Pearhead: Heyla guys!
Nomara: I still think that words annoying….-grumbles-
PHM: -sigh- I just wanna say that I'm sorry if the last chapter seemed a bit…graphic and violent. It is the most graphic of all my chapters…so never fear! Luckily, I've gotten the two review I need in order for me to right the next chapter. Actually, I had some people at my school read it, and they all liked it pretty much too. (I did get one eww!) But, I actually almost made one of my friends cry. –Tear-
Loor: Um…Pearhead….why don't you let them get on with the story before you break down...?
PHM: Right…I don't own any of Mercedes Lackeys characters, places, etc…but, I do own Loor, Yami Loor, Nomara (my muses), Mina, Cira, Merik, Kieran, etc…that are present in this story. Don't take them or I'll murder you slowly! –Evil laugh- MWAHAHAHA!!! –Clears throat- Right. Review after you read!
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Chapter Two: Life alone
/ \- indicates memory
/"Cira!" a young five year old Mina called out. "Cira! Help! Help her! Help her!" Tear lolled down Mina's cherubic face, her blonde hair waving behind in as she ran for her sister. It was like a maze and Mina was having a very hard time finding the end.
Why was Father doing that to Hailay? Why would someone do that to his or her own daughter? Mina thought terrified of where those thoughts just might lead. Her Father had seen her before as Mina had accidentally stepped into the room, and he would be after her once he was finished with Hailay. He had visited her before…she did not like it.
"Mina…come here…." A voice called from behind her, growing louder and louder.
"Cira! No! No! Stop him! Stop him!" Without noticing she plunged herself into Cira's arms and the voice stopped, gradually fading away into the black-cloaked night.
Cira loved her and Cira would always be there for her. Always…\
Sapphire eyes flickered open, the images it saw blurry and confusing. Her body felt almost normal. There were still some hurts, but not physical ones, mental ones. A hand held Mina's in its own while another stroked Mina's sweating brow. It was a calm hand, a sweet hand, a steady hand. This hand would hold hers forever.
"C….i…r-" The words croaked from Mina's throat. It hurt to speak. It felt like blood still lingered there, clogging her vocal box and cluttering her speech. Mina knew this was not the truth, but it still felt like that.
"Quite. Sleep. Do not talk." Cira's voice seemed so far away and so powerful. Mina wanted to catch up to her sister. To be like her sister. However, she would not disobey orders, and thus fell once again into an unfathomable sleep.
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"Wake up, Mina. Come on. You'll be ok…" A voice penetrated the thick darkness that clouded Mina's confused mind. It was another maze for Mina to solve. Why was the world a vast array of mazes? One maze right after the other; following a pattern that seemed to lead constantly on to even more confusion. More confusion. Why would they not leave her alone and let her find her way out already? Why would the world not leave her alone?
Slowly, Mina's eyes opened, closing rapidly as the bright chariot of Vakandis hit her azure gaze. She could feel her sister sitting next to her, her hazel eyes staring down at her sister. Cira always cared, and thanks to her Mina seemed to be ok now. She rose a bit, opening her eyes once more to gaze at her sister. Her body hurt badly, it felt like she had been cured somehow of most of the scars, but it still hurt. Some wounds were still there, not being able to be cured by her sister.
"How did-" Mina began, her throat raspy and the words harsh on her ears. "You heal me?" She dropped back down against the hard bed in a seemingly small room, the words costing her an effort to get out. "What happened? I…know….hurt…I, but how?" She tried to make sense, but her words would not form right in her mind.
Cira's hand squeezed Mina's own as her sister took a deep breath to begin the tale. Mina noticed old tear lines that wheeled their way down her face, her eyes red and puffy, and her hair looking uncombed for days. How long had she been here in this room? Two days. Three days.
"You've been here six days. It's not surprising after what you went through…" She stopped, tears rolling down her nose again. "Merik, Eciken, Kalmar, and some of their friends beat you, dearheart. The cut you up and…" Mina could tell her sister wouldn't explain anymore. It must've been bad.
