---Indigo---
I barreled through the forest, taking any path I saw in sight. I veered off the main trail and went down side paths that branched again and again. I kept going until the torrent of voices in my head stopped their accusatory tones and guilt washed over me. I let go of the reins and allowed the horse to go wherever it pleased while I tried to sort out my thoughts. What happened? What had really happened?
There was a blue orb. It touched me, and I saw a vision. I closed my eyes and tried to remember.
It was as if I was watching a movie that showed our futures. I saw the seven of us on our quest. We were being chased, and we were desperate. I saw Aaron get stabbed, and it was me who was there when the others weren't. I was the one who nursed him back to health when the others failed. When Aaron and Lucian were trapped in Lord Victor's defenses, it was me who devised a way to get them out. The scenes flashed by, one by one, showing how throughout the whole quest, it was me who saved not just Aaron's life, but also everyone else's, again and again.
Then it was the final battle. Lord Victor was too powerful. He knocked everyone back, and when Aaron charged at him from behind, Lord Victor swung his staff around and knocked Aaron to the ground. Aaron landed in a heap, unconscious. I raised a sword—it wasn't mine but I knew that it was the Sword of Destiny—and charged towards Lord Victor, poised to strike him down. Somehow, I knew that I would be able to defeat him.
But before I reached Lord Victor, someone crashed into me. I fell onto the ground and the sword clattered from my hand. It was Katherine. I yelled at her and screamed for her to move out of the way, but she ignored me and picked up the sword, leaving me in the dust. "That's supposed to be mine!" I yelled. "My victory!"
She didn't listen. Katherine became the one who killed Lord Victor and the first person to reach Aaron. With her magical healing powers, she awakened him, and I watched as Aaron became captivated by her bravery and beauty despite the blood running down her face and her tangled, unwashed hair. They ignored me, the person who actually was supposed to wield the Sword of Destiny.
The scene changed. We were back at the Academy, and Katherine was the one who was honored and received all the glory. I fumed silently, knowing that it was supposed to me. Katherine stole that chance from me. At our graduation dance, the biggest night of our lives—Aaron asked Katherine to be his date. Never mind the fact that I had saved his life numerous times or that he said before that he'll ask me; at the end, Aaron still chose Katherine.
I saw them kiss, right in front of me. That shouldn't have been a big deal, but Katherine looked straight at me, and her eyes were filled with malice and triumph. Her eyes taunted me, calling me useless and worthless. This was her elaborate plan to steal Aaron away from me, and she had won.
I wanted so much to pull Katherine away from Aaron and banish her. I was supposed to be the one in Aaron's arms. At that moment, I realized how much I loved Aaron. I couldn't stand the fact that after all of my efforts, Katherine stole my prize. Even though my rational mind was saying that this is false, that I didn't even like Aaron that much in real life, I couldn't listen. I couldn't think clearly.
The whispers began, gaining volume until they were all I heard. I submitted to their will, and I killed Katherine.
I gasped as my eyes flew open. It was so real. It felt real. The horse had stopped in another small clearing and was munching on some grass. I slid to the ground, feeling the cool earth beneath my hands. This was still my fault. If I hadn't already had angry, jealous feelings towards Katherine, the voices would have had nothing to control me with. This meant that I was already seeing Katherine as my competitor, not a friend. How could I be so selfish, so mean, so evil? I was no better than Lord Victor.
I let loose a howl to the sky, setting free all of my emotions. I crumpled to the floor in a heap, hugging myself and sobbing. The guilt threatened to pull me under. Images of Katherine flashed before my eyes, of her bright smile and the way she looked up at me, always regarding me as someone smarter, prettier, better than her in the innocent way a child looked up to an adult. I remembered how she would bound over with her exam results and ask me how to solve a particular problem, and then exclaim about how smart I was and how amazing I was to have figured out number whatever. I remembered how she happily agreed to give me lessons in sword fighting, not asking for anything in return.
I always felt so happy with her innocent compliments and her adorable, childish manner. Katherine was such a good person. But I killed her without hesitation. Over what? A silly crush. A boy. A boy that she didn't even think of more than just a friend.
It was a while before I realized that it was raining. The water soaked through my clothes, wetting my hair and chilling my skin. I picked up my sword, which was lying on the muddy ground next to me. There were still rivulets of Katherine's blood on the blade that were soon washed away by the rain. But I still saw them there, still saw the brilliant red that covered my hands and stained my sword.
I looked at my reflection in the rain-splattered blade. I almost didn't recognize the girl that stared back with empty, haunted eyes. Her hair was slick with rain and hung down like a curtain around her face, and the guilty, pained expression was never going to disappear from her pale face.
'You killed Katherine,' the voices began whispering again. 'You killed an innocent girl who did nothing to you.'
"It wasn't my fault! You made me do it!" I yelled, my voice cracking.
'Oh no, no, no, we didn't do anything.' The whispers chuckled. 'You held the sword and you stabbed her. You killed Katherine. We didn't do anything.'
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean it!"
'An apology isn't going to raise the dead, Indigo,' they hissed. 'Katherine's gone. You saw all the blood around her. Her blood will forever be on your hands. You're a murderer, Indigo. A murderer.'
"I'm sorry!" I thought I saw Katherine's ghost hovering in the woods just in front of me. "Katherine, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
'You're just like Eric, or Lord Victor. Maybe even worse. You killed a friend. You killed the best fighter on the team. What if Katherine was one of the Destined Three? What if the entire mission fails because of your mistake?'
The voices were relentless as they swirled around me. I heard the disbelief and rage in my parents' voices. I heard disdain in the gossip people said behind my back. I heard the disgrace from my own subconscious. I can't take this anymore. I can't live with the shame and the guilt. I can't go back and face the rest of the team. I can't, I can't, I can't.
With a heart-wrenching sob, I gripped my sword firmly in my right hand and pressed the blade firmly across my neck. I killed Katherine. I would pay with my own life. That was only fair—a life for a life. Maybe this way, I would be released from the heavy burden that guilt left on me and be free of all this. Maybe I can finally ask for Katherine's forgiveness.
'Do it,' the voices urged. 'Just do it, and get it over with. You'll never have to face the humiliation and shame and guilt and dishonor again.'
'You're a disgrace. Kill yourself, and repent for your sins.'
I closed my eyes and steadied my hand. Taking a deep breath, I swept my sword across my own neck.
"INDIGO! NO!"