Calista fluttered her eyes open and saw a familiar, worn-out ceiling. Seeing such a sight, she immediately moved to sit up but halted at the sharp pain coming from her stomach.
Her memories before blacking out dawned on her, and she realized that she was punched hard on her stomach. She winced at the pain and placed her hand on top of it as if that would lessen the pain.
"That f*cker," she cursed under her breath as she touched her head, sensing a sting from it.
It was the pain from being pulled by her hair. The pain that she was feeling was vivid, as if all of it were real. She was almost convinced that this was all real, but what if all of this were indeed real?
Calista shook her head at her thought, clearly not ready to face reality.
Although Calista had felt pain her whole life from having a severe combined immunodeficiency since she was a child, she ended up getting used to feeling pain from infections and medical procedures. The pain that she was feeling at the moment was a completely different pain that was inflicted because of violence but not because of something like trying to cure her.
She doesn't want to accept that she was experiencing this. In the back of her mind, she slowly questions whether what she was experiencing is all real and not some kind of dream.
She already suffered her whole life from constant battle and isolation because of her weak constitution. If ever she is given another life to live, she will not accept it to be also full of pain.
Calista feels a weight pressing on her chest, making breathing feel shallow, accompanied by a lump in her throat. Her eyes start to sting, and her lips tremble involuntarily.
A soft muffled sound accompanied by irregular breathing escaped Calista's mouth as her body slowly went back to lying on the ground, her knees drawn tightly to her chest.
She wraps her arms around her skin, fingers clasping together. Her face is buried between her thigh and chest as she cries out all her suppressed emotions.
Her cries echo through all corners of the room she woke up in, bouncing off the bare walls and filling the empty space with the sound of raw, unfiltered pain.
It took a few hours for her to stop crying, and she immediately fell asleep from exhaustion.
....
The sudden eruption of loud noises jolted Calista awake from her deep sleep.
A groan of protest escapes her mouth as she slowly sits up from lying down on the damn wooden floor.
Her eyes are swollen from her crying session, as well as her whole face.
Her eyes stared at the door of the room, and she heard noises coming from it. It was the kind of noise coming from no normal means.
The noise is a relentless, disorienting surge of sound that seems to come from every direction at once. She can even hear different kinds of voices and stumps of feet echoing from outside.
A mix of curiosity and alertness came into her as she decided to stand on her feet and walk closer to the door.
She placed her ear against the door and heard more clearly what was happening outside.
Male voice? Male?
Her eyes widen at the clear voices of multiple men outside the door.
From what she remembers, there's no adult male in the orphanage. The only adults in the orphanage are old women that are supposed to take care of the children.
Calista slowly steps away from the door as if afraid the men from the other side of that door will hear that someone is in this room.
She flinched when a sudden bang was heard from the door. Her eyes then shifted to the doorknob. And watched in horror when the doorknob turned.
Eyes widen as panic surges throughout her body. She doesn't know what to do in her situation.
Her body frozen, immobilized by shock and fear, and cold sweat started trailing down the back of her neck. Her hands and legs also tremble in fear.
Her body only moved when she saw the door slowly open; she immediately turned her head and saw the furniture that was covered by dusty white sheets.
She went there and hid beneath the sheets and covered her mouth with her hands to prevent any noise from coming out.
Her heart races as adrenaline pumps throughout her body. Her senses magnified as her body was on high alert.
The wooden floor creaked, indicating that someone was walking inside the room. She heard some things fall down the wooden floor as the people rummaged around the room.
Calista held her breath as she knew that she was a few minutes away from being found out. She knows that she doesn't have anything left to do in her situation.
Her body was stiff, and there's no way out. She also can't fight with her small body against those many men.
Tears started running down her cheeks as she heard the footsteps coming towards her hiding spot. Her whole body is trembling as she waits for what will happen next.
The white sheet was snatched away from the furniture, revealing the furniture along with Calista's small frame.
With her shaky eyes, Calista slowly lifted her head and flinched at the eye contact of an adult man, who lifted the cover.
The man stared at her for a full minute, his eyes inspecting her whole being.
"I found one!" The man announced to the men outside the room.
Calista protested as the man touched and lifted her up from the ground. She squirmed with all her might as the man placed her on his shoulder.
"Let me go!" She shrieked while banging the man's back.
Noises started coming to the room, making Calista pour out a lot more of her energy, protesting to the man.
Tears flow down her cheeks, her high-pitched voice echoing through the room as she squirms in protest.
Multiple men came into the room and saw the situation.
Calista glanced at the men before shouting in protest.
"Let me go! Let me go! Please, let me go!" She pleads.
"Put her down," an authoritative voice echoed throughout the room.
Calista, who was still squirming, was immediately placed down on the wooden floor.
She stopped shouting when her request was granted, and that was the first time she got a proper look at the state of the room.
The room was full of male adults, with her the only girl in the room. The men are dressed in a leather tunic over a padded doublet, sturdy boots, and a belt adorned with their sword.
All of them are dressed in uniform, but one person was different among them.
The men that seem to be knights step aside and create a space to allow that one man to pass.
The man was wearing a richly embroidered traveling cloak, lined with fur over a tailored tunic of fine wool, with a house sigil subtly displayed on a brooch at his shoulder. His boots are made of polished leather.
Calista looked up at the man standing in front of her.
The man has midnight black hair and those steel-blue eyes that seem to see right through her soul.
Calista felt a sense of competitiveness as she stared right back at those eyes, trying not to shift her eyes away from them.
A hint of fascination emerged in the man's steel-blue eyes as he stared at Calista's determined gaze.
From one moment, she was a girl that was trying to scream in fear, but now it was gone.
The corner of his lips curled up as he spoke, "You looked just like her."
Calista blinks and tilts her head in confusion.
What the heck is he saying?
Calista stepped backward when the man took a step forward. She was cautious towards all the people in the room.
Sensing her cautiousness, the man brought his right knee to the ground.
"What's your name?" The man asked in a gentle voice.
Calista stared at him for a moment before reluctantly responding, "C-calista."
Deep down, she wanted to say a different name but ended up muttering the name everyone has been calling her ever since she came into this place.
The man nodded his head, and a smile appeared on his lips.
"Calista. What a wonderful name given to a beautiful person. It suits you," the man said gently while holding eye contact with her.
"T-thanks?"
The man spread his arms as if welcoming her. "Come here. I won't hurt you."
Calista took another step backward at his words.
"How can I be sure you won't hurt me?"
A bitter small smile appeared on his lips as he responded, "I won't hurt you because you're my daughter."
"You're Calista Vermilion," the man claiming to be her father said in a helpless tone.