The Ancient World

Chapter One – Hallucinations

HallucinationsResponding reflexively to some outside stimulus, Ehrien rolled off her bed. It was the reaction soldiers were taught— to get on the ground before fully waking up. Only they did it so much better than her and could usually avoid knocking into any furniture. Ehrien, ever so graceful, barely survived with her elbow intact. The pain however, kick-started her lungs back to work. Why did she feel so out of breath? Why did the side of her abdomen hurt?

A finger drew a path down Ehrien’s nape, and she jumped in fear, turning to look up at the ceiling. There was nothing, no one there, but the feeling of someone watching her remained. Instinctively, Ehrien’s hand reached for the tattoo on the side of her stomach and the pain worsened.

Slightly panicked, Ehrien crawled over to the mirror and pulled up her shirt. Was the skin around her tattoo swollen or was she imagining it? No, she was definitely imagining it. No tattoo got infected after a year of existence, did it?

A knock put a stop to her hypochondriac ways.

“Are you coming?” Oliver asked from the outside. Before Ehrien could answer, he snorted. “Like you have a choice.”

Ehrien rolled her eyes, “You’re so incredibly funny it kills me.”

Oliver sighed, “I know... You have five minutes.”

Ehrien fell back against the floor and studied the ceiling. “Five minutes.”

Once she was sure Oliver was no longer outside her bedroom, Ehrien let her head fall to the side, towards the mirror, letting her eyes study her tattoo again. It was long and lean, cradled on the left side of her stomach. The silver tangle of lines had no particular design; every time she looked at it, Ehrien saw something different—that was its beauty, its terror.

A year before, her brother James had gotten a tattoo and for some unattainable reason, Ehrien had decided to join him. It was odd, though; Ehrien couldn’t remember not having it, as if it was part of her.

As always, the nostalgic feel of her adorned skin reminded her of the other mark she carried, the scar on the palm of her left hand. While having been the product of an accident, Ehrien always thought its lines looked intentional; she could see a drawing. But as with her tattoo, the scar was not something she thought of unless absolutely necessary.

But the girl didn’t allow herself time to think of those things, had never given such thoughts voice, for they scared her too much. So she simply assumed it was as all things once you get accustomed to them; you can’t remember back to when they weren’t part of your life.

A heavy knock on the door brought Ehrien back to reality and to her bedroom. “Three minutes!”

With a deep breath, Ehrien picked herself up from the floor and gathered her things before stepping out of her room.

Oliver stood in the corridor, staring at himself in the mirror, combing his red hair with his fingers. His eyes lost their usual mirth as they fell on her. In her hurry, Ehrien hadn’t buttoned her shirt right, leaving part of her tattoo out in the open. She covered herself with her blazer, but his eyes continued to stay glued to her hip, as if he could see through it. He didn’t like it, had never liked the tattoo, and made no show of pretending otherwise. But Ehrien owed him no explanations.

Oliver grinned. “What’s gotten you late this morning, sis? Sneaking out in the middle of the night again?”

Ehrien rolled her eyes. “It happened once, Ollie, and I’m too scared of mum to try again.” She pushed him in front of her and took a quick glance at herself in the mirror. The blazer was pristine, the black shirt was tucked inside the skirt. No sign of any tattoo. It was safe now. Her hair was a mess; she wished she’d had time for a shower, but she’d make do with the mesh of dark almost-curls tumbling down her back. “Why are you so smiley? You don’t usually show teeth until lunch.”

He shrugged. “Just a good day.”

“The first day of school, a good day? My brother Ollie, an enthusiast of studies...” Ehrien cleaned a fake tear out of the corner of her eye, “Am I dreaming? Never did I think I would live to see the day.”

Never one to be mocked, Oliver put his arms around her and squeezed with enough force to kill a small animal before dropping her on her ass. He then left her to follow him down into the living room.

The light that illuminated the square room came from two places, a glass door which opened to the garden on the back of the house and a large window behind one of the sofas. It wasn’t that big of a space, considering they were six, but it was all the room they needed.

James and Anita sat in one of the sofas, watching TV. James had his feet on the brown coffee table—a weak form of rebellion picked up from his older brother—and Anita was curled up into a ball, smiling distractedly at the cartoons playing on the television. James hated the things but endured them for Anita.

Karl Gordon, their father, had grown up an only child. He’d been surrounded by love, safety and fine things but not with the one thing he most wanted— siblings. His parents had already been older than most when he was finally born, and though they’d tried, they weren’t lucky a second time. Kathleen Gordon, also an only child, had grown up with a cousin after her parents’ divorce. The two had spent their childhood reading Malory Towers books under the covers, and imagining the same bond of sisterhood as the one they read so much about.

For the two, starting a family was an easy decision. Oliver had come first, followed by James less than a year later. Ehrien had finished the triangle. With three children in as many years, the two wondered if only having one child had been such a curse after all. Kathleen, in particular, had gained new perspective on the matter of pregnancy— as to be expected. With three children and only twenty-four hours in a day, the Gordons decided they were done.

Life, however, tends to have plans of its own and twelve years after Ehrien was born, during a weekend getaway to celebrate their anniversary, life sent Anita into their lives.

Kathleen had never called Anita an accident, though she also admitted she had been done having children. Instead, she said Anita was her ‘unexpected gift’.

“MUM?” James yelled, eyes never straying from the TV—Ehrien could almost see his brain trying to find logic in the images before him. “They’re here already! Let’s go.”