"How come-can't remember?" Mina asked, obviously shocked at her sisters words. "Nothing comes up…." Mina closed her eyes and forced herself to try and remember the past. Nothing came besides her going into the bathing room and taking a bath. That's it. Then just blackness…
"I do not know, sister. But, I bet Father put them up to it. How I Healed you, I cannot say, but you will be alright and with few scars." Cira's hand touched the place where Mina knew something had been. Perhaps one of these cuts her sister said she had? Something. Or perhaps the mark was still there. The Holderkin had no mirrors, only her Father did, and Mina did not want to talk to that man.
"I'll get you some broth and sheep."
Soon Cira came back with Mina's favorite meal, mutton brother. Yummy. She ate it like she hadn't eaten in weeks. Perhaps she hadn't. Cira stood smiling over her little sister and took the bowl away when Mina gave it to her. "Where is everyone? Where are we?" So full of questions Mina was, but she knew her sister would tell her. Suddenly a memory flashed in her mind again, "Father…he is-is disowning you…The Shunning has begun…" Mina gasped a bit; her right had covering her mouth as to warn tell her sister she was frightened. "Oh, yes, I remember now." Mina's voice grew low, a bit stronger, yet still raspy. Would she ever be the same?
"We're in Lord Rayberth's house. I brought you here after I found your body. Luckily we got you here in time." Cira did not go on to explain neither who this "we" was nor how she managed to clear all her wounds up. "You'll be staying here from now on. I'll come back some time tomorrow to check on you. Go back to sleep." Cira kissed her sister's small forehead before heading silently out the door. Slowly Mina fell once again into her unconscious state.
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Many days passed before Mina was able to walk around the house to fetch herself food or even to use the bathroom. Cira had had to do that all for her before and Mina did not like the feeling of being waited on. Mina's hair was matted in places, and she smelled of so many things. She had to bath. But, she would wait for Cira, for she had a foreboding feeling that something would happen if she left the house.
Little did she know that spies were planted outside her doors, listening to the small rustle of her feet against wood, or the whispers of concentration. They would know all and report it to their Master. Master Kieran wanted anyway to get rid of his daughter. Any way.
Mina washed her face in a sink and began her supper. She had just gotten up and it was already suppertime. It was good to sleep in, don't get her wrong, but she felt she was begin waited on too much. Plus, who knows what happened while she was asleep. "Father won't find me here…..nope. He can't do anything to me anymore." She thought she heard snickers coming from outside and quickly turned her blonde head to face the window. With a kitchen knife in hand she approached the window, her footsteps light and silent. Again she heard rustles, but as she threw open the curtain, only fading sunlight met her blue eyes. She shrugged her small shoulders in indifference, her mind trying not to let her know she just might be going insane.
Suddenly Mina heard a scream. A scream that sounded like a wild cat that needed to protect her children. The shriek of a mother. Kieran would not harm any of the women really, that and they knew not to scream. But, somehow this was the scream of a new woman. A scream Mina had never heard before.
Struggling to throw her clothes on, Mina hurried as fast as she could to try and find out who this was. Swiftly, she struggled out the door and was embraced by a calm, damp night. Animals flew forth from their trees, their homes and nightlife shattered. Deer and cows ran off and bawled uncomfortably at the intrusion of silence.
:What's going on!!?!?: The words split Mina's head into two with the ferocity and terror. They continued on, over and over and over. Mina fell to the ground, her head pounding with pain and her hands over her ears trying simply to stop the screams of horror that filled her mind.
"I don't know!! Leave me alone!! I don't know!!" The young girl wailed, her closed hands grabbing her hair and pulling it, anything to stop the pain. She actually thought she was going insane, just as her Father had told her. Perhaps he was right. Perhaps she was a danger. Then, as suddenly as the noise had begun, the voices stopped. Animals were quiet again and Mina's head felt better. Hesitantly, she got back up and continued her search for the screaming woman, waiting for every voice to come back with vengeance.
