The Vicious Queen

e i g h t

I'm in a dark room with no doors. I can hear the pouring rain and the roaring of the clouds.

I try to get out through the windows but there are grills, blocking my only way to get out. Then I hear someone calling my name.

"Eraya, Eraya..."

The voice feels familiar in the back of my head. It feels like it belongs to a person I'm close with. A voice of a person that would kiss me good night, a voice of a person that would comfort me while I cried, a voice of person that truly loves me.

"Eraya..." it calls out to me again. And then I instantly recognize it. Mother.

My vision is now slowly getting adjusted with the dark and it gets easier for me to see. I sense the company of another person in the room. I look around and I see a figure of a woman lying on the floor.

Lightning strikes and it lightens the room for a second. I see a quick familiar image of my mother lying down on the floor with her blonde hair spreading across the floor.

I immediately dash to her and my knees slide to the ground. I turn her face upwards and shake her shoulders. "Mother! Mother!"

The room is dark once again and she won't wake up. Lightning flashes. I see blood flowing out of her mouth and eyes now. Her eyes are like white marbles. "Kill them." She murmurs in pain and I flinch.

Lightning strikes again. Now her eyes and mouth are wide open. Blood is all over her face as she shrieks. I scream as I fall back.

Then I wake up gasping. I look around the room and through the darkness, I see Azura cuddled up in her bed across the room. It gets a bit harder for me to breathe and I clasp my heart.

I stumble out of bed and out of the door. I drop to the porch for support. I look up at the starry sky and tears starts to swim in my eyes. I feel as if I'm heart is being squeezed really tightly. I bury my face in my hands as I bawl.

Why are the things felt by heart so heavy?

"Kora, are you okay?" I suddenly hear a concerned voice and I flinch.

I look up to see Rune standing behind me with concern flashing in his eyes. He's wearing crummy old clothes and his pendant glistens in the moonlight. His brown hair is messier and his eyes are sleepy.

"What-?" I stumble through my words clumsily wiping the tears off my face. "Of course."

He perches down next to me as he says looking into my eyes for a moment. "You don't have to act all tough all the time, Kora."

We stare into each other's eyes for a second uttering no word as my head buries with thoughts. He breaks the silence "You know, you don't deserve any of these." Then I feel hot tears filling up my eyes at his words.

Without a second thought, I grab his forearm and sob my sorrows away.

****

"Wake up!!!" Azura chants throwing a pillow at my face. I roll over pulling the covers up and mumble. "Oh come on..."

"Wake up, there's a lot to do." She calls out to me as she walks out of the room.

I stumble out of bed and out of the room to the living room rubbing the sleep away from my eyes.

I hunker down on the table and my eyes suddenly meet Rune's. A quick memory of last night flashes in my mind and I blush.

My thoughts are interrupted when Azul sets down a plate of toast in front me. "Oh, er- thank you." I speak startled. He just nods with a smile. I watch as he sits down across me.