The street was crowded as I pushed through waves of people, carrying myself with grace and elegance through the heat. Summer was at its peak, which meant many tourists on top of just the citizens that lived here were wandering about. Taxi's honked, the street smelled stiff and full of gasoline, but I didn't mind since this was home. To my left, a small cafe that Claire and I frequented often appeared between the bobs of people and I pushed my way through the flow of traffic.
The small tinkling of the bell was drowned out as Claire shrieked towards me, having already arrived. Her slender hand that matched her thin body was raised in the air with a large grin plastered across her face. We couldn't be more opposite in looks. She had blonde hair, golden and yellow like straw blazing in the sun and her eyes were a bright green. Her lips were thin but wide while mine were plump and full. My eyes were large but almond shaped while hers were large and round.
However, we both had similar set cheekbones with dimples when we smiled which was the one thing I was so grateful to see this afternoon. We ordered a coffee and salads before finding a small table next to the window that bordered the busy street. I took a long sip of my hot drink and watched the people casually passing by; wondering if maybe someone out there had dreams that kept them awake such as I.
"Tomorrow you need to be ready to go around nine in the evening." Claire's high voice pulled me away from the window. "Wear something slutty." She finished and I rolled my eyes.
"Why would I do that? What's tomorrow?"
She looked shocked I would have to even question her. "Your birthday party of course! We are going to that new club down the street. It's supposed to be posh but crazy! I've invited all the girls and maybe Dustin will finally relax for an evening." Claire giggled and took another long sip of her coffee. Despite being friends since I moved here at eighteen, she hadn't figured out that the club wasn't really my scene.
"Girl, I'm turning twenty five, I'm engaged, and haven't ever really enjoyed going to a club. Neither has Dustin which is why you think he's so uptight and boring. I'm also pretty sure I no longer fit into the age category of wearing something slutty." I countered back, trying to politely refuse. But of course Claire was having nothing of the sort, and after thirty minutes and finishing our salads, I reluctantly agreed to go.
Claire and I shared a hug before she returned to work and I pulled out my tablet, clipped on a travel keyboard and resumed writing. Having nothing left in my head to add to the dream, I returned to the expectant novel despite the ache that was pulling in my bones. It was like a cry to dig harder, deeper, to learn more of this mysterious world that my head had made so realistic that it haunted my nightmares.
As the sun dipped down low, street lights flickering back on, I finally put away my tablet and began the walk back towards the apartment. I had added maybe ten words to the novel in total, plagued by the images from the dream and the hatred for a character I didn't even know. A mysterious King that must have betrayed his kingdom.
Dustin was waiting already at home, a nice candlelight dinner prepared for me. Exactly how I would rather spend my birthday. He had spread out a white tablecloth over our small dining table that sat off to the left and two tall candles were burning. Some red wine and several exquisite dishes were prepared and ready to eat. He was dressed in some nice navy slacks and a gray button up, his hair expertly gelled to its perfect spot.
"Hi sweetheart." He said and smiled at me before quickly coming to the door and giving me a small kiss on the cheek. "I wish we could celebrate like this tomorrow, but seeing as Claire took some fancy initiative to create a party at this new club for you, I figured we could celebrate your birthday, our way tonight."
I smiled softly, the simplicity and routine of our relationship brought me comfort. "This is exactly what I wanted." I replied and placed my hand in his as we made our way towards the table. I sat down across from him as he poured me a glass of wine and then we talked the night away. Well, he talked and I listened. He talked about work, his new business partner, his family that was coming to visit in a few weeks, and about wedding plans that I still hadn't started on.
Something had held me back from even setting a date, but he had never pressed it. Our relationship had always been slow to grow, dating for four years before an engagement. He had been my first serious boyfriend, the first man to put up with me for more than a couple weeks of a whirlwind surface level romance. Sometimes however, I still often wondered if our relationship remained surface level, but I didn't ever dwell on the tug at the back of my mind that there was something more out there. I chalked it up to my past crazy life of instability and immaturity.
It was easy with him because nothing was required of each other. It was easy with him because he never pushed me to be more than who I was and I never asked him to be more than he was. It was easy, and easy was comfortable. I liked comfortable.
After the food was gone, the candles were low, and the wine had disappeared, we made our way to bed. I showered after him and slipped into a fresh pair of silk night garments, before climbing into the bed with him. Part of me had hoped that tonight would be the end of our long lack of physical intimacy, but he was already snoring when I joined him.
Maybe that was why I was hesitant to set a date, I missed sharing that vulnerability with him, no matter how infrequent it was. We had never been very physical, even from the start and at first I hoped it would change as we moved closer towards marriage, but nothing yet. So I long since resigned that my expectations were made of fiction and I clicked the lamp light off beside me before closing my eyes.
