Yawning, Selene stretched her arms upwards towards the expanding dull blue sky, letting out a long yawn. Having just come back to the island after a long day of taking the last of her college entrance exams away in the city. Returning somewhat late into the afternoon. It was still chilly, despite the overly sunny and cloudless skies.
Readjusting the bag slung along her shoulder, she made her way down the loading area. The heels of her boots clicked loudly against the concrete strip as the waves crashed into the side of the dock. She looked back over to the school, too tired to really do anything else even if the day was still young.
Though the exams themselves weren't anything particularly difficult for her. Spending the weekend waking before the sun rose and returning when it was almost set was exhausting. Trapped in a listless room all day long, hunched over notebooks that could determine her next year or so. And if she didn't pass…
Well, no matter. Selene shook her head. Straightening her posture and making her way down the winding dirt path that led to the school building on the hill. She would pass for sure, she had to. She didn't have a choice, all eyes were on her after all. And if not for herself, then she had to pass for her family. She had to keep her promise after all.
It was her duty.
Now that she thought about it. She was quite hungry. She had barely eaten anything outside of breakfast that day unless you counted a bag of chips and half a water bottle as a meal.
"I should ask Zane if he wants to g-"
Her voice trailed off. She paused. Right, he didn't want to talk to her. And she didn't want to talk to him. With a hmph she opened her phone. Seeing if she had any missed invitations to dinner but there seemed to be none. Sighing, she closed her cell, the little cat charm hanging from it jingling.
Fumbling with her keys a bit before jamming them into the brass doorknob. Shaking it a bit until she could turn and hear that familiar click. Immediately she shut the door behind her. Shedding her stiff white blazer and her bag and casting them onto her bed. She nearly fell as she dropped face down on the floor, simply laying there as she tried to regain a sliver of energy to move even an inch.
Sprawled across the plush carpet, she groaned. Feeling all the tension she had not felt before suddenly being released. Her headache which she had conveniently ignored fading with it. Turning onto her back like some sort of turtle, she flipped her phone open once again. The small screen showing the time in bold, white letters. And beneath a picture she had taken of her and Zane. He clearly hadn't been paying attention and was looking at the cards before him while Selene winked at the camera. A filter of glowing cat whiskers and noses juxtaposed over their faces.
She missed speaking with him. It had only been a little under two weeks since their initial argument, and a few days since the confrontation in the garden and still… It seems as if an eternity has passed since then.
She hated how he treated her like a helpless child. That he acted like she never knew what she was doing. Like she always needed help or supervision.
Still… She knew she was in the wrong. For all of it. He treated her like she was helpless because she is. She's as useless as the rest of them or worse. And it wasn't like she couldn't understand his actions, she had very much acted the same way in her past.
Even more so, she knew that she should apologize. But at this point, it felt almost embarrassing to. Apologizing for a petty issue when it was simply only a symptom of a larger problem in their relationship. It had been running far too long. It felt awkward speaking with him now. At this point, she would actually rather die than have to speak with him in any reasonable manner again.
Sitting up, she looked around the floor of her room- which honestly was nothing short of a minor disaster. Pages of notes upon notes and sketches scattered about along with other random objects she had left on the floor. Justifying it's placement by saying she would put it back in its own place at a later time. Such as the stack of textbooks by the closet.
Looking to the side, she noticed a slip of paper lying on the floor. Reaching over to pick it up, she realized it was a familiar photograph from her first major tournament win. Hers and…
She vividly remembered her grandfather took it, urging them to smile for the camera.
"The first of many," he said, beaming as they struggled to hold the large trophy between themselves. "Cece, we'll make it to the top of the world!"
With yet another sigh, she buried her head in her hands. Dropping the photo to the floor. Why did she have to be a disaster? If only he was here- he always used to make sure everything was in order.
Selene thought to her room back home. She had hardly touched it, ever since she began attending the academy. It was probably as disastrous as when they had last left it. Though the room next to hers was most definitely as immaculate as ever.
The room perfectly mirrored hers, but felt more spacious due to how neat it was. Thinking back to the neat, perfectly aligned books in their cases. Stacked along against the wall, color coded and organized by title and genre. It was almost like stepping into a library. Neither her nor her grandfather would dare touch that room in the house. Nobody except the cat, maybe.
