The heart's voice (Chapter 7)

Flo stretched her arms and legs, her bones clicked but it felt good. She opened her eyes, smiling for the first time while waking up. She hadn’t had such a good sleep since forever. Her body would normally be cold by the time she’d wake up on the icy floor of her tiny room. There wouldn’t be anything to warm her up but here, she felt like she was in heaven. The warm surface beneath her vibrated, massaging her muscles all over. Orange light filled the room like sunlight. It even had the shades of the sun. Flo could picture her last sunset on Earth perfectly. She saw a big ball of mustard yellow, outlined by dark orange and then spreading off into a variety of different shades, filling the sky.

Flo’s outstretched arm suddenly hit the person sleeping beside her who wriggled and opened her eyes instantly. Anne’s eyes searched the entire room for any electric sparks before letting go of her breath and easing her muscles.

“Hey…” Flo greeted. Anne looked at her in an odd way, wrinkles forming on her forehead.

“You’re alive… and okay?”

“Sure am. I think I slept through the entire night. WE slept through the entire night. Hope you didn’t have any nightmares. And why would you? After all we were sleeping like angels in this heavenly place.” Flo was careful not to mention the unhappy encounter with Keegan. It was best that Anne thought it was a dream.

“What happened to the voice?” she asked, hesitantly.

“What voice?” Flo answered coolly. She figured it was better to lie to someone when you were in a state of relaxation and calm.

“…Nothing. Just forget about it. I think I dreamt it.” Anne smiled shyly and sat up straight, yawning. Flo sat up slowly, loving the feel of her hair gently brushing the back of her shirt. Anne stared at her, mystified for a long second. Flo was no longer wet, nor were her clothes and her skin was glowing. It was so radiant inside the already shimmering room. Anne’s jaw dropped open and Flo frowned at her, moving her head sideways. Her open hair swung to one side in grace.

“What? Is there something wrong?” she asked.

“No… it’s just. When I first saw you, your hair was so wild and crazy looking that I’d never imagined you were so pretty. I don’t know when you got the time to brush your hair, it looks dazzling. I think I’m jealous… sorry, that was rude.” Anne looked away too quickly for Flo to respond to that. Then come to think of it, she never brushed her hair. Her broken comb was back in her tiny, sleep-torturous room. But the girl had the right to be jealous. She had light brown hair that never shone, nor did it ever grow much.

“I have to go back now. I hope we meet again soon.” Flo started to get up when Anne’s head spun towards her and she sprang up in one swift motion. She stared at her eyes apprehensively, “Go where? You work here. The laundry room is just outside this door.”

“Uh, I know that. I just don’t work here. Arnold never gave me a chance to explain things but I’m the girl that sweeps the organs clean. Not all the organs; just the ones that are located in my own quarter.”

“Oh…” Anne lowered her eyes, feeling her cheeks droop into their normal position. She was heartbroken and Flo could tell that. Anne had never actually made a single friend in her life and now that she finally met someone worth talking to, the person was going away so soon.

“Don’t worry. I’ll try to visit if I can. But you have to be brave, alright?” Anne nodded and escorted Flo out into the laundry room. Flo stopped at the doorway, “I just need to spend a little time alone. Will that be okay?” she asked. Anne stepped back, nodding once and walking away to her table where a pile of dirty clothes awaited her. The other humans were still asleep and the floor was dry. Anne figured that she needed to make up for the time she’d missed out here.

Flo closed the door after stepping inside the small room again. She turned around and almost jumped back. Hugo was standing right in front of her. His heavy lashes shadowed half of his grey, mysterious eyes. His hair was the color of sunlight itself. Strands fell over his brows, some light while some were dark. “Need a ride again?” he asked. The end of his lips curved upward just a teensy bit.

Flo stared, speechless at first, and then made a tiny movement of her head, down and up. She noticed that he was wearing a white buttoned shirt with the sleeves folded to elbow length. The shirt looked great, tugged loosely inside his light grey pants.

“Right this way, ma’am.” Hugo stretched his arm, with a little bow, pointing at the wall in front. And for that very moment, Flo thought he looked like an angel; not that she’d ever seen one. But if she’d ever pictured one, it would’ve looked exactly like Hugo did right now.

The organ shifted, parting sideways from the middle, revealing a small hole in a concrete wall.

“How did you know, by the way?” Flo asked quietly.

