Stolen Voices ✓

July 2nd

"You cannot save people, you can only love them."

- Anais Nin

July 2nd:

He gazes at the lustrous mansion, a bag stuffed with heavy library books slung over his shoulders. There is a pond in the corner decorated with lily pads and overgrown weeds.

It seems glum, the sky dark looming clouds, the one sliver of light dim. Sucking in a listless breath, the air seems thick with tension, almost strangling.

He knocks on the large french doors cautiously, his knuckles faltering. Anxiety is building in his chest, afraid Mara will shut him out again, push him away for good. He just wants to know why she ran away, hoping she will be here.

He is holding on by straws, clenching his taught fists at his sides. The large door swings open, revealing a woman with sad brown eyes that study him intently. Her dark hair is loose around her shoulders, a frown on her red-painted lips as she stares towards him. Her outfit is pressed, business-like, she doesn't seem real.

"Uh- hi, I'm Elias," he stumbles over his words, picking at the skin around his nails. The woman tilts her head to the side, her eyebrow raised as her hand rests on the door. She looks ready to shut him out, stepping forward slightly.

"I'm here to see Mara," he says quickly, nodding his head. The girl raises her manicured eyebrows, a small laugh escaping her lips. It is out of amusement. She shakes her head, opening the door enough so Elias can step through with a sad frown.

The first thing to catch his eyes is the large chandelier hanging above the grand staircase. His shoes squeak against the marble tiles, speckled with golden flecks. He stares at the place that feels bitter, almost too clean. It doesn't feel like a home, more so like a museum, on display. It is a front, hiding the evil in the shadows obscured by locked away doors.

This place holds many secrets, Elias can feel the strain. A shiver runs through his spine as he turns back towards the woman with brown hair. She observes him, her eyes raking over where he shuffles side to side; uneasy on his feet.

"My sister is upstairs, locked away in her room. I doubt she'll let you in, but you can try." She points upwards the staircase, towards the room Elias has only been in once. He nods, holding onto his backpack tighter to his back.

It is stuffed with books he hoped she'd like, his own peace offering. He spent the week trying to figure out what he did wrong, drawing a blank. Mara is so closed off that he knows not much about her, past the little quirks in her character. Maybe if he had known more, he could have prevented losing her.

"You seem nice," the woman says in a steady tone, catching his attention. His foot is on the first stair, his hands gripping the banister, ready to climb. He looks over his shoulder at her, watching as she stares at him keenly.

"Thanks?" He scowls.

"Don't let her ruin you," the woman shakes her head almost pityingly, escorting away. Elias just stares as she disappears behind one of many winding hallways. He is speechless, his mouth opening and closing like a fish.

She is already destroying him. Maybe he's already destroyed.

Turning back around, he hikes up the staircase with no interruptions. Each of his steps are deliberately slow as if he is giving himself a chance to turn around. Part of him wants to twist around and walk back home. To hold onto the idea that maybe she will come back, that she isn't gone for good. If she rejects him here, Elias realizes it will be the end.