A Past that Haunts

Sylvia, Zell, Nolen and Queen Quara head to Sunset Valley and stumble into trouble that they barely make it out of.

Chapter IV “A Past That Haunts”

“This place is very different.” Sylvia commented. The plant life seemed as though as it was taking over the valley. The plants were taller than normal; some up to four feet tall. The grass in most places came up to Sylvia's knees.

“It seems many have stopped traveling in this area. The grass has grown over the walking trail.” Quara stated.

“People must have been scared off by Silver's threats.” Nolen added.

Tessa stopped, and let Sylvia down easily this time. “We are in the valley now so find a stick to use as your support.”

Sylvia scanned around. “Ah, there!” She walked awkwardly out of the grass towards a small hill where the sun seemed to burn the hottest over. She picked up a tall, thick stick that laid among other sticks from skinny to thick, but this one was the best to her. Something caught her eye. The sun had reflected off a shiny object that was setting beside sticks. She picked it up. “A rock?” The size of it was perfect because it just fit in her palm. The texture of it was smooth like obsidian, but this was black onyx. There were ripples of color throughout the mysterious rock. Colors of gold, red, purple, blue, silver, and green. The colors played swirling around the rock as Sylvia turned it ever so slightly in her hands. She kept staring at it with wonder. Putting as much weight as she could on her stick she walked slowly back to the others. “Quara, what is this beautiful rock?”

Quara took a close look at it, as did the others. “It is a Sunfire rock!” Nolen exclaimed.

“It is!” Quara exclaimed.

Sylvia was confused by their reaction of surprise. “Is that a good thing?” She questioned.

“Oh, yes.” Quara answered. “I have not seen many of them, but every now and then someone can stumble onto finding one, mostly in this area. While it sets in the sun, it absorbs the fire of the sun.”

“The fire of the sun?” Sylvia looked puzzled.

“That is what I have heard. I do not really know the purpose of its existence though.” Quara explained.

“I think I am going to hold onto it.” Sylvia continued to stare at it in amazement as they walked.

“Are you not a bit too entertained by a rock?” Zell commented.

She turned her head towards him, eyes squinted, and brows furrowed together. “It is not just a normal rock.” She argued. “Just like where I have appeared is not a normal place. You people, probably have mysterious secrets, as well. Do not think I am going to trust you.” She warned.

“Then why are you tagging along?” Tessa asked, not in the most polite way.

“I am just going with you so I can talk to this Silver. If he can get me where I came from then you will not have to see me ever again.” Sylvia retorted back. She certainly was not going off by herself in this strange place. These people may be strangers automatically labeled as untrustworthy, but Queen Quara cared for her ankle, therefore she did not think they were too bad.

“When does this place end?” Sylvia sighed.

“Do I hear impatience?” Tessa sneered.

“You are not one to talk.” Sylvia shot back. “It's really hot here.”

Nolen warned that something was wrong. It was too late to get away though. Shadows rose around them and slowly increased in size. The already overgrown plants were rapidly growing. Almost as if they had awakened from a long sleep and were stretching. The sunlight that had just been beating down on them became shade. Thick, dark green vines and leaves trapped them. They moved around quite lively.

“What is this?!” Quara exclaimed.

Tessa, stood on one side of the queen, and spun her pair of sci around in her hand as she awaited on what was about to come at them. Nolen stood on another side of Quara, with his sword out. The plants actively wiggled their limbs and stems about reaching out at the group.

Sylvia held nervousness in her voice. “Why are you surrounding Queen Quara so closely? What do we do?” She asked even though she knew the queen needed protection before anyone else.

“We are in no obligation to protect you! The queen must be protected at all costs.” Tessa snapped.

Zell made a disapproving grumble under his breath, grabbed a dagger from his side, and stood defensively near Sylvia. “Even so I won't allow either of them to be injured!” Zell's presence was very focused, and determined. Sylvia sensed it, and whispered a thank you.

A head like that of a red venus fly trap opened up. “Weapons will do no good, no!” One plant taunted. Cilia on the plant looked like teeth as the mouth opened and closed.

Another head opened up and a voice was heard from the largest plant. “This valley is now of the tortured souls!”

“They speak?” Sylvia's body was shaking from all of this surprise.

