Aaron's POV:
Ayvah stormed out of the office an hour after our conversation, if it could even be called as such. Even after what happened in her cabin earlier, she seemed as aloof as ever, yet I couldn't bring myself to ignore her laughter which was ringing through my head.
I was about to head back home when the storm picked up even more viscosity, forcing me to remain stuck in the office while the others had already left. Ten minutes into the wait, and I couldn't sit still any longer, it felt as if something was beckoning me towards itself, the pull became almost painful to resist, and so I didn't resist and gave in.
It was like a beautiful melody yet it caused goosebumps to appear but there was no sound right? There couldn't be any. The building was deserted. At least that was what I thought before I came face to face with a cloaked figure.
It's voice was a whisper of shadow in the dark. The silhouette could be of a man but the grace with which it carried itself was feminine. It was an enigma, a genderless entity who felt as ancient as time itself yet oozed out a feeling of novelty.
It felt surreal standing in front it, like I should be bowing, even scrawling on my knees yet my limbs felt frozen in time, a feeling of lightness descended upon me, my mind a jumble of emotions and feelings each contradicting the other. It was then that I realized that it's voice echoed in my mind, it's lips as still as moonshine.
With every word it uttered, the feeling of dread delved it's talon further into my heart, a yawning pit formed in my stomach, yet for all it's worth I couldn't move, couldn't escape it's enticing trap. Every syllable it uttered, dug the pit deeper and deeper until I was nothing more than a whisper of memory in the eternal darkness, my consciousness dripping away with every passing second. Until even that faded, until it was buried in the grave of my memories, until it didn't exist anymore.
I awoke with a start, yet for all my worth, I couldn't remember how I fell asleep. There was a nagging feeling at the back of my mind, like I was missing something important. It was all the cue that was needed for the memories to come pouring back in, nothing more than a surreal nightmare yet as real as truth itself. I could still remember the ice cold feel of talons over my consciousness, and if that wasn't enough, the book clutched in my hand spoke volumes about the reality of my memories. How I came across it, I couldn't remember, but it's words were crystal clear, each breath testifying it's echo in my mind.
To my chagrin I was back at my house, the book in my hands the only plausible evidence that it wasn't my imagination or that I wasn't in the midst of some ghastly hallucination.
It was all I could process before it's words started ringing in my mind, urging me to escape as soon as possible, until it was the only thought which I could process.
I haphazardly started throwing my clothes in the bag which I had procured, not caring about the mess that I was leaving in my wake. I had to escape. She was coming for me. The book had to be kept safe and I had to escape. I had to esca-
The ringing of the door bell broke me out of my reverie, making me question my behaviour. Another bell and I went to open the door.
My last mistake.
The door clicked shut with a tone of finalty, sealing any possible escape routes. The voice in my head rose an octave higher, commanding my every move, every word. I knew she watched every single move of mine, knew that lying would be futile, yet I had no control over my words. I didn't even realize when the words escaped my lips, the words barely registering in my mind.
I could barely hear my own words over the constant buzzing in my head.
" I w-was pre-preparing for the vacation I took. I will be back soon." Even before uttering the words, I could taste the falsehood oozing from it. Though my voice smoothed at the end, I knew she had noticed my initial struggle yet I couldn't do anything but be a mute spectator to the spectacle unfolding before me.
"You know as well as I do that your little games won't work on me." If her words weren't enough to send a shiver down my spine, the poisonously sweet smile that she sent my way was enough to send even that shadow hovering over my conscience fleeting. It felt as if escaping from a swamp, as if I breathed for the first time, before that shuddering coldness descended over me again. It felt as if my knees would give out underneath me, yet I remained standing, unable to even breathe without its permission. I could only wish for her to notice my struggle, hoping that she would understand. Indeed she did notice my struggle yet there was not a semblance of understanding in those eyes of burnt amber, only amusement at my current predicament. I turned towards the man who had accompanied her, my eyes beseeching for him for help. Yet my call for salvation went unanswered.
"Aaron, darling, calm down. Or rather don't. It's quite amusing to see you trying to stay away from me for once. I warned you, didn't I? Well now your time's up. My turn." With each word she uttered, that thing dug it's claws deeper, so much so that it physically hurt to even blink without its will. But more than that, the soulless whispering in my ears caused my face to blanch with fear. I was no more than a puppet in it's hand, yet to everyone else it was my lips who uttered the words, my eyes which betrayed fear and it was I who faced her wrath as the windows and curtains all across the room and most probably across the entire house snapped shut, plunging us into darkness. An eerie glow filled the entire room and it was surprisingly my thoughts which I voiced out,"Wh-what a-are yo-you? Whe-where is the li-ligh-light coming fr-from? L-let m-me be."
It was as if the glow of the light was enough to daunt the shadow into submission, even if for a few seconds, as she spoke,"Wrong questions darling. But since I am in a benevolent mood, I will answer them. But first the book." It was a wonder that I got the reprieve long enough for me to process her words and the fact that each word was punctuated by the shattering of glass, because not a moment too late did the shadow seize control, placing itself deep within my thoughts, as if flaying on its last legs, fighting for the last semblance of control. Whatever the matter was, it forced my legs to move, to try and escape.
I ran into a barrier, though invisible, it had an otherworldly scent to it, enough so as to cause that creature to balk in alarm. And then it began, my mind felt like a battleground as Ayvah extended her mental fingers, the gentle caress enough to send the shadow in the deepest pits of my memories, before a flick of her wrist caused it to be nothing more than a whisper in my memories. And again I became nothing but a mindless servant to another entity, and somehow I knew that she was much more lethal, the shadow was a mere child's plaything in front of her.
Ayvah and the man who accompanied her shared a look, and I understood enough to suffice that they had accomplished their task.
Before leaving, she leaned into my face whispering her answer in my ears, all the while pointing that gun at me, as if to mock my mortality because it was obvious enough that she could shatter my psyche with a mere thought. I had accepted my fate the moment she entered the house, yet it was her words which caused my face to turn ashen before it all went dark, " I have worn many faces in my lifetime, I am the face of someone's dreams while for others I am nightmare given flesh but the most famous face I've ever worn is the one that sailed a thousand ships."
Also there is an edit which I would love to share but it's only available on Wattpad (and it's free)
If you want to read the entire story for free just go to Wattpad
My URL is LucyQueenOriginal21
And the book is named Shadows
Also there is another book I'm working on called Manacled and it's exclusively available on Wattpad (for free!!) Please check it out...