Chapter Twenty
1674 Words
Earth
When I started coughing up dirt, I knew something wasn't right. That was not normal and there was no explanation in my mind as to what was happening or how. Not to mention the girl sitting next to me as she held my hands tightly.
She looked exactly like I had pictured her in my mind when I drew her. Even her hair that was tied back into a ponytail looked as soft as it had in my sketch. What she was doing here, I didn't know. And how did she find me? Another question I could not answer. Not to mention the most important, how did she know me?
Was there some part of my life I could not remember? Had my mind locked those memories away for some reason that was unknown to me? And if it did, was she some sort of relative who remembered me from when we were kids? That could not be, she looked around the same age as me and if she was my age, then she wouldn't be able to remember me because I was brought to the orphanage since I was an infant.
Another wave of pain coursed through me and I clenched my jaw tightly together. The pain was enough to clear my mind from all the questions circling in my brain.
I pushed my body to a fetal position while letting go of Aileen's hands. As soon as our hands had stopped touching, the pain only got stronger, and a bolt of pain shot down my spine. Crying out, I closed my eyes and felt tears fall from my eyes.
The girl quickly reached for my hands again and held them tightly between hers. Everything felt as if it were happening in slow motion. The pain crashed throughout my body like little fire ants biting every inch of my skin. What was worse was that I didn't feel the pain physically outside but inside my body. As if every muscle and tendon were being ripped apart inside of me.
I could not do anything to make it go away. But somehow, the girl next to me could. Her touch was warm and soothing, it was the only thing holding me to reality. I watched as she closed her eyes and focused her attention on my hands in between hers.
She didn't say anything as she took in deep breaths and suddenly, a small bulb of light appeared in her hands. Her hands glowed bright golden, making the heat in her hands grow warmer. I inhaled sharply as I witnessed what was going on. A lot of questions were beginning to form in my mind, questions I had no answers to.
Whatever was happening, it wasn't normal. Not my pain and certainly not the girl in the room.
When another bolt of pain shot through my body, I flinched but the pain was more tolerable now. I looked at the girl and noticed she had clenched her jaw together and she was trembling as if this was causing a large strain on her.
"Who are you?" I whispered breathlessly as I looked at her.
The girl opened her eyes and slowly turned to me. Her grey eyes searched my face as if she were trying to read my thoughts and for a moment, I feared she could. "I'm Aileen. Aileen Hagan. I was sent here to come to find you," she said neutrally as she returned her attention to her hands.
Another wave of pain filled me and I let out a groan as I flinched. "And... who sent you here? For what purpose?" I asked slowly although my mind was already making up scenarios.
Aileen sighed and shook her head. "It's a long story. One that I would rather explain once you get better. I should warn you, though, I will not be able to hold off the pain much longer. Soon it's going to get stronger. Try to breathe, okay?" She said a bit tight, and I noticed her powers diminish as another wave of pain hit me. “Grab my hand, I’m here,” her voice managed to pierce into my mind through the pain.
Flinching, I shook my head and tried to follow Aileen's advice. I had a ton of questions but with everything going on, I just wanted to rest. I grabbed her hand quickly and held onto her as my life depended on it. She didn’t flinch under my tight grip, and I hoped she was alright.
Suddenly, Aileen let out a cry of pain and my eyes instantly flew to her. Had I hurt her?
Her hands were glowing much more than before, and fire began to form around them. My eyes widened when I saw the fire cover her body as she cried out. Her eyes were shut and from her nose, I saw a small trickle of blood begin to fall.
As soon as Aileen had stopped screaming, she fell to her side and laid the motionlessly. Getting onto my elbows, I looked over her, thinking she was dead.
When I saw her chest rising and falling ever so slightly, I was able to relax and shake my head.
I tried to get up and I realized that was a mistake.
When my foot touched the ground, I felt as if my bones fractured, and the pain seemed to run up my body all the way to my head. My breath got caught in my throat as I lost balance and began to fall forward. I tried to put my hands in front of me to lessen the blow, but I couldn't move.
My forehead hit the wooden floor and the sound echoed in my mind. The room started to spin, and my ears were ringing. I opened my eyes and looked up at the ceiling. Suddenly, my body felt as if it were on fire. I could no longer breathe since I felt something blocking my airways. My body choked and began to convulse as I tried to breathe but only dirt came out of my mouth.
Fear like no other filled me as I tried to move but the pain had me paralyzed. I could no longer feel anything but the pain inside my chest. It felt as though someone was ripping me open.
My wheezing breaths filled the room, and my vision began to blur. Through the blurriness, I managed to see someone else walk into the living room. The girl gasped and placed her hands over her mouth.
"Damn it," she cursed softly before walking towards me and placing a pillow under my head. "I can't move you. I don't know what that'd do to you. Hold on," she whispered nervously as she moved towards Aileen.
The other girl frantically shook Aileen awake and said her name several times. A moment later, Aileen groaned and opened her eyes groggily.
She looked at the girl questioningly before my whimpers caught her attention. Holding her head with her hand, she got up and shook her head. "Are you okay?" Her friend asked and Aileen nodded her head.
Another yell caught their attention and Aileen was instantly by my side. She tried to touch me but it was like my body was pulling her back. As if a magical force was keeping her away.
My eyes widened as another pulse of pain moved throughout my body. This time it was much stronger and painful. I felt my body begin to convulse and I could no longer remain fully conscious.
I thought I heard a distant echo on the horizon. It sounded like someone was moving something big. The sound echoed in my ears as the ground shook under me. I gasped for air as I tried to breathe again but my lungs were still filled up with dirt.
my brain was losing too much oxygen, I didn't know how I had managed to last this long. My body's strength was also dissipating with every bolt of pain.
Suddenly, I felt something hard against my body, and I turned slightly to see what was going on. My eyes widened when I saw my legs covered in what looked like stone. Anxiousness crept through me as I saw the stone grow further up my legs.
I looked at Aileen in fear and noticed her face had paled. "What is going on?" The other girl asked.
Aileen shook her head and tried to touch the rock against my leg. Instantly, I felt pain like no other, as if she were breaking my leg into many little pieces.
She quickly pulled away and her face paled. "I have no idea," she whispered.
As soon as she pulled her hand back, whatever was happening to me sped up. The rock-like skin growing over me extended quicker over my body and I tried to move away from it but it kept growing.
"Don't struggle against it. I think this is supposed to happen," Aileen said without taking her eyes off of the magic.
Once the rock reached my neck, I felt it compressing against my chest, making it even more painful to struggle against it.
As the last of my skin was being covered with rock, a loud rumble echoed in the distance as the ground trembled.
Aileen yelped in surprise and quickly got to her feet as the earthquake got stronger. "We should find somewhere to hide while it passes!" She yelled to her friend before both of them moved towards the dining table in the room.
"Aren't we supposed to bring him with us?" the other girl asked.
Aileen looked at me and shook her head. "We can't move him, he's too heavy. We need to wait for this to pass. Nothing will happen to him. He's the one causing this," she said through the chaos in the room.
And that was the last thing I heard before the rock finally covered every part of my body and I was surrounded by darkness.
- Writer
