The Awakening
A Vignette
By Maryanne Peters

She woke to the sound of music. They had rented the “La Villa Musica” for a month just to soak up the Adriatic Coast, and simply because they could afford it. He was not lying beside her in the bedroom with the view. The windows were open, and the curtains moved with the warm sea breeze. The music seemed to be coming from the lounge – from the grand piano.

Marching in time with his fellow recruits Mirek tried his best to ignore the bitter wind that swept through the mountain valley. It wasn't easy. Gritty snow that was more like sand peppered his face, frost hung from his eyelashes, and his woollen scarf was icy around his mouth. His fingers felt brittle, as if the bones had turned to ice.

He took both my hands in his, startling me. “I’d like to make it up to you."

FRANKIE

I clicked the top back onto the lipstick and replaced it carefully in the dressing table drawer along with the other make up I’d used. Studying myself in the mirror, I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. I felt relaxed - for the first time in a long while. Perhaps for the first time since my sister, two years older than me, had left home to go to college in the US ten weeks ago. I missed her enormously. We were close - much closer than most siblings, but we had our parents to thank for that.

Hi Mom and Dad,

Just thought I should let you know that I'm still alive. Barely.

Doom Valley has been really interesting. I've been killed about twenty times. Don't worry I got better.

And guess what, have a nemesis. Three of them actually. One of them is a paladin who thinks I'm evil incarnate, he almost killed me.
I've also almost been brainwashed three times, those were from my other two nemesis's? Nemeses?