Her breath quickened, covering her ears as they began to ring louder and louder. Despite the fact the space around didn't physically change, she felt as if the walls were beginning to close in on her, slowly beginning to suck the air out of the room. Like something possessing her, Selene abruptly stood up. Walking out of her room without even so much as thinking to grab her coat.
Selene didn't know what possessed her. But when she regained her clarity, she saw the familiar, desolate building before her. Its rotting walls seem to almost mock her in the darkness. Surrounded by trees in the middle of the clearing where the green, overgrown grass entangled themselves beneath her feet.
"Why do I always end up back here…?" she muttered, rubbing her forehead.
She dropped her hands, clenching them into fists she shouted, "Haven't you caused me enough trouble already?!"
Her voice echoed through the clearing, seeming to bounce off the surrounding trees before fading into the night. Her rapid breathing slowed, releasing white puffs into the bitter air. She folded her arms, groaning. Suddenly realizing it was so much colder without a jacket on. How could she be stupid enough to forget something like a jacket in the middle of winter?
Teeth chattered, she murmured, "Why can't I do anything right?"
Breathing into her hands in an attempt to warm them. A loud rustling came from within the dense bushes, suddenly breaking the silence in the air. She jumped in surprise, feeling her heart rapidly beginning to pound in her chest and adrenaline rushed through her veins.
"Who- who's there?" she called out, her voice seeming to echo in the woods bouncing off and around the air. Looking around frantically when she heard another sudden rustle. Snapping back to the source of the noise, she slowly began to back away in the opposite direction. A cold sweat running through her body as she prepared to run any moment when a little brown cat popped out of the bushes.
Selene blinked, creeping back up to the bush where the familiar brown tabby was meticulously grooming himself. Licking at his paw without a care in the world as if he didn't almost give Selene a heart attack. Sighing in relief, she placed a hand over her heart. Feeling her beating pulse begin to steady, she crouched down. Reaching a hand out to the cat.
"Hey Pharaoh," Selene sighed in relief, motioning for the cat to come towards her. "You're alone too, huh?"
Pharaoh let out a long purr, rolling onto his side as Selene scratched behind his ear and beneath his jaw.
"Well, you're not really alone," she continued, stroking along the cat's back. "You've got the professor after all. He'll always be there for you at least."
Standing up he brushed up against her arm, loudly meowing. Spinning around and waving his tail about carelessly. With a smile, she scooped the tabby up in her arms, cradling him like a child. Though he was a bit larger than her own cat, she didn't mind.
"Let's get you back to Red. I bet Professor Banner is worried sick about you."
A harsh wind came through the clearing, violently rustling the remaining dried leaves and ripping them off the nearly bare branches. Lifting her arm to protect herself and Pharaoh from the oncoming wave of leaves, the wind seemed to howl and screech.
As it calmed, so did Selene. She looked around the clearing one more time before relaxing her shoulders with a sigh. Her ears and nose were burning from the bitter cold. Shaking her head, she rubbed her ear to try and stop the aching.
"You good?" she asked the cat in her arms, scratching beneath his chin. He mowed back, tucking his head into the crook of her elbow. "Well, at least I guess you got fur to protect you."
As she turned to leave, she swore she heard the distinct sound of the piano. Though faint, definitely there.
"Huh, what's that noise?" she said aloud. Turning back to face the abandoned building. Though the second second did, it seemed to have quieted down.
"It must've just been the wind…"
She turned once more to leave, and the music began again. Though it was still quiet, it was louder than before. This time, Selene was sure someone was playing the piano. And it almost sounded like it was coming from within the building. She spun back on her heel, slowly approaching the building as Pharaoh shook his head. Pawing at his ear.
"Do you hear it too, Pharaoh?" she muttered, almost entranced by the beautiful playing. Feeling a rising curiosity bubbling from within her. "I think it's coming from inside the dorm. Let's go check it out."
As if to respond to her, Pharaoh began to paw at her shirt, meowing.
"Don't worry, I'll get you back home as soon as possible." She jumped over the chain they used to tape off the gate, slowly stepping through the garden as the music became increasingly more noticeable. "I just wanna see what that noise is about."
