Hidden in the Darkness V1: A Darkened Fevered Dream

Chapter 4: My World (pt. 2)

-Present moment-

I awake in a rush, realizing my surroundings, I shoot up. I stare up at the red headed vampire over me, clutching a washcloth to her chest in response to my suddenness. 

“Hello.” The small girl with long red hair and hazel eyes said slowly, I starred cautiously, leaning into the couch that’s softness was starting to hurt my non-accustomed back. I am not afraid, I am confused and I am awed. She is beautiful. I can’t believe it, she is a vampire, half of what my father is. They're not deadly to me when I’m awake but, asleep, with my guard down, this women acts nothing like my father. I am confused as to why they didn’t kill me when they had the perfect chance. A male voice spoke next, as gentle as the women's, though deeper.

“Hello, I’m Baron and that’s Liz, this one next to me is Jake.”

   Baron said with a warm smile that I don’t trust. Anyone can smile.  He is also vampire, but there is hint of dog here, I can feel the energy shift between the dead and the lively. There is a werewolf here - not someone for me to be afraid of. Werewolves and vampires tended to be the more violent of the species I've heard of, pixies don't often take joy in watching blood seep from one's head. 

Werewolves are not able to kill a moon Spirit while their guard is up. We are simply to powerful in most cases. Which again brings me back to the big question of why didn’t he kill me when I was sleeping and he had the chance. Shuffling a bit, I declare to myself that the one named Jake must be the wolf, he is the only one whose energy intake is consistent.

 I feel determined to remain absolutely quiet. If I’m unsure than I should take time to assess things, I have never been one to rush.

“We won’t hurt you um…girl!”

 She tells me fast. I mumble my first few words in two weeks. 

“Good to know.” It burns in the back of my throat. I have grown accustomed to speaking only in my head. I don’t recognize my own voice; as it is grumbled, deep, scratchy, and menacing. Untrusting. Recognizing the beautiful sound that came out of me, I am left wanting to talk more and hear the pitches of my voice as they change. Instead however, I continue looking around and glaring at each face looking for the lie in their eyes. I caught a pair of wide familiar brown eyes stopped dead in their tracks. They are so familiar it scares me that the possibility of her being in this town, so close to Master. My eyes got wide as well, thinking the chances that she’d come back were so low but, the brown hair and brown eyes were unmistakable, to me at least, it is indisputable.  I just, I know them. They are common features I have seen in many of my father’s victims, but her eyes- they are special to me- I know them. They catch my stare.  

“Oh, uh, that’s Bloom.”

 Jake spoke up. I was choked up. Could it really be the Bloom Grey? 

“I’m Breelena-Marie.”

 I am able to choke out. My voice rough but a pitch that sounds like a birds chirp, high pitched and sweet, ringing in my own ears. She doesn’t seem able to hear me and a moment later Bloom collapses suddenly. Everyone, but myself, runs over to her on the staircase, I lay there frozen. 

I have to leave, Master knows I am alive, not her. So maybe, if I run fast enough he won't even realize I was ever here and look the other way to follow the scent West. I can tell we're somewhere in the North, I can tell from the energy in the room that the warmth coming from the windows signified the sun is up still. 

I snap out of my trance and decide I will help her wake up with one of the healing abilities I’ve obtained from dealing with Master since my birth. I don’t often have to heal anyone else so I breathe deeply before attempting to draw in energy, then focus it externally. I tell myself It's not hard and start to stand up. I slowly make my way to the staircase. 

I wasn’t in my brown rag dress anymore I am in some jeans and t-shirt similar to what the captives of my father would be wearing when they were first taken; only the shirt hangs loose on me and the jeans have to be held up. I wasn’t b****y anymore, well not as b****y.

 This place is the outside, outside of my world, my forest. I only know what has been shown to me. Minimal clues come from Master about the world outside but I do know that these are clothes from here. They feel strange and tight on my body, like a snake around my finger. Uncertain if sound would actually leave my lips I dare to speak, “excuse me Jake, let me through.”

 Jakes large figure jumps back, almost surprised by me. However, as I take a step forward, Baron steps between me and Bloom,

 “what are you going to do?”

 He asked defensively and irritation sparks in my heart, how dare he think I would harm her, she’s my sister! Logically, I’m aware he is just as possessive of her as I am, I also know he doesn’t know me. If our places were switched I would do the same but my emotions seem to rule over my mind. 

“I’m going to heal her of course, so get out of my way!”

 I snap at him and push him aside. I felt the words tear through my throat.  I smile a little realizing that we both love her and have at least one shared motive- her safety. He obviously cares greatly for her which brings me to like him. I find I have to re channel my energy after he burst my bubble.

I think back, return to a time long ago, a happy time, with mother. 