“I can read your heart.” He smiled and Flo remembered that Glore said the exact same line to her before. ‘Maybe they’re related some strange way...’ she thought, stepping into the small tunnel, she had to duck her head a little. As she started forward, she wondered where the tunnel was going to lead her when suddenly the organ covered the hole again. Flo was left in pitch blackness, no more of those soft rays that reminded her of the sun. No more of that warmth either. Hugo had really taken extra care of her while she was sleeping. “And he is the one who keeps healing me, refreshing me. I wonder if Glore can do that too…” Then she remembered the task that was given to her. If she wished to stop Keegan, she was to know as much about him as possible. But then what? What was she to do against such a powerful demon that even Hugo wasn’t able to seal. “Maybe there’s a way to reseal him…”

Flo slowly made her way through the tunnel. She noticed that her feet felt warmer than usual. That’s when it struck her. She hastily bent down to take off what seemed like shoes from her feet. “Can’t be…” she touched the smooth leather, finely curved from the front and back; not a single tear.

“These aren’t my shoes… I didn’t even have any shoes when I came here. Did Anne do this to me when I had fainted? She must’ve… she’s too kind.” Flo beamed with pleasure as she refitted her feet into the shoes. She put one hand on the wall beside her to guide her through the creepy, lifeless tunnel. ‘I wonder what Glore and the others are doing right now. They must be really worried about me. All of them are so nice. They don’t act like demons at all; in fact, I always feel like I’m talking to a normal human being when I’m with them.’

A swoosh of wind whipped her hair from the back, sending shivers through her bones. Flo gasped and half turned just in time to see the walls cave in behind her. The floor cracked and trembled underneath her. “W-what’s going on?” she stuttered when the rocky floor gave way and she fell down on something soft. She understood what was going on when the soft organ elevated, taking her upwards through a hole. She closed her eyes; not knowing where the organ was going to send her. A vibrant light knocked her backwards even with her eyes closed. She groaned and blinked, half opening her eyes.

This time, she was completely inside an organ. A baby-pink light shimmered onto her skin, making it glow a very light golden color. She was surrounded by pink, radiant walls where the veins were not so visible to the human eye; although Flo could detect faded lines at places but that was all. She waited for the ride which started a minute later. It was as if she was on a train. The organs would move her along a certain path, not caring if there was a wall. The wall would split open revealing a hole and every time it would set Flo’s teeth on edge.

“Where’s Glore?” Sky yelled from a distance, rushing towards his sister who glanced up at him in surprise. Terra looked like she’d been pro-wrestling in her sleep. Her hair was all tousled and she wore the same clothes as the day before. Sky frowned at her appearance, slowing down as he neared her. She looked away before he could detect the liquid in her eyes.

“I don’t know where she is. I have to run now. I’ll see you later,” she spoke in a controlled and low voice before dashing off into the hallways and disappearing from Sky’s view. He looked puzzled with a hint of wariness washing his face. “Why was she in such a hurry? And how come she doesn’t know where Glore is.  I just saw her come out of Glore’s cabin unless…” Sky grinded his teeth and walked toward the door where Terra had just come out of. Alarms went off inside his head and he gulped as his hand slowly stretched for the door. He placidly turned the knob and with a force that surprised him even, he propelled the door open.

Silence… Sky stared at the empty space in front of him where there should have been a bed and beside that bed there were supposed to be shelves and a cupboard… “Where’d it all go?” he ejaculated, slamming the door shut in front of him. He placed his forehead on the metallic surface of the door; his breath coming in short gasps. “No, no, no…” he kept murmuring, feeling weak all of a sudden. “They couldn’t have found out about it… there’s no way… No Way That… they found out Glore’s a human.”

By the time Sky finished his sentence, his breathing was rapid. “That’s why Terra ran away like that. I must find her. If Glore really has been found out then… this could be her last day.” And with that he backed away from the door, scampering in the direction where Terra had run off to.

Flo waited impatiently, tapping her fingers on her lap one by one. She was supposed to be there by now but for some reason the organ had stopped. At the moment, it rested beneath her, vibrating calmly. It was a pity that Flo didn’t feel so calm. She stood up in the tiny room with a groan and marched towards the hole she was supposed to enter before when the organ had stopped. She crouched down and started crawling when Hugo’s sudden voice made her flinch.

“Wait for a while. Something has happened. I’m still searching for a safe place to drop you at,” he spoke in his ever so soothing voice but it wasn’t to work here. Flo turned her head upwards.

