Whispers From Below

Chapter 3

The weekend passed in a flash and it was Monday. Getting up early was a massive struggle.

I briskly helped with breakfast and cleaning the coops, before leaving I took my own toast and rushed off to the school house.

The cobblestone was wet with dew, the morning fog just starting to clear with sun rise. Walking past the bakery I debated on getting something but thought against it, I could not be in there everyday people would catch on.

The village stray cat came out from behind the building strutting up to me to rub against my legs then followed close by walking to school with me. Whenever he'd see me he would do this. After sharing a ton of snacks with him one day he just kept finding me and following me. I wanted to take him home so badly but the Nuns or Priest would never allow it. They would think he was evil with his bright glowing gold eyes that stood out of his slicked glossy black fur.

Arriving at school my stomach was always in knots, it is not that I hated it.

It mostly just bored me from being too easy.

My classmates are what I did not like, they teased me about my eye being covered and my hair being the color of snow.

They would say I was a BlagRaven, an ugly witch that lived in Thorngrave that ate mordls.

I never saw myself as pretty, but these kids always made me feel ugly and worthless.

I got into class and sat on my old wooden desk in the middle of the room and kept to myself for the day. It went by fast and uneventfully. After class I did my chores, homework, blessed lessons and read to the kids.

The next day after lunch at school we got back to the classroom. My desk was surrounded by giggling girls and I saw something on it. Walking up to it and looking down at a carving someone had done.

They had carved me looking like a BlagRaven, all lengthy and boney, long stringy hair, massive claws and in them was a head. Above the carving it just said 'Blagden Bitch', feeling my lip quivering and tears dripping down my face.

Before I could react, one boy cut a lock of my hair, "I'll send this out to the King of Blagden so he can come and get you!"

They all giggled, as they did I punched the boy straight in his face. His nose immediately gushed blood over his lips and onto his shirt. I ran out the room crying, knuckles throbbing. The teacher called after me and kids laughing turned to silence as they cared for the boy.

Continuing to run until I got right to the outskirts of the forest. Finding a tree where its roots were uplifted enough I could crawl under. Hugging my knees and sobbing into them for what felt like an eternity.

Feeling a rub against my arm and looking to see the black cat. I smiled at him and started petting under his chin, he crawled into my lap, purring and my problems seemed to have melted away.

We sat there for a while till the sun started to set, making it feel like a good time to get back home and prepare for the trouble I would be in with everyone from punching the boy.

Opening the front door, Rayna immediately came to me and hugged me tightly, she quickly took me away and up to her room and talked about what happened before anyone knew I was back.

"I hate going to school, I do not want to go back, can I just get homeschooled here like everyone else."

She shook her head "I'm sorry sweetie, but we just can't do that at your age, you need to go into school." I sighed heavily at her response.

"Things get better when you are older, trust me. You are a beautiful young lady, I bet you'll even be able to marry a prince."

That made me smile and giggle "no I doubt that, plus I would not want a prince that just seems boring."

"Boring? You could go to balls and dances every night, plays and concerts. You could do absolutely anything you wanted to do." I gave her a sideways smile contemplating it "yeah I guess so."

Playing with the cut piece of hair, she took my hand away. "They are just jealous of you, boys will also just be so mean at your age when they really like you."

Giving her a disgusted face, "if boys treat me like this I will never be married." She giggled.

The door burst open Sister Nan was there with Sister Beth, their faces red and fueled with rage. My heart started slamming against my chest, Rayna held me "she's a child, and she is hurt. Anyone would have done what she did."

Nan came to me and grabbed my arm, yanking me from Rayna, "Please Sister, don't do this to her." I did not know what was going to happen, but with Rayna's pleas they made me panic more.

Silently they dragged me away, trembling in fear. Bringing me down to the nave, with the priest on the front stage at the podium.

"You child have gotten too many passes, you are older now and need to understand punishment. Harming a defenseless boy is absolutely unbecoming and disgusting."

They were making him to be the full victim, Like I did it with no reason, "he cut my hair! They carved my desk and made fun of me!"

His hand came up to silence me, "yet he did not harm you physically, no one did. You have been told time and time again to ignore others."

The sisters held my arms tightly forcing me to walk forward, "this is not fair! I did nothing wrong!"

Getting to the back of the room with him, they slammed my hands on the table. The priest took out a long reed that had symbols carved all over, Nan and Beth held my arms tightly in place as I tried to wiggle free. The priest raised the reed and started to snap it across my already bruising knuckles and backs of my hands.

Screaming and pleading "please stop! please!"

"You must learn child, that you have to prove yourself to this world, you are a child from the underworld." I was not. I knew I was not. It is just something he would always tell me as an excuse to punish me.

He ripped off the cloth covering my left eye then gripped my face, forcing me to look up at him. My right iris was as bright and blue as the summer sky, the left one was golden as if someone shoved a piece of sulfur in my head. It made him believe I was evil. Since the smell of Sulfur ment traces of essentia were being used and demons were around.

Instead of the reed he took out a small knife and slashed it over my eye a few times. My tears mixed with the blood tinting my vision copper.

Once done he then tied the cloth back on. "An eye for an eye." He said sternly then waved for the nuns to take me.

They lifted me from my knees, brought me to the middle of the room and dunked me into the cleansing waters. Forcing my head under, holding it down as I thrashed, punched and scratched at their arms, though my hands were way too sore to even fight back for very long.

No longer being able to hold my breath anymore I started to black out, waiting for them to yank me out but they did not they let me fall into unconsciousness.

Waking up soaked and coughing up water in bed. Sobbing loud, my hands red and covered in bruised black lined welts, some of the skin had broken away making them bleed. My knuckles were so swollen I could not even bend them. \

Sitting up to get myself into the bathroom, I looked at my face, three deep cuts two making an x and one down the center of my eye. Dried and fresh blood ran down the side of my face. A vessel in my eye popped making the white of it deep red.

Getting myself together, drying off and cleaning up then tried to leave my room, but the door was locked. Only a pitcher of water on a side table, they were forcing me to stay in.

Which I did for three days, locked into my room in silence with no food or bandages.