Chapter 12: Dreams of Flame

Simon walked in his house and went to the kitchen. Yuelia was sitting at the counter reading a book about whisper magic and how to prevent its effects. He opened the fridge and got an apple out. Still thinking about what he was told, he went to his room.

This is weird… Just a week ago, I was just a normal guy with a normal life. Now I’m at the top of some pirate’s hit list, he thought.

He chuckled to himself and looked out the window. The town was dotted with yellow lights from buildings and street lamps. The castle widows towards the front of the town seemed to glow white, but that was probably because of the mages studying their works. He lied down and fell asleep.

He was in a different hallway this time. This one marked all the way up to 20. He opened a door and saw the pirate he talked to, the conversation replaying itself over and over again. He closed the door, moving to the end of the hallway.

Are these his memories? He thought.

He peeked into another door, this one marked with the number 2. There was a small child eating a chocolate cake, smiling almost the whole time… Almost.

This is none of business. Why am I looking at his memories? He thought, closing the door.

Then he saw something that caught his eye. His mother was there. And she wasn’t being held hostage!

Why would she be there? Doesn’t she know he’s a pirate? He thought, continuing to watch the memory.

There wasn’t a pirate in sight, every one seemed normal. Simon’s mom left, leaving the two year old and his family alone. The memory stopped there and he closed the door.

Something’s up… maybe there’s a reason why I’m here, he thought, walking to another door.

He opened a door with the number 10 on it slowly. This number was marked in dark red, as if written in blood.

He saw a boy sitting in front of a rock, trying to move it without touching it. Then he heard something break down stairs. Following the noise, he saw his father preventing something from getting inside.

“Go!” his father yelled, not looking away from the stone wall he put over the door.

Teebs ran to his room and hid in his closet. He got out a lighter and lit it so he could see. He could hear what was happening down stairs, glad that he couldn’t see it. But it didn’t matter, the sounds were just as horrifying.

Alice… he thought.

He forgot his sister in the other room! It was too late to get her now, the thing was upstairs. He kept quiet and prayed that Alice hid as well. Then he heard a scream from the next room, confirming his fear. He tried covering his ears, but he could still hear it. The sounds were horrific, tearing into him like a knife. Then he heard it enter his room.

No no no no no no! He thought, covering his mouth.

The thing was a person… but he heard monster like sounds from them. Maybe they were sick or insane? He was about to look away when he saw the person dragging his sister’s lifeless body by the neck. All of a sudden, he was filled with rage. The room started to shake as if it were in an earthquake. Then the stones in it started to float and sink as if they were in water.

“LET HER GO!!!!!!!” Teebs yelled, jumping out of the closet and confronting the person.

He shoved his hands in front of him, letting a gigantic plume of fire out onto the oppressor, scorching them to a crisp. He walked over after the flame died down and got his sister out of their grasp. Her lifeless body limp, he carried her downstairs to see what had happened. Both of his parents were mutilated. Horrified, Teebs set his sister down and walked over to the phone. He called one of the guards, a family friend. It seemed to go by so quickly, Teebs was taken to a new home, the bodies were cleaned up, and almost everything went back to normal.

Simon closed the door, processing this new information. Teebs’s family was killed. Not only that, he was an elemental… or at least he thought so.

“Why are you here?” a voice said.

Simon looked around, trying to find it, but was unsuccessful.

“Tell me!” it said.

“I don’t know! I just came here!” Simon said.

“That’s not an answer, pendant spawn!” The voice yelled, getting angrier.

“I don’t know!” Simon yelled, his vision getting darker.

“LEAVE!” it screamed.

Simon woke up with his hands on his ears. The sun was shining through his window, the birds singing a tune. He got up and checked his hallway. None of the doors had numbers on them.

Good. So this is real, he thought, going back into his room and getting dressed.

He went to the kitchen down stairs and made himself breakfast. It was nice to do something normal again. Then it hit him, a sharp pain in his head. It wasn’t as bad as it used to be, it was like a minor headache now. Before, it was like he had been smacked with a brick. He shook the feeling and went back to making his food.

He started to hum a tune, something from a long time ago. He tried remembering where he heard it from, but it seemed impossible. Then he knew, it was something his mother used to sing. Soon, he was singing it himself, smiling at the nostalgia.

“Hey, Simon,” Yuelia said, walking in.

“Hey,” he said, continuing to sing.

“You seem to be in a good mood. What’s the occasion?” she asked with a smile.

“No occasion. I just feel like singing,” He replied.

She sat down at the counter and started reading. Simon continued to sing and cook, smiling as he remembered the times he sang it with his mother.