A third one appeared. It wiggled as if it could be hyper. “We speak, we speak, we speak... ahahaha!” Came a screechy, high pitched voice from another plant.

“It is more likely to be an illusion by Silver.” Zell replied.

“I am the queen of Enigma passing through. Will you let us through?” Quara tried her peacemaking skills.

“Oh... a queen. Bow and let her pass.” The sarcastic plant made fun.

“No!” The largest plant hissed. “Silver rules!”

“Silver rules, Silver rules, Silver rules... ahahaha!” The screechy plant laughed.

“No!” Zell shouted in refusal to believe such a thing.

“All of you will now suffer!” The largest plant spoke.

“Suffer, suffer, suffer... ahahaha!” The screechy plant cackled uncontrollably.

“I think not!” Tessa lashed out against the plant with her weapons. She was shocked to see that the leafs, and parts of the plant immediately restored itself. Tessa, though, in her stubbornness continued to try.

“Weapons will do no good, no!” The sarcastic one warned.

The largest plant, that Tessa had been whacking away at, reached out, and wrapped a thorny stem all around her. It pulled her up, held her in the air, with a tighter, and tighter grasp. She was forced to drop her weapons as she struggled to breath. “You will suffer first!” It rang out an evil laugh.

“Tessa!” Nolen thought about going to help, but knew it would do no good. He had to stay beside the queen.

“Oh... a queen not sitting on her throne sipping tea in safety!” The sarcastic plant reached out for her. Nolen blocked it with his sword, and slashed its stem. The stem grew back within seconds. “You cannot take the queen!” He tried to protect her the best he could.

“Weapons will do no good, no!” The sarcastic swiftly grabbed Nolen with a long stem, and slung his weapon to the ground with another stem.

Then the plant moved in to capture the queen. Despite her best moves with her metal staff, she was grabbed up as well.

“No!” Zell shouted angrily. He was not sure what was going to happen to them now. They seemed unbeatable.

“Zell!” Sylvia called out. She clung to him with fear as she felt a plant grab at her.

“Why are you plants attacking us? This is absurd!” Zell fought one handed and kept his other arm around Sylvia to keep her from being dragged away.

“Silver, Silver, Silver... ahahaha!” The screechy plant answered with amusement.

“Of course... who else would give a voice to you with limited vocabulary!”Zell shouted, and struck at the plant with force.

The plant wrapped part of itself around the dagger, and flung it in the opposite direction.

“No weapon, no weapon, no weapon... ahahaha!” It laughed insanely in victory. Zell felt himself being lifted up by the plant. Sylvia was still holding onto him. “Amusing, amusing, amusing... ahahaha!” It grabbed Sylvia with another stem, and tugged her from Zell. She grunted from the strength of its death hold.

“I'm sorry, Sylvia!” Zell struggled, but the hold on him was just as tight.

“Idiot!” She shouted. “You did your best to fight these hideous things!” A few tears ran down her face.

“What do you plan on doing to us now?” Quara asked.

“We will torture you!” The largest plant said.

“Torture, torture, torture... ahahaha!” The screechy plant laughed and bobbed it's head side to side.

“Only this will be mental and emotional torture!” The largest plant answered. “We will make you see something painful from your past! Hopefully, a past that haunts you!”

“It is much better than killing you off quickly.” The sarcastic plant smiled. They were all then forced to remember their own specific painful memory.

Tessa felt as though someone reached inside her mind. The darkest parts of her thoughts were being dug out. Someone was unlocking memories that she had been sure were sealed off at the furthest part of her mind.

The setting around her changed. It was the village she had lived in as a young teenager. In her mind she saw a burning village as real as it had been then. This day she was being forced to relive was absolutely terrible. Thieves ransacked the village. They set it ablaze, stole what money could be found, and tortured others for their twisted pleasure. Houses of wood were on fire. Innocent people laid in the blood and tear stained streets. She was going to be forced to relive this? Tessa's mother had told her to hide.

“Do not come out until it is safe!” Tessa heard her say to her younger self. She did not want to to leave her mother, but there was no time to argue so she had jumped into a tall basket. She had shut the lid from the inside. She was shaking through tears as she heard the screams. Those screams that haunt her at night still. Tessa was feeling everything all over again. That day her mother had died along with many others.

