Rowani ran along. She was so cold. Where was she? It’s so dark
here. She thought she recognised the flower shop, but it was all
shuttered and the beautiful flowers were gone. She walked along.
“Someone help me!” Her plea echoed in this eerie place.
Rowan did not feel safe. She was not secure here.
The Sun was shining. Everyone ran around the park. She was covered in a
black vapour; it surrounded her and followed her form wherever it
turned. She saw a girl crying, it haunted her. Everyone ignored Rowan,
almost as if she wasn’t there. A man looked through her happily.
He waved. A little boy ran up to him, this was who the man was
focussing on. She saw Kiyor sitting on a bench. He was wearing green
and yellow and was reading a magazine. He looked up. He was looking at
her.
“Rowani” That whisper came from
somewhere. Rowani looked around her desperately. There was no one. She
ran again. She started making out people in the distance. She ran
faster, determined to get there. She stopped. They were dressed
strangely. They dressed in dark colours and painted their faces in
fearful dark colours, they looked so menacing. They looked at her with
desperation and fear in their eyes. They crept towards her. Rowani
started crying. She ran away, she had to get away. A demon jumped out
and growled. She screamed and went another direction.
Rowani ran into a dark room. It was black. There was
nothing. She walked along. A body falls in front of her.
“Larees?” She’s staring at Rowani blankly, blood is
smeared on her neck. Rowani stands up in shock. Doriani is being
smothered by shadows. The little Rowani is crying from her corner,
shouting for her Mum. Rowani runs again. “HELP! HELP! SOMEBODY
HELP!”
She stops herself. She’s on top of a
Skyscraper and looking down into the dark city over the edge. She backs
away. Someone stops her. She turns around. Rowan is looking at her with
cold eyes. There is nothing in her expression. With no effort, Rowan
pushed Rowani. It felt like an eternity. Rowani screamed, but there is
no point, she will fall to her death and no one will save her.
Someone grabbed her.
“Rowan!”
Rowan woke up with a start. She was someplace dark
and was lying on a hard yet smooth floor. Someone had his hand on her
arm.
“Kiyor?”
Grey light lined him. She could make out his dark eyes staring at her. They were filled with concern.
She sat up. “Where are we?” She sounded more delicate than usual.
“I don’t know,” Kiyor quietly
answered. He shuffled and sat next to her. She felt a shape on her
leg (his hand). “Sorry!” He shifted a bit more. “You
had a nightmare. You sure you’re okay?”
“Yes,” she answered, quite certain. “Are you?”
“Not really,” he answered, slightly fearful.
… “Kiyor…can you remember anything that happened 10 years ago?”
… “Like what?”
… “I don’t know…something they would put on the news.”
“I never paid attention to the news.”
Kiyor gave some more thought. “But I do remember my Mum praying
that a raped woman would be healed.” … “You were
born a Light Citizen, weren’t you? That’s why your
father’s one.”
Rowan kept quiet. … “Yes. But Mother and I discovered the benefits of the Dark Kingdom.”
“Liar.” The voice mimicked Scythe.
“I don’t remember what happened!” Rowan seemed close to crying.
“Well neither do I,” Kiyor pointed out.
They sat there, listening to each other’s
breathing. Rowan felt a tingling along her leg, up to her torso; her
clothes were being peeled off.
“Stop it! What are you doing?!” she
timidly demanded. He ignored her. “Kiyor! Please! Why are you
doing this?”
Kiyor stayed where he was, dumbfounded. “They
did something to me,” he realised. He was nervous and shaky.
“I’m sorry.”
Rowan quickly got up and hurried around the room. “We have to get out of here!”
“I’ve tried! We can’t!” argued Kiyor weakly.
Rowan stood there. She collapsed in disbelief.