The faint sound of water dripping, startled me awake from a painful sleep.

I noticed a few things right away, my head was throbbing like it was at a dance party, I was laying on a cold dirt floor, and it was dark– save for a faint glow under a distant door.

Where am I? I wondered before a stab of pain made me wince.

I pressed my hands against my head, squeezing my eyes shut. Slowly and painfully, the pain began to ebb enough where I could open my eyes.

When I did– faint shapes floated before me. Faint, foggy, and vaguely human shaped they floated across the ground. Every so often they would stop, bounce in the air and then continue moving from side to side.

What is going on? Am I losing my mind? Or are these ghosts?

The thought had me shivering. I don't want to deal with dead things.

One of the shapes turned and floated over– stopping inches from what I assumed was the bars of the cell. It was too dark to actually tell. Then how can I see weird shapes?

The phantom lifted its wispy arms and grabbed a hold of the bars.

"Please, papa." A faint woman's voice whispered eerily. "I won't do it again."

"Um…" I began, only to trail off. I had no idea what to even say.

"No!" Her voice, filled with tears, echoed once more. "I won't do it again. I swear I won't!"

"What are you-" I cut off when my heart squeezed painfully– taking away my breath.

I pressed a hand to my chest, rubbing the spot until it turned into a dull ache. Something weird is going on here…

Suddenly the shape vanished as though it had never been there in the first place. The room sank back into complete darkness and I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.

The throbbing in my head disappeared along with the pressure I had felt near my heart.

"What was that?" I asked, voice echoing around the room.

The only response I got back was that faint sound of water that had awoken me.

I don't know why I expected something to respond.

I took a few deep breaths and pushed off the ground. My legs threatened to buckle and I reached out a hand– pressing it against the cold moist surface of the stone wall.

How long have I been in here? How long until I can get out?

There was no way to actually tell time in here. No window, no clock. The light coming from the door seemed to be nothing more than artificial light of a candle or mana stone.

I took a deep breath and stepped forward– freezing when my head felt like it was about to split open again.

"Dammit." I grumbled, squeezing my eyes closed. "Why is this happening again?"

Through the pain– I heard a faint sobbing sound somewhere beside me.

I opened my eyes slowly– heart beat speeding up. Please don't be a ghost. Please don't be a ghost.

A ghostly white shape shimmered on the floor, more humanoid this time. It looked to be in the shape of a child. Her knees were bent, arms wrapped around her legs. A see-through head was bent over. It rocked back and forth.

"Why does papa hate me?" She whimpered. "I didn't ask to be born."

"Um… are…you okay?" I asked without thinking.

To my relief– the girl didn't acknowledge me. Instead, she continued to rock back and forth apologizing for everything from breathing wrong, not being smart, and the color of her hair.

"I should never have been born." She sobbed, climbing to her feet.

Her image shimmered, disappeared, then restabilized.

I stared at her in shock as she walked toward the bars. I knew who she was for sure now. She wasn't a phantom or some ghost– she was me– Kyla. A younger version. It must have been when she first came here.

Why am I seeing this all of a sudden?

Her body was covered in cuts and scrapes and she only wore a thin dirty brown slave outfit. I felt another pang in my chest– not as strong as the first time, but enough to leave me gasping.

Young Kyla crossed to the bars, wrapping her dirty hands around them.

"Father! Brother! Please let me out! I'm sorry."

A shape that resembled a man appeared in a swirling cloud of darkness before her.

"I told you to stop calling me that, half breed." The voice was warped– like he was speaking through a long, distant tunnel. "I'm not your brother."

"Please…young master." Kyla sobbed. "Please let me out! I'll be good!"

"How can a creature such as yourself be anything other than dirt?" He laughed, flickered, and disappeared.

"I'm sorry!" Kyla screamed, sinking to the ground. "I'll do better! I can do better."

I took a step forward intending to reach out and comfort her, but I paused inches from her shoulder.

Should I even try to touch her? This is a memory after all. How can I comfort the past?

My mind was made up for me when her image flickered and faded away, like a dying ember.

With her image gone, once again the headache and pain disappeared. I wasn't sure how long I stood there, staring at the spot she had been in. It could have been minutes or hours.

Eventually, I felt my body begin to grow tired. I tore my eyes away from the bars and searched the room blindly for a bed– or at the very least– a blanket.

Neither could be found.

Not only had they tossed me into the darkness, they offered me no sense of comfort or humility.

I'm sorry, Kyla. I thought, removing my dress. I can't imagine what that felt like at your age.

I tugged on the fabric of the dress, ripping it along the edge. I pulled it around my body, covering my shoulders and sat down.

At least with the dress being old and worn– it can make due as a blanket.

Sleep came slowly that night, but when it did I thought I could hear the faint sound of sobs once more.

Things will get better. I assured myself. I will find a way to get us out of this house.

If only I had known what the future held then…

Perhaps with that knowledge– what was to come would have hurt less.