Birds chirping in the forests warm air, the sun is high, I feel the need to run but am chained to my mother who is incapable of moving her legs and arms on her own. Her skin was dark and baked by the heat and the mud and dirt hardened over her body. A spot distinctly on her chin held my attention as it seemed to make the rest of her face seem so shiny. I wanted to touch her and so I reached and just as I touched her face a green sprout under my toes grew and grabbed my wrist gently. It glimmered with life and sparkled in a way I had never seen. My mother smiled so weakly at me and opened her dry lips to speak. It was the only thing she has been able to do lately.  At the time I just wanted her to do more of her magic for me. 

“Mommy do it again.” I vaguely remember her eyes gleaming with tears as she smiled and she closed her eyes. “You should try to do it by yourself?” 

‘Momma can you show my again how to do it?’ I looked to her face and watched her eyes open, as tears fell from her eyelashes onto the ground. “ I can’t show you any more baby, can you remember the movements mommy used to show you? Remember our dance a few weeks ago? I know it was a long time ago but please remember honey.” I don’t know if I remembered consciously but physically I stood and her arms raised with the chains. I placed my feet apart as I remember mamma did and moved my hands like waves. I have never seen waves before, I have never seen much water but momma says they dance how worms move. I copied the worms in my head while I danced. My momma looked at me and I felt the need to show her how well I could do it. I closed my eyes and allowed the movements to flow. I felt something inside of me, a peace, a light, a thousand bubbles making up my body. I no longer could identify my body as confined, the world was my essence. I opened my eyes to a brighter view, much brighter than my momma’s. It glimmered and shone and golden bubbles seem to float down around us. I felt giddy and wanted to catch them but I saw one touch my mother's’ body. One golden bubble that I created touched her arm and I saw her smile and straighten her arm. My mommy moved for the first time in days, she moved. Her body creaked but as more and more fell on her she became more and more able to move. Around us, the bubbles fell down, sprouting life wherever they landed. Mamma motioning for me to take hold of her while she steadied herself against the tree as the last bubble fell on her chest. Her palms hit the wood and softly rasped against it, she then took her foot and stepped from the tree gracefully, pausing only to stumble. 

The chains forced us to move in sync. The chains rattled as we danced side by side, never touching, allowing our magic to flow from our beings. I cried all the while and smiled too. I tried to follow her moves and listened when she shakily spoke. I couldn’t make any more bubbles that day, I tried but I couldn’t and eventually my mother collapsed, pulling both of us back to reality. Once again unable to dance. I cried harder. I wanted to always do magic with her, I just wanted to see the pretty plants and make more bubbles and sparkles. I wanted the world to shimmer around us.  

My mother taught me how to use magic to heal and sustain. I have only ever done it once before on someone other than me, and it wasn’t even intentional. Even so, I allowed my mother to walk, I can help Bloom. I can, I’m sure I can. I put my hands on her stomach to let the energy surge through me and flow out through my hands into her body. I keep the image of my mother in my mind, the sparkle in her dance, the peace in our early lessons. I keep imagining her image painted into my mind, I hold the joy of her life within me, even more than the memory of her hitting the dirt. Thinking to myself; I’ll remember the hope, I’ll remember the joy, I promise. Moments later I feel the energy retract back through my arms and into my soul rapidly and without warning, I shiver as I stand up and look at her sleeping figure, speaking strongly, "she'll awake in a bit.”  After a few moments I sigh, I want to see her wake up.  I have to wait until she does to dash West. 

 Feeling their stares, I try to think of what to do and  feel the need to explain to these people. I don’t know why, I just feel the urge to tell them the truth.  I have never felt the need to justify myself before, it’s unsettling. “I should start out by saying, what I just did to her was harmless and Bloom is someone I care greatly about and before you move to question me about knowing her, I first knew her mother, though she still has no clue that I know her but I will do my very best to never harm her.” Which is why I will leave this feeling of home, of safety, of Bloom.

  “ We would like to know...everything. ” Liz spoke in a voice that almost felt commanding. She points to a bronze colored chair. I take my seat but grit my teeth, the unfamiliar feeling causes pain to surge through my back but I vaguely enjoy it. I know it will fade quickly and I will feel comfort. They take their seats on the couch adjacent to myself. I nod, curious of what she may have wanted to know. Liz suddenly shoots up and disappears for only a moment before appearing before me. She hold out a thing.

 I vaguely recall the thing she gave to me as a glass of clear liquid. I look at her in question.  “Water.” Liz states plainly and takes her seat. I drink from it and feel the sudden urge to throw it back up. It feels like a poison touching the insides of my stomach with a cool blade. The sensation of something making its way down my throat makes me squirm unpleasantly. I feel as if something is wrong, but it isn’t these people. It is something else. I wasn’t used to physical sources of energy. This water is not water, It can’t be. It’s too clear, it tastes like knives. I set it down on the floor and decide not to touch my lips to it again.