In the last chapter, we got an introduction to Natalia, as she began her story with a vow to go back to Attilan one day, and bring Maximus from the bunker that he is trapped in. Now, the story begins with Natalia's Terrigenesis Ceremony, and we find her nervous about what the future may hold.
Please read and review. Any comments, feedback and discussion are welcome. I would love to get my readers thoughts on where you would like this story to go. As it stands, I do have a basic outline for where I plan to take the plot, but I am more than welcome for suggestions.
Another thing that my readers should be aware of is that, due to the fractured nature of Natalia's mind, which will be developed into the future, the timeline of this story may be a slight bit confusing. This will become a bit clearer as the story progresses, but it should be noted that Natalia is intended to be an unreliable narrator.
It has, I will admit, taken me a while to figure out at what exact point I should begin my story. There are so many things in my life that I could talk about. So many memories that have made me into who I am. So many choices that I have made, or that people have made for me. So many ways that I could begin this story.
But… I must choose but one beginning. Every story must start somewhere, and this is mine. The moment when I began my descent. The moment that my destiny was chosen for me. The moment that I began to go from being a shy-yet-happy teenager with a regular life (well, as regular as the life of a princess could be), to the slow and steady loss of any normality that I may have had.
A day that should have been one of great joy and prosperity for me, but that has become one of the worst days of my life. A day that, if I had the chance and ability to, I would go back in time and prevent from happening. A day that began my downfall, and perhaps the downfall of everything that I have ever held dear.
My Terrigenesis.
How I remember that day as though it were yesterday. The Terrigenesis Ceremony was the hallmark of the Inhuman society. It was the way that people unlocked their hidden potential, unlocked the power that they were born with. Each Inhuman went through their Terrigenesis at around the age of fourteen or fifteen — it was a huge deal for everyone, most especially because a person's Terrigenesis would determine the place that they would have in the caste system.
Those who were gifted with a good power, such as flight or telekinesis, went to the top of our society. They were the lords and ladies, the rich, the powerful. The people who were considered to be the 'better' class. These people were considered to be the higher status, second, of course, only to the royal family. They were the people who ended up becoming the members of the Genetics Council. Being granted strong powers was the one, if not, the only, way for someone to raise their station in life.
Yet… there was a darker side to the Terrigenesis ceremony. And that was what happened when someone did NOT get a good power. For those who, unfortunately, lost the genetics lottery and ended up with a bad power — like the young man who's Terrigenesis last month granted him with claws for hands — they would be sent down to the mines.
The mines were located deep under the ground. I, myself, had never actually been down there, as it was not the place for a member of the royal family to be — but I had heard the whispers about them. People would speak in hushed tones about the suffering that they went through. When they thought that my family weren't listening, they would speak about how awful the caste system was. How it was keeping the people, our people, in perpetual misery.
And… there was a part of me, however small, agreed with this. In the fourteen short years that I had lived, I had, of course, borne witness to a lot of Terrigenesis Ceremonies. It was a part of my royal duty as a princess of Attilan to be there when other Inhumans took their place in the society. Each ceremony had been different, and yet with each one there was always that undeniable and fundamental truth.
Someone's life was going to change. Whether that be for the better or for the worse. Nobody could control what powers they were going to receive, nor could they control the impact that such powers would have on their life. The moment they allowed themselves to be exposed to the Terrigen crystals, they would forfeit any rights that they had to choose what their lives would be like. They were accepting their place in our world. And perhaps it could be argued that they no longer had the right to complain if things went wrong.
But… I'd seen the reactions people had when they stepped out with crap powers. I'd seen the freak-outs, the tears, the pleading. Sometimes, family members had even tried to step in and get involved, only to be held back by royal guard. I'd seen the awful deformities that some Inhumans had been cursed with. Some of the most grotesque things, such that would make even the most strong of stomachs feel queasy.
You could go in there being 'normal', with all the hopes and dreams of a brighter and better future for yourself, and once the ten minute ceremony was completed? Heavens only knows what you would end up looking like or being. It truly was a roll of the dice and nobody knew where those dice were going to land. All that anyone could do when they stepped through those doors and into that chamber was to hope for the best and pray to any higher power listening that things would work out alright.
Since it was my fourteenth year, I was now of the proper age to undergo the Terrigenesis Ceremony. With all that I have spoken of regarding such a turbulent time, can you blame me for the anxiety that I was feeling at the time? For the nervous apprehension that had me pacing back and forth in my room, wringing my sweat-covered hands together, and biting my lower lip to keep from crying out in despair? From pleading with any kind soul who would listen to lift this burden from off of my shoulders. Just for one more moment. Just for one more day. One more day to enjoy the normality of my life before it all got torn away.
