“We should hurry,” warned a woman. “If it is true what they say, we do not want to be around if their father decides to show up.”
The cloaked figures disappeared down the street, into the darkness.
Meghan had no idea what was happening. Was this just some crazy dream? She felt so alert. Something buzzed around her brain, telling her something about what she’d just seen was important. And she should remember it.
The movie stopped playing. The image froze. Her mind’s eye still looking upon the image she’d just been standing in the middle of. The wheel started turning again. Fluttering faster and faster. It made her dizzy and her eyes drifted closed.
Darkness took her into a painless sleep.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Colin found himself sneaking into his sister’s dreams again; they were vivid and strange. And hot. There was a lot of fire. And unfortunately, along with seeing her dreams, he felt her pain. More than once Sebastien awakened him, afraid he was having nightmares.
“You can feel her, can’t you?” he asked timidly, after the third time.
“I am not doing a good job at blocking her,” Colin admitted. Part of him didn’t want to. He needed to feel that connection he was used to, of her in his mind. It drove him crazy to always have her in his head, but he had to admit, he missed it when she wasn’t there.
“I take back anything I ever said about what you two can do,” whispered Sebastien. “Feeling someone else’s pain, I could not handle that.”
The night was long and fitful.
The warmth of the sun soon hit Colin’s face and the smell of percolating coffee filled his nostrils. He rolled over, not ready to get up. He opened his eyes to Sebastien’s face peering down at him.
“My mom is home and your uncle just left.”
Colin shook off his grogginess and bounded out of bed and out of the trailer.
Kay Jendaya appeared fatigued and worn; her husband helped her into the camper and she did not say a word to the boys. Sebastien’s father stayed inside for a painfully long time. Finally, the door opened and the boys accosted him with questions. Mr. Jendaya shushed them and motioned to walk away from the camper.
“Kay needs to rest now. Meghan still has a fever, but is handling it like a trooper.” He forced them to sit and eat breakfast. They hoped that Jae would arrive soon, with any news other than, ‘she’s handling it like a trooper’.
Halfway through breakfast, Jae granted their wish. He sat down looking as tired as everyone else. Colin was dying to talk to Jae, but had to wait until Mr. Jendaya was busy. At the end of breakfast, he told the boys he would clean up, and they should find something to keep themselves busy.
“But by all means, stay away from that trailer! Let Meghan rest.”
They had wanted to go to Jae’s wagon, but it was right near Meghan, so they would have to find another way to get there, so they were not seen.
As they departed the Jendaya camp, Sebastien’s father yelled out, “Oh, by the way. Happy birthday, Colin.”
He had forgotten. He and his sister were now officially thirteen. Both Sebastien and Jae repeated the remark, though not as heartily. It was the least happy birthday ever.
And Colin would gladly give up his birthday wish to see his sister healthy again. His original wish would never come true anyway. At least it hadn’t in the last two birthday’s he wished it. To grow. Just a few inches. To be at least as tall as his sister.
None of that mattered. If wishes really could come true, he’d give her his in a heartbeat.
As soon as they had gone a safe distance, and were out of earshot of Sebastien’s parents, Jae stopped them. “I’m afraid I didn’t see much. There was a woman that I had not seen before.”
“She must have been the doctor,” said Colin. “What else?”
“Not much. I couldn’t see Meghan. I tried. There was a lot of movement in the camper, but nothing I could make out.”
“Well thanks for trying,” sighed Colin.
They set off for the lake, moodily skipping rocks, and sitting under the shade of the trees, quietly reflecting.
#
“She’s seizing again,” cried Amelia. “I’m sorry. I weakened and lost my concentration.”
Kanda jumped from her seat and helped Amelia to her feet.
“It is harder than I thought it would be,” she admitted shamefully.
“We are doing our best,” Kanda reminded kindly. “I will take my turn now.”
“You have not had a long enough rest,” insisted Amelia. “I just need a moment.”
They had just sent Arnon off with a list of supplies to get from Kanda’s house in the campground. And if she didn’t have them, he’d need to go into town.
Meghan bolted upright with a rush of coarse breath. Her eyes rolled up in her head, sweat beaded down her face. The two women gently pushed her down until she was still again. The movement jostled the locket Meghan wore around her neck, and in the process, a thorn pricked the delicate skin against her chest. She sank instantly into a deep coma, feeling no more pain, hearing no more voices, and felt, nothing.
Then, there was something. She opened her eyes, blinded by a great amount of light. Shadows formed as her sight slowly returned. She tried to stand, but the surface beneath her swayed, making her legs unstable. She fell to her knees and when she looked up, she could see. Everything was clear.
Her body bounced up and down, and Meghan realized she was kneeling on a petal of some kind. She stood up, slowly turning in circles, taking in her surroundings. Roses?
