See the Light Chapter 2 Song for the Souls Part 7

"You’re the girl who played," she said, her voice smooth and controlled.

I blinked, surprised. "Oh, well, news spreads fast around here."

She nodded, a smile curving her lips. "It’s amazing."

"Why would it be amazing?" I asked, feeling a ripple of unease. "I just know a few songs."

"You don’t know?" she asked, her gaze narrowing slightly.

"Know what?" My discomfort grew, and I shifted on my feet.

She waved a hand dismissively. "Never mind."

There was a moment of silence, thick with unspoken words, before she asked, "Where do you want to go?"

I hesitated, choosing my words carefully. "I need to go somewhere safe. I need time to think. And I need to learn a lot more about this world."

Her lips quirked up in a knowing smile. "This world?"

I froze, realizing I’d said too much. "Well, I—"

Her smile widened, as if she enjoyed watching me squirm. "The king must be happy."

"The king?" I repeated, my voice almost a whisper. "I don’t want to go to the king."

Her eyes darkened with curiosity. "You don’t?"

"No," I replied firmly, but my voice wavered. "I don’t."

"Why not?" she pressed.

"I… I don’t know," I muttered, frustration and fear battling inside me. "I don’t know this place it’s customs or politics. I just need a few days to think, to understand…"

She studied me for a long moment before she spoke again, her tone softening. "I will tell you everything you want. But you have to promise me something."

I looked at her warily. "What’s that?"

"Promise you won’t run," she said, her voice low and serious. "Or do anything dangerous or stupid."

Her request caught me off guard. She didn’t seem like the type who needed friends, and her offer was confusing. Her beautiful eyes locked onto mine, and I couldn’t look away. Either she had plans with me or for some other unknown reason she was afraid of loosing me or getting me harmed but why?

"Do you agree to my terms?" she asked, her gaze searching mine for any sign of deceit.

I hesitated, trying to read her intentions. But her eyes gave nothing away, only a calm certainty that unnerved me. "Why would you do this for a stranger? Is it because I’m…?"

I didn’t finish the question, but she seemed to understand. "Yes, you are different," she confirmed. "You look like us but you are not the same, powerless but with great strength." Now I was completely lost.

"I’m valuable to you, then?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper trying to make sense of it all.

Her expression didn’t change. "You are valuable."

"How do I know you won’t sell me to the king?" I asked, needing some reassurance.

She smiled again, a soft, almost sad smile. "Because I do not sell people."

In that instant, I believed her. The sincerity in her voice, the way she looked at me—everything about her seemed genuine. But this place… this world was crazy. And I didn’t understand a thing about it so how do I know who to trust?

The woman’s promise to not sell me off offered a fragile sense of relief, but it did little to ease the tangled mess of fear and confusion in my chest. For a moment, I let myself hope that maybe—just maybe—I had found someone who could help me navigate this strange, terrifying world.

As we stood by the small harbor, the scent of saltwater filled the air, mingling with the faint aroma of fish. The water lapped gently against the wooden docks, reflecting the pale light of the moon. Boats bobbed quietly in the distance, their silhouettes dancing in the dim light. It was quiet here, a stark contrast to the chaos I had endured since waking up in this place. The breeze was cool, a welcome change from the oppressive heat of the day.

"What are you thinking?" she asked, her voice soft but laced with curiosity. She leaned casually against a weathered post, watching me closely, as if assessing whether I was about to bolt.

I shrugged, trying to play it off, but my shoulders felt heavy with exhaustion. "Like I’ve been through hell," I admitted, my voice tinged with a dry humor that surprised even me. "But I guess you could say I’m still standing, so there’s that."

Her eyes didn’t soften with understanding but she nodded, as if she had seen countless others in my position before. "It’s not easy in these parts, being thrown into our world with no warning and landing here is pure bad luck." Her voice was not at all cold but still lacking something and as she continued speaking I finally got it. There was no emotion in the way she spoke. None. "The first day was the hardest." I replied.

"First day?" She said confused. I echoed, a bitter laugh escaping my lips. "Feels like a lifetime. I’ve been captured, tossed into some sort of prison, and then paraded around like I’m some kind of novelty. And now… now I’m here, with you, not sure if I should trust anyone."

She tilted her head, considering my words. Like she was trying to understand what I was saying, her expression was something that I would compare to a person trying to solve a puzzle. "It’s a lot to take in, I know it could have been much worse... And it’s… okay I guess I’m just overwhelmed." I try not to sound like I feel, totally terrified.

"But you’re stronger than you think. You played your songs tonight like you were channeling everything. You have strength. You have to have, it’s been for seen." Still not a single emotion in her words I was getting more and more confused.

I looked down at my hands, the memory of the guitar still fresh in my mind. The music had been my lifeline, a way to anchor myself in a world that felt like it was constantly shifting beneath my feet. "Playing… it helps. It’s like the one thing that still feels like me, even when everything else is a blur."

She looked at me, her gaze thoughtful. “What do you mean when you say it felt like you?" This question got me by surprise "We all need something to hold on to. Something that reminds us of who we are, even when everything else is falling apart." I answered but no response came, just a thoughtful look.

I sighed, a heavy breath that seemed to carry all the weight of the day with it. "I’m just trying to figure out how to keep moving forward. Every time I think I’m starting to understand something, it’s like the ground shifts again. And then there’s… everything else."

The unspoken words hung in the air around me, the trauma of captivity, of being stripped of my identity and thrown into this nightmare. But I couldn’t bring myself to say it out loud, not yet.

She seemed to not sense the heaviness in my silence, her expression softening with a hint of clarity. "You don’t have to worry about food we have plenty. And with the information that you need we will take it one step at a time. And if you need to ask anything … I’m here."

Nope no emotion at all, pleasant, hospitable, but absolutely no understanding of how I feel and, well anything that was to do with feelings. So strange, like I was just not understood, definitely not ignored, the problem was somewhere else.

I met her gaze, searching for any sign of insincerity, but all I saw was genuine. It was a strange feeling, I so much wanted to have someone care, especially after everything I had been through but it seemed she just didn’t know how.

"I appreciate that," I said, my voice quieter now, the humor fading as the weight of the day pressed down on me again. Still hoping for some emotional support I whispered "It’s just… hard to trust. After everything."

"I understand," she replied gently. But I knew she didn’t. "Trust doesn’t come easy in a place like this. But for what it’s worth, you’re not alone anymore. You have us to guide you at least for now."

I nodded, the knot in my chest loosening just a little knowing I won’t be alone. "For now," I repeated, a small smile tugging at my lips. "I suppose that’s better than nothing."

We stood in silence for a moment, the sound of the harbor filling the space between us. For the first time since I had woken up in this strange world, I allowed myself to feel a glimmer of hope, fragile as it was.

"So," she said, breaking the silence, "where do we go from here?"

I looked out at the water, the moonlight casting a silver path across its surface. "I don’t know," I admitted. "But I guess I’ll figure it out. One step at a time, right?"

"One step at a time," she agreed, her smile warm. "And for now, that’s enough."