章 25: Perspectives (3)
There were rows of houses that were erected side by side. Everywhere she looked, 373 could see red trumpet-shaped flowers that decorated the cobblestone roads. A sweet intoxicating scent enveloped the female as she took small steps towards one house with an open gate. There, a tall dark-skinned girl stood with her hands on her hips. The other girl's brown eyes reflected the fiery red hue of the flowers that surrounded them. Her chocolate orbs looked at 373 in recognition. "It was you."
"You made the pain… go away," Zain Amina said with a wry grin. "But if you knew Elisium was a dangerous place, why didn't you tell me everything?"
373 didn't reply and continued to stare at the taller girl while complex emotions welled in her chest. The black-haired girl gazed at the smaller female and shrugged. "Well, we were never close. You were never close to anyone. But if you did tell me, I wouldn't have believed you. I loved Elisium too much. They gave me another chance to having a family. And if you told me, I would have told the adults and you would be in trouble."
"I would be… in trouble," the smaller female parroted. 'In trouble' was a light way of putting it. If the adults in Elisium caught her, 373 would be dead.
"I know there's nothing you can do. If I were in your shoes, I'd be too scared to tell anyone," the older female said as her hands clenched into fists in her side. "They tricked us – all of us. And I just realized I was a fool for making the Sanctuary my dream – for wanting to make them proud."
The pale-skinned girl stared at Zain Amina. 373 remembered how the taller girl fought, how Zain Amina risked her life just to win a sparring match. In the silence of the world around them, 373 thought about why Zain Amina could fight so bravely and so recklessly even when she was just a child. "You were fighting… for the adults. For Elisium."
Zain Amina nodded. "I wanted to return the favor and prove myself to them."
373 clicked her tongue, her eyebrows furrowing as she thought harder. "You shouldn't risk your life for something like that."
Brown eyes widened and the dark-skinned female laughed. Her laughter was rather high-pitched and quite different from the way she spoke. But when Zain Amina laughed, her perfectly white teeth peeked from her lips as her eyes shone up and turned into crescents. 373 listened to the rise and fall of pitch as Zain Amina continued to chuckle until the taller female had to stop to stifle a yawn.
"All of a sudden, I feel really sleepy," the older girl commented with a stretch. "Did you cast Somnum Diu? The advanced-level sleeping spell? Did you modify it? It feels… different."
373 responded with a nod. There was something odd about this conversation. They weren't close – had never exchanged more than five sentences with each other in the last two years. But now, they were having an actual harmless conversation that continued naturally.
"That's interesting. I never really managed to modify it. I've only controlled the length of the sleep, but not how deeply I could sleep," Zain Amina remarked. "Somnum Diu is my go-to spell when I can't sleep at night. Insomnia sucks."
The smaller female didn't make a sound. Zain Amina stretched again and leaned on the metal gate in front of her. She rubbed her eyes and opened her mouth in a yawn, before asking the little girl, "How long will I sleep?"
"A long time..." 373's eyes remained clear, her face a blank slate. She was acting tough even though her voice was trembling as she spoke.
Brown eyes gazed at her intently. "I'm going to die, aren't I? Then, I guess when I wake up, it'll all be over?"
373 replied with another nod, but this time her actions were slower. After she nodded, the little girl kept her head down.
"Hey!" Zain Amina called out. 373's head snapped up as the little female gazed at the dark-skinned girl in front of her. Zain Amina shook her head and flashed the smaller girl a smile. "Don't feel sorry for me. I can't feel the pain at all. Instead, figure out a way to get everyone out of here before they all die."
"That's…" 373's voice trailed off as she thought. Her saving all the children of Elisium single-handedly? Was something like that even possible?
"No, you don't have to save them all," Zain Amina corrected. "Just let them know. And let them choose by themselves if they want to stay in Elisium, or if they want to risk their lives for a chance to live. Who knows, maybe someone strong will arrive and save everyone in Elisium."
373 met Zain Amina's gaze. The dark-skinned girl gave her a grin that extended from ear to ear. "Promise me, 'kay?"
Suddenly, the older girl's brown eyes turned glassy and moist and the smile on her face was quickly replaced with a scowl. Zain Amina lifted her long arms and used the back of her hands to wipe the tears on her face. She sniffled. A few seconds later, she released a choked sob. The taller girl peeked at the smaller girl through her hands. With a sniff, she managed to say, "You better not tell them I cried, okay?"
"I won't," 373 replied.
"I don't want to die."
373 hung her head. "I'm sorry."
"If you really feel sorry for me, then stay alive!" Zain Amina sniffed and continued to wipe the tears away from her face. But her eyes didn't contain a hint of frailty. Her gaze was proud, clear, and void of any hesitation. Flames were burning behind her eyes. It was a fire that even her impending death could not extinguish.
"Make sure you live long enough and become strong enough to save the people around you!" Zain Amina took a deep breath and gave 373 a serious gaze. "If you don't, I won't forgive you!"
The scenery around them started to shift. Zain Amina glanced at 373 one last time. Both girls knew their time together was up. With her hands cupped around her mouth and with the biggest voice she could muster, the dark-skinned female shouted through the rustling wind.
"Do your best!"
373 stared at her and gave the older girl a nod. When the small girl blinked, she was back in the metallic world filled with the sounds of groaning machinery. Gone were the flaming red flowers and the cobblestone paths that crisscrossed through rows and rows of houses. Black orbs met brown eyes and a hint of a smile graced the dark-skinned girl's face.
Zain Amina's chest no longer heaved up and down. Her lips were pale. Her long limbs were no longer struggling against the restraints of her bed. Zain Amina closed her eyes to sleep. This time, no one could wake her up.
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