The next day, I had to giving the techs a walking tour of the entire prison which took way longer than it normally would on account of their need to digitally mapping every inch. Running tests on pressure points, wall density weakness in infrastructure and probably a few dozen other things that I never even knew existed.
I mused on my white lie to Jack yesterday, I'm not even entirely sure that it was a white lie, or even a lie. I think it's a legend, or at least is one form of the legend I'm pretty sure it was told before children went to bed, what were they called again? Fairy tales? Fables? I don't know. For Earth kids I mean, like if you don't behave I'll send you to Arston. Only here, as we were already on Arston they used to tell us that there was a curse against naughty kids.
Well, they only ever really told me that as I'm the youngest. I'm not even sure why I said that to Jack, it was mainly as I didn't want him to be even more worried than he already was, especially about something we didn't know anything about. I suppose the new development in my life could be a manifestation of my dreams but as much as my dreams hurt they had never hurt me.
I sigh, life was so complicated and I didn't see it getting any easier for a while. I reach the vampire wing, treading on my tiptoes, thanks to the techs they had a rather rude awakening earlier, which I didn't want to subject them to again. I stealthily made my way to Vlad's private library which I knew vaguely how to get to, not very reassuring I know, plus I'm quite certain that the plan involves walking through his bedroom.
Or did it just mean it was right next to his bedroom?
Either way.
I stood outside his room deliberating, it could be this door to the right, or it could be the door in front of me which was most definitely his bedroom. Truthfully, I was kind of scared that I would see things that I didn't want to see, he once told me I would never want to come to his room when he was sleeping. Maybe because he was slept naked or whatever, but right now that was the cause ofmy reluctance.
In order to preserve my eyes, I'm going to try the door to the right first and only use his room as a last resort. I push the door open slowly, fumbling for a light switch only to be hit by a small object, I pull on the string shutting my eyes to protect them from the piercing light.
Moments later, I am greeted with the welcome sight of books all around me. Books glorious books, something something something, thank goodness for libraries. ..
Or so I think the song goes.
There was definitely something special about libraries, it wasn't a physical aspect that I could point out to you. It was just the way they made you feel, each had a different feeling but each achieved it in different ways. For example, this particular library made me feel comforted as if I was being hugged by the books, and in a different library I might feel differently.
One of the best feelings ever.
I look at the various tomes around me, they looked amazingly beautiful bound in leather in all the colours and sizes you could imagine. I pick one at random open it to any page and inhale, it still had that new book smell, despite the probability that it was older than me. I wasn't even sure what all these books were about but I'm pretty sure there should be a few about legends here.
Scanning the shelves closest to me, I inch my way round the room but oddly enough each step I would take felt weird. I felt weird. It was as if my body was turning into lead and I physically couldn't move forward as much as I wanted to. Lifting my head I continued scanning the spines to see if anything could help me, I was finding it so difficult to keep my eyes open never mind any other part of my body.
Hold on, Real Life Legends: the stories based on amazing people.
That looks promising.
Reaching out for the book was the biggest struggle I felt like I'm moving in slow-mo, scratch that slow-mo was probably faster than me right now. Just as I'm about to pull the book down I froze, my muscles no longer felt like they were my own. Fear pulsed through me, this couldn't be happening. I couldn't be loosing my ability to move.
No way.
By shear force of will I manage to knock the book off the shelf which depletes my energy completely. I crumble to the floor, consciousness slipping away from me as even breathing seems like too much of a burden.
***
I slowly come round, my back aching, after opening my eyes only for them to get assaulted by the bright light I try to make myself relax by doing some deep breathing. I lift my hand finding that while it wasn't as difficult as it was before, getting up from this awkward position would definitely not be a walk in the park.
I crack open my eyes again and allow them to adjust them to the light, then roll to the side so that I'm flat on my back. Which only makes the task in hand harder, doesn't it?
I'm not sure slow is the best way to do this, if I can just summon one big burst of energy, from some place deep deep down in my body I can hoist myself up and use the shelves as grappling hooks. A bit like toddlers when they're first learning to walk.
One...
Two....
Three!
I pull my torso up first using my arms to grip onto the shelves as I use them to support my weight so I can pull my legs upright too. Only, as this is my life we're talking about here, things did not work out as smoothly as I had planned. I managed to pull my torso up sure but putting my weight onto the shelf had been a good idea had it been executed properly.
