Sihir

Aanya

As the cold morning air brushed past my bare skin, it felt as if a child had whispered close to my face, my body warmed to allow me to withstand the frigid temperatures. The brisk morning air was refreshing, exactly what I needed. This might be the last time I visited for a while, and I wanted to savor every moment while they lasted. The beautiful hues of the sun rising against the towering glass buildings and the morning hum of the city waking up; I was going to miss this.

I walked into the quiet of my small apartment, I'm not sure if it could even be called an apartment, the wallpaper was dingy and peeling at the corners. Watermarks stained the top of the walls and a floral scent attempted to cover up the smell of rotting wood. The living situation wasn't ideal but it was much better than what I had previously been accommodated to. I fall backwards onto my mattress, the springs squeaking under the sudden weight, wanting nothing more than to climb back in bed and fall asleep under the warm blanket. However, doing that would mean I'd lose my one chance at getting out of this dump. I reluctantly pick myself up and get ready for the Selection. An annual event that would either make you or break you.

Lost in my thoughts I scurried towards the town square, there were a good number of kids milling around, waiting for the next portal to open, and as one did, kids poured in. The portal was filled with fidgety, nervous teenagers, excitedly whispering to each other, tugging at shirts, the body heat and disharmonious sounds made me feel suffocated, and the feeling of bodies pressed against each other was indescribably uncomfortable.

Suddenly the portal stopped moving, and the large doors of the portal opened, revealing a large, glass dome, and thousands of fidgety sixteen-year-olds poured out from the portals that opened into the dome. Looking out from the dome, I could see around fifteen to twenty other domes. Every single sixteen year old in England was here. The thought blew my mind. They organized everyone into groups, and slowly sent them into a door, I didn't even realize it was there until the line in front of me got short enough for me to see a relatively small metal door peeking at me. Its perfect corners and the sharpness of the metal against my eyes were oddly terrifying and made my nerves worse. I felt a weight in my stomach and bile in my throat. I told myself to breathe.

They sent me in with around fifty others, none that I recognized, and led us down a long, dark corridor illuminated by torches lined along the walls, the type you would see in movies. The dimly lit passageway made my stomach twist and turn. It was an odd combination of frightening and magical. After a while, we stepped into a massive, dimly lit atrium, where there were maybe twenty other groups of fifty coming out of other tunnels. They must be from the other domes. At the center of the atrium was a large dirt circle; surrounding it were fifteen large circles, orbiting the one in the center. It was an incredible sight. Everyone looked around in awe, we didn't know what to expect, but this was beyond anything our imagination could have conjured. A booming voice from the back of the atrium echoed throughout, silencing everyone. It was the Counsel, the Head spoke slowly-- her voice calming, yet dangerous. "Good Evening children, you must be nervous," she lets out a raspy, harmonious chuckle. "Once you step onto the plate," she gestures to the large dirt circle, "the elementum will show up, and then, well, you'll see."

Another voice calls out an unfamiliar name, beckoning them to go into the circle, and a trembling red-haired girl steps onto the plate. Suddenly the elementum towered around her, fire, water, earth, and air towering above the rest, they waver for a few seconds, as if they're thinking. Suddenly the elements all drop and a beam of light rises out of one of the circles, it's a mystical sight. There are eager grins around the arena, everyone had different backgrounds, but one goal, belonging. As the wait dragged on their eager grins were replaced by impatient whispers.

Soon, it was my turn. My name echoed throughout the atrium and I could feel the bored eyes following me as I stepped onto the plate, their stares felt like glares, although I knew they were likely nothing more than uninterested glances. The stares made me shift in my shoes and felt like stifled screams echoing throughout my ears, but never escaping. As my foot touched the plate in the center, columns of the elementum tower around me, they were much larger than they seemed to be from the stands. The ferocity made me want to shrink back, after they wavered for much longer than anyone else, I was starting to get nervous, this usually only occurs when you don't have an elementum. Not having an elementum was one of the worst things that could happen to you. No elementum means choosing between food or heating in the winter. It meant a life of misery. Finally, the elements dropped, and the relief crashed down like a ship relieved of its heavy load. Suddenly flames burst out of one of the larger circles, but this time, they didn't make a column, they slithered around me, twisting and turning like a snake, whispers erupted around the atrium. The fire was hot against my skin, but didn't burn, rather, it made me feel a tingling sensation, it was calming, almost as if it was lulling me to sleep. The whispers around the arena lingered in the air, no one was sure what to take of the situation. Heads turned as the spectators watched in awe at the vibrant tongues of flame that flickered through the air. I felt my body temperature rising, as the fire engulfed me. Suddenly everything started warping itself and everything went black.

-

I woke up in a white room. Everything was white, the sheets, the walls, the furniture. I felt like it was choking me, swallowing me up in its never-ending blankness. My breathing was hitched and small black specks clouded my vision like a swarm of locusts covering a field. Suddenly a white door slammed open, the sound echoing throughout the room, and doctors with their bug-like equipment swarmed the room like vultures scavenging the corpse of a lion, yelling things I didn't understand, It felt like I was underwater. Suddenly I felt like I broke free of the water suffocating me and Icould breathe again. But everything went black.

"Aanya! Aanya! Can you hear me?" a voice speaks. I gulp in the fresh air and nod, unable to speak. I look around the room again and notice splashes of color that don't make the room seem as scary anymore.

"Where am I?" My voice seems distant and muffled.

"You're at the hospital," the unfamiliar man sitting next to me smiles, his long graying hair pulled back into a small ponytail at the nape of his neck. His deep brown eyes seem to be wise beyond years and his honey golden skin seemed to shine in the light, "You gave everyone quite a shock there." he chuckled, it felt like a familiar chuckle, no, not a familiar chuckle, a warm chuckle.

"The hospital?" My voice seemed a little better than before, not as muffled, "What happened?"

"Well, something very... interesting, happened. Do you remember anything?"

"Yes, I remember everything, but what happened?" I asked again, confused.

"Well, your elementum seems to be on fire." The man chuckled again. "Which, my dear, means you'll be starting at Sihir in a while, I'll be leaving your supplies list here," he winked, "Well, I guess my time here is up, I should go before our doctor never lets me see you again."

"Wait!"

"Yes?"

"I still have more questions!" he chuckles.

"Don't worry child, you'll figure it out" he winks again, opens a portal, and then leaves.

A young nurse walks in, "Oh! You're awake!" she gives me a sweet smile. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel better. Much better" I smile, still in a daze from what just happened.

"Good! Here's a little something to help you rest better, you're still very weak so we have to keep you asleep while your body fixes itself. If you wake up and need anything just press this button hear. Oh! I almost forgot, you don't have any emergency contact information, is there anyone for us to call here?"

My smile fades a little. "No, I don't have anyone"

"Oh, alright, here you go then." She injects something into my IV, and I slowly fall back into the darkness of my dreams and nightmares.