A loud knocking on the door broke me out of my reverie, causing me to almost jump out of my skin. So lost was I during my anxious inner ramblings that this was an incredible jolt back to Earth. Now, who in the world could this b— wait. No, please. Tell me that it is not time already. I'm not prepared yet!
With shaking steps, and a heart beating like a hammer against cloth in my chest, I slowly made my way over to the door to open it. My fingers fumbled with the lock for a moment, almost expecting a Council Leader standing there, waiting to escort me to my future potential doom. It took a few tries, but I managed to open it, and breathed a sigh of relief at the sight before me.
Standing there, her auburn curls framing her face, was my best friend — Camelia. The friend that I'd had ever since I was young. A member of a noble family in Attilan, she and I were as close as could be. In fact, we may even have been distantly related, cousins, perhaps, but this is something that I am unsure is true or not. The sight of her easily alleviated my fears. A sense of relief washing over me — here was a bit of normality. A calm before the storm, so to speak.
Beside her stood a young servant-boy, about twenty-years-old or so. The second that I opened the door, he tilted his head down slightly, placing a hand upon his chest in a gesture of respect. He gave off an extremely nervous air and I wondered if he'd ever really had much of an interaction with a member of the Royal Family before. Perhaps not.
"The Lady Camelia Ivanskiar is here to see you, Your Highness," the servant said to me in a deferential tone. I refrained from rolling my eyes at the formality; yes, I could see that, did he need to announce it? Putting on an air of propriety, I managed to find my 'Princess Voice' and speak.
"Thank you, Alexei." That was his name, I was thankful that I'd managed to remember that, what with everything going through my head at the time. "You may leave. Lady Camelia, please, step inside."
Alexei bowed again and backed out of the room in a half-stooped posture before turning around to leave. We heard his footsteps fading away as I motioned for Camelia to step inside. She did, and I pushed the door shut again, reaching up to shut the lock with a click once more.
"Sit, Cami," I said, motioning towards the bed. Cami was my nickname for her, the name that I had been calling her ever since we first became friends, back when we were five and six respectively. She gave me a half-smile and moved to sit down on the edge of the bed, placing her hands on her lap. It did not take a genius to see that something was weighing on her mind, and it certainly did not take one to see that it was the same thing weighing upon mine.
Sitting beside her, I tilted my head back to glance up at the ceiling. Silence reigned between us for a moment before Camelia spoke, her voice hushed. "Have you been here by yourself all morning, Natalia?" she asked, in an almost scolding tone. She was sort of the 'mom friend', the one who always wanted me to come out of my shell and socialize a bit more. Something that, for one reason or another, I preferred not to do unless I had to.
I shrugged. "Well… I did go and grab some breakfast earlier," I teased, playfully rolling my eyes. "And then I think there was a royal meeting or something, but you know how those bore me, so I wasn't going to be involved in that if there wasn't a need for it." Smirking, I flopped back onto the bed and closed my eyes and poked my tongue out at her.
Camelia leaned on her elbow, poking me in the stomach. "Now, now," she laughed, wagging a finger in my face, "don't you go calling these most Esteemed Meetings boring, Princess Natalia," she warned, but I could easily hear the mirth in her voice. How she was trying not to laugh. "What in the world would the people of Attilan think if they heard such words from your mouth? The scandal!"
I grabbed a pillow from off the bed and playfully hit her with it. "Oh, give over, Cami!" She burst out into laughter, then, and so did I. It was amazing, really, how just a few minutes with Camelia could take away the worries, wash them away like rainwater. But then again, she had always been easy to talk to. Easy to get along with. The kind of girl for whom making friends seemed to come easily.
She never seemed to care that I was a princess and she was merely a lady. We'd been friends for so long that the social difference between us never mattered. Around her, I was just Natalia. Not Princess Natalia, or Your Highness, any of the other titles that people were expected to address me as. We were just Natalia and Camelia. Best friends, as close as sisters.
"In all truth, though…" I muttered, rising into a sitting position and running a hand through my tangled black hair. "There is another reason why I've decided to stay in seclusion this day. And I am sure that you can figure out what that reason is. I'm sure that it must be weighing upon your mind, too, Cami."
"The Ceremony." Reaching over, she took my hand in hers, intertwining our fingers together. "Yeah… I know. Honestly, I've been thinking about it all morning. That's why I came to see you. I figured, well… I figured that we could help each other face that fear together. Just as we're facing the Terrigenesis together."
