Shadow Slave

Cassie opened her eyes in the darkness.

For a few moments, she was disoriented by the onslaught of colors and sensations.

She was looking at the bright blue sky and the sea of white clouds rolling beneath the Ivory Tower. Sunlight was caressing her skin, and gentle winds were singing into her ears.

She was enveloped in heat, red sparks flying from a crucible where molten steel was shining with an incandescent glow. A tired voice was chanting something in an ancient language, the alien words drowning in the clamor of the forge.

She was locked in a small office, reading a document. The paper was cold to the touch, and smelled of fresh ink. Her vision was blurry from the lack of sleep, and her heart was heavy. The contents of the document were grave...

There were other places, other people. It took her some time to find herself among the strangers.

Cassie's was the only world that had no colors, and no shapes. It was dark, empty, and silent.

She could feel the soft fabric of her pajamas touching her skin, and the warmth of her bed. The smell was all wrong, though. Wrong, but nice and familiar.

'...Where am I?'

She frowned, and then remembered. These were not her chambers in the Ivory Tower. She had returned to the waking world, and was now in her room.

She was home...

Cassie allowed the perspectives of various people marked by her Ability to fade into the background, and concentrated on her own.

She rose from the bed and went to the bathroom to take a shower. The layout of her room was orderly and familiar, and she was careful to keep everything in its proper place. That was why she could orient herself without problem here, not needing any help. This darkness was safe.

It had not always been that way, however. For the first few weeks after receiving her Flaw, Cassie had been a walking collection of bruises.

...And then, the solstice was upon her.

After a short, but pleasant shower - way better than anything they had been able to arrange in the Ivory Tower - she walked over to her wardrobe and got dressed. Her clothes were organized according to a strict system, with a tactile script tag added to each hanger to label colors, so Cassie could find anything she wanted quickly.

Finally ready, she left her room and headed downstairs.

Outside of her own space, she felt less confident. Her parents tried to be mindful of her Flaw, but it was still something unfamiliar to them. In the years after becoming blind, Cassie spent most of her time someplace else, after all. How could they have grown accustomed to it?

of furniture moved, or a random item left carelessly in the way. But the mere possibility of stumbling into something or falling

She hated that feeling.

beyond being bruised by a mundane accident, but today was a

mediums out there, her essence was in a state of delicate equilibrium. She had to be mindful not to spend more than she could

a little

Immediately, the world changed.

standing near the stairs, but she was also cautiously descending them. One

to the first step, but she was also

the fourth step, but she was

was also hanging by her side. She did not smell anything in particular, but she could also feel the scent of

her shin slammed into something hard, followed by the sound of a glass vase shattering as

nothing there

unfamiliar stand, and leaned forward a little to

the same time, there was the sound of an opening door, and her mother's scent became

to the

and her mother walked inside from the

My baby is

her mom's. Immediately, the full room came into view, including an unfamiliar wooden

...She saw herself, too.

see her own face, but not that of her

She frowned a little.

'My skirt is wrinkled...'

believe it, my lovely daughter

like she was twenty... she felt like she was

she could say anything, her mom

forget about her poor, old parents. Would it kill you to visit more often? All, what am I saying? Visit, what visit? This is

Cassie's smile widened.

"I know."

mean, no one is coming to the party? I get it that Lady Nephis might be busy, but what about the others? That young man, Sunny, the one you always mention?

silent

"...He's busy, too."

I'd give these so-called friends a piece of my mind... missing a birthday

She couldn't help but cling to her a little longer than she

exactly how many more birthdays they