“No!” She screamed like she had that day.

The basket her younger self had been hiding in had rolled out the door with other burning furniture. Thieves had searched all the houses and set them afire. In the basket she couldn't stop shaking or crying.

When her father had found her, she had expected him to be happy to see her well. She wanted to be comforted. She wanted her mother most of all. “Tessa!” He spoke harshly. “Your mother... you left her!”Not much of a response came from her. “You hid while your mother burned!”

“No, no, no...” She kept saying, and reaching to her father.

Angrily, he slapped her, and left her there. He had blamed her for her mother's death.

“Mother!!” Tessa screamed. She could barely stand reliving this. Again, she was falling apart emotionally. She had been abandoned. “Do not leave me!”

Her father took her with him to look for a new home in a different village. Nothing was the same though. She knew he hated her. He was so cold to her. She was determined to prove her worth. He would barely say much to her though, hardly looked at her. It hurt her more than either of them knew. She secretly found someone to train her over the years to become stronger. She would prove her worth, and regain her father's love. She became extremely good in wielding her pair of sci. One day she told her father about all her training, but he did not seem to care much. Soon after, she crossed paths with the Queen of Enigma. An event had been held for people to compete to become one of the queen's protectors, Tessa went for it, and had won. Queen Quara, had then, taken her in, and continued with her training. She had hid the hurt of her past, and became emotionless. Since then she channeled all her anger into her sci and all her focus into protecting her queen.

Nolen's past, as well had to do with his father. He felt someone pulling out his memories, and placing it in the center of his mental view. After his mother had abandoned her family, his father begun drinking, and beating him. He always called him a failure and blamed him. All he had ever wanted to do was please him. He had constantly asked why to his father. Why was he like this. Why could he not love him as a son? It hurt him so much. As a boy he often cried himself to sleep after his daily beating. When he grew older, however, he took it no more. It took so long for him to realize that his father had only blamed him cause he couldn't and wouldn't face reality of what happened. He had needed someone to blame. For now, he was forced to relive those beatings, and his father's careless words. As a young man Nolen had fought many men in a place set up for people to watch, bid and cheer. Finally, he had decided to duel the right way. He found himself in Enigma fighting fair duels. His skills had caught the queen's eye and she offered him to be one of her protectors.

Quara was being forced to remember how her sister always hounded her. In her mind, she saw her sister; tall, thin, beautiful, long dark hair much like her own except not as curly. She heard her words and scoffing. “You will never be a suitable queen!” She had always tried to ignore all her words, but it had been so hard. Because she had not chosen a suitor, her sister constantly threw hateful words at her. Maybe it had been because Quara was brave enough to rule without a husband. Maybe her sister had been mad that Enigma had accepted her wisdom without a king beside her. Her younger sister had always had a bad attitude towards her since they were teenagers. She had always acted as though she was jealous of her. She had always tried her best to ignore her sister's ways, but she could not. They had been so close at one time. Now it was almost like a fight for who would, or rather should rule which kingdom. Her sister had wanted Enigma, and the day Quara became queen, they became serious enemies. “With no husband, no king to rule, who will listen to you, and follow?” Her sister had crudely said. Even though she had put up with her sister's verbal abuse, it had stung her very deeply. “I will be a fit queen!” She cried out the doubts that her sister had passed to her with her words that had built up for years. “The people will respect me; king or no!”

Zell's past also had to do with family. He had been disowned. He could have been rich like his other family members... rich counting his money, and women like his other brothers. He could have lived an empty meaningless life along with them all, but he had no desire to. They all thought he was crazy. His mother wondered if she had actually given birth to this strange young man. He refused to go into their family business of engineering. He refused to waste his days barking orders, spending days in a mansion counting money alone. Well there were the women who would call for him, flirt, and secretly just want his money. It all felt empty and lonely to him. He felt sorry for his brothers, that they would believe that they could somehow buy love. It was painful to watch all of them live pathetic lives. He wanted to be different, not addicted to the love of money. He was forced out of the house... out of the family. It hurt so much to remember everything. He thought. He studied. He wondered what he should do. Later, in his job of studying rocks, gems, and of the like, he stumbled upon an eye catching green gem. He studied it, placed it on a chain, and wore it around his neck. One day he had somehow wished himself away from his world of feeling lost. He had come to Enigma to begin anew. As he lived there, dormant abilities had begun to awake inside. He was later called upon, and chosen by the queen to use his abilities by her side.

