Darkness Within Light

In a meadow, a young girl was laying among the flowers. Varying shades of pastel blossomed in the plant's petals, with its stem swaying in beat with the wind. Birds glided across the grand expanse of the sky, air pressure sliding off their wings. Small critters began stocking food for the winter at the bequest of the first fallen leaf.

(Yet, in the midst of all of nature's beauty, a black star stained the ground. Blemishing what should have been unblemisable. Tainting the untaintable. Corrupting... the incorruptible.)

The young girl lay among the flower beds fast asleep. Despite her frighting intelligence at times, she was still a young child.

(But at the same time, she wasn't. Not really.

She just didn't know it yet.)

A woman entered the clearing and the magic dissipated. She called out in a loud voice.

"Ojou-sama? It is time for supper!"

The young lady woke up with a start, before letting out a yawn. The bandanna on her forehead slipped slightly sending the maid into a panic.

"Ojou-sama! Y-Your bandanna!"

The young girl sighed, before retying the accursed thing more tightly across her forehead.

"Is this good enough, Charlie?"

"My name is Charlotte, ojou-sama." Charlie said with poorly disguised irritation.

The young girl let out a bright and clear laugh, pleasing to the ears.

"I'm just messing with you, Charlie. You should thank me, Charlotte is a mouthful anyw-"

The girl ducked just in time to avoid a fist to the head. Her face quickly went a shade whiter knowing she had made Charlie a little too angry this time. She quickly scrambled up onto her feet before making a run for it.

"You little brat! Today is the day when I teach you some proper manners!"

The girl, in a display of upmost maturity, retaliated with a stuck out tongue. Steam shot out of the maid's ears, her face glowing with an alarming shade of red. Her speed doubled instantaneously, placing her hands securely on the young girl's shoulders.

"Amelia, do you have anything to say from yourself?"

The girl, now known as Amelia, chuckled sheepishly.

"Sorry, Charlotte. I know that you hate that nickname. I shouldn't have stuck out my tongue either."

The maid's features softened, a smile gracing her face. She looked years younger.

"Well then, shall we have dinner now?"

A look of childish glee lit up Amelia's face.

"Will Father be there?"

The magic was gone, and Charlotte looked even older than before. She wistfully looked up at the sky, her green speckled eyes shading over into dark grayish green. She missed the late mistress almost as much as the baron did.

"Sorry, Amelia. But your father's going through a rough time right now. He needs a little time alone to sort out his feelings."

A frightening look of understanding surfaced on the 10 year old's face. Unlike other children, she understood what death was, and understood why it made her father so sad. The only reason Amelia wasn't wallowing in misery right now were her mother's last words. Blaire had wanted her child to remember the loving times they had together, and not have that be tainted by death. She wanted her to live her life to the best of her ability, while remembering her mother with a happy smile.

Amelia followed it to the letter. She tried her best with everything she did, whether it be the etiquette that she detested, or doing exercises with the knights. She loved learning new things the most. Usually, her jam packed schedule prevented her from having the time to feel the bone-deep anguish. Sometimes though... she couldn't help feeling heartache. She'd let out a mini waterfall of tears, before falling asleep. Then she'd wake up.

Amelia sent Charlotte an understanding bitter smile, with a touch of sadness. Her father had taken the loss of her mother much worse than she had. He had been holed up in his office for months now. Amelia had attempted to talk to him, but the maddened cries and the tell tale pitter patter of tears kept her away. Recently, he seemed to be doing better. There wasn't any audible screaming or crying. That was why she thought that... Maybe he might the father she remembered and loved. But if he wasn't eating dinner with her again, then it was still pretty bad.

The worst thing was that she had no idea how to make him feel better without making him sadder when he saw her.

She looked exactly like her mother. Shimmering bright yellow hair, long and blinding. Eyes of sapphire with little sprinkles of aquamarine, shaped like a ripe almond.

It hurt to look in the mirror.

She never liked to look in the mirror in the first place though. Her defect made sure of that. Normal babies weren't born with a third eye, after all. The only reason she was still alive was because her mother protected her as a baby, and the fact that it was a home birth with little to no witnesses.

Her father, Nickolas, and Charlie were the only ones alive who knew her secret now. Her mother and Granny Rhea had both passed away.

"Ojuo-sama, are you coming?"

Her little legs broke out into a run, quickly catching up with Charlie. She couldn't brood away the entire day, and it was time for supper! Malinda always made the most delicious food ever, so that was a plus.

Suddenly, chills ran up her spine. Amelia swung her face around so fast that it was surprising she didn't get whiplash, but there was nothing there to see. But the chills didn't disappear, they got stronger.

"Amelia?! Are you alright?"

She tried to respond, only to crash to the ground. She felt so sick, and bile was rising in her throat. Her entire world was filled with pure disgust. Suddenly, the majority of the nausea dissipated.

She could only blink her eyes slowly, still feeling off from the abrupt change.

"Amelia! Talk to me, Amelia!!!"

A few seconds later, when her body felt somewhat like hers again, she responded.

"...I-I'm okay.. Sorry for worrying you."

Charlotte looked at her worriedly, and they only continued walking when Charlotte made sure that she was absolutely fine. It didn't stop her from sending worried glances out of the corner of her eye. It was somewhat annoying to the mature girl.

Then again, she was worried about herself. Why had she felt so nauseated all of a sudden? She had a sinking feeling in her gut that she would find out soon. And that the finding out part wouldn't be pleasant.

Moments later after sliding open the door, Aria could only formulate a single thought within the all encompassing terror. Her body stood frozen in place.

'I hate being right.'