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189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu2zeEcSwwj
Chapter One
Navianna
The rain pours steadily, leaving a thin mist in its wake. The wind is getting far more powerful. As I walk in, my home feels cozy and inviting, my grandmother is the only one in sight, sitting on the pale blue sofa. The mist on the windows has an odd grayish tinge. The clouds in the sky above are dark.
A quiet, soft tick tick tick of a clock can be heard somewhere in our house. The front room is toasty, sheltered, and full of yellow-brown light, like a sepia-toned vintage photograph.
I walk into the kitchen, ravenous because I haven't eaten since morning, and now it’s five in the afternoon.
I heat the soup that is sitting on the burner. It looks like it was made recently, but something makes me uneasy, despite the fact that it looks mouthwatering. There's something odd about it that I can't put my finger on. I put the rest of what's left in the pot into the bowl next to it and take a seat at the table.
“Thanks for making soup, Grandma,” I yell out to the living room.
“Hmmm, huh?” Grandma smiles and ponders for a moment, “If you say so, darling, I don’t know what you're talking about, Navianna sweets, I didn’t make soup, and no one has been in the kitchen besides for breakfast this morning.”
I shrug and reach for a spoon, as I'm hungry and don't care. She most likely didn't notice Dad or someone coming in and making it.
As I take my first bite, I get a whiff of basil and onion.
The soup is warm and tastes of celery, onion, and carrots. It is the best thing I've tasted in ages.
But there must be a problem because there is a toxic flavor—it tastes like bitter metallic material mixed with spices.
I begin to feel a little nauseated...but just a little. Surely, I'm fine?
However, even as these thoughts float through my mind, I am beginning to feel shaky.
A subliminal suggestion that perhaps this isn't such a good idea...
I still hear the steady rhythm of the clock in the distance. The house is still.
My throat starts to dry up and burn intensely it feels like fragments of sharp glass are stuck inside it. Within seconds, every ounce of moisture from my mouth and body had been drawn out. Nothing is audible when I cry out.
I start to feel disoriented when a light but relentless pressure from someone holding a piece of cloth to my mouth causes me to fall back into the body of being behind me.
I'm immediately exhausted. I struggle to keep my eyes open.
But how could someone have done this to me?
Everyone loves me.
The hand lets me go. I drop to the ground.
The last thing I recognize, before everything goes black, is blue eyes that are identical to mine.....
"Help," I try to yell but nothing comes out. The person clutches my arms and drags me across the floor. Sounds and feelings fade quickly.
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