Aurora: Return of the Brokath

Chapter 14: Shooting Maze

Chapter 14: Shooting Maze

November 20 - Friday

I woke up with a headache. A few glasses of water did the trick to ease it down a bit. Thankfully, by midday it had went down to just a mild pain on my temples.

The quiz was easy enough. I forgot about the date of the awakening, when the Queen took her rule upon the land. I knew the year, but definitely didn't remember the whole date. But, I could care less about dates. It was still a good score.

The professor, a short thin woman in her late 50's, started the class.

"Before the Queen brought light upon the Land of Eoqanir, some people filled with darkness wanted to avoid it at all costs." She paced the room, her thick glasses on her nose. "But the Queen, bless her, wasn't going to let her people be intimidated nor hurt."

My eyes were closing on their own accord. The long night was finally catching up on me.

"She fought against them, and rallied people from all around volunteering for the cause. Finally, the enemies were eradicated." The professor tapped my table, making me snap up. She gave me an amused look, which I returned with a forced smile.

"Even though we prefer not to remember that grim time, it is necessary to remind us of the greatness of our Queen." She states, walking to the front again. "Even though we don't know much about what transpired, what do we know about that time?" She looks over the students.

One girl raised her hand. "I'm not sure, but if I remember correctly the people who opposed the Queen were horrible monsters."

The professor tilted her head, debating her next words. "Well, yes. But not in the sense you'd think. They killed many people, endangering the balance the Queen wanted to place upon the Land of Eoqanir. For that, they were monsters. But they were people, just like you and me. To simply label them as monsters would lead some to make dangerous assumptions. Like, for example, believing only monsters pose a threat to our society and our way of life. Such an assumption would leave us vulnerable to all those things one wouldn't typically label as a monster. We must never trivialize our past simply because it isn't as relevant now. Anyone else?"

The rest of the room stayed silent. I knew my mind couldn't wrap around a single word she just said.

The professor hummed. "Well, the rebels opposed our Queen for three long years. Their numbers diminished until they were completely eradicated. They identified with this symbol." She moved and activated the hologram.

I tilted my head, the symbol turning on the hologram. The professor noticed my face. "Miss White, do you recognize it?"

I shook my head. "I do, but can't seem to remember from where."

The professor nodded. "Probably from other history classes. Do you remember what this symbol means?"

I squinted, finally shaking my head.

"It meant death. Destruction of the new Land of Eoqanir, of the guidance created by our Queen." She paced around the room.

I drew the symbol on my holopad, my brain rummaging through memories of my past classes, trying to place where I had seen it. The dull ache of my hangover hindering my thinking process. Slowly, the class fades on the background, sleep threatening to take hold of me again.

The people standing up around me made me snap my eyes open. I quickly gathered my things and walked out.

Once I got to my room, Cory was still fast asleep; she had missed the quiz. I tried waking her at 11 am, but she just waved her hand dismissing me.