"I'm glad you'll be going through the Ceremony with me today," I told her, squeezing her hand. "I don't… I don't know what I'd do if I had to face it alone. I don't know if I COULD face it alone."
Camelia pursed her lips, deep in thought. How I wished that I could read minds so that I would know what she was thinking. Was she calm and collected about this? Or was she as nervous as I was, but merely holding it together for my sake? "Well, you're the one who pleaded for months for us to be allowed to go through it together, Natalia."
My lips twitched slightly, as I recalled the countless minutes, hours, and days that I had spent wearing down Black Bolt — my eldest brother and our king — to allow Camelia and I to undergo our Terrigenesis Ceremony on the same day. The time that I had put into convincing him that this would be a good idea.
Normally, members of the Royal Family underwent the Ceremony separately to the rest of the Inhuman Society. Something about a status difference, ensuring that we were always seen as a cut above the rest. More important. More special. If Terrigenesis was a big deal in the eyes of a 'normal' Inhuman then it would be an even bigger deal to a royal. In that way, I guess it made sense for more fuss to be made when one of us went through it.
But… Camelia and I had done everything together. Attended lessons together, played together, learned about the world together. In all but blood, she WAS a member of my family. There was no way that I would go through this without her, not if I had anything to say about it. And after those months and weeks and days and hours of pleading, I'd finally manage to break through the walls of my brother's stoic defences and convince him that allowing us to go through the Ceremony together would be a good idea.
"You know I wasn't about to go through any of that alone," I told her, getting off the bed to resume my pacing around the room. "And... and that I wouldn't have let YOU go through it alone, either. Not if I had any say in the matter."
Camelia didn't respond, deep in thought, it seemed. Her green eyes flickered with an emotion that I couldn't quite name. Was it nervousness? Trepidation? Fear? All the above? Was she, like I had done, thinking of all the potential issues that may arise and everything that could go wrong today? Or was I just a pessimist and these thoughts never entered her mind?
Placing my hands behind my back, I rocked on my heels. "Penny for your thoughts, Camelia?"
"What do you think you're going to get?" she asked.
I must admit, it took me a moment to understand the meaning behind her words. "Uh, power-wise?" We'd discussed the upcoming Ceremony before, but barely. I guess neither of us really wanted to think much about it. Out of sight, out of mind, as the saying goes.
She nodded. "Mhm-hm." She made a soft clicking noise with her tongue, as it darted out to lick at her lower lip, a habit that she often used when she was nervous or deep in thought. "I'm kinda hoping for flight."
Not surprising, really. Flight was an extremely popular power, one that it seemed most people aimed for. It got you a decent place in society — flight ranked above super strength, for example — and if you were fortunate enough to be granted wings, too, then your place would be almost certainly be cemented.
"There are other fliers in your family, right?"
She nodded once. "My cousin on my mom's side was one; with wings. I know it doesn't really make much odds, honestly, but maybe these genetics will be a help to me. But what about you? What do you want?"
I thought about it, tapping a finger against my chin. "Invisibility," I finally said.
"Really?" Camelia almost seemed surprised by my admission, if the tone of her voice and look on her face was anything to go by. "Invisibility, huh? Honestly, I don't really see the appeal."
"Well…." I began, drawing the word out, tongue in cheek, "just think about all of the private conversations I could listen in on. Think of all the court gossip I could glean, more than I already do, I mean. Think of the secrets I could glean, the information I could get. With nobody to see me, you and I both know what people talk about when they think they're alone. Just…" I clasped my hands under my chin, "just think about EVERYTHING that I could share with you, Cami. The possibilities… the possibilities are just endless."
It seemed that she was taking my words into account. "Well, I suppose that when you put it like that, it does sound pretty interesting. And I mean, if I get flight and you get invisibility, then we'd make quite the team, wouldn't we? More than we already do, I should say. But, really, Natalia, I'm happy with whatever power I get. As long as I get something."
Her tone shifted once she said this, and I knew that things were going to take a turn for the serious once again. Isn't it strange how people's moods could shift on a dime? That see-saw, rollercoaster of emotion. I know that I for one can attest to this.
"You'll—" I started to say but was cut off by another knocking on the door. This time louder and more pronounced than the one before. With a sense of more urgency. Before I even had a chance to take a step towards answering it, a voice called out.
"Princess Natalia Boltagon and Lady Camelia Ivanskiar?" came a voice from the other side. A male voice, once that I did not recognize. "It is time for your Terrigenesis Ceremony. Please, come and follow me immediately."
