She couldn't even angle her head to attempt to bite through the bonds.

Sighing in defeat, the young woman retraced her memories, wondering how she even got into this situation in the first place. She remembered falling asleep after playing Connect Four with Corinna, mostly because she remembered winning and gloating perhaps a bit too much. But aside from that, there was nothing else. Despite knowing that she did fall asleep, her body was exhausted as if she had been awake for over a day maybe more. She felt the pang of wounds that she had never known existed.

What had happened to her?

And where was...

Harmony's eyes darted around the basement, then she breathed out in relief. Corinna sat in front of the ladder to the exit, her head resting against it. She had been so still like a statue that Harmony hadn't noticed her the first time around. The young woman clung to her spear in one hand, the other her white notebook that almost slipped out of her fingers. Her eyes were closed, at least they appeared to be as her face was gazing down. It was hard to tell if she was sleeping or not.

"Corinna?" Harmony croaked, her voice hoarse. "Corinna?"

The young woman did not respond. Perhaps she was asleep.

Harmony cleared her throat. "Corinna?"

Corinna raised her head. Her eyes stared forwards, not looking directly at Harmony, almost as if she was seeing through her.

With a forced smile and a short laugh, Harmony asked, "so, um... what's going on?"

Her eyebrows furrowing, Corinna's head drooped down again, gazing back at the floor.

"Corinna?"

Putting aside her notebook, groaning and gritting her teeth, Corinna got up, using her spear for support as her body swayed and stumbled.

One heavy and slow step after another, Corinna stood in front of the tied-up Harmony, her eyes vacantly looking down at her.

Hesitating, Harmony mumbled, "are you alright?"

After a moment of silence, Corinna replied, "yeah." She knelt down and began untying and cutting away at the ropes with her spear, freeing Harmony.

Rubbing her wrists to soothe the pain, Harmony gazed back at the despondent woman before her. "What happened exactly?" She made her tone of voice sound playful, maybe even casual, pretending that waking up tied to a chair didn't scare her.

Corinna's mouth opened. Then it closed. She let her body slump down to the floor, and she sat there, in front of Harmony, clinging tightly to her spear.

"Well, we can talk later," said Harmony. "We've got a blood moon to prepare for."

Corinna's head shot upwards, her eyes wide, her mouth trembling.

There was a long pause. The lulling melody playing on the gramophone continued, the two holographic dancers slowly circling each other as their hands connected.

"The blood moon has already been and gone," said Corinna.

"What?" Harmony shook her head. "But I don't remember any of it. How could I miss a whole day-"

"Two days."

"Two?" Harmony swallowed. Now that she was up close, she finally noticed the tears on Corinna's dress, the scrapes. Wrapped around her neck was her woollen scarf. From this angle, Harmony thought she saw something underneath it, perhaps a bruise but Corinna adjusted it and stood up, her back facing Harmony.

"What happened?" asked Harmony, standing up from the chair, her knees weak and buckling.

"You were drawn to your mask," answered Corinna without looking back. "You were... in a trance. You kept on walking to the ocean. Nothing could stop you. You were trying to reach your mask... no matter what."

"My mask?" A smile crept onto Harmony's face. "You know what this means? It means that my mask is still there! It's in the ocean! And it still works- it's- it's not damaged." She brushed her fingers through her hair, grinning. "I can find my mask. Next time-"

"Next time?" Corinna turned, her voice trembling. She stared back at Harmony, eyes wide, horrified. "Next time?"

"Yeah, next time..." Harmony's smile faded. "Next blood moon just let me go and follow my mask."

"No."

"No?"

"I'm not doing that."

"But I need to find my mask."

"Why? You've been fine without it-"

"I have not. I need my mask to escape. All we have to do is next blood moon-"

"No!" Corinna snapped. Her breath was quick and staggered. She shook her head. "You had no control over yourself in that trance. You're an easy target, even more so in a blood moon. All those nymphs in the ocean will try to eat you if you go searching for your mask, let alone the rest of the prisoners. It's not safe-"

"But it's a risk I have to take!" Harmony sighed. "The food drop-off is soon and now that the imps know I don't have my mask... well... I need my mask, Corinna." She stepped forward. "It's for your sake too. With my mask, I can get us more food." Her eyes glanced at the young woman's torn dress. "I can protect you."

"I'd rather starve than for you to get hurt, for you to lose your memories," said Corinna in a hushed whisper. Her fingers touched the scarf wrapped around her neck. "You can go find your mask if that's what you want. But I don't want any part in it. I won't help you do something so reckless."

After a pause, she turned away. "I'll go prepare dinner." And with that, Corinna climbed the ladder out of the basement and disappeared.