I slipped, my dead weight body proving to much for me to lift and ended up leaning on the books instead, which proceeded to then tumble in my face. With a thud that did nothing to help my sore body I land on the floor again and let out a guttural groan.
I didn't want this, I so didn't want this, why wasn't life easy for?
Nope, you're not going there, not today not ever.
Break up this pity party right now.
This is my life and what does it matter if fate was throwing me a few curveballs, or rather loads of curveballs. Which did weird things to you like make you feel like you're downing, or suck you into this pseudo world with a pseudo family that kind of wants you to kill yourself, or traps you in a room where-
Not helping, at all.
Okay, admittedly my life was pretty stressful right now with the amount of anomalies occurring in it that were to damn frequent and freaky to be a coincidence. It seemed like every time I tried to learn something about the prophecy I was road blocked, who as it that didn't want me to know about the prophecy?
I have no idea, it couldn't be anyone on Arston since we needed to know what the prophecy was in order to get off this planet. I sigh, feeling the weight of all the people's lives on my shoulder, this was irrational, but I felt like they were my responsibility, as my family, as the people who I've grown up with I want to do everything I can to protect them and this just feels like a truckload of failure.
I sigh again, I don't want to waste everyone's time with conspiracy theories, while I know all my little 'incidents' were too much to be classed as a coincidence I didn't want this to be the main focus. There were so many kinks to iron out in our plan to escape that this just seems to minor in comparison, what if we didn't actually need the prophecy? It might be totally unrelated to escaping, it might be about who I'm supposed to marry, or how to fix the stupid gene in humans. Or how to stop different races hating each other, it might be the key to immortality.
Or, it might not even be about me.
I've wasted so much of my energy on this prophecy when really instead of things getting easier, instead of finding answers there was more obscurity, more confusion and worse of all more danger. It would be safe to say that for now, the search for the prophecy would be puton hold, not forever but just until I could figure out the relevance and I wasn't getting into so much danger.
I lift myself off the floor, in a pace that was faster than a tortoise's and slower than a snails, even if I did feel myself age physically while doing so. Good things in life took time, like getting off the floor after your body decides to fail you.
Like it does more frequently than I'd like it to.
Thanks body!
I grasped the book while getting up, as I know my luck only too well. I'd probably free fall again which is one thing my body doesn't need nor does it want. I walk or rather hobble, my way out of the library having decided that whilst I love libraries, when I pass out and feel so drained blinking was a problem it was best for me to leave.
Just as I reach the door, a wave of dizziness washes over me, great I managed a grand total of three steps. I stop to take a breather then push the door open, which in turn makes me dizzy all over again or maybe it was the lack of energy making me dizzy. Who cares, I want to drop like a stone and stay until I felt revived, as if energy was going to be given to me magically by the forces that be.
I was determined, by sheerforce of will if nothing else that I would make it to my bedroom alone, however long it took me, however many stops that meant. I would be weak no longer, the damsel in distress no longer. I could do this, I know I could.
Pain was relative and so was my body's ailments, mind over matter. If you didn't think about it, it couldn't affect you. You have the energy to do this, you can take a few extra steps, you can and you will.
I did quite well for myself, I made it half way through the vampires wing then I made like a stone and dropped on the marble floor. Making the loudest thud noises as physically possible, if the vampires didn't know I was here already they certainly did now.
I was right, as ever, Vlad was there in a flash.
"I'm so sorry for waking you, can you just give me a hand up, I tripped."
"Yeah, on what exactly?" he questions sarcastically calling my bluff.
"I'm calling Jack, I can only go as far as the door otherwise I'd drop you off myself and no, save me the shit nothing you say will change my decision." With that he scoops me up and carries me to the door where Jack was already waiting.They exchange a nod, whilst passing me over like cargo.
Jack stays silent as he carries me to my room, he doesn't even look at me. It hurts more than anything I've ever felt, tears spring to my eyes as I desperately try to blink them back. A quick glance at his face shows what I know to be true, I squeeze my eyes shut not wanting to be here, anywhere but here.
I knew, just by looking at the harsh angles his face was set in that as of right now, I wouldn't be allowed to do anything to help escape.
***
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<3 Zahira