Rel...Aur...Lia!"
The closest voice had to be the loudest, but in my world of cold numbness, it was barely cutting through the ringing sound. They were calling my name, attempting to reach me in this state between consciousness and unconsciousness, but I couldn't respond.
I can't move...am I breathing? Where's Mom and Dad? They're going to be angry. Where's Ace? Wasn't he here? We were playing. He let me do the magic trick with the black strings...we...we were going to get married, weren't we? We told someone. Who did we tell?
"What...on here?!"
"Aurelia?!"
"Who...this to our child!"
"It...Ace!"
"What? No! It wasn't me! SHE did it!"
"He...only lies!"
"You did this! Why are you acting like you're innocent!"
"Take him away!"
"No! I...let go! I'd never hurt Aurelia! I'm...innocent! Help Aurelia! Don't let her die!"
"Hurry! To the medical house."
"Code Blue!"
"My daughter!"
"Help!"
"AU...LIA!"
Everything was fading away, including my consciousness, but I was afraid to be alone. This world was too dark, and I was afraid of that very darkness, just like this whole world of stillness.
The muted voices were all gone now and though my slight senses could catch onto the flowing warmth that fought to reach me, it struggled to get past the wall of numbness.
It'll never reach my heart on time.
I suddenly was overwhelmed with sadness and fear - the sadness my own, but the fear of the unknown and approaching punishment wasn't mine. It felt familiar yet foreign, and it was as though those emotions were connected by a thread on the side of the world I was slipping away from.
I was drifting downward, like I'd fallen into a river and could no longer swim up to the surface. I needed help to move - to breathe - but who would save me now? Who would possibly be my savior.
When I reached the bottom of the drifting waters, I was once again surrounded by darkness, but screams and outcries cut through from all directions - voices of anger, power, and fright striking through my walls of protection.
I was standing now as my hands covered my ears and I tried to scream. It was silent while the rest of the room grew louder and louder. I screamed for it to stop. For the pain and shrill voices of commanding force to leave me be.
I wanted to be free from all the pressure to be perfect, the orders to make my parents proud, the endless rules, the lonely world, the agony of wanting to be loved by one person around me and not be adored with fake smiles and friendships.
I had found a real friend. A person I could see myself being happy with. He gave the sweetest smiles, and though he wasn't a witch, he fit the other side of me.
He completed me.
Now, I wasn't so sure. All I felt now was emptiness, and that feeling was absolutely terrifying. The strings of magic that I've gotten so used to feeling since my creation were gone now, and that only added to the boiling fear of hopelessness.
I was slipping away to this world of endless screaming, and as they argued about all my flaws, a single voice cut through it all.
"AURELIA!"
I thought it was a single individual, but the tone of the voice had a doubled effect. It was amplified like two individuals spoke as one, but it was then that I was able to open my squeezed eyes.
The darkness was still around me, but I noticed the two threads of strings that glowed with solemn tranquility; one of a teal green nature, while the other was gold. The colors were the only thing that brought some sort of peace in my state of desolation, as I took in their thin appearance that wrapped around my wrists, they directed me to a path before me.
I was hesitant at first, but the strings continued to glow and gave me enough courage to walk forward. The further I walked, the quieter the rest of the world became, and as I got closer to a tiny speck of light, the warmth began to grow - starting from my heart and spreading outward.
Each step brought encouragement, and though the wounds from the pain I'd endured still lingered, I suddenly held hope.
No matter the pile of stressors of this world, regardless of the disappointment my failure instilled in those around me, these two strings led me to light. They guided me to a path of warmth, love, and opportunity.
I no longer feared the unknown or the consequences that brought me into this predicament. All I cared