The Dark One: Sequel Nox Haven Series

Chapter 11: Survivng

Caddie's POV:

Thick walls made of stone and the sound of Alix's loud snoring could not block out the sounds of insistent chatter among girls in the dorm. Ever since I had left the HeadMinister's office my world slowly shifted. I was brought back to a place of desolation. My body felt hollow without out the gentle thrum of magic in my veins. A glow, I never knew I had, disappeared from my skin. It was like the magical energy that flowed through my body was keeping me alive. Now that it was gone I was nothing more than a shell of a girl. My skin had an unusual pallor, with sallow undertones. My sleek golden hair became frizzy and split at the end- no matter how many cosmetic spells Alix used on it. My body mass had dropped to inadequate level, until I was nothing more than a walking skeleton. Skin on my cheeks stretched across my dangerously sharp bones; sometimes I was afraid the skin was too thin that the bone would tear it open. I wallowed in self-pity, and who wouldn't? In the matter of weeks I reverted to the week girl I used to be.

Someone always walked with me through the halls. Kimone, Ryder, Maddox, Alix and Dmitri were angered by the Council Members choice to suspend my powers. It left me vulnerable for attacks of all sorts. The Dark Ones had been eerily silent, it was almost as if they vanished. The kids at school had never been louder. They're taunting never ended, people who used to fear me now made my life a living hell. As they threw paper in my hair and tripped me in the hall, vengeful emotions filtered through their systems. The students thought it was payback for every time they felt intimidated my presence. They weren't scared of me because I had done something to them, they were only afraid of what I could have done to them.

Mira was the leader of my group of tormentors. At meal times she would continuously taunt me until Ryder plunged a fork into her hand. On the rare occasions I was left alone she sought me out and attack me. I tried to tell the Council Members about my hardships but they simply told me that I had to solve the conflicts without magic. A small part of me wonders if they'd rather have me commit suicide than return my powers.

Tonight, I managed to sneak out of the heavily guarded castle as everyone else fell asleep. The vampires were in the middle of class, which meant the courtyard would be completely deserted. I walked around the cobbled pathways admiring how different everything looked when it was bathed in the dark. Lights twinkled in sky, like little remembrances that even in the darkest places there can still be light.

The red roses looked black under the night sky. Every piece of vibrant beauty that use to exist during the day was hidden behind a thin black veil. I stopped at the middle of the of the garden. A snow white marble fountain loomed intimidatingly over the flowers. I sat on the rim of the fountain, listening to the sounds of silence. However after a few minutes I realized that the earth could never be completely quiet. There was a significant difference between the loud chatter of people and the chatter of birds. I wondered if birds ever got annoyed with each other, or if it was just a people thing.

I closed my eyes and sighed. The gentle sounds of flowing water behind me and the smell of roses lulled me into a dream-like state. I imagined a world with no wars, or conflict. Everyone was kind and cconsiderate towards one another. It was a nice thought, but it would be awfully boring. My eyes opened when I heard a twig snap under the weight of someone's foot.

A figure stood in the shadows. They didn't move forward, instead they stayed shrouded in the darkness. Hesitation and worry came from the mysterious stranger. They didn't seem violent or angry; which led me to believe that they either didn't know who I was or they didn't care. I couldn't believe that I was thankful for my empathetic curse, but I finally was. After years of loathing my ability, I was glad that the Council members weren't able to take that from me. It was my last connection to the magical world.