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I woke in another cold sweat with that silent scream dripping from my lips. It was the exact same dream, nightmare, the exact same pool of hatred that had been so pungent in the air with the mixture of rain and thunder. Wet grass, mud running slick through the battlefield, and there I was with a swirling orb of dark power in my hand just itching to be released. Until that burning bracelet clamped against my skin and the biting power that ran through my veins faded away.
This time however, I also woke with a dull headache and rubbed the temples at the sides of my forehead as I slowly wandered out to the kitchen. A glass of water and some aspirin later, I found myself huddled on the couch with my knees to my chest. Dreams were nothing but the imagination and yet, it almost felt like someone was calling to me, that my other self was calling to me.
The King used my name. Azora. The word cold and icy as he spoke it, a name that had been passed down through my mother's side of the family. At least she had told me that one thing about them before passing away when I was ten years old. Every time I had pressed for any more information, she had given me the same answer: when I am older I will get to know.
Well here I was, older, and I still knew nothing. My father refused to talk about her, refused to tell me anything about my mother's family so I was left with nothing but a name to link me to such a beautiful woman who was taken too soon.
I remembered her eyes, much like mine, that continued to sparkle even as her cancer spread and eventually took her from me. My mouth was hers as well, and my jet black hair. The rest came from my father, even my height of five foot four came from my father's side of the family as my mother had stood as tall as Dustin; towering over my five foot seven father.
The sun slowly started piercing through the blinds, and I thought that maybe if I slept while the sun was awake, while light was shining through, the dream wouldn't torment me. So as soon as Dustin had left for work, I slipped back into the bed and closed my eyes.
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That silver sword lanced through my tongue and I silently screamed out in pain. Calling for her, calling for the one that would free us all and save me. I begged. "Azora." I whispered in my mind. "Azora."
He couldn't hear me, to which I was grateful and confused as to why I would cry out for myself as the King stood above me and raised my tongue into the air. The iron taste tinged my mouth; I could no longer speak. My powers were no longer within me, other than the gift of immortality so granted by a mother who had wandered from her own kind.
Witches were never meant to breed with Fae, even the lowliest of them, but my mother had never followed the rules.
The King pushed his wet hair behind his pointed ear and brought his glinting sword with the ruby hilt high into the sky. A lightning bolt crashed through it and cheers of victory met my ears. But I couldn't let this be the end. As that surge of energy coursed through the ground, slowly beginning to dissipate, I latched onto it. I may not have my powers anymore, I may not wield any of the spells or forces as before, but that lightning, a product of magic itself, held much energy.
So, kneeling with my hands shackled, I pressed my head and elbows into the mud and reached out. That golden thread was unraveling and quickly but I managed to snag a small string.
But he felt it.
"How dare you!" The King cried, after he was alerted to my doing. "How dare you try and defile what is good." I looked deranged as I threw my head back and laughed, the wound having clotted from my fae blood just mere moments after he'd sliced away my tongue.
Nothing this King had done was good, he'd torn apart what we had been creating for his own desires. The world I had been building and he'd shredded it to pieces. So I laughed, clinging to that string of energy until it was torn from my grasp and another loud clap of thunder crashed through the sky.
One day the King would no longer be the ruler, one day he would lose his followers and the faith they held in him and the moment those who served him realized they were stronger than he, would be the moment that he would lose.
And I would be there for that moment.
Or so I thought until the King plunged the blade into my side and the world split.
Time split.
As the pain erupted through me from the blade that was crafted from the purest of elf blood, as it slowly siphoned my immortality away, I watched the world fold in half. The King's eyes widened as power pulsed from me one last time, sending him and the blade flying away from me and then, just as the world slammed together and immortal and mortal were ripped apart my mind went black.
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I flew up in bed. How long I had been sleeping was nothing that concerned me. I needed to write, for my head had dreamt the next part of the story. Crashing down the hall, I dove into my chair at my desk and powered on the computer.
I didn't care that the pounding in my head had grown.
I didn't care that there was a hunger in my belly from not eating since last night.
I needed to write the next portion of this unyielding story. But my fingers paused as the desktop computer flared to life and I saw the time. It was an hour away from nine. An hour away from the party that I was requested to be at, the party for me at a place I didn't want to attend.
But this was for Claire and it was a celebration for my birthday, so I shut the computer back down and told myself I could write it later. The walk to my closet felt heavy, the pounding in my head roared louder and louder, calling to me, but I bit it back and turned on the light.
Clothing options were hung before me, two long rows to my right and then shoe choices stacked high across from me. All of Dustin's clothes were to the left, including his shoes and I couldn't help but chuckle with the disparity in how much I had compared to him.
I was surprised that he wasn't back from work yet. He knew that we had this party to go to. He had been the one to remind me of it last night by hosting the candlelit dinner for my birthday yesterday instead of today.
