I remember thinking 'oh wow.'
Like that's all my brain could respond with. It was as if, it was collapsing on itself. This foundation, that we spent over half a millennium, building.
"So let me get this straight. Milia, the saviour. Who by the way you've been telling us for centuries, how she was considered holy and pure and whatever, is worse than Hitler. " I stated, rhetorically.
"Are you a pathological liar?" Snapped I, while glaring at Carol.
She was speechless and was silently sobbing into her blanket.
"'She will rise'." Recounted Jess.
"How?"
"I'm not familar with that part." Bit Carol sourly.
"Well aren't you useful? Don't you feel bad. I mean, why didn't you tell us?" Snarled Lexi.
"I d-"
"Urgh. Don't tell us you did it to protect us because hell, clearly it isn't going to work out." Said Kai, looking at me suggestively.
I gave him a bitter smirk and rolled my eyes.
I hadn't even thought about that.
I was going to die.
I didn't feel anything. Not sadness nor fear. Why?
Clearly everyone else had forgot too because it was awkwardly silent.
Lexi looked at me and gave me, what looked like an attempted smile, but it was crooked, because that cow isn't used to smiling.
She placed her hand on my shoulder, which I shoved off immediately.
"It's okay you know. It doesn't mean anything." Whispered Lexi. Unfortunately a whisper is echoed amongst silence.
Jess obviously heard it and scoffed.
"What?" Asked Lexi, in her resting bitch-face.
"Didn't you hear her?" Squawked Jess, as she directed her head to Carol.
"She's been feeling death. Stiles and Au- Car-
Her, have been having dreams about it."
"And don't forget my dream." Murmured I.
"It was about this thing-"
"The Marker." Added Lexi. I pulled a face and she grinned, showing all of her teeth.
"Fine. The Marker. It tattooed me with this." I said, as I lifted my sleeve, revealing an outline in my pale skin. It was an arch. Two curved line intersecting and pointing upwards in the middle.
"I don't think that means anything." Stated Carol, as she narrowed her eyes, drowning out
the dirty looks we were giving her.
"And why is that?" I said, through my gritted teeth.
"Well. You've had that since birth. It's a birthmark."
"Well then. Why does he only have it?" Asked Jess, timidly. She still refused to look directly at Carol, fear of being possessed by her voodoo magic. Don't worry. I can relate. Who would want to look at her?
"A Fireine thing. Ember was born with super pale skin, because of his heat within. The mark is simply just a smudge." Said Carol, brushing it off.
I raised my eyebrows.
"A smudge?"
"Well you know what I mean?" Said Carol, as she scowled at me.
"What are we going to do about. You know."
Insinuated Stiles.
We exchanged confused looks with each other and looked back at Stiles, who was still moving his head forward, allusively.
"You know." Said Stiles, more loudly.
"Elaborate." Demanded Jess, with a straight face.
"T-the whole. D-dy-ing." Whispered Stiles, with one eye opened and the other clenched shut.
Lexi slapped his arm.
"Stiles." Hushed Lexi.
I curled my lip.
"It's fine. I don't care."
"Ember..." Consoled Kai, softly.
"It's fine. I'm tired and I want to go sleep." I said, turning my back towards the door.
"He's right. You should go back to sleep and we'll talk about it in the morning." Instructed Carol.
Without a goodbye, except a sneer from Lexi, everyone walked out of Carol's room and started heading back to their own. Lexi and Jess walked into their room, which they both shared.
Stiles, Kai and I, also went back to our rooms and got under our covers. We didn't say anything to each other. Just exchanged sincere looks to one and another.
I placed my head on the side of my pillow, guiltily knowing, that this was going to be one of the best sleeps I had, in the last week.
——————————————————
You had to understand. For half a millennium, we were told that Carol was powerless and that we were 'unique'.
Although we knew that there were ordinary humans, we hardly came across them. Now that I think about it. It was probably some illusion of Carols. Another means to control us.
But this was our normal and now everything's changed. It's a lie.
I still remember when we would beg Carol, all those years ago, to tell us the story of Milia.
We thought Milia was a hero. Only to find out, she was a dictator of magical beings.
So it wasn't surprising that since then, two weeks had gone by, without us officially discussing it.
We didn't have that 'talk' that Carol had promised us. Instead she was working overtime. Utilising any chance to avoid us.
We also faintly spoke to each other.
I mean you find out that you're going to awaken a hoe-like devil. It does something to you. It infects you with paranoia.
Stiles was staying up, scared of sleeping. Just like how I was, three weeks ago.
Jess was researching. Looking through books, in the library next to the garage. Yes we had a library. The garage was huge.
I say garage, when it's an extended second house. It was almost the same size of the main house. It had a storage room, a library, a spare room and a study room.
It was bridged to our house, by a huge garden.
Carol was a doctor(or so she says) and she brought in hella cash.
Even though, she was a flimsy greedy git.