Time already? It couldn't be! Surely… surely it had been but a half-an-hour, maybe even less, since Camelia entered my room. They couldn't be ready for us now, I hadn't been expecting to be summoned until at least this evening. A few more hours, just a few more hours to prepare, that was all I asked for. Could I not be granted this one small mercy?
I began to sway slightly, my body moving from right to left as the feeling of panic bubbled to the surface once more. Camelia stood up, answering the man outside when I failed to formulate any bit of a coherent sentence.
"Yes, we will be with you momentarily. Thank you." It was amazing how she seemed to slip back into prim-and-proper ladylike protocol when the need for it arose. Maybe it was just one of the side-effects of hanging around me so often, though right at that moment I felt anything less like a princess. Or a lady. Or like any functioning being at all, really.
Camelia came to my side and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Right," she said, her voice wavering, "let's… let's get this over with, shall we?" It wasn't hard to hear the resignation in her tone, the way that her shoulders seemed to slump. It was as if she, too, were battling with her own Terrigenesis related demons. All the confidence we may have shown earlier was certainly not helping us now.
As if on autopilot, I adjusted the collar of my dress and smoothed down my skirt — perhaps on some level thinking that looking the part would make things go smoother for me. Then, with Camelia's hand gently placed upon my shoulder, I walked towards the door and opened it.
Standing there, was a tall, dark haired man with tanned skin; one of the Council Leaders. One of those who's job it was to oversee the Terrigenesis Ceremonies and escort those who's turn it was to undergo said Ceremonies to the designated rooms. He bowed deeply to me, muttering a soft, "Your Highness," before inclining his head with a "My lady" to Camelia. On any other circumstance I would have acknowledged him or said something, but I was far too caught up in my own thoughts to do anything other than trudged after him like a zombie.
Through the corridors we walked, each step bringing me closer to either my unbridled freedom or my unending doom. With each passing moment, it felt as though I could faint at any given second. Really, though, would you blame me for feeling this way? Thought not!
Camelia kept a firm yet gentle grip on my arm as we walked, perhaps afraid that I was going to faint dead away due to the stress. She was showing far more decorum than I, or maybe she merely wanted to ensure my health and wellbeing before she thought of her own. That was my Cami, though, always thinking of others before she thought of herself. Truly a generous soul, she was.
Still… she could not completely hide her feelings. The twitch in her eye, the way she seemed to be walking at an odd pace, shuffling her feet, as though she wanted to get this over and done with, yet at the same time, wanted to drag it out for as long as possible. Her bright, green eyes shimmered with a nervous apprehension. The fear that she felt was palpable. She looked to be as nervous as I felt.
My destiny, my fate, my role in Attilan's society… it all rested on these next few moments. So did Camelia's. So did the fate of every single Inhuman exposed to the Terrigen crystals. Could I be blamed for the feelings of anxiety, those terrifying 'what-ifs' that filled me up from the inside out and threatened to spew forth like bile from my mouth? Could any soul lurking upon this world dare to pass judgement upon me for feeling the way that I did?
"Whatever happens," Camelia's voice broke me out of my reverie, her soft tones laced with an undercurrent of fear, "whatever happens, Natalia… I… I want you to know that you're my best friend in the world, and I'll be here for you through everything, okay?" Her voice shook, her resolve tested. It hurt me to see her so worried.
"You say that as if you fear the worst, Cam," I said, a half-laugh escaping from my lips. I glanced up at her — Camelia had always been a few inches taller than I, even though there was only a year's age difference between us. "Come now, it… how bad can it be? It… Both of us will get a power, and then, then we'll find a good place in society. Remember, I told you that Black Bolt swore to make you my lady-in-waiting if all goes well?"
My words may have been but empty promises, all things considered, but I wanted to comfort my friend in the same way that she was doing for me. I wanted to be a shining beacon of hope to Camelia Ivanskiar just as she was mine right now.
"Your lady-in-waiting," she mused, reaching up with her free hand to brush a red lock back behind her ear. "Yes, you've mentioned that to me before. I would be most honored… Your Highness."
There was a teasing, light edge to Camelia's voice, her eyes shining with a hidden mirth behind the worry she obviously felt. She was my best friend, as I've said before. My dearest friend. So, of course I would ask my brother to give her a job working closely with me should her Terrigenesis prove favorable. It had naught to do with wanting her as a servant; I had plenty of those. But I simply wanted my Cami to be close — as my lady-in-waiting she and I would be able to spend tons of time together. More so, perhaps, than we already did, which would be saying something.
