Rites and Visions

Miss woke up inside the Head Elder's house, Alaster, Alexander, and the augur gathered around her. She struggled to sit, feeling a wave of nausea wash over her the moment she managed to. Alexander quickly helped her and managed to keep her upright. Scanning the room, she noticed it was already dark outside. How long was she unconscious?

"How are you feeling?" Alexander asked, concern very evident in his voice.

Miss shook her head then blinked. "I'm- I'm okay. How did I get here?"

"Alexander found you." Yerem said, "Thank the gods, you're safe!"

"The villagers who abducted you..." Alaster started, hesitant "We need to address your abduction."

"You need to press charges." Alexander muttered. "They deserve a punishment, you know?"

Miss looked down, balling her fists. "It's okay. You don't have to punish them."

"May I ask why?" Alaster asked, concerned.

"The villagers will only hate me more." Miss muttered, smiling half-heartedly. "Besides, they wouldn't have fled the place if it weren't for me."

"You don't know if it were really you." Yerem told her.

"It could only have been me." Miss said, tightening her grip on her clothes. "I know it was me."

"No one knows what happened, okay?" Alexander said "That is a fact."

Miss didn't respond. Alexander had thought about Miss' response in the time she was unconscious. If she had chosen to allow punishment on the abductors, the village would hate her even more. If she wouldn't, the village would still hate her... but there will be less problems. Alexander was sure some would support the punishment of the abductors but most of the village think Miss does not deserve justice since even they did not receive any when Miss had done something wrong.

A frantic knock broke the silence in the house once more. Alexander ran to the door and opened it carefully. A woman stood outside the door, looking down. Once she met Alexander's gaze, it was as if something grasped his heart and squeezed it tightly.

"The orphans died." The woman muttered, "They hanged themselves in the woods."

Alexander turned to Miss who now looked horrified. She looked down and clenched her fists so tight, her nails dug into her skin. Upon seeing Miss in the house, the villager's face contorted into something with so much hate. Alexander saw this and spoke with her outside of the house.

"She is a witch!" the villager exclaimed, "She's tricking all of you!"

"This is not her fault, madam." Alexander said gently, "It was probably the red-haired stranger."

"Every misfortune that was brought upon this village is her fault! They all came with her! You know this and yet you still defend her!"

"She is my friend. I assure you that none of this is her fault."

"She is tricking you!" the woman said, stomping her foot, "She's poisoned your mind!"

"She didn't even want to punish the orphans!" Alexander bellowed, surprised by the anger in his tone. He sighed and continued, "I assure you, madam, that she has done nothing wrong. Miss is a good person."

The woman fell silent and simply left. Alexander watched her figure disappear into the darkness.

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The next morning, Yerem was unfit to do the burial rites. It seemed he got too tired from worrying about Miss' whereabouts the day before. Since he was unfit to do the rites, it meant Miss was the one who will perform them.

She stood in front of the small crowd. Observing them, it seemed only some of the villagers were friends with the orphans. She fixed her gaze on the three bodies on the ground. She could still remember their faces back in that small chamber... It was so full of hate but Miss understood them. She could feel their heartache from their eyes. She took away the only people who loved them most... and yet she is the one who was still alive.

She started chanting the rites, tears welling up in her eyes. Her voice broke and she stopped.

"Katie!"

Miss blinked and found herself sitting on a small bench. In front of her was a lake in the middle of a city. Fast vehicles drove past behind her and she could hear people chatting. Silverstar never had these sounds. She looked down and saw that she was holding something in her hand. Looking out onto the lake, she felt the storm of emotions inside her calm down.

"This is all I could ever ask for." she muttered to herself.

"Is that really all you need?"

She turned to the direction of the voice. The bustling city behind her was now empty.

"Find me, Katie."

The voice was so inviting and calming... However, it was not Miss whom she was calling. Who was this Katie? Why does Miss see this instead of her?

She walked towards the voice. At the end of the path, the clear image of a snow-capped mountain was visible. It was where the voice was coming from. She walked towards it but stopped in her tracks.

"Miss! Miss, wake up!"

She opened her eyes and the image of Alexander was the first to appear. The sunlight struck her face whenever Alexander moved.

"What happened?" Miss asked, groggy.

Alexander looked at her with worry. The villagers were now gone and the bodies were already buried.

"Did I finish the rites?" she asked.

Alexander simply replied with a nod. Alaster came running and stopped behind Alexander.

"I'm glad you're awake." Alaster told her. "We need to talk about what you said."

Miss struggled to sit. "What? What did I say?"

"Not here, Miss." Alexander whispered, "We don't know what to make of it, to be honest."