“Where am I?” she whispered. She decided to follow the stem of the rose bush, maneuvering around the thorns, some of which were nearly the size of her body.
A short distance later the path came to an opening arched by two roses entwining each other, one black and one gold. Just inside, a silvery feather floated, carrying the body of a sleeping woman. Meghan was not sure if she should try to wake the woman, whose face she could not see. Perhaps this woman could tell Meghan how to get home.
“Why exactly do I want to go home?” she muttered. “So I can be sick again?” She paused, closing her eyes, enjoying the complete silence and lack of burning pain. She sighed, opening her eyes. “I would still like to know where the heck I am.”
She stepped closer to the woman, opening her mouth to speak. A tranquil voice stopped her.
“Do not awaken her yet. It is not time.”
“Who are you? Where am I?” Meghan asked, looking around for the source of the voice.
“Fate has found you, my dearest Meghan,” echoed the voice. “When the time is right, the lady on the feather will present herself to you.”
“What do you mean?” asked Meghan, not understanding.
“There is much yet to learn before you are ready to meet her. Patience, my child.”
Meghan’s head began to grow fuzzy and she became unsteady. She stumbled, pricking herself on a nearby thorn.
The nothingness returned. The rose bush was gone.
The memory of the voice vanished.
#
Deep within a stone room, a middle-aged woman sat by her candles, her lifeline to the outside world, the world she had banished herself from many years before. Though her pale skin too often did not see the light of day, her beauty was stunning.
Each of her candles took the shape of a person or place she desired to watch over, and in the flames, she could see them. She could hear them. She could even talk to them if she so desired.
She desired the latter greatly, but her secret needed to remain so, and therefore her voice remained silent. Her heart ached to speak with those she had left behind, to explain why she had left them. However, giving in to that desire would render all she had worked for, and given up, useless.
“No! I will remain strong for those that I love. I will keep hope that one day they will see the truth and understand.” She blew out her candles, plunging herself into darkness.
She wept, holding her face in
her hands, longing for one more chance to hold her loved ones in her arms, to feel their embrace around her. An unexpected light filtered through her wet fingers. She dropped her hands, assuming the candle of her self-made captor had lit.
What did he want now?
When she looked more closely, she gasped, dumbstruck.
“This is not possible!” she cried out. “What treachery is this?” She could answer her own question easily. It could not be a trick.
“These candles only obey one Firemancer. Me.”
She crawled, hesitantly, to the newly lit candle, blowing off the thick layer of burning dust. The flame burned brighter. She had thought many times over the years of destroying the candle, but could not bring herself to do it.
Perhaps…
“No! She is dead! This cannot be!” She gazed into the flame, afraid to let herself believe for a moment that she could be alive. Nevertheless, there in the flame, was a redheaded girl, sleeping. The Firemancer’s heart thumped rapidly, overflowing with emotion, which instantly turned to dread.
“He lied to me!” she whispered coarsely. “Told me she had died. And I believed him. I believed him…”
The Firemancer stood, unsure of what to do. Her breath came out in heavy waves. She wanted to flee, to give up, to avenge this deception. This changed everything.
She stopped herself before leaving the cave.
“This cannot change anything,” she cried painfully. “My plan is more necessary than ever before. Now, I cannot fail.”
The Firemancer fell to her knees sobbing tears of joy, watching the beautiful redheaded girl sleeping.
She was truly alive, and for now, this would have to be enough.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
First a week passed, then nearly a second, with no new information. Meghan’s condition was always the same: her fever would not break and she did not regain consciousness. Colin thought on occasion he heard her, calling out to him in his mind, but she never replied when he answered back.
Wanting to comfort his outwardly worried uncle, Colin told him he sensed she was simply in a deep sleep, dreaming. He also hoped she would recover in time to say goodbye to Jae, who would be leaving in three days’ time. The blue moon was fast approaching.
That evening, hurried footsteps approached the Jendaya camp, scraping dirt as they hastened closer; the group waited breathlessly, hoping it was not bad news. Kay Jendaya came running into the firelight, out of breath and exhausted.
“The fever finally broke! She awoke for a short minute, then went back to sleep. She will be fine now.” Uncle Arnon got up and headed for the trailer. Colin stood to follow. At first, he thought Uncle Arnon was going to say no.
“C’mon,” he hastily decided, and they scurried away. Once inside the trailer, they saw her sleeping on the pullout sofa.
Colin had never been this happy to see his sister. Arnon sat down, weary with relief. Colin knelt next to the couch just gazing at her, waiting for her eyes to open, but instead, a minute later, Colin’s head drooped and his eyes closed. His head popped back up and his uncle forced him straight to bed without protest. As soon as his head hit the pillow, he fell into a deep sleep, not a dream in his head, just precious, wonderful, uninterrupted sleep.
A familiar voice rang through his thoughts the next morning.
“Colin, you awake?”