Alas, there would be little time for talk now, though there were still so many things I longed to say. So many words of reassurance, so many promises, so many words of gratitude for all that she had done for me. For every moment she had been my friend. No, no more time for that. No more. All I could do was give her hand one last, reassuring squeeze, before letting it go, and walking together into the Grand Hall as we arrived at its large, double doors.
Steeling myself, I glanced around at who had come to witness our Ceremony.
There was Black Bolt and Medusa, obviously. My eldest brother and his wife, the King and Queen of Attilan. Medusa with her long, flowing, prehensile and deadly red hair, hair that she was capable of controlling with her mind — an impressive power and certainly a force to be reckoned with. The corners of her mouth moved slightly, and she mouthed a soft, "good luck," to me. I numbly nodded my thanks.
Black Bolt… didn't say anything. Just kept staring ahead, his expression almost blank. Not that I had expected him to. For you see, my brother had been granted one of, if not THE deadliest power in all of Attilan's history. His voice was so powerful that even one whisper, one simple clearing of the throat, could level our entire city to the ground within the blink of an eye. Because of this, he had taken a vow of silence, only communicating through a special sign language that Medusa translated.
Karnak and Gorgon, heads of the Royal Guard and my cousins, were here too, though I didn't pay them much attention. We'd never been close, not often exchanging word beyond a few pleasantries here and there, and a few words when circumstances brought us together. I knew that to them, I was still little more than a child, and that was fine, too. Instead, my eyes landed on the one person.
Maximus. My second eldest brother, the outcast of the royal family. The… human amongst Inhumans. The one on the complete opposite end of the scale to Black Bolt. My dearest and most loved brother, his Terrigenesis made him a human, effectively destroying any Inhuman gene that may have once lurked within. That, I was aware, was the worst possible outcome of Terrigenesis — to come away with nothing. Indeed, the only reason that Maximus wasn't sent down to work in the mines with the others was because of who our brother was. Black Bolt showed him a mercy, in some strange way, letting him remain in the royal family.
Yet… it seemed unfair, did it not? For I was no fool, I saw the ways that people treated my brother. The cruel stares, the whispers behind his back, the mocking words, everything they did to him boiled my blood. Max was good, Max took care of me and was there for me throughout thick and thin. I loved him and to me it mattered not if he held all the power in the world or none at all.
How I longed to know every detail of what must be going through his mind right now. What did he feel, I wondered, seeing his little sister's Terrigenesis ceremony? What would he do if, like him, I ended up with nothing? Would we both be shunned, then? Would pity be taken or would we forever be doomed to a life of ostracization?
Or… perhaps a worse thought then entered my mind. What… what if I were to gain a power? A gift that would, in theory, put me far above the pecking order where my brother was concerned. A gift that would, in the eyes of the Genetics Council and every Attilian out there, make me better than him. What then?
What would I do then? Would Max still love me? Would he still want me as a sister? Or would our relationship be forever tainted by the hideous jealousy of contempt? Would we no longer be as close as we were? No longer bonded by blood but instead torn asunder by Terrigen crystals. Would Maximus resent me for gaining what had been denied to him?
The mere thought of such a thing happening made me physically ill. I brought a hand up to my mouth, as if trying to force down this awful imagining. 'It won't happen,' I told myself, shaking my head, to purge the thoughts from my mind, 'this worry, it is all in your head, Natalia. All just the ramblings that come with nerves. Your Terrigenesis will be fine. Today will be just another reason to celebrate when you finally gain your powers. And Max… Max loves you. This won't change that, nothing will. Keep your head up and you'll get through this. Keep your head up and be the princess that you are. That's it. You can do it. You can… you can get through this. You HAVE to get through this.'
Perhaps it may seem a bit foolish to give myself this pep-talk, but given the current circumstances, I could use all the comfort I could get, even if it did come from myself. Right now, I wanted nothing more than to run over to Max and hug him and plead with him to take me away from all of this, but I knew there was no time for any such thing.
One of the members of the Genetics Council stepped forward, beckoning both Camelia and I to make our way towards the Terrigenesis chambers. I felt like a robot as I walked forward. Left, right, left, right, left, right… the mantra repeated over and over in my head, fearing that if I stopped, I would forget how to walk. Every moment seemed to last an eternity, every step felt like sludging through quicksand.
I felt as though I would fall flat on my face and make a right fool of myself in front of everyone. Damn it, couldn't my feet just do as they were told without putting up a fuss? Brain, body, engage, for crying out loud! Eventually, though, I climbed inside the Terrigenesis chamber without incident, hearing the click of the door as it shut behind me.