As Mina ran forward, following an unknown path into an unknown threat, she first heard it. "She did nothing to you, you big bastard! She's only seven!" Mina knew the people she was chasing after were fighting about her. Why were they fighting though? Mina did not like it when people fought. Somehow they harmed each other and the blame ended with her. Faster, just faster, maybe she could stop them.
"No! Stop! Don't you dare!" It was the same voice. It seemed so familiar, like she had heard it everyday of her life; just like it were a part of her. Faster and quicker Main ran, her short legs taking her as fast as they could.
The world felt like another maze, the houses staring at her and marking her path. Their shiny eyes gleaming with hidden light of knowledge that Mina knew should would never posses and never wish to. The thick cloak of black night grabbed her and propelled her forward as the branches reached to trip and kill her.
The voices were closer now, and as Mina came closer she noticed they came from within a house: her house. Her breath came in short bursts and her body cramped with the exhaustion of running. The voices would have to wait; Mina was too tired to run any longer, she had to rest. She now walked…slowly…too tired for anything more. Her sapphire eyes closed for a moment as she caught her breath.
"No!!!!" The same voice screamed out in pain. Mina screamed out as well, feeling a blow that felt real and not real, painful and painless, all at the same time. She knew the voice, yes she knew it well. It was the voice of Mina's older sister. It was the voice of Cira. Mina fell to the ground, her blood feeling cold and hot at the same time. It felt like she was losing a battle that she never had a chance to win in the first place. Branches and other materials floated jerkily around in midair. Mina's eyes were open but it looked as if all sanity had disappeared from her mind. Her mouth was open in a silent scream that seemed never to end. Even animals cried out in pain to their sister's grief. Then suddenly it stopped. The world seemed frozen in time; animals unmoving from fear, the objects dropping from the sky to land upon the hard ground. Mina lie spread out upon the ground as well.
Night spread its dark fingers around the girl, seemingly to prod her awake and get her up. Slowly, Mina struggled up and stepped forward. It hurt to move. It hurt to think. It hurt. Everything hurt. But something urged her on; told her that she must go back to her house. I think I'll be ok there, she thought as she –one foot at a time- stepped forward. Her foot almost gave out under her as she put weight on it. She would've jumped from nerves had she had the strength to, but even that seemed unreasonable at the moment.
Hours after what seemed like the first scream (that Mina just noticed she had only heard), Mina approached the door. Windows glowed faintly from inside light behind the white curtains. She actually thought she heard voices inside, the soft whisper of breathing or the shuffle of feet. Slowly she lifted her hand to grab the wooden handle of her door. As she pushed open the door, the bright light blinded her for a moment. A hand coiled around her wrist like a snake who awaited prey. The hand was strong, harsh and uncaring. It was the hand of her Father. He pulled her in, snapping her neck back a bit, and threw her to the ground. Her wrisit throbbed a bit when she landed, but he could've done worse, she knew.
She heard him laugh at her. She could feel his cold dark eyes on her, piercing knives into her back. He was standing ten feet away over something. With her sapphire yes closed, she got back up and prepared to fight.
"Get out of my house, you filthy monster." Mina yelled at him, her fists clenched beside her and her stomach twisting in a nervous wreck. She felt like she was going to be sick, but she couldn't. She would never let that happen in front of her Father. Never. Her blonde hair and tattered clothes held dirt in their grasp. Her face had smears from falling into the ground and from her dirty hand rubbing against her face.
"Don't speak to me, Shunned bitch. You're not welcome here anyway." His voice was malicious, somehow knowing she was already dead. "Look who's here, Mina." He laughed as she hesitated to open her eyes and see what lie before her. Slowly, she opened her eyes and found out who her Father stood over.
Cira's dead body lay under his feet.
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PHM: Another sad ending. Sorry. I was upset it wasn't longer. Actually, Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 were meant to be one chapter, but when I wrote it, it turned out differently then I planned.
Loor: It was still good!
PHM: That's cause you help write it….-.-
Loor: -silence-
PHM: Go review please! I'll start writing Chapter 3 tonight, but only my friends will be able to read it if I don't get reviews.