Hoping that I had missed some communication that he would meet me there, I stripped out of my night clothes I was still wearing and pulled on a robe before heading back out to the vanity to do my makeup and hair. I braided the front pieces back around my head and then pinned up what was hanging low underneath so it hung just past my upper back. My infamous half up, half down style that still looked flattering.
My makeup was dark and precise, drawing attention to my amethyst eyes and deep red lips. But the outfit choice, the outfit choice was still one of a struggle. As the pounding in my head started to slide down my veins, I stopped and leaned against the edge of the closet as the world swayed.
Maybe I was sick, and this would be a way out of going to the club. But Dustin wasn't home and he along with my friends would be expecting me. After much deliberation, I settled on a tight gray skirt that barely made it down to the tops of my thighs, a black corset styled tank with intricate webbing and some thigh high heels that added just the right amount of edge and flair to the outfit.
Feeling twenty-one for just one more time, I grabbed another hand bag to store my phone and personal belongings in and left the apartment. The pounding in my head had increased to a ringing as my bones began to ache. The walk to the club was disorienting and strange, I stumbled a few times along the way despite being completely sober. The night air seemed cooler than usual, almost like it was anticipating something. It was thinner and less stuffy, which seemed to finally quell enough of the pounding in my head that when I arrived at the entrance of the club, I was able to approach the bouncer mostly normal.
Claire popped her head out just as I arrived and waved at me and the bouncer let me through, despite the long line, at her request. The music was so loud, I could hear it before stepping through the doorway and onto the dimly lit dance floor. A bar to the right was serving drink after drink, several circular dark black lounge couches were over to the left and the amount of people that had crammed themselves into the space in front of me to grind against one another was astonishing.
Girls were drunk, men were stumbling and the dj was playing some music I hadn't heard before but it did cause my body to sway with the beat. Colorful spotlights were flashing back and forth across the sea of people and a haze of smoke from the effects snaked around everyone's feet.
Claire had said this club was new, but it looked pretty much like all the other's she had brought me to before. We shoved our way through the crowd towards the fourth couch and I found seven of my girlfriends with Dustin, two girls I didn't know and two other guys taking shots. Dustin was even taking shots, sitting close to one of the new girls who was dressed in a red slinky dress that showed just a little too much even for a club.
Light bounced off of the diamond ring that sat on my finger and I felt a flash of jealousy. I had nothing to be jealous about, he had just been waiting for me to arrive, I told myself and brushed it off. Claire announced my presence and they all broke into happy shouts, the girls crashing into me and giving me massive hugs and several shots before dragging me out to the dance floor. I hadn't even been able to say hi to Dustin.
The pounding in my head and bones returned as the alcohol laced my veins and I found myself watching my body dance. Not ugly drunk dancing, but I was swaying with the music along with all of the other girls around me. Maybe I needed to loosen up and have some fun. Dance away from the pull in my bones.
So I did.
I got lost in the music and the drinks and my girlfriends all around me. Sweaty bodies, alcohol stained breath, and poor dancing enveloped my senses. It mingled in with the ringing in my ears, the dull ache that had crept into my bones and then finally, it disappeared all together.
The senses were numb, but the room still swayed, swirled around me as my vision went in and out of focus. I hadn't had that much to drink, yet I felt like I was on the edge of being black out drunk and needed a moment.
As I stumbled back to the table, Dustin's blurry face reached mine, his gaze wide as if he was staring at something he didn't recognize. The lights were becoming too bright, an actual burning sensation began in my eyes and I needed to get out of here. So I shoved my handbag to Dustin, and stumbled over to the left of the club.
Lines of people went this way to use the bathroom, most likely for things other than just to relieve themselves. I had seen employees come back and forth from this direction as well and prayed there was a back door. Just a moment of fresh air would help my vision to straighten out, my eyes to not burn, my bones to not ache, and for my ears to stop ringing.
I wasn't even nauseous. I just needed space and I crashed out into an alleyway. The back door slammed shut behind me, blocking out everything but the base beat that still pounded from the music.
It was too loud.
I crashed my hands over my ears, praying for the ringing to stop.
It didn't.
My eyes burned and I squeezed them shut, as tight as I could. Despite the dark alley I was in, my eyes stung, an agonizing sear and I prayed for it to stop.
It didn't.
The pounding that had been pressing at my bones now jumped into my veins and roared them to life with an agonizing fire of heat and I crashed to the ground and screamed.
Darkness enveloped me.
It wasn't cold, it was calm and swallowed me whole. The light in my eyes stopped burning and the pounding inside my bones and through my veins dulled. Even the ringing faded away so there was nothing but the dark silence that surrounded me. A whisper of sound couldn't penetrate the milky substance that encased my body.
I blinked and saw nothing. But I could feel it, almost reach out and touch it, whatever this was, it was serene. Sitting back onto my calves, I reached a hand forward and the darkness swirled around my fingers, the only thing that seemed to exist in here.
And then it sucked all the oxygen out of the air and shoved me back to the bitter ground.