This was it. Now that the door had been shut, there was no going back. There could be no reprieve from this… from what would soon be a heaven or a hell. I could hear the same speech that was given for every Terrigenesis Ceremony.
"Esteemed members of the Royal Family, Genetics Council, friends and guests… Blessed are we to witness the Terrigenesis of Camelia Ivanskiar, and Her Royal Highness, Princess Natalia Boltagon." I felt my back tense as he spoke my name, and the title that came with it. Somewhere deep in the recesses of my mind, the worrying thought… would I still be a princess if this all went wrong? The speech continued, "the sacred touchstone of our civilization that elevates us above all others, that allows the true nature of the individual to be revealed."
There was a flurry of activity that I could barely make out from the corner of my eye. A flash of blue. The Terrigen crystals. They were, I knew, preparing the crystals for the ceremony. How funny it was that something that seemed so simple could hold within it the power to change a destiny… to change a person's life for better or worse. They were tiny yet horrifying all at the same time.
"This holy ceremony, has been the touchstone of our people…"
'Come on, please,' I thought, clenching my hands into fists, my teeth digging into my lower lip so hard that they bled. 'Come on, come on, come ON. How long does this speech take? Just… I want to get this over with.' My mind had already drowned this man out as he seemed to go on and on and on and on… Would it never end?
"We are ready to proceed with the Ceremony."
I felt both immense relief and immense fear at those words, wanting to both suck it up and deal with it, and to dive out of this chamber and run far, far away where nobody could find me again. That sense of panic was only heightened the moment that the ceremony began.
And with that… smoke filled the small, cramped chamber. It filled my lungs, burned through every bone, every fiber of my being. Each one of my veins seemed to be changing, twisting, pulling, turning… every atom within me being made to manifest whatever power the crystals would unlock. I threw my head back, my mouth dropping into a perfect 'o' as I mouthed a silent scream. The pain was intense… was it meant to be like this? Was this what all Terrigenesis was like? Or had something gone wrong?
It felt… dear God… it felt as though every bone in my body were breaking and reshaping. As though the very essence of my soul, the very fibres that made Natalia Boltagon were being torn, twisted and moulded like clay. Tears streamed down my face as my breath became more ragged, choking on this mist, pleading with anyone who would listen to just let me get a bit of air. It was worse than I could have ever imagined it would be. Would this be how I died?
No. No time to think! No time! There was little else that I could do other than to let nature take its course. I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling the power manifest within my body… feeling… feeling my body begin to change both in mental and physical ways. Why? What was happening to me? What did this mean? What did any of it mean? Won't somebody please let me out of this thing?
Did they not see? Could they not hear? Were my cries falling upon deaf ears? God… fuck… they had to let me out of this thing. I was breaking apart before their very eyes, and yet nobody was doing anything! Just… just standing there seemingly unaffected by all the pain and the suffering that was being forced upon me right now.
And then... Mercifully, it stopped. Just like that. As though a switch had been flicked, everything seemed to come back to relative… normality… once again. The smoke cleared from around me, and the door opened. I heard a voice. "You may step out and fully reveal yourselves." There was our cue. In the back of my mind, I wondered what power Camelia had gotten. Would she have wings, as she dreamed of?
I stepped out, gingerly, and very nearly missed the step, almost falling to the floor. It was… there was so much of a gap between the step and the ground, that it was odd. I hadn't noticed it being that large before. And… I also hadn't noticed everyone being so much… so much taller than me…
Glancing around, I was immediately met by the shocked stares of my family. Each one of them looked at me with a strange expression on their faces, as though they simply could not believe what they were seeing. Even Black Bolt, though he kept his visage stoic as always, could not help but to raise a brow in silent surprise. Well. Damn. This couldn't be good.
"She's tiny." Medusa spoke up. She was trying to remain level-headed, but I could tell that even she was a bit taken off-guard by what had happened. "Look at her. She's a child, she doesn't look a day over eight."
"What… what do you…" I began, tripping over the words in my hesitation to get them out. "What do you mean? What are you talking about? I'm not a child, I'm… I'm fourteen! What's going on? Did something go wrong with my Ceremony? Someone… somebody answer me!" Glancing down, I looked at my hands, and my eyes widened in shock. They were tiny. Gone were the hands of the fourteen-year-old that I used to be, and in their place? In their place were the small, dainty hands of the eight-year-old child I now was. Terrigenesis had… had de-aged me.