Meow.
"It'll be fine, Pharaoh," she replied, stroking the back of his head to calm him. "I can protect you."
The chill wind slowly rocked the dead rose bushes which surrounded the doorway. Picking off the last of their fragile leaves, which had stubbornly clung onto their browned stems for far too long. Quickly making her way up the steps. She took a deep breath as her fingertips rested on the old door.
"Last time," she muttered, gently pushing it open. "This will be the last time."
It was driving her mad trying to figure out where the music was coming from. Selene had the format of the building memorized, yet for some reason today she couldn't seem to figure out where she was going. Or even where she was. The always she pushed through seemed even more endless, leading one after another in a never ending chain. It was almost as if the building had turned itself into a maze. She didn't even know where she was as she attempted to chase the source of the song.
"I'm not going crazy again, am I?" she muttered, pushing yet another hallway door open. Looking around the dimly illuminated hallway, she exhaled deeply.
"Oh who am I kidding?" she exclaimed, slightly distressed. "I'm talking to a cat and wandering around in the middle of the night. It's exactly like back at home."
The music suddenly stopped once more. Selene stopped, a bit frustrated at this point. She didn't believe she was hallucinating at the very least, yet she couldn't figure out this simple thing.
Selene took her usual, slow steps down the hall. As she was about to step down with her left foot, she noticed something scurry by her feet in the darkness, briefly brushing up against her boot. She stumbled back in surprise, losing her balance she saw the shape was actually a small rat. With a high meow, Pharaoh broke free from her arms. Pouncing towards the creature that had quickly scuttled by her feet before taking off down the hall after it. Selene on the other hand, fell onto her bottom with a loud thump. Bringing up a large cloud of dust from the dirty carpet.
"Pharaoh!" Selene exclaimed coughing, tripping over herself as she attempted to get back on her feet to chase after the cat. "Wait!"
She took off after the feline, who had quite a bit of a head start on her. Taking a sharp right, she ran after the tabby who seemed to be zigzagging his way to catch the rodent. Before she knew it, he was gone. She bent over, pausing to catch her breath. Standing back up straight she quickly scanned the area before her. Unable to recognize this part of the building.
"What the…?" she muttered, trying to rack her memory for any recollection of this area.
Yet she had no idea. Before her was what seemed to be the end of the hall, three white doors before her. One on her left, one to her right, and one right in front. It was a strange layout at the very least. Shaking her head, she murmured to herself about where that cat had gone.
Selene spun around, thinking she had to have missed a turn somewhere in the darkness. However, she suddenly heard the familiar sound of the piano begin once more. She slowly turned her head to the door that was right before her. The music was much louder now- much closer. In fact, it seemed to have been coming from that door. Silently, she crept up to the door, placing her ear against the cool, white wood. The music was most definitely coming from within. As she listened, she couldn't help but feel as if she had heard this song before.
As every instinct in her body screamed at her to run, run far and never look back. She reached for the brass doorknob, resting a hand on it for a brief second before she began to slowly turn it. The door opened much smoother than the others in the building, despite its rusted hinges.
Peeking into the room, the room was rather spacious. Though there wasn't a single window on the decorated walls. A large crystal chandelier hung in the center of the ceiling, filling the room with a wonderfully warm glow. One which reflected off the glassy surface of the grand piano which sat right below it. The song sounded much clearer now, its haunting notes echoing off the curved walls of the room. Selene couldn't help but stare in awe, though couldn't make out the figure sitting at the instrument.
The music began to slow, gently fading into the night. Selene was frozen. Unable to move despite something in her gut telling her to run. The figure slowly lifted their hands away from the keys, raising from their seat. They turned towards where Selene was peeking out from, their golden eyes seeming to give off a devilish glow in the candlelight.
"Well now," they said, their voice as if talking to a petulant child. "What do we have here?"
Hi there! Sorry for disappearing off the face of the Earth for a bit :P I swear I'm still writing I've just been incredibly busy with school haha. I hope that it'll be smooth sailing from here, since the rest of Part I of Citrus has been outlined! I'm very excited to share the rest of the story with you guys, so please stick with me! Once again, thank you for all your support and love. 3
