"Hold fast to dreams, For if dreams die Life is a broken-winged bird, That cannot fly."― Langston Hughes
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The week flew by in a relative, uneventful blur. When I wasn't working or in therapy, I was nursing Nox back to health and trying to find more on these so-called Princesses. The only information on them I could find was in forums on the same website that named my power, and even then, it was the same thing I had been told. The specifics of their destiny were unknown, and they had to find their sisters and save the world. As if. In the nights, I was plagued with dreams even I couldn't explain.
Dreams of the white crystalline building, enchanting forests, and pink skies. Of forbidden love and sisterhood quickly morphing into death and destruction. They were incredibly vivid, the screams of terror often waking me up in the dead of night. As if sensing my distress, Nox would weakly get up from his spot on my windowsill and lay next to me, his chartreuse eyes searching around the room before closing.
I'm at work now, mindlessly scanning items and biting my tongue whenever a customer complains about the pricing. I simply smile at them and politely tell them it's not my fault, nor my problem. It's not that I don't enjoy my job; I like bagging the groceries because it's a little like Tetris, making sure things fit in a certain way to prevent the bag from breaking. The job is fine; my coworkers are great, but the customers? Entitled, rude, and often arrogant. It all got so much worse after the pandemic. Thankfully my coworker comes over to cover me for my break, and I have never been more relieved.
I head outside to haul on my vape, tilting my head up with every exhale. My heart accelerates as the nicotine enters my body. A few customers try to speak with me, but I ignore them. I'm on my half-hour unpaid break; if they need help, they can find someone on the clock.
Glancing around, I let my mind wander back to this morning. I woke up to Nox hissing at two giant crows at my window. The moment I looked at them, they cawed and flew away. Thinking back on it, there's no way they had been crows; they were much too big. Finally, I make the connection. *Ravens*.
I shake my head at the thought. It's nothing more than a coincidence. Ravens are everywhere, and just because I've seen a few doesn't mean I'm being stalked. Those girls are just seeing things that aren't there, making something out of nothing. Still, the sight of them makes my skin prickle, the hair along my body raising slightly.
I move to the bathroom, utilizing the alone time to get myself in check. *Don't let them get to you, Morana. Just because they're paranoid doesn't mean you have to be*. In an attempt to rid myself of the building anxiety, I wash my hands in hot water. Closing my eyes, I go through the breathing exercise Janice had given me. In for four, out for six. Deep breaths in through the nose, out through the mouth.
When I open my eyes, I'm not met with my reflection, but instead, a scene is playing out on the mirror's surface.
A girl with dark brown hair and blue eyes is standing beside me. We are outside a village square. There is a pole set up for us to die upon. We have done nothing wrong. For years the people around us have been hunting those who dare reclaim our power—tracking those who return to the natural laws. Now, we are to be burned for our knowledge. The girl had been the one to figure it out. She had pieced together the puzzle that was our lives. She is desperately pulling on my arm, willing me to move, to leave. I couldn't bring myself to do anything but look straight ahead.
"Clara, hurry. We need to leave. Now!" She cries. "We're going to die, Clara! Don't you care? We need to leave now, or we'll surely burn. Please!" She begs, tears streaming down her face.
"Fiona, there's no point in running. We have nothing left." I snap at her. "They all tried to run, and look where it got them! She'll make sure they find us; she always does!"
"You don't mean that. Come on, Clara, please. August is getting help. He wants us to meet him in the forest." She speaks softly. "Let's go. Just the four of us. Please." Fiona is trying to keep her sobs at bay, desperate to get out of here. Desperate to live.
"Fiona, my sister, we won't be able to escape. Adelaide, Dahlia, Calliope, Eleanor, Lucille, Hazel. They're all dead. The others in our coven will surely follow whether we are to live or not. My child was murdered while still inside me!" I scream at her, tears of my own running down my cheeks. "My lover hates me for what happened. You can leave. Be with your soulmate, live a happy life. But I can't. Not after losing so much." I turn away from her, not wanting to see the broken expression on her face.
She stands there for ages before finally moving to run. She moves too slowly, a guard capturing her, dragging her as she kicks and screams. The people watch with a mixture of outrage and heartbreak as the witch was set aflame. Her pain echoes across the village, drowning out the heckles from those in the crowd.
My turn has come. Two men are dragging me, and I feel the overwhelming conflict within the crowd. Most are angry, fearful, while others are mournful, full of regret.
Suddenly, I am jerked onto a platform, my wrists and body bound around the wooden plank. I'm going to be burned. My people will passively watch as I perish most cruelly because I chose to stray from the Church.
I search the ocean of heads, hoping against all fate that I can catch a glimpse of my sister. I know I won't find her, but I have to try. The tears amplified with my heartache when it finally sinks in that my sister burned before me. My last words to her had been filled with anger. I will never get to say goodbye to my twin.
A set of eyes catches my attention. Hidden behind the long dark hair that I know so well. He has come. His gentle blue eyes shine with such guilt, sorrow, and rage. His body shakes as he moves through the people. My heart breaks once more as I watch him.
"I'm sorry," I uttered to him before the fire roars to life. The cries of my love echoed through my eyes as the heat and darkness consumed my soul.
With a gasp, I'm pulled out of the scene, and staring at myself. My skin is glistening in sweat, my chest rising and falling quickly. My body feels warm, like the heat of the fire rushes through my veins still. I turn off the tap and shake my hands dry.
I'm not quite sure if this is related to that trio, but I do know one thing. I have to reach out to them.
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