Perhaps not only in body but also in mind? For while, for the most part, I felt almost the same… there was still that part of me that felt like a lost, scared, hurting child. That felt alone despite being in a room full of people… that part that wanted to cry, to scream, to be held and comforted.
Now, more than ever, I wanted to run across the room to where Maximus was standing and throw my arms around him, beg for any form of comfort that he would be willing to offer. But there was no chance of doing that, so instead I wrapped my arms around my own waist, hoping to bring myself some level of comfort from that.
"What's… happening…" I stuttered, taking a few stumbling, fearful steps forward. "The meaning… what is the meaning of this… what's wrong with me? WHAT IS THIS?!"
That's when it started. At first, it was just a sound. A keening, pitching whine that seemed to echo from the deepest recesses of my brain. Then, the headache came. A powerful migraine attack that made my eyes blur and sting, so agonizing that I could no longer stand on my own power. With a scream of pain, I fell onto my side, crashing to the floor with a thud.
I bent and clutched at the fabric of my dress which had, by some miracle, shrunk to fit my little form. Grabbing at strands of my hair and tearing little black curls out. My head was pounding, the horrid ringing noise in my ears growing so loud that I feared it would deafen me. Nothing mattered anymore. Not Camelia. Not my family. Not Maximus. Nothing mattered but the pain and making it stop.
"Ahhh…" I wailed, tears streaming in the corners of my eyes. The pain was intense, moving to the back of my eyes, making me blind and deaf and dumb to the world. Dear Lord, what was happening to me?
The pictures came next. Oh, would that there were words in any language that could aptly describe them to you. No phrase in Attilian, English, or any other language known to man or beast could ever do justice to the horror that entered my mind, then. Even to this day, I know not how my brain could have conjured up such gruesome images. Maybe these were the first hints that there had always been something wrong with me; I do not know. All I know is that they were terrifying.
The blood… the faces twisted in silent screams of horror. Maggots falling from their eyes, mouths stretching to a limit that was not possible, the keening whine being ever louder, mingled in now with the sound of bone snapping as the jaws of these faceless… monsters… snapped. The smell of fire. The blinding flash of blue light, the cry of a lost child, the smell of burning sulphur and rotting flesh. My faceless foes, how they writhed in agony, their flesh beginning to melt and peel away from their bones, sliding off in slivers.
What was this? Was this to be my power? Trapped forever in my own, tainted, twisted hell? For what purpose? What had I done to deserve this… why did the Genetics Council put me through this? Didn't they see? Didn't they know the pain they were causing? I was their princess! How dare they put me through this? How dare they see fit to make me suffer in such unbridled and unyielding torment? How DARE they treat me this way? I would not… I could not… let them get away with it!
Another scream. This time, from far away, and not my own. No… it was a man's voice… low and scared… his words, I could barely make them out. "Stop, stop, please, make her stop… the fire… the pain… the pictures… make it stop!" His screams were becoming more pronounced, and somewhere amongst all this horror, I could make out the sound of footsteps. "Please, no!" the unknown man screamed again. "Please, I'll do anything! MAKE HER STOP!"
The feeling of hands on my shoulders broke me out of my hell, snapping me back to some small semblance of reality. "Natalia!" Maximus was speaking to me, but I could barely hear him. Certainly not enough to acknowledge what he was saying. Was that… was that my name he was calling? It sounded so far away. Like he was trying to call out to me whilst I drowned underwater.
"Natalia!" There he was, then, kneeling in front of me. He grabbed my arm and tried to manoeuvre me back into a sitting position, while I swayed from left to right in a dazed stupor. "Come on, sister, just… sit up." Maximus placed his hands on either side of my face and made me look into his eyes. "Listen to me, look at me, breathe, okay? In and out, it's alright, you're alright."
I raised my head to meet his gaze, my eyes pooling and shimmering with tears, "I… I… I…" The words, the apology, the questions, anything and everything that I wanted to say… it would not come. It seemed I was incapable of speech, incapable of doing little else than opening and closing my mouth, as though trying to emulate a dying fish. "M… Ma… Max… Max…"
From the corner of my eye, I noticed one of the Genetic Council members had fallen to the floor and was retching, his countenance one of pure, unadulterated fear. He looked white as a sheet, as though he had just seen a ghost! Around him, I could barely make out the blurred figures of my family, trying to guide the shaken man back to his feet. He was retching and gagging, as though about to throw up.