“Sorry, sorry! I’m here!” Kathleen Gordon stumbled into the room, in the clumsy gracefulness that had always been part of her character, gathering her hair into a ponytail. Her smile was warm, brightening her features and the entire world with it.

“All ready? Anita, come with me, let me help you put on your jacket.”

“Ok, Mummy...” Anita got off of the sofa, dragging Vincent, her teddy bear, behind her.

James poked Anita’s cheek and smiled. “Your first day of school, are you excited?”

Anita shook her head just as Ehrien picked her up. Oliver, snickering in all his might, sneaked up behind Ehrien and high-fived Anita. “A girl after my own heart.”

Ehrien smiled as she kicked her brother—gently, of course. Soon, they were leaving the house.

On the sidewalk stood a cloaked figure but Ehrien paid it no attention. It wasn’t the first time she’d had that hallucination, and it surely wouldn’t be the last. James cut her view of the figure and once he’d stepped away, it was gone. Shaking her head, Ehrien got in the car.

Don’t think, don’t think, do not think...

That particular hallucination was probably the most recurrent, though definitely the least disturbing. Not knowing what it was or who it was that hid under the hood made it easier for Ehrien to forget about it, to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach. There were worse ones; there were some that mixed with reality and when that happened…

Don’t think, don’t think, don’t think…

When the car stopped outside Ehrien’s school, the hallucination was buried deep with all other things Ehrien didn’t allow herself to think about. And since it was the first day of school, it wasn’t so difficult that time. She’d have enough on her mind as it was—no need to worry about how she was one public scene away from a mental institution.

Having to drop her children in three different schools meant that, once they finally got started, there was no time for morning displays of affection; as soon as Kathleen stopped the car in front of Ehrien’s school, she was out and watching its retreating form.

Anita, having just started primary school, was going to the same place her older siblings had first began their learning process. She wasn’t all that excited and had spent the summer making sure they knew. Oliver and James, born swimmers, had each won a scholarship to a prestigious sports academy just outside London, and were on their way to becoming fully fledged champions. Ehrien had hoped she could join them; swimming was a passion, but her knee gave out before she could even try-out.

Though Oliver was technically older, the brothers had felt it unfair that with less than a year between them, they were forced to be in different classes. So when they started first grade, Oliver decided he was going to wait for James. And so, for the entirety of a school year, Oliver categorically refused to do any work, essentially flunking out of the first grade so he could start over with his brother. They had been in the same class ever since.

Both endearing and absurd, this plan remained Oliver’s proudest moment.

As the wind picked up speed and forced her hair to fly around her, Ehrien gave herself a minute to simply stand on the sidewalk and watch as the car distanced itself from her. The scent of summer was beginning to fade, leaves darkening in their branches. It was then, as she followed a single reddish leaf break away from a tree, that Ehrien saw him, standing on the other side of the street.

He was tall, his hair black, with the bluest of eyes, like the summer’s sky had been collected into that one penetrating gaze; he had a sharp jaw line, made sharper by how hard he appeared to be grinding his teeth.

Wearing a black overcoat and dark jeans—oddly casual for someone with such an austere expression, he appeared young, just over twenty maybe. His eyes, though… No one so young should have such sad eyes.

It was one second, one glimpse, but as soon as she saw him, as soon as he existed, the world broke.

Ehrien’s lungs emptied, like she’d been pushed against a wall. A horrible pain blazed across her chest, spreading over the left of her body, as if something moved inside of her, trying to crawl out of her body and explode into the air around her. The pain was concentrated on her torso, but soon it was spreading and when it reached her left hand, it forced it to cramp and claw involuntarily.

Whatever was happening, it deflated her of any and all energy, and before she could stop it, even acknowledge what was happening, the ground was touching her face.

The sounds around her were muted, the images diffused, the pain increasing. Without meaning to, her eyes flew back to the other side of the street, to him. His brows had sunk and the whole of his stance had shifted, such ferociousness emanating from his body that Ehrien was sure the armies of Hell could spring out of the ground and still fail miserably when in comparison to his wrath. In that moment, if he faced them, he would win.

Then, he wasn’t a steady image anymore. Ehrien closed her eyes and tried to push her cheek away from the pavement, hoping the pain behind her skull would prevent any nausea. By the time she looked back up, he was nowhere to be seen.

No, no, no... It’s getting worse.

“Ellie! Are you okay?” Scott, one of her classmates, was next to her, on his knees, stretching his arms to help her up. He was a chubby boy, his puffy cheeks keeping his eyes half-closed at all times. “What happened? Can you hear me, Ellie?”

Ellie. When Ehrien was a child, everyone always seemed to make a fuss over her name and how weird it was, so she started using her middle name instead. Only the people she loved called her Ehrien now. She loved her name; it was unique, melodic—it fit. But seriously? Oliver, James, Anita. Ehrien? Where had that come from?

“Y-yes, I’m fine. I shouldn’t have skipped breakfast. I’m okay…” Forcing her legs to hold the weight of her upper body, Ehrien stood and began the torturous walk into the school building, not looking back once. If she had, there would be a hallucination waiting. They were always waiting.

Scott, still worried, ran after her. “Maybe I should walk with you to class, to make sure you’re really okay.”

“Yeah, sure.” Ehrien wasn’t listening to him, she couldn’t; there was too much noise inside her head. It was running through her every memory, every single memory she could grasp, trying to figure out who that boy was and why she had felt like that, why she knew she knew him. But that wasn’t possible. Was it?

Chapter Two