The Path on which we Travel
Do you ever just sit and listen to the sound of your own heart beating? Or how about the sound of your lover's heart when you first wake up? How many times in a day do you stop and appreciate what you really have instead of wishing you had something better? I never used to, I never stopped to think about anything or appreciate anything and now that my story is almost to a close I wish I would have. I wish I had told my friends and family how much they really mean to me, I wish I had read that one book I was meaning to read. Though right now that's all I can do, all I can do is wish because in about four hours my time is up. They're going to lead me to my execution and kill me for trying to get something better. I just wish I could go back and change it all. I'd do one thing different only one, I'd tell them where I was going and why I was leaving a life I held so close to me. Maybe just maybe my friends and family would come looking for me, they'd come to help and maybe we would have won the war and I would be able to practice magic in the open and still be able to be with my friends. But sadly that is a world I will never get to see and I am being punished for thinking that one girl could change the views of the world.
It started about six years ago when I first learned of my destiny. I was supposed to be the one to bring the magical community into the light and destroy the barriers that the normals put up. A year later I went to England where the head quarters for all of magic was. There I spent one year preparing for war and the next four fighting a war and all the while I was falling in love. I never told Daniel my true feelings until last night. We had just been defeated during the final battle, Daniel and I were running hoping that we could hide somewhere and maybe one day try again and just as the group of normals were catching up I stopped and pulled him into the most passionate kiss I've ever shared with anyone. The normals killed Daniel on sight and then arrested me. So here I've been ever since then wishing I could change just that one thing, because I've learned something in my short twenty-one years of life, and that is if you change just one decision you make in life the path you are traveling can completely change. And maybe if I tell my love ones what is happening in my life I would have won the war and I could have my life back.
"It's time." Came a low voice from the other side of cell. Someone walked up to me and put a blindfold on my eyes and then unshackled my hands and feet they led me to my feet and led me to my death. In weeks past I would have fought them, I would have used my powers and if that didn't work I would have placed a few good kicks and punches into their abdomen and then ran, but not now. Now I want to die, I've failed my destiny and I've failed everyone I love, I deserve to die. Suddenly my captor stopped he undid the blindfold and in my ear whispered something so sickening I was afraid that I would loose the remaining contents of mornings gruel right there and then, "I want you to see your death as it comes screaming towards you. I want you to know what happens when a little girl like you decides she can change the world."
The lights of the arena hit my face hard I had to close my eyes and slowly re-open them. There hundreds of thousands of people watching. It was sick they were all normals that had the opinion that I didn't deserve to live just because I was different. They were screaming something but my tired mind couldn't make out what it was. I was led up some stairs and into the middle of what looked like a wrestling ring, and in the very middle was a guillotine and I knew my fate they would cut my head off and then parade it around town as if they were a bunch of barbarians. Slowly I made my way to the guillotine and prepared to lie down face first when a hand grabbed my shoulder, "Not so fast" a different voice said. I knew that voice to; it was one I would always listen to when I needed help with one thing or another. It was a comforting voice, but now in this situation hearing that voice only sent a chill down my spine.
"Warren." I whisper as the hand turns me around.
Warren looked me in the eyes with such sadness it made my already shattered heart break again. He was one of the many who I had betrayed by vanishing five years ago, they had probably gone through hell and back trying to find only to give into the horrible fact that I was most likely dead, and now here he was my executioner.
"Warren I'm sorry, I wish things could have been different." I say a little louder this time. Warren only looked me in the eyes squeezed my shoulder ever so slightly and mouthed those fateful words, "Me too".
"Hanna Aurore West you are here to fulfill your sentence of death upon the World Court's decision that you have disturbed the peace, caused chaos, started a war, and killed a great leader's son." I winced at the last part Deacon had once been my boyfriend it was an on again off again type deal, he was a great guy but he betrayed me, more importantly he led the normals to magic's headquarters and started the final battle. What else was I supposed to do? I regret having to do it sure, but in a battle like that it's either you or the person you're fighting, and I had a destiny to carry out so it was Deacon that died.
The first voice continued, "You are to be beheaded and then have your body burned at the stake while your head is mounted in the town square". The man behind the voice looked at me from across the ring and smirked, as if the pig was enjoying this! "Do you have any final words?" The man asked not really caring.
