Chapter 19: Bad dreams or past horrors?

*** Third-person P.O.V.

"Mom!!! Dad!!!..ahhhh " The little girl's legs finally failed her as exhaustion won over adrenaline.

Her each breath was full of pain as her eyes became sore from the smoke around her. Whether you look at left or right, you would only find either burning fire or burned fire.

Nothing was left of houses except ruins, detailing a catastrophe that transpired here.

" waaaa ahh waaaa" The girl still wept in a broken voice as her emotions flowed uncontrolled.

(fragments of memories swelling around)

There was horror, frustration, and growing anger, her mind lost in memories where everything was okay.

" Mom, can I go with dad to the wild? " The girl in her memories was happy and hopeful, unaware of the change.

" Not now, how about next time?" Her mom smiled as she negotiated with her.

(Another fragment)

And then, (next day)

" Where are we going, mom? " The girl asked as she was led to the back of their house by her mom who seemed heartbroken and yet her expression was never more determined than today.

Her mother opened a hidden compartment just enough to fit her before addressing her, "

Isabel, My love. I know you have many questions but right now is not the time for it. Could you listen to mom once without asking questions?"

Isabel nodded her head and her mother patted her head as she continued," Go inside and only get out when the screen in front of you started to make a beeping noise."

Isabel wanted to ask, 'what about you, mom?' but the severity in her mom's voice made her obedient and she sat inside the chamber as her mom closed it.

(present, out of memories)

"2 days, for 2 days I sat inside the chamber", Isabel took a deep breath before coughing a loud, " before the screen beeped and once I got out to find....to find this * weeping* " She mustered up her remaining strength to rise to her feet once again before she started to walk again without a goal in her mind.

She walked wherever her feet took her, the street was full of debris from destroyed homes.

Corpses were ridden of both man and beasts as she walked. Some were unknown to her but some she remembered once seeing.

The voice of something constantly burning filled her ears since who knew when.

Her mind was filled with horrible possibilities of what might happen to her parents as she looked at the corpses around her.

At last her feet once again stopped, not because strength left her but because she found her.

Isabel's hands shivered as she kneeled and caressed her mother's cheek. Her stomach was ripped apart and her inner organs spewed 5 feet away from her corpse but Isabel still found a sense of comfort in her as she hugged the body uncaring of its condition.

" Why, why...JUST WHY!!!. " She laid down hugged her body as she screamed her soul out.

***Isabel P.O.V.

"Isa... Isabe....Isabel!! " Suddenly, the world started to tear apart as someone's voice called her name each time with a higher frequency.

" Haa haa" I woke up to find my friend hovering above me.

" Thank God, you are awake finally. " My friend daisy said as she got up from my bed.

" Again?" I sighed as goosebumps started to calm down with my heartbeat.

" Yes, again. " She spoke quietly. Daisy couldn't hide her emotions. You could see what was on her mind just by looking into her eyes and right now she looked worried.

" You were shouting ' why, why ' in your sleep. I'm sure everyone on this floor heard you. " She sat beside me as she started to pat my back.

" Great, Now everyone would gossip around and by tomorrow evening, everyone would know. " I could already see a headache coming.

" Don't be like that. They looked worried when I walked to your room. And I don't think you will be of much importance tomorrow considering that tomorrow is the opening ceremony. " She shuffled her legs as she leaned back before falling completely on the bed.

" I guess, so anything interesting I should look forward to tomorrow?" I asked as I lay beside her.

" I don't know, many of your acquaintances would be present tomorrow so there's that but you clearly aware of that " I nodded as we shared a glance. ," Well, I heard that one of the first years recently contracted with a rare beast. "

" Hmm, what can it do? " I half-heartedly asked as I mulled over the information.

" Well.... Until now, it didn't show any special or I should say any skills. " She gave a smile which I'm fond of as it showed her dimples.

" So what so special about a beast that can't perform a single skill? Wait, that's a speciality too isn't it?" I exclaimed as I played with her hair.

" No silly, well yes but I heard it's so cute that your heart melts observing it. " She rolled her eyes at first before showing excitement.

" Really? A contracted beast that's cute? since when did this happen? " That's certainly interesting news. Contracted beasts are either menacing or ugly to look at for most people as they have distinctive mutations in their bodies that give them power in exchange for beauty.

" So now you go to sleep and let me go to sleep too, okay. " Daisy sighed as she got up from bed.

" Good night" I received a reply from her before she returned to her room.

*** Steve P.O.V.

" What now? " I got up from the bed and walked to the window.

Cynthia started to wail 2 minutes ago and I was sure that if I didn't make her shut up then my dormmates would.

" MEOW!!! MEOW!!!" She scratched the window before looking at me.

" We are on the 3rd floor, sweetly. What are you gonna do with an open window? " I sighed as I massaged my head.

" meow " She once again scratched the window before circling in her place.

" Okay", I grumbled before finally opening the window.

" What now?" As soon as I finished speaking, she jumped 8 feet out of the window and landed on the branch of the tree beside my room.

My mouth and eyes competed with each other over who could open wider as I looked outside.

Cynthia turned around to look at me, in her mouth was a bat half of her size. She crouched down on the branch before taking another leap and her landing target was my face.

My instincts worked before my brain could register and I caught her in my palms halfway through her jump.

I quickly closed the window first before putting a hand on my heart as I took deep breaths. Cynthia meanwhile tried to murder the hell out of the already dead bat.

"So you could do that huh? " I remarked as I tried to smile but it came a little short.

Once she was done with whatever the hell she was doing with the bat, she lifted it and presented it to me, and waited for her reward as she sat while tilting her neck.

" Hmm, yes. thank you...." I said with sarcasm as I picked Cynthia up and walked toward the drawer where I put her treats.

She purred satisfied as I patted her after I gave her a few treats and we both got into the bed.

" So you didn't break any glass jars because you didn't want to, not because you couldn't reach them, huh? That's a new discovery. " I closed my eyes to try to get some sleep before I had to wake up once again in the morning as depose of the bat.