Blinding Light (BLS Book 1)

I sit up too fast and fall over the bed. I yelp then groan when I hit the hard, wooden floor. I unwrap the blankets around myself and sit up, still on the floor as the doors fly open. Karen rushes in and looks around the room, wide-eyed.

“Mademoiselle?! Oh, Mademoiselle, are you alright?” She asks frantically when she spots me.

“...Oui, Karen,” I moan, rubbing my head. “I just had another nightmare…or a rather, a very bizarre dream.”

Karen helps me back onto my bed.

I could still recall the images quite clear, wincing as they come back. I want to tell Karen about my first dream, which I vividly remember what happened. I looked into my brother’s eyes. As confusing as it sounds, I have one sibling, but my brain just decided to go coo-coo.

How on earth did it even create a non-existing sibling?!

Then I remember the pain, the unbearable pain, making me shudder.

“It’s alright, Mademoiselle. It’s just a dream.”

“But is it?” The voice says in my mind in a whisper, if that is even possible.

I probably imagined it; I think. It’s only in my head.

“What if it wasn’t?”

I try my best to shun out the voice that is now infecting my mind.

After a moment of silence, I decide it is not wise to worry Karen anymore. I didn’t get to say anything when my stomach suddenly jerks violently. I rush towards the door, towards the washroom.

“Where do you think you’re going, Mademoiselle? It’s still wee hours.”

I stare at Karen in disbelief, “Wee hours? However do you mean?”

“Well, you came back to your chambers quite early yesterday, I shall say. It’s not a wonder that you were to wake in wee hours,” she clears her throat. “I wasn’t prepared to see you so early, but you only told me to make the bed, and I did—you look exhausted when you made your way here, do you not recall?”

I gape at her, not remembering anything from the previous night, not after the dance with Prince Nolan. I sit down on the bed again, wincing as pain stabs into my side.

“I do, actually...”

The lie pierces my tongue but forms easily, “But I’m not feeling particularly well at the moment. Excuse me, s’il vous plait (please).”

I rush out of my bedroom into the halls into the washroom. My head is pounding so hard as if there is arriage music (screaming babies) all around.

“Nghhh...” I groan. The vomit comes up faster than I expect, and I feel lightheaded after dumping all that food down the toilet.

***

I return to my room to find Karen still there, awake and panicking, her brown eyes darting around the room. She sighs in relief when she sees me.

“I’m sorry, Karen—to wake you up so early because of a dream...Please excuse yourself—goodnight,” I say in a final tone; her eyes linger on me for just a tad longer, but she nods.

“Please be well. Goodnight, Mademoiselle.” The door closes with a click as Karen leaves.

I fall back into my covers, letting the soft mattress soak up my weak body. I blink up at the ceiling, the lightheadedness still not leaving my side.

When the sleepiness evaporates, I push myself from my bed. Lighting a candle, I walk to the balcony and breath the night air in. The chill almost seems to cool down the burning images from my mind.

Sighing, I look up at the sky. It’s a full moon tonight. The stars light up the dark courtyard under my room. Something meows in the darkness below, and I look down.

It’s a cat, with big bright yellow eyes, staring up at me. I smile at it, something about the eyes reminds me of something, but the thought disappears as soon as it comes. I rub my temples and blow out my candle.

Best if I get some sleep before morning.

I was about to pull the curtains closed when I trip over my two left feet. The candle flies out of my hand and falls with a clang. Thank the lord I blew it out, or I would’ve been engulfed in flames.

DESTROYING ALL THE LIGHT

What?

...

Groaning, I climb up, hoping I didn’t wake Karen again. I doubt she’s asleep though.

Stop stressing! I think.

This stress of the Alliance’s Tour must be making me hear things. I did not just hear another psychotic voice in my head. I’m not crazy.

I climb back into my bed when a cold breeze blows the curtains up, making me shiver. I forgot to close the windows. Rolling my eyes, I climb out of bed to shut the windows. Only then do I see the cat has ascended my balcony and is meowing at me. I ignore it, but it meows again.

I’m unsure of what to do, but it decides for me—letting itself in and rubbing its head and tail on my leg. I sigh and close the windows, pulling in the maroon curtains. I grab one of my pillows from my bed and put it on the floor.

“You can sleep here, kitty.”

It meows at me, but a yawn finds its way in. I stretch before bending down, petting its little, black head. It rolls over onto its back and scratches at my hand. I smile and rub his stomach. He rolls over again playfully and rubs his head on my knee, his black fur sticking onto my white nightgown, which somehow, I have changed into without a corset. But I’m too lazy to put a corset on, it’s too uncomfortable anyways, so I just ignored that fact for the night.

I pick the cat up and place him on the pillow I set on the floor. Fighting back another yawn, I climb into bed and pull on the blanket only to find him sitting at the edge of my bed. I gasp, startled at how silently he crawled up.

“No kitty, you sleep on the floor.” I sit up and set him on the floor again. He only meows before jumping up onto my pillow in one swift motion; then he rubs his head on my hand, his whiskers brushing my arm.

I sigh, “If you don’t scratch me in the face, I guess you can stay here.” I lay flat on the bed and pull up the covers to suddenly see the cat right next to my face. I gasp, sitting up. He meows innocently and tilts his tiny head.

“You have got to stop doing that. With your big, creepy—but adorable eyes,” I giggle and scratch his whiskers.

“You should be glad you’re so cute.”

The cat meows again, and I pet his head. I find myself staring at his eyes, a strange yellow that almost seems to glow. I frown and lean in closer, confused.

As if sucked into something, I’m suddenly in a dark, open space, full of brown, wooden doors with golden handles. Each knob is decorated with different patterns of a darker shade of gold. There are spider webs everywhere, stuck to the wall, in the corners, on the ground. There’s so much of it I can barely see the wall anymore. They seem to be continually growing. I frantically look around.

Where am I?

The spider webs start to move, and a massive spider comes out from behind it. It was as big as my foot; I’ve never seen one this huge.

I’m just imagining things... I think to myself. Think happy thoughts. But it doesn’t seem to work.

Suddenly, more spiders emerge from the middle of nowhere. It looks like they’re coming towards me, somehow getting bigger at each step. One touches my foot and I can feel its hairy legs moving around as I scream in terror. Frightened, I open the door closest to me, and I shut it—slam it. I put both of my hands on the wall.

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☆•Yiona•☆