Amora stood before a house, the sky was grey and she could see smoke hovering around even around her legs. She recognized the building to be Lesley's house but everywhere looked gloomy.
"Could Les be having a nightmare?" She thought to herself as she found her way to the doorstep. She opened the door and it made a weird creeking sound as she closed it. The place was a mess with pictures broken, throw pillows everywhere and even blood drops could be seen. Amora knew that this was definitely Lesley's nightmare. She climbed up the stairs, following the soft whimpers and sobs that she knew belonged to Lesley.
"Les? Les? Les is that you?" She called out in a voice a little bit louder than a whisper. The sobbing sobbed as if trying to pick the caller's voice. She heard quick steps, which followed with banging of a door and she knew Lesley had gone into her room. She continued climbing the stairs till she got into Lesley's room. She found Lesley sitting with her head in between her knees, shivering and sobbing. Amora turned around to check if anyone was coming before also slamming the door shut.
"Les, it's me Amora" Amora said as she walked closer to the crying girl.
"Amora?" Lesley slowly raised her head and saw Amora. Lesley's face was red and puffy from crying and Amora could see her bleeding from her nose. "Yes Les, it's me Amora" she said again.
"Don't come any closer Amora, go away , leave" Lesley sounded broken rather than angry. Amora knew she had every right to feel whatever emotions she was feeling towards her, but she needed to speak to her and tell her she was alright,tell her she was sorry but looking at Lesley's sad crying face even broke her and made her speechless.
"I'm sorry I left you behind Lesley, I swear, I wish I took you along with me but I just didn't want to put you in danger like I put my mum" Amora as she sat on the floor close to the still crying Lesley. "Leaving me here to suffer and be raped was not your best choice Mora, it wasn't. You said you were going to come back for me Mora, it's been five long weeks and I didn't see you, you aren't answering my voicemails, nothing" Lesley accused her tearily. Amora didn't know how to explain to Lesley that she was in a mystical world where phones and an assistant android don't work and dreams were the only way of communicating with her. "I'm so sorry Les" she said instead.
"I want to die Mora, I can't stand this anymore. You left me, I have nothing left" Lesley sobbed harder now and that crushed Amora's heart. "I'm sorry I did, but I didn't want to lose you too because of myself just the way I lost mum. I love you Lesley and I regret leaving you behind and you have to suffer in the hands of this monster but I need you to be strong Les, fight, not die, I do not want to lose you" Now it was Amora's turn to sob while Lesley watcher her with sadness in her eyes.
"What do you mean you lost your mum because of you?" Lesley asked.
"She was killed because of me Les, I really don't know how to explain this,but believe me , someday I will and it would be clearer , it would all make sense but I need you to stay. I'll be back I promise and we'll have all the fun together" Amora assured Lesley with a smile.
"Prom is three months away Mora, will you be back then?" Lesley asked. The question had thrown Amora off balance, as she didn't know how the time worked in Vadina, or how long it was going to take to figure out everything she needed know but she wouldn't let Lesley down, no, not this time. "Yes Les, I'll be here in time for prom and watch you get the valedictorian sash. I might miss getting the sash with you because I've been away from school, but I promise you Les, I'll be back" she said with an air of assurance.
"You promise me?" Lesley asked again. "Yes Les, I promise" Amora did their pinky finger swear and they both giggled.
"Where are you you little wench? Daddy needs to be pleased" The voice came from behind the door. Amora could hear his footsteps closer now. "He's here again, oh! I can't take this" Lesley sobbed and shivered as Amora held her. The door opened and revealed Lesley's foster father, smiling a very devilish smile and unzipping his pants. Amora saw that he couldn't see her but just Lesley and wondered why.
"What do you think you are doing posing like that?" He asked as he saw Lesley in the hugging position with no one there. "He can't see me Les, don't bother" Amora said to the whimpering Lesley as they broke the hug. Amora tried punching the man but her hands passed through and the man kept advancing towards Lesley. She could see the fear on Lesley's face. She didn't know how to help her. At that moment, all Amora could picture was a Nelix Bloomer and immediately she thought of it, it appeared right in front of Lesley which was very odd. Amora urged her to pick it up and aim it at the man. Lesley's hands trembled as she picked the weird looking flower up and did as she was told. As she pointed it at the man's face, still shaking, the Nelix opened it's buds and splashed it's sticky content on his face, make his face feel like it was on fire. Mr Harolds yelled and bumped into the wall as he felt his face on fire. Lesley immediately ran out of the room with Amora.
Amora began to hear fast ticking and realised that she had stayed more than she was meant to and needed to leave immediately. She felt for something in her pocket and found a marble and handed it to Lesley. "Here take this as a symbol that I would be back soon Les"She said as Lesley took the shiny marble from her and hugged her while she sobbed.
"I have to go now Les, I need you to fight ,Les, fight" She said one last time to Lesley before stepping out the door and the house disappeared. She began to feel dizzy and her legs felt weak. She wobbled her way to the smoky portal that was opened, barely seeing where she was crawling to, till all she saw was nothing.
...............
