~Ioana~
I didn't want to see him. I stood opposite him, my arms crossed over my chest, staring at him.Ramon.The one who rejected me but is now back to plead.Just the two of us.Every other thing faded away—the people, the chatters, the buzzes. Everything. Leaving just him and I.And the deafening silence that grew each second that passed."My Queen…" he repeated. It was just two words, but it carried so much… sadness and relief at the same time. I pursed my lips."Ramon," I called his name as my answer. He snuck a glance around, then they snapped back to mine a second after like iron on magnets. The ruffles around my sleeves hid my nervousness.People were staring at us as they passed. I guess we were too copious—a male and female wolf, standing, staring at each other. Maybe he felt it too because he shuffled on his feet, his fingers buried themselves into his brown strands—something he al~Ioana~ "It's filled with magnificent buildings, towering architecture, the floorings of buildings here and sculpture made of marble, housed by tall gates and covered by domes, lots of greenery— from the royal gardens which covers a wide expanse of land, to the nobles which honestly follow after the royals— peacocks, fountains, etc. The roads are made of cobblestones and are kept clean by sweepers who take shifts. I nodded to show I was following. What he described was what I was aware of, after all, that's what I saw every day. Seeing me nod, he followed it up. "After this, we have another layer." He cocked his head to the side. "Think of it like a…" he scratched the underside of his chin, "like a…" His eyes lit up, he snapped his fingers. "Like an onion!" "An onion, really?" I shot him the what-the—look. To which he shrugged. "A three-layered onion." "Can't you u
~Ioana~"Am I going to be naked?" I blurted out the most off question.And truthfully, to me, it was the most important.The cheerfulness in the air froze.Then cracked."If you don't want your clothes to be torn to smithereens, then yes?" he nodded as a matter of fact.I rapidly shook my head. "Then I'm afraid I can't do it!" I glared at him—"Pervert! Why didn't you tell me!"—resisting the urge to throw something at his smug face."Don't worry, I won't take a peek if that's what you're worried about.""Of course it is, but if you can't look, what if something goes wrong?" I wondered."Then we should pray nothing goes wrong then," he dropped those words, whistling."Ahh!" I groaned. "Can't you just comfort someone naturally? I really want to kill you right now—figuratively speaking—yes, I do."The owls bore witness to my gradual spiral into madness, probably bingeing on the rare episode they'll experience in a while.Once I was done, I breathed out.My mini breakdown was accompanied b
~Ioana~"Okay, okay," he wheezed, coming to a halt."It's your other personality—that is, if you have one. It could be a personality that was birthed from negativity. It sprouts and one day takes over your body.If that was it, you'll be forever locked in your own body while the personality takes over everything.Your friends. Your family. Your love. Your dreams. Your life."Each of those words hit me like a sledgehammer, shattering every resistance."You can understand my distress. I didn't know which of the two you were facing. As far as I know, you could be lost forever.""But isn't it possible to come back?" I asked, my voice light as the wind."I don't know—maybe." He shrugged. "But isn't it better, as they say, prevention is better than cure? Even if you manage to come back—after how long? Can you still cope? What if the personality now has new friends, family, now a criminal? Years might have passed."
~Ioana~ Fight… Dominate… Yourself! I'm fighting myself. To control, to fight, to dominate, wasn’t that the Queen's job? I pressed my palms against the floor, Wasn’t that all I’ve been learning? I pushed myself up. Why do I need saving from someone else? An important thought flickered then died. All my life I've been grumbling about everything. I took a step. About my fate. Step. The bullying. Another step. But now everything is different. I'm the Queen, aren't I? Not a damsel in distress. I chuckled softly. And I… well, don’t need any knight to save me. I shut my eyes. Silence. Just then. My eyes snapped open. A moment of eureka! The clues I couldn’t see before came together like jigsaw puzzle pieces, fitting perfectly. It was still the same place. The same strange space. But something hummed to life. I won’t be controlled any longer. By anyone. I will. Fight. Control. Dominate. I placed my palm on the wall and pushed. It resisted. Firm
~Ioana~Here I was, outside. Chilly breeze brushed against my exposed hands, I curled them into fists for protection.My muscles were tensed, pulled taut. I cursed under my breath. I was doomed. My claws hid away, no matter how many times I willed it—Nothing.Rustle.It came again, this time louder. I jerked backwards, the space was illuminated by the moon, a greenish tint tainting the corners of my vision.And then—I saw it.The moment I did...I chuckled."Are you alright, Queen? You looked panicked. You dashed so swiftly I couldn't reach you."I cleared my throat. "I told you my mind, Ramon," discreetly wiping my clammy palms dry."If it’s nothing else, then this should be it," jutting my chin out, I spun, walking away from him."That's not the way to the palace, Queen."I froze, shame washing over me. "Well, I know," I stuttered. "I suddenly want to see
~Ioana~I didn't want to see him. I stood opposite him, my arms crossed over my chest, staring at him.Ramon.The one who rejected me but is now back to plead.Just the two of us.Every other thing faded away—the people, the chatters, the buzzes. Everything. Leaving just him and I.And the deafening silence that grew each second that passed."My Queen…" he repeated. It was just two words, but it carried so much… sadness and relief at the same time. I pursed my lips."Ramon," I called his name as my answer. He snuck a glance around, then they snapped back to mine a second after like iron on magnets. The ruffles around my sleeves hid my nervousness. People were staring at us as they passed. I guess we were too copious—a male and female wolf, standing, staring at each other. Maybe he felt it too because he shuffled on his feet, his fingers buried themselves into his brown strands—something he al