"The pictures…" he whispered in terror, "the things I saw… oh the horrors…"
I tried to crane my neck to look over to them, see what was going on, but Max grabbed my chin again and turned my face back to his. "Don't look at them, Talia, just… just keep looking at me, come on, it's alright. Don't worry about that right now, you just look at me, listen to my voice, it's okay, little sister. Calm. Calm now, it's all okay."
"Maximus." Medusa took control of the situation, because I suppose someone had to. "Take Natalia out of here. She's in far too much stress right now. Bring her back to her chambers. The council will discuss this, and she will undergo genetics testing later. There's no time now, we still need to determine the results of Camelia's Terrigenesis."
Camelia. Oh, my poor Cami. She hadn't even stepped out yet. She must have been so scared. Did she hear what was happening outside? Well, of course, she wasn't deaf and both me and this Council Member were making enough noise to wake the dead. How fearful she must have been in that moment. The guilt was sickening.
I had forgotten her, as had everyone else, it seemed. They were all too concerned with… whatever happened to me… to bother checking up on my friend. 'I have to make it up to her somehow,' I thought.
Maximus offered a hand to me. "Come on, Natalia."
I tried to take it, really, I did, but I could barely lift my body from the floor before it came crashing down again. The weight of everything and the shock were not allowing me to stand upon my own merit. Again, I tried to stand, with my brother offering me assistance once more. And again, down I fell, back onto my ass. I stared up at Maximus with a dazed expression.
"Max…" My voice was a broken whisper, but his attention was directed elsewhere.
Maximus looked over at Black Bolt, who motioned towards him, and then towards me. Seemingly, he did not need Medusa to translate this for him. He bent down and, in one fluid motion, literally scooped me up into his arms and carried me out of the room, while I hung lifeless like a rag-doll, offering no form of resistance whatsoever.
This was yet another thing to offer me cause for concern — I had always been somewhat short for my age, a few inches or so shorter than other teenagers, but it was never to the extent to where my brothers could have lifted me up with the ease that Maximus just did. To be honest, I wasn't sure what to make of this, though I was thankful that it was Max who was bringing me back to my room — this was a small mercy, if anything.
Not a word was spoken between my brother and I as we made our way back to my chambers. My mind was in far, far too much disarray to even begin the arduous task of forming sounds to words, and I knew that Maximus obviously still had much weighing on his mind. Besides, out in the open did not seem like a good place for a chat, especially not about something this vital.
There were some whispers in my general direction from confused passers-by. "Is that the princess? She looks so young. Is that what her Terrigenesis did to her, is it like youth potion? What's wrong with her?" were just some of the things they were saying. Along with, "can she not walk anymore? Why does she look so scared?"
Part of me wanted to tell them to mind their own business, but I was in such a state of emotional and mental shock that any words coming out of my mouth would no doubt have been little more than messed up garbled nonsense. So I just ignored them, drowning out their words. They were just confused after all; they didn't mean to be rude to their princess.
We were nearing my room now. Maximus set me down on my feet, keeping an arm around my shoulder. "Can you walk?" he asked, steadying me as I wobbled. "it's just a few more minutes, can you walk the rest of the way? I'll hold your hand."
"Yeah…" I managed to get out, my throat aching. "Yeah, I… I think I can manage."
I clung to my brother's hand tighter than I think I ever had before, and we finally reached the door to my room. Maximus pushed it open, ushering me inside. Once I had stepped inside, and he'd followed after, he closed the door with an audible click. He motioned for me to sit down on the edge of the bed, but I had other thoughts, the terror still controlling my mind.
"Don't leave!" Was that my voice? So childish, so desperate, so… so innocent. I sounded like I was going to cry at any minute. I felt like it to. Tears were stinging at the corners of my eyes, my breath coming in short little gasps. "Don't… please, Max, stay with me! I don't want to be alone!"
"I wasn't planning to," Maximus placed a gentle hand on the back of my head, making me look up at him, and wiping a tear away from my face. How I welcomed such a loving gesture at this time. "Sit down, Talia, okay?"
The use of my favoured nickname — the one that only Max was permitted to call me — was enough to bring some sense of peace to my frazzled existence. Finally, I moved to sit down on the bed, staring at my brother with wide, helpless eyes. "Max…." I whispered, reaching my hand out towards him, desperate for any kind of human contact.
Through teary-eyes and with a shaking voice, I asked the question that had been eating away at me ever since I stepped out of that Chamber. "What's wrong with me?"
In the next chapter, Natalia tries to make sense of what has happened to her, and pleads with Maximus for more answers. But when the Genetics Council come to do the testing on her, will she be able to handle the results? Please read, review and subscribe! Look for the next chapter soon!