It's almost sunset. The beautiful time on a hot sunny day that brings the right amount of wind to cool down the heat brought by the sun during the day.
I'm in the middle of a golden wheat field that sways gently all around me as I search for something.
Something?
What am I searching for again? I straighten up to wonder but I can't remember no matter how hard I try to.
"Tch" I scoff and shrug in resignation before plucking a stalk of wheat, holding it to my long golden tresses that the wind is blowing against my face.
"It's exactly the same color," I whisper and smile to myself. I then hold the stalk to my nose and inhale deeply with my eyes closed. It smells earthy and of raw flour. It reminds me of Martha baking in the kitchen.
"Ash!..." I suddenly hear Lilly's voice shout my name from afar... Or is that Martha's voice? I wonder in confusion. I'm too far into the field to be able to tell their voices apart.
"Ash, they're going to kill you!" The voice screams out in warning this time. I recognize it now. It's Martha.
I want to turn to her but I find out I can't. It seems as if I'm rooted in place. I also can't see any more. My eyelids suddenly feel heavy like they're glued down to my cheeks.
'She said they're going to kill me? Who are they?' I wonder in my mind since I've also suddenly lost my voice.
"Wake up, Ash! Wake up now! Tougher days are coming ahead of you. Tougher days than what you've been through in the past. You have to be ready and strong for this because you're going to lose it all.
Everything you hold dear to you, you will lose. And if you're not strong enough then it might be the end of you. But if you hold yourself strong and you're able to scale through this ordeal then you'll gain everything back in many folds... Do you understand me, Ash!?... Ash!... Ash, wake up!... Wake up right now, Ash!"
I remember Lilly said those words to me when we went to see her but it's Martha's voice I'm hearing shouting it to me now. She keeps calling urgently for me to wake up. Sobbing even...
But why is she crying? It hurts my heart to see her in tears.
I violently struggle against the heavyweight keeping me in place. I also struggle to open my heavy eyelids. When I can finally see, It's night. The sun has completely disappeared from the sky and I'm no longer standing in the middle of the wheat field. I'm in my bedroom.
Then I become conscious of a burning pain all over my body. The pain is coming from around my neck, where a heavy silver chain encircles me, with excess that drops down my back to encircle my waist and also binds my wrist together.
I struggle against the silver chain to no avail then I stop when I realize something is not right. There's this eerie silence that I can now feel from within that wasn't there before. My brows furrow as I concentrate to figure out what it is. Then it occurs to me, Sif has stopped crying.
'Sif...' I call out to her in my mind but get silence in reply.
'What about Martha? She was crying before, why is she also silent now?'
Cold hands of fear grip my heart as I wildly look around me. There are three huge Council policemen inside my room. What do they want from me? I wonder
One of them is looking directly at me.
"Where's Martha?" I ask him in a raspy voice. Craning my body and neck to see around the mountains of beef blocking my view.
He doesn't answer my question
"She's finally secured..." He says instead to the one beside him while still looking directly into my eyes. "But she's not supposed to be awake! How come she's awake?" He asks the others in surprise
"It doesn't matter, read her the law and let's get the hell out of here. I don't know about you guys but this place is so small it feels as if the wall is closing in on me." Another one who I guess must be the leader replies to him.
"Ash Anne-Marie Davies. Daughter of Martha Davies. You're under arrest for the attempted murder of Luna Miranda. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand the rights I have just read to you?" He asks
I look back at him in disbelief. Attempted murder of Miranda? What nonsense is he talking about?
"Where's Martha!?" I ignore the rubbish he spoke to ask sharply this time. Since it seems he didn't hear me the first time. "Where's my mother!?"
"She's dead! She tried to attack the Luna. She had no other choice than to defend herself. We're sorry!" He replies flatly without emotions then turn away from me.
'Dead! Impossible!' The words echo in my mind
"Where us my MOTHER!"
I about and continue to scream so loud they immediately move back, far away from me with their hands firmly blocking their ears.
My voice sounds dreadful even to me that the scream is coming from. A horrendous piercing shriek that shakes the ground and walls around me. I am surprised but didn't dwell on it. I have a far more important situation on my hand
"Where's Martha? I want to see my mom! I want to see her now!" I stop screaming, violently struggling against the silver chain like a rabid wolf.
I'm in pain everywhere, from the top of my head to the sole of my feet but I can't stop. I need to get out of this chain to find Martha. My eyes burn in their sockets so badly. My body strains to shift, just that my wolf is awfully silent. I can't feel her in me anymore and I wonder why. What did they do to my wolf?
I start to bleed from around my neck, waist, and wrists where the silver chain binds and burns deep into my skin. I also feel like throwing up. Something I can't describe is crawling everywhere deep inside me, my stomach, my veins, and clambering up my throat like it wants to come out from my mouth.
It's horribly painful and disgusting at the same time. I retch over and over again to get it out of me but nothing is coming up. Not even bile. My stomach is empty as if I've not had anything to eat in weeks
I briefly stop struggling, panting hard with my eyes trained on the council policemen. They also have their eyes on me, looking warily alert and on guard with their batons and stun guns in hand as if they are about to take down a feral wolf.
But I'm not feral. I'm just raging mad. I want to kill them all and I would have if they hadn't done something to Sif and have me bound in heavy silver chains.