Path Of The Broken

19. Family Trait-1

19

Family Trait

Amelia ran though the garden, fleeing back to the only thing a part of her mind perceived as safety. She looked around as she ran, the colours in the garden merging from a washed-out grey to the colours she knew and back again. She sobbed as a greyed-out figure rose in front of her, on his knees, his head flung back and mouth open wide, screaming out.

No, what have I done!

The voice reverberated in her mind, along with a ricochet of other voices one after the other, their grey washed-out bodies appearing before her as she ran.

Blood, no! It can’t be true.

Please, please help me!

One after the other the spectres appeared and their whispering voices merged over the top of each other, rising to an overwhelming crescendo. Her hands rose to her temples and she sobbed, her head shaking from side to side trying to negate what she was seeing and hearing.

She stumbled as she ran, falling to the ground, where she curled into a ball and screamed as the voices rose in intensity, drowning her in their pleas and madness.

Then hands picked her up and she struggled and screamed, still lost in the greyed-out world. The voices ringing in her head and those belonging to the hands that picked her up merged, causing more pain and confusion. Amelia couldn’t tell the difference between what was real and what wasn’t. Strong hands carried her, held her and didn’t let her go; they carried her through the garden and into the house. All the way voices screamed in her head, merging with the voices urging her to calm down.

Amelia was passed from one person to another. She recognised the second person as her nanny, Kate. While that calmed her a little, the screaming voices in the grey world flickering in and out continued to upset her, and she didn’t understand what was happening.

Then, as suddenly as it had begun, it stopped. The cool voice entered her mind, and this time she recognised the owner of that voice. It was one of the healers here at the estate, Healer Bates.

It’s okay, Amelia, I’m here. Healer Bates reached forward and brushed a tear from Amelia’s eye. The healer held a beaker to Amelia’s mouth and Healer Bates’s voice said in her head, Here, drink this, it will make you better.

The sweetness of the medication didn’t quite hide the bitterness underneath, yet Amelia drank it because she knew from experience she would get in trouble if she didn't. She felt herself drifting off to sleep as Kate tucked her into bed. She could hear the adults talking but didn’t quite know what it all meant.

“She’s tainted just like her brother, isn’t she, Healer?”

“Yes, she is. It’s all right, though, this medication should help her. She is young enough that it should work. She will need to have to have it on a regular basis. I’ll leave the bottle with you along with instructions.” The healer’s voice was calm and soothing, and as she drifted off to sleep, Amelia heard the clink of bottles being put in the cupboard, the drone of the adult voices continuing as she fell asleep.

* * * *

Amelia’s eyes flared open, a scream on her lips that she managed to muffle. She sat up in bed, looking around and trying to get her breathing under control. Relief washed over her as she realised she was in her room in the Fourth’s Complex. Emotion welled up in her as she realised the world still looked how it should. Her hands trembled as she grabbed one of her pillows and, pressing it against her face, she sobbed. She hadn’t had the old childhood nightmare for a long time, yet it still had the ability to terrify her—as did the whispering voices that had intruded on her mind again.

“Alex, where are you? I can’t do this alone.” Overwhelming loneliness welled up in her, tears trailing down her cheeks. The pillow muffled any sound that escaped her lips.

Climbing from the bed, Amelia crossed over to the windows and drew the curtains open to reveal the garden beyond. Walking back to one of the comfortable chairs, she curled up in it, her feet tucked up on the chair. She leaned against the armrest, pillow still clasped in her arms. Amelia let her mind wander. It was almost hypnotic watching as the early dawn light lit up the garden. She felt her muscles relax as the early morning calmness and beauty of the gardens soothed her.