“What has happened? You were supposed to drop me off at the heart, right? What’s going on there?” she asked apprehensively, narrowing her eyes. Hugo chose not to answer that but Flo wasn’t one of the people to just sit silent and wait. She demanded an answer and she was going to get one. “Fine,” she said in a careless tone, crawling deeper into the rocky hole till she was no longer touching the organ. That’s when she heard it. It was the most frightening screech that pierced its way through her ears and into her heart at the same time. And if that wasn’t torturous enough, the scream kept echoing back and forth through the tunnels.

“Glore…” Flo vented, frozen with fear and ache until her own tears dripped onto her trembling hands, making her blink. She crawled back out, knowing that only one person would be able to give her the full explanation behind that scream. “Tell me what’s going on? What is happening to Glore? Why did she scream like that? It sounded like she was in a lot of pain,” Flo was yelling furiously at the top of her lungs.

“I can’t tell you anything. You just need to get to a safe place.” Hugo answered.

“What safe place? The only place I wanted to be was with my friends and when one of them is in trouble, I want to be that safe place for them…” Flo couldn’t handle it anymore. Her voice wavered at the end and then she was crying helplessly. She sank down on her knees, with her face in her hands.

“Alright, I’ll tell you. Just don’t cry, please,” pleaded Hugo quickly. He waited for Flo to control herself. Once she was quiet and attentive, he began. “Glore was crying yesterday. She was worried about you and so I told her that you would be near the heart the coming morning. I told her she could meet you then and that she didn’t have to cry.”

“She must’ve gone to meet me today, right?” Flo asked. Her eyes were still wet but just.

“Yes she did but Keegan created an illusion of her, attacking the most crowded place he could find and then vanished. Then when Glore came, the guards just grabbed her and dragged her away…”

Flo wiped the remaining wetness off her cheeks and looked up with urgent eyes, “Where is she now?”

“There’s nothing you can do here. She’s already guilty. So many people saw her attack violently.”

“So you’re saying that you can’t do anything at all?”

“No. That’s not it. Sky and Terra are already in the court room where Glore is being… judged.”

Flo felt like she was being left out here. There were things Hugo wasn’t telling her but it was for her best. He didn’t want her to worry. She needed to focus.

“Is there anything I can do that can actually be proved useful?” she asked carefully.

“Yes. I sense one of my brain parts near the courtroom somewhere. I must ask of you a huge favor but it is only to help your friend and I’m sure you won’t refuse to do this. Although I feel like I should be the one to do this instead of you. I don’t like putting you into situations as dangerous as these.”

“Don’t worry about the danger. Just tell me what to do,” Flo said quickly, before he could say anything else.

“You’ll have to sneak into the courtroom somehow. Look for a way that leads you to my brain. Looking for the blood petals will be a much better decision first.”

“But I already know now that the brain is somewhere near the courtroom. What do I need the petals for now?”

“Those petals are linked with the brain. Place them in water and they will point towards the closest brain part. You should keep a transparent bottle half filled with water with you. You can place the petal in it once you find it. Well that’s just one way of doing it.”

“But it’ll simply melt. What’s the use?” Flo objected.

“You’ll see. Its molecules do not detach themselves from each other; neither does it dissolve in anything–” another scream escaped the hole. Flo’s heart raced inside of her. “Don’t panic. Remain calm or else you won’t be able to think properly. Crawl through the hole. I’ll lighten the correct path for you. That much at least I can do. Once you reach the courtroom, I will be of no use there.”

“What do you mean? Of course you will be of use when I find the next brain part. You’ll be there, right?” Flo asked, raising her eyebrows in high expectations when she heard Hugo sigh. Her brows automatically creased a bit.

“I won’t be there because that part of my brain will reflect some other side of me. That side might not be so nice or could even be rude to you. That’s why I’m so afraid to send you there. I am a demon after all and each demon has a dark side… I just hope it isn’t this one.”

“Don’t… worry…” Flo uttered with a pause since she herself felt unsecure after hearing that. This meant that she might never get to talk to the kind-hearted Hugo again. ‘Flo! Snap out of it. You don’t have time to think about that. Glore needs you… Get a Grip!’ she yelled at herself inside. Finally finding her strength to sit straight, she crawled into the small tunnel without another word.

