A Court of Dark and Decay

Chapter 2 - "You are here."

Something woke Nesta up.

A pull.

Look outside.

She was slumped over on her couch in the living room, and the sky was just barely changing colors, a light purple wash outside her window. She would have shut that, but the voice in her gut said,

I'm here.

She rubbed her eyes.

Her head pounded. Sitting up, she took in her measly home. The purple seeped in through the open window, filling the room with the haze of the oncoming dawn. She had fallen asleep on the couch, still in her dress from the day before. She got up and trudged into her room, peeling off the dress.

She drew herself a bath.

Water, any liquid really, reminded her of that throne room. The Cauldron. Her transformation.

Putting on her sky blue silk robe, she pulled her hair up and sat on the edge of the tub. It had taken her months to even dip her foot into a bathtub. Months more to put her leg, then her entire lower half. Her new goal was fully submerging herself. It would be many more months before she could do that. But, she could get her full body- exempting her head- under the water. She slipped off the robe and hung it on the hook on the door.

Just because she could do it doesn't mean it was easy.

The tinderbox on the bathroom counter scraped and hissed as she lit the match. Taking too much time, being to careful, she lit every candle in the room. There were more by the day, 37 in total. She had gone to the market two days ago and bought 3 more. She couldn't bathe if there was even a speck of darkness anywhere in the room. Couldn't breath if there was.

Satisfied at the light in the room, she turned back to the tub.

She still had to go in one inch at a time.

She set her left foot in first, taking a full 30 seconds to get it under. Her breath was heavy, loud.

She had to put a hand to her chest to steady herself.

She worked her right foot in. She was now standing with her feet completely in the water. She couldn't look at them, distorted by the moving water.

She blinked.

As her eyes were closed, just for that millisecond, the water shifted over her feet.

dark black deep dragging breath life death DEATH DEATH DEA-

"Eyes open. Keep your eyes open." She instructed herself as she opened her eyes wide enough to hurt, to take in all the light in the room.

She slowly got down on her knees, one at a time. Every sound, every kiss of the water on her ankles, shins, knees, thighs made her gasp for breath.

"You are here, you are here, you are here" She repeated. Over and over. Reigning her mind back into the bathroom.

i can't breathe there is no air my lungs are screaming the blackness is everywhere i am everywhere

She was kneeling now, knuckles white from gripping the edge of the small tub.

The water was black.

She felt the grip of a familiar nightmare pulling her down, down, down.

Invading her, sinking teeth in, gently kissing her skin. Felt the darkness pool in her blood, her very being.

She shut her eyes tightly, betraying her senses. Tired to remember how to breath.

"You. Are. Here." She stuttered. She tried to say the words again, but her throat closed.