DragonsEye

Chapter 2: Memories

We finished dinner and everyone went to their rooms. Tom kept running around and I ended up playing with him for what seemed like half an hour. When it was around 8 he had to go to sleep. It went something like this...

"Tom, it's bedtime!!!"

Tom pouted and answered in his cutest voice - which I totally couldn't resist.

"But there is a guest and there are almost no guests coming so could I pleeeeeeaaaaaase play with her a little more?"

"Tom!" she said in a stern voice.

Tom pouted even more and it looked like he was going to cry.

"Lili? Please? Just for 10 minutes?!"

Lividia gave in.

10 minutes later...

"It's really time to go to bed!!!"

"Yes Lili..."

He stared at his toes for the whole trip to his bedroom. Lividia wanted me to come with her to please Tom who was pouting, again. I read him a bedtime story and pressed a small kiss on his forehead.

"We can have looooooooots of fun tomorrow, okay?"

Tom smiled.

"Loooooooooooots and lots of fun!!! Goodnight, Arah!"

"Sleep well, Tom."

I walked towards the door and turned around before I left. He was sleeping like a rose. (I don't know if the last sentence is proper English, so please correct me if I'm wrong)

After I brought Tom to bed, I returned to my bedroom. I changed into some pyjamas, laying perfectly folded on my bed. Lividia or Miranda must have done that. My forehead was hurting like it was on fire. With one hand I grabbed my forehead and with the other I tried to stabilise myself on the bed. The pain ebbed away. I was sweating like crazy and hoped the mosquitoes wouldn't bite me because of that. I was shaking and sat down onto my bed. The room was cool and I thought I could hear the faint noise of laughter of strangers passing from the city to their homes after a fun day out. Everyone in the house was sleeping, but I had the feeling of being watched, which gave me shivers. Ignoring that feeling, I tried to lay down and sleep, but the sleep just wouldn't come. After rolling over and over and tucking myself in numerous times, I manage to fall asleep. I dreamed.

I was in a dimly lit room with only a single candle spreading light. I knew it was cold, but didn't feel it. I was tied to a wall or something. I heard someone loosen some chains. Wait, chains? Whose chains? I saw the chains laying on the floor. My chains? Smoke filled the air around me. A tall man stood in front of me. "Arya, such a shame that I could never complete my 'project'. You were doing grate..." Another man slowly got behind the first man's back and stabbed him from the back. He fell in front of me and soon bathed in his own blood. Someone else pushed me into the bright daylight. Well, bright wasn't really what I meant. It was gloomy and dull. Grey clouds rolled over the place and everyone was running around in panic. I saw fire. That's when a loud explosion occurred. Loose limbs of people splashed all over the place and the people nearest to the explosion - who still were alive - were covered in blood. One splash stained my white dress. Another one landed on my dress. It started with raining. I could smell a metal-ish scent. It was raining blood.

I woke sweaty with my forehead burning from the dream. I'm shaking.

Did it really happen? Was this what happened the night of the fire? What had the fire to do with the situation? Who caused it, where did I live?

So many question. So less answers. They may never be answered.

Slowly a tear found it's way down my cheek. Another tear followed, until I was crying. I didn't cry for a long time, simply because I found no reason good enough to cry for. The first time was when the Fraileys found me wandering down the streets, homeless after the fire destroyed my previous home. I felt numb, hadn't eaten for days and was in desperate need of water. I couldn't bare the pain anymore, the glares passers gave me, full of pity and disgust as for a dying dog forgotten on the streets in the middle of summer. I tried to stay strong, not to give in to the feelings of sadness and hurt. I failed. A single tear fell down my cheek as the people passed by. I fell to my knees and started sobbing in my hands. I looked up to the sky and thought: this was it. This was the end for me. I had nothing to live for, nothing to die for. I lived a meaningless life. That's when the Fraileys passed by. They just touched my shoulder and patted my head. They led the zombie me away from the wandering streets, into a carriage. When we arrived at their home I managed to push the pain into a small corner of my heart, hidden between spaces that still had to be filled again.