Flo could hear it all…

“I told you I didn’t do it. I would never do such a thing! There’s some mistake!” Glore cried out in harassment. Her hands were stretched out on two slabs of tables, both either side of her and they were chained to it tightly. Two demons, wearing metal soldier helmets held a whip in their hands, ready to hit Glore with it anytime. They were wearing black from head to toe.

The judge sat behind a table a few feet away from Glore. A crowd had already gathered in the courtroom and Terra was one of them. There were no chairs for them to sit on, just empty space so they all stood. Some had a grim expression on their faces while the rest looked at Glore with pitying eyes.

“You say that you never attacked. You mean to say that all those people who saw you are lying? Some other girl who looks exactly like you came and attacked them?” The judge questioned harshly.

“Yes!” Glore shouted. The guards raised their whips and whacked her arms with them. Glore bit her lip in agony and then screeched again. Terra closed her eyes, tears wet her cheeks in thin streaks. She knew that Glore would never hurt an insect but she couldn’t prove that. That instant, a hand grabbed her arm and pulled her aside roughly. Terra stared at the furious, crimson eyes that belonged to her brother.

“Why didn’t you tell me? How could you let this happen? Glore’s innocent!” Sky reproached. Terra’s silent sobs turned into loud, frantic cries and she hugged her brother, feeling ashamed. Another whack and Glore cried louder. Sky looked away, holding his sister in his arms, realizing that even he could not do anything. Glore’s face was red, smudged with the fresh stream of tears that had just begun to come out. Her arms were covered in her own blood that was now spreading all over the tables. A third whack but this time, Glore wasn’t the only one piercing her lungs.

Flo screamed in terror at the sight of her dear friend’s condition. She’d never seen anyone look so badly hurt. There were dark circles around Glore’s eyes and her eyelids kept drooping. Her head spun, dizziness taking over. “What… she’s–”

“This is the only help I can give her. My powers do not work at a place so far away from my brain but I gave it my all.” Hugo’s voice appeared faded and Flo knew that it was because the brain was actually quite a lot of distance apart from her. She watched Glore’s head fall forward with her body partly bent. Her legs had already given way but she was still standing due to her chained hands.

“No, Glore!” Sky tried to lunge for her but Terra pulled him back, putting all her strength into it since he was more powerful than her. Luckily for her, Sky was not at his full potential right now and stumbled back a few steps before rebalancing himself. The guards were already taking the unconscious body away. “No! They can’t do this! Damn it!” Sky’s fury had reached its limits and was stomping his feet heavily on the marbled floor. People were starting to back away from him in fear that he might also attack them.

Terra comforted him, gently rubbing his back. She knew him too well to be afraid of his enraged heart. “Relax. If you go stop them now, they’ll lock you up as well or worse, kill her. We have to solve this mystery about the demon that was the real reason behind the surprise attack…” her voice was soft and it overcame the fire that had been burning inside Sky. He took a deep breath, controlling himself.

Flo was peeping through a hole that was located at the back of the room, nearly seven feet above ground. “How do I get down?” she asked, turning her head around to listen for the answer but none came. She sighed, knowing that she was going to be alone in this one. The crowd started diffusing into different doors that surrounded the huge courtroom. The judge had already left, along with all the guards, turning a few lanterns off. Flo could still hear the people murmuring below her as they passed.

“Alright, Flo. This is your time to shine. First things first… figure out a way to get down…” she popped her head out of the hole and glanced down. It only took her a second to retrieve her head with a gasp. “Or I’ll just try another route,” she squeaked, crawling backwards; not paying attention to where she was going. The light from the hole started getting dimmer as she got further away from it. The tiny rocks pinched her palms and she moaned. Her mouth was dry. She hadn’t had breakfast, nor had she eaten anything since last morning.

“Ow…” Flo whispered as her stomach churned, yelling for food. That’s when suddenly one of her feet slipped and her body hit the rocks underneath her. The churning stopped but now the rest of her body was covered with dust and bruises. “What the­­–” Flo traced the surface with her feet, feeling it slope downwards which had been why she’d slipped in the first place. “I think this might be a way to get down. I hope it waaaaa–”

The rocks beneath her gave way and she dangled in the darkness, hanging on to the edge of the tunnel with her bare hands. A shriek escaped her lips. Her pulse was already beating at her scalp from the inside, blocking off everything else. All sounds ceased when Flo’s aching fingers finally let go of the rock edge due to lack of strength. She could only hear her heart beat as she fell. The air stabbed her back and her body started going numb… ‘Why me…’ she thought at the last second before hitting solid ground.