Sylvia struggled with her memories. They had happened not that long ago. The real pain however had started with her aunt. The blame, the beating, and being thrown out like a dog. It hurt so much. She cried as she saw the memories run through her mind like a film strip. A never ending clip of pain. She saw herself being beaten by her aunt again, the pain, the blood, the tears... no matter how she shuddered at it all or closed her eyes... it was still there. She felt everything again. Reliving it was the worst! It was causing her an emotional breakdown inside. In her mind, her aunt was there, slashing her with the whip, blaming her. The words tore at her all the more; “It was your fault your father ran off! My sister's body became ill after she gave birth to you!” Sylvia felt the tears all over again. “My fault... if I had not have been born...” The pain continued with going to the orphanage for two years. She remembered that blasted Mrs. Roberts who had a teacher beat her because she was caught having fun. Fun had not been permitted. Then for four years, after she had escaped that blasted prison of a place, she ran and hid from the town guards who had searched for her. She felt herself lose control of her breathing. “No... mother could not have died because of me... why?”It was a pain that she feared would never go away. In all her swirling emotions, and being forcefully caught in her past memories she felt a warmth. Something was burning in her hand. The sunfire rock! Sylvia was released from her memories, and opened her teary eyes. Is this why it is called a Sunfire rock? Bright, warm light glowed around the stone.

“Hot, hot, hot.... ah, ah, ah, ah!” The screechy plant wiggled and bobbed. It no longer laughed as the mystical Sunfire rock singed its green leaves, and thorny stemmed grasp. It, then released its painful hold on Zell and Sylvia. It burned to the ground screeching.

Sylvia laid on the ground where she had fallen. Her mind was spinning. Her emotions had been tampered with too much. She could not make all the thoughts, images, and pain go to the back of her head at the moment. She felt a shadow over her.

“Sylvia, are you okay?” Zell asked with a concerned voice. He was still a bit shaken as well, but not as much as Sylvia.

She fluttered her eyes open, and tried to come back to the present. She sat up, and held her hands to her head. She had not wanted anyone to see her crying, or evidence that she had cried so she looked away.

Zell understood she was not quite okay so he let it be for now. “The rock!” He realized what had freed them. “Sylvia, let me have the rock to free the others so we can get out of here!” She handed it to him with her face hidden. He hastily went to others and used the Sunfire rock to burn the plants into nothing. The sarcastic plant thought it was just another weapon and called out. “Weapons will do no good, Ahhhh!” It ended its last sentence with a scream as the Sunfire rock caused it to catch on fire. Nolen fell to the ground trying to get his thoughts straight. Zell had not given the sarcastic plant time to say anything. Quara was released, and still stunned. Zell, then confronted the largest plant.

“A Sunfire rock?” It gasped. “Silver did not mention this!”

Zell said nothing as he touched the plant with the mystical rock. It glowed bright like the sun, and released heat from its core to the plant that was now burning into nothing. Tessa fell, but Zell steadied her. Her eyes were still pouring out tears. She felt embarrassed, and tried desperately to hide it. She pushed Zell away, and slid to the ground. Quara and Nolen finally stood, and were surprised to see the “emotionless” Tessa crying.

“Tessa-” Quara tried to comfort her.

“No!” Tessa slapped her hand away. “No!” She screamed again with tears covering her face.

Quara knew how Tessa was so she threw her arms around her because she knew she would never reach out to anyone for anything. Tessa did submit to the hug, and returned it. Quara had heard Tessa's screams over her own struggles, but could not come out of it to help. “I did not know you had had such a rough life before I met you. We must get out of here. Are you going to be all right?” With her hand, Quara brushed Tessa's brown pony tail, like she would a child.

Tessa pulled away, her face now dry, her eyes again cold and distant, and her painful past hidden again. “We must continue this quest.” She stood with her back turned away and arms crossed. Forever stubborn.

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