Lesley woke up with a jolt, sweating and breathing heavily. She checked her phone and found out that it was only three-thirty in the morning. She had seen Amora in her dreams and it felt so real. The hugs and the marble felt real. Lesley got off her bed to go to the bathroom and immediately she got up, the marble fell to the ground. She bent and picked it up examining it and trying to connect why the marble Amora had given her in her dream was with her in reality.
"here take this as a symbol that I would be back soon Les" The words Amora had said to her played in her head as she held the marble tightly and sobbed. She put the marble in the pockets of the outfit she was going to wear that day. She went into the bathroom to wash and then went back to sleep, dreaming nothing.
...................
Amora gasped as her eyes flew open to see everywhere bright. She looked around the chamber and saw that the red candle had completely melted.
"Hmmmm, such a plain chamber" she said to herself as she got up and quickly found her way out of the chamber, to fully examine the area. She walked down the hallway, touching the beautiful stone walls, admiring it like she was seeing it for the first time.
"Amora! Goodness! Aren't you preparing for the halls?" That was Grandma Daeva's voice stopping her right on her tracks.
"Uh, halls? What halls? Who are you?" Amora asked the older woman who was staring at her like she had lost her mind.
"Are you alright child? Did you hit your head? It's me your Grandma Daeva and you are supposed to be ready for the halls, Bloom will be here soon" Grandma Daeva replied.
"Bloom?" Amora asked looking confused. "Yes, Bloom the naturite girl, your friend? Cut this charade at once and prepare for the halls" Grandma Daeva sounded harsh now.
"But I don't have clothes to wear Grandma, could you be kind enough to get me some gowns?" Amora asked. Grandma Daeva found it strange that Amora would ask for gowns when she completely refused them the previous day saying she loved her own kind of dressing even when she had tried to convince her that no Vadinian dressed up like that.
"Very well then, come with me" the older lady said, asking Amora to follow her to her chambers. Grandma Daeva handed Amora ten different gowns and dismissed her.
Amora found the bathhouse and quickly took her bath and dressed up in one of the gowns, a blue one with a slightly low neckline that showed off her fair neck and a little cleavage. She soon heard a voice coming from outside, chattering to Grandma Daeva about wild rose bushes.
"That must be Bloom, my supposed friend" She said with a smile and sat on her bed waiting for Bloom. Bloom waltzed into the room wearing another green gown but this time with a cape and was dumbstruck when she saw Amora wearing a gown.
"You are wearing that to the halls?" Bloom asked Amora who was smiling sheepishly. "Yes yes I am Bloom, isn't it beautiful, I feel like a princess" Amora got up and twirled for Bloom to see. Bloom found it awkward that Amora was sounding so cheerful,unlike her usual sarcastic self. "That's new, really new and I must say, you look very beautiful, a lady of noble birth" Bloom complimented Amora who blushed heavily.
The duo left for the halls chattering on and on about roses and boys and all, still surprising Bloom because Amora would never chatter for long , she had always preferred some silence and asked questions instead but now, Amora seemed different perhaps she had decided to fit into the Mystian way of life once and for all.
The learners and tutors in the halls were surprised to see Amora dressed that way, some even complimented her gown, while some like Solana, Neyastra, Fiammetta and Alena talked in hushed tones, despising the fact that Amora was stealing the spotlight from them.
During etiquette class, Bloom was more surprised to see Amora acting very noble and getting all the etiquettes right. "I really wish you'd remain like this Mora, you are blending in" Bloom said as she walked Amora to her Energy Reach class. Bloom sat outside the class, watching Amora's progress. Amora looked around and saw that the learners in this class were children and she was the oldest. She knew she had to do something to leave the class as it was irritating her to sit amongst children, being tutored like she was an infant.
"Let's do this" she said to herself and then she drew in breath , closing her eyes, she manifested her energy with an orange orb hovering around her.
"Wow! Impressive Amora, very impressive" The tutor said to her. Bloom's jaw dropped when she saw the kind of energy Amora manifested in the class. "Oh my days! Amora's power resurface changed her" She said to herself as she kept watching Amora manifest more energy.
"You finally got your powers Mora, the goddess be praised" said Bloom as they walked home, getting close to house Daeva.
"I've always had powers Bloom, I was just waiting to be let out, to escape and now I did, it's going to be a power festival soon" Amora said as a mischievous smile played on her lips. Bloom didn't understand what she meant, but she was happy that her friend had finally found her magic and was enjoying it.
"I have to get going now Mora, we'll see tomorrow, the goddess willing" Bloom said with a smile. "Goodnight Mora" she added.
Amora sat at dinner watching every single person in house Daeva and smiled in her head as she watched them talk and laugh. "Such a beautiful sight" she said to herself.
"Do you love the gowns Ulanni?" Grandma Daeva asked but Amora didn't know she was referring to her.
"Amora!" Grandma called again and she looked up. "Do you love the gowns?" She asked again.
"Oh I loved all of them Grandma, they are beautiful and I was the envy of the entire girls in the halls" Amora boasted.
..............
Amora sat in her chambers waiting patiently for midnight. Once it was midnight, she brought out a small box and opened it, revealing a crystal stone. She examined the stone with a smile and placed it back into the box.
Changer of dreams
Changer of dreams
In you my powers I seek
Place them within my reach
All of them through dreams
ex felixa somria tristia somria