"Only this, I wish I had the eloquence to bring forth a speech form my heart which would move you all to tears, but I am not so gifted. I am embarrassed by all of you that you would fight for Civil Rights and Women's Rights and all other types of rights in this world including Animal Rights, and yet when something unknown and different comes into your world seeking acceptance you crushed it. You did everything in your power to squash the magical community," I drew a shaky breath and continued on, "I grew up in your world I lived and loved in your world and it was only six years ago that I learned that I was the one destined to merge the two worlds, and now I can see that I have failed. Those who are different are not always dangerous, and it is important to fight for your cause whatever that maybe until your death that way when you die as I am about to do, you will know that you did everything in your power to help your cause. To all of those who cared for me I'm sorry, I can't say there isn't a second that goes by that I don't wish that I would have told you from the start, because maybe things would have turned out differently. I love you all." With that I hung my head and allowed Warren to lead me to my death.
"As special punishment as the ring leader to all those freaks," did that insufferable man learn nothing from my speech? "You will be placed face up on the guillotine so you can watch the blade coming to cut off your head." He paused and smiled evilly at me, "Though it will happen so fast I doubt you'll catch it." Oh I'll catch that blade all right I'll catch and then shove it up his ass that's what.
Warren laid me down on the bench of the guillotine and I felt something wet hit my cheek I looked up and saw that he was crying. "I'm sorry Hanna I tried to find you, I tried to get you life in prison, and I tried everything. Just know that we love you too and we never gave up the hope that you were still out there somewhere." Warren said this as he prepared my death. It was at that moment that I realized that I was not the only on receiving a punishment that afternoon, I turned my head an sure enough there were all my old friends and my family sitting front row to my death with what looked like ropes keeping them to their seats. My mother was crying hysterically and everyone else looked to stunned to do anything but stare. They were being punished simply for loving me. My head turned back to face the blade hanging dangerously above my head. "Okay you win," I thought to the powers that be, "Give me a second chance I'll do it right this time. I'll keep my friends and family informed of what's going on, I'll tell Daniel how I truly feel before it's too late. I promise I'll play by your rules, unless of course you want me to do my own thing, but I digress give me a second chance. These worlds are destiny to coexist peacefully. Please just give me a second chance." Just then everything slowed down the blade was dropped but I could see every centimeter it fell as if it were a mile. The jeers of the crowd were deafened to my ear and the next thing I know I'm standing in the arts hallway of my old high school.
"Hanna are you listening?" Adie scolded me. "Huh? What? No not really what were you saying?" I asked confusedly.
"I was saying that you should sleep over my house after the dance so we can chat in private." Adie finished tiredly as though she had just explained it a million times. "Oh sounds great, um hey I'm going to go home now I'm suddenly not feeling to great." I started to walk down the hall when Warren called my name. "Hanna you forgot all your stuff!" Warren ran up to give me my bag and coat. "Oh thanks…" My sentence drifted off as I stumbled a little. "Hey B let me drive you home you're in no state to be walking." Warren grabbed my elbow and led me to his car.
At home I ran up to my room and called for Theodora. "Theo! What the hell is going on? Wasn't I just about to die?" I screamed at the top of my lungs, it's a good thing I'm home alone. "Hanna calm down, you will get no where by screeching like a banshee. You were given your second chance. We have placed you at the exact moment when your life changed." Theo looked calmly at me and then took a seat on my unmade bed and waited for my response, though she didn't have to wait long.
"Wait so I'm sixteen again?" For the first time since my neck had been saved I looked at myself in the mirror. Sure enough the sixteen-year-old self stared back at me. "So am I really sixteen again or is this only a glamour so the other won't wonder why I'm suddenly twenty-two?"
"You are truly sixteen again, which means you are going to have to live through all the changes you faced at sixteen, you may have the knowledge of a twenty-two year old under you belt so to speak, but your emotions and general mentality is that of your old self once again. "Oh joy!" I spit out sarcastically, "Sixteen had to be the most awkward time of my life…romantically speaking of course." Theodora nodded in acknowledgement. "So I guess I have to tell them huh? I remember now why I never told them, I was frightened of what would happen. I feared that they would shut me out, cut me off from everything." I looked down my arms the scars and damage of constant fighting and planning for five years gone.
"Hanna you were not given this second chance just to do the same things again." Theodora scolded me as if I were a young child who had just gotten with their hand in the cookie jar. "We trust you will do everything right this time, if you fail to do so you will be sent back to where we just saved you from." I gulped and rubbed my throat, "Now make us proud." With a blindingly pure light Theodora was gone and I knew what I had to do.