I’m Marwood. I was a fledgling at the House of Night, with a hollow sapphire crescent moon on my forehead like everyone else my age had. I was Marked two years ago while I was strolling in the park near a lake. I remember a male Tracker pointing at me, and I fell into the water. I also remember waking up with a couple strangers hovering over me, and then backing off once the water in my long, tangled brown hair dried off. Once my parents found out, they were flustered, but not angry or disgusted. They didn’t mind my sudden situation; they just didn’t know when to take me to the nearest House of Night before something bad would happen. After several hours deep into the night, I began coughing and heaving. My coughs wracked my body, and my parents couldn’t wait till the next morning.
They rushed me to the school at about after midnight. We saw vampyres there, ones with full Marks on their heads that were pretty and blue. One tall female vampyre with golden locks and hazel irises introduced herself to us, saying she was a High Priestess, and said I would be staying there for the next four years until I Changed.
She pointed to her Mark saying so, smiling warmly.
During the next couple days, my parents were helping me move my things into my dorm, which already contained an occupant. She was Asian and had thick black hair and ocean blue eyes. She was kind enough to help. She was taken aback when she saw my acoustic and bass guitars, like she never saw such things.
“You’re a musician?”
I told her I wasn’t very great, that I only started playing some years back. She grinned and told me she would love to hear me play one day when I’m not too embarrassed.
During the months, I would take my classes like every other student did. I grew to love my music class, and personally… archery. It was difficult to handle at first, but after many tries I was getting closer to the bull’s-eye. My roommate would cheer me on.
During breaks and weekends, I would always wonder outside, my guitar in hand, and endure the moon’s silvery-blue aura and night air. I would always sit beneath this one particular tree that was always lush and thick with leaves. They were shaped like green stars, and they were especially marvelous in the colorful autumn months. My roommate sometimes sat with me. She got the chance to hear me play. She told me I played so beautifully she could almost see the sound. I remember feeling my cheeks flush, and her giggling.
After passing my first year, I felt accomplished and extremely happy. During the summer, I discovered I had an affinity for music and sound vibration. As I practiced with it, I could make the sound visible, almost tangible, in my hands. I could make music literally flow through tree limbs and around corners of buildings with the courses of the wind. I could make it twirl in my hair and through hers. That was the first time she gazed into my green eyes and kissed me.
It was almost the end of my second year at the school, and that Saturday night my parents visited me. Once they were gone, I was feeling awfully tired. My roommate was sitting on the bed picking at my bass, not playing anything coherent, though. I noticed she was taking a liking to it, and I felt she might actually try her hand at it sooner or later. I decided to take a shower before I crashed. When I locked bathroom the door, I felt a wave of nausea come over me. I assumed it was caused by my skipping lunch. Fully undressed, I stepped into the porcelain shower. The water was hot and steaming. My body felt cold to the touch, and still somewhat chilled beneath the cleansing shower. I rubbed my hands over my face. I pulled them back and saw blood. I touched my face again, and there was blood dripping out of my nose. I coughed—that same wracking cough from months and months before—and red splattered the wall. My sight was turning red, rimming with shadows. I couldn’t hear myself call for her. I couldn’t remember falling to the ground, only suddenly lying on my back, heaving, with blood pooling under me. I heard her beating in the door. I heard screaming for me. I heard her crying.
I’ve been dead for a very long time. All I see now are beautiful forests, and trees and flowers of many colors. There are endless oceans and glittering lakes filled with fish of all sizes whose scales shimmer when they touch the surface. The air is golden, and the sky is pink and purple and orange like an eternal sunset. I met Nyx, and she’s so sweet and so beautiful. She enjoys the music I make very much, and she loves the magick that fills the air like wisps of sparkling blue. I miss my parents very much. I miss the girl who kissed me. I don’t know where they are now. I know, though, that whenever I’m happy, they feel my happiness.
And I pray one day I’ll see her again.
Driver - RelayI sobbed at my own work.