Lexi was cleaning the house, spotless. She has a peculiar case of OCD. Granted it's not that severe and only stimulates her sense of cleaning. Whenever she feels angry or sad, she starts to clean intensely.
It's bitter-sweet, as although the rooms are clean, its very distracting, when we're trying to watch TV.
Stiles spent most his days outdoors. To remind you, we lived in the countryside. Nothing, but grass stretched out. He would cloud-gaze.
Kai was trying to maintain the havoc that would occur frequently. It would always start with us, silently doing something. Like school, for example.
We were all doing homeschool, online in the study room. Jess was reading, while the rest of us was on the computers.
Lexi casually asks me 'how I'm doing?'
I get mad and storm off. Kai follows me and he tells me that 'I'm overreacting'.
I get mad and tell him to piss off.
End Scene. Roll the credits. Happens again and again.
Do you think I'm overreacting?
I don't really know how I feel, which is why I get annoyed when they keep pestering me which that stupid question, followed by a tilted head, nurturing eyes and a sympathetic nod.
I hate it, because I'm confused.
I should feel scared. Right?
But I feel bland. Meh.
In fact, since the day I found out. I haven't had trouble, sleeping because I don't need to worry about those dreams anymore.
Is it bad that I feel relieved?
——————————————-
Like I said. It had been over two weeks, when anything happened.
It was Tuesday night. Yawning, I trekked upstairs. I opened my bedroom door, to find a sleeping Kai buried under his covers and Stiles, who was on his phone. This was normal, since he had that dream. He would watch YouTube videos, until he was desperately tired and he'd fall asleep. Then he'd wake up around noon.
When I walked in the room, Stiles paid no attention and he remained glued to his screen. I slipped into my night clothes and snuggled into the soft, silky blanket. Slowly I felt my eyes close, as the light dimmed into darkness.
When I awoke, I was in birds-eye view and underneath me, was splotches of green. They barricaded a building. From my view, I could see a huge gold dome with four cones pointing from its edge. I was mesmerised by it, when I felt myself being pushed forwards. Suddenly the view zoomed downwards, like a camera.
It hurdled towards the green until I hit the ground.
I still was stuck in this picture angle.
I looked around and Shit. This place is familiar.
Not again. I thought, as I scanned the trees, looking for The Marker. My eyes were unwillingly caught by a large tree. It was humongous and it towered over all the other trees. I was getting pushed towards it. It was getting into focus. When something happened. Did it move? I thought. No, it couldn't have.
I was now fixated on the bark, that held the wavy leaves up. It had lines running through it, that camouflaged against the mahogany. So many lines. There's one. I thought. There's another one and there. Wait, that wasn't there before. I wondered, as my view was shifting back, left. Instead of right.
There was new lines. It looked like it was carving itself. It resembled something. What was it? A mouth.
Then I heard it. Erupting from the tree. In a eery whisper.
"Look behind you."
My view was gradually rotating, one hundred and eighty degrees. FLASH.
I awoke again, in my normal body. What a weird dream. I thought to myself.
The flash of light had to be The Marker, but why in that view?
It reminded me of a movie.
Anyway I shrugged and shifted around, still holding the comfortable blanket. Groaning, I stretched my arms forwards and wiped my eyes, as the world came into focus.
I reclined my right arm, shuffling around my desk, trying to feel my phone. I felt the outline and grasped it. I pressed the home button.
(it's an iPhone because I'm not an abomination to mankind. Hint Hint.)
Fuck. It was dead.
"Kai. What's the time." I grumbled.
No response.
So I tried again.
"Kai!" Whined I. Kai was always awake first.
After hearing silence again, I scoffed and pushed my head up. Looking around, Kai's bed was empty. He's probably downstairs. I thought to myself, as I lay down again.
Something didn't feel right though. I looked at Stiles' bed and it was empty. That's weird.
Stiles should've been asleep by now.
I quickly got up and threw on a shirt and blue jeans.
I opened the door to the corridor and called out
"Kai?"
"Stiles?"
But again I got no reply. My heart tumbled as I slowly walked down the corridor. Fingers crossed, I opened the door to Lexi and Jess' room. The beds were untouched and it was completely unoccupied.
Shit. Where is everybody?
I rushed downstairs and peered through every room, only to find myself disappointed. After every check, my thoughts pondered in my brain, growing more doubtful.
What if they died?
What if Stiles did something accidentally. Stupid Stiles.
After searching the entire house, including the secondary building(the garage), I was clueless. My last resort was to check outside. I walked through the living room and to the entryway. It was grand and luxurious. Painted with marble. I walked towards the huge snowy door, my hand trembling as I touched the doorknob. However after I held it. Immediately, I let go.
The door knob was boiling hot. It didn't burn me, because I'm a Fireine, but I could feel the energy and warmth.
I shook my head and continued again. I held the door knob and pulled it open.
A flash of light awaited.
I shielding my face, using my hands because it was that intense. Eventually it diluted, but I was shocked. I wasn't at the country side.
I was somewhere different. Somewhere unnatural.
Somewhere fiery....