Colin jumped from his bunk and dashed out of the bedroom to see Uncle Arnon handing Meghan a glass of juice. He grinned from ear to ear, rushing to her, hugging her hard, making her wince and spill her juice.
“Sorry,” he said, laughing.
Tears streamed down their uncle’s face. “It’s good to have you back,” he said happily.
“What happened? How long have I been here? And why do I feel like I have been in a fight?” She tried to sit up, but struggled. Uncle Arnon assisted her.
“It has been nearly two weeks,” informed her uncle.
“What! That long?” Her memories of the previous two weeks were faint, like a distant dream she could not quite remember.
“You have been through a lot, Meghan. You had a terrible fever,” he told her. “Do you remember anything?”
“I do remember the fever. There were times I thought I was literally burning alive. I remember seeing a lot of faces I did not recognize, and then, a lot of darkness, and a lot of lights, and something about roses.” She shook it off and tried to gather her bearings. “Right now, I just feel great!” she added, smiling. “Like I wasn’t even sick. Two weeks? Really?”
Arnon nodded. And grinned, shaking his head. Meghan had looked near death a few times. And here she was now, nearly the perfect picture of health. “I’m going to run and tell everyone you’re awake. And well. They will be very relieved.” As Arnon departed, Meghan saw her reflection in the window and quivered.
“Ugh, I am a mess. Hand me a brush, would you?”
Colin did so gladly. Minutes later, a troop of footsteps drew near the camper.
“Oh, no,” she cried from the bed. “He brought them all here, now. Look at me, I’m in my nightgown, and have not showered, in, ohhhhh,” she cringed and hid under the covers.
The door flung open. First, appeared Mr. and Mrs. Jendaya, followed by Kanda, and then Sebastien, Jae, and Uncle Arnon. The camper was crowded with smiling faces. Meghan poked her nose over the top of the covers and peeked at her audience, not sure of what to say.
“We will not stay long,” insisted Kay. “We are just so relieved that you’re better.”
“Thank you,” she murmured from behind the blanket.
“What are you doing?” asked her uncle.
“I look horrible,” she whispered.
“She’s already back to normal,” laughed Sebastien.
“You have been sick for a while,” added Jae. “You are bound not to look your best.”
This was not as helpful as he’d hoped it would be. Meghan disappeared under the blankets until everyone had left. Colin had to coax her out.
Though she had been out for nearly two weeks, she was surprised at how energetic she felt. She was ravenous, and Colin gladly made her breakfast. After, she asked them to leave, insisting she was well enough to shower and dress. Uncle Arnon was nervous to leave her alone, but Colin reminded him he could sense if something was wrong, so he agreed.
Over an hour later, she finally materialized.
“I cannot believe it, but I am starving already,” she told them. Arnon hopped into the trailer to make her another plate of food. She sat down next to Colin and minutes later gobbled down another plate.
“I think this evening,” started Uncle Arnon, “will be time for a belated, although less lively than planned, birthday party.”
“Wow. I even missed my thirteenth birthday,” she moaned. Then she looked at Colin. “I messed up yours, too. Sorry,” she squeaked in a regretful tone.
“We can make up for it tonight,” he replied.
“Until then, young lady, I insist that you rest,” Arnon ordered. She agreed, begrudgingly. A few hours later, after eating another plate of food at lunch, she pleaded for release from resting.
“I swear, Uncle Arnon. I will take it easy. I really feel fine. I think a walk would do me some good. You know, fresh air and all that.”
Arnon thought on it for a few minutes before answering.
“Okay. Only if you promise to take it easy and Colin has to stay with you. I do not want you to be alone on your first full day of recovery.”
She nodded yes and tried to keep her pace slow as she excitedly exited the trailer. The first thing they did was grab Jae and Sebastien.
“I cannot believe I was out for such a long time. Did anything happen?” she asked as they walked.
“You did not miss much,” said Sebastien, standing close by her, concerned she might lose her balance, even though she looked steady on her feet.
Jae grinned. “Other than you being sick, fairly uneventful.”
Colin stayed tuned to her mind, keeping
track of her inner thoughts for the same reason. If she was going to faint, he hoped to catch it in her mind, first.
“So no signs of those Scratchers?” Meghan asked.
“No. Nothing at all.”
“In just a couple days you’ll be going home, Jae.” Meghan sighed. “I can’t believe I was sick through almost your entire time here. I’m sorry about that, but I’m glad you’re almost there.”
Jae seemed both happy and sad about going home.
“Aren’t you excited to be going home?” she questioned.
“Oh, yeah. Yeah. I miss my family. A lot. But…” It took him a minute to confess what he was thinking. “I will miss being on my own, just a little. I can do so many things I couldn’t do before, and my spells last way longer too. I am ready to see my family, though,” he added. “I am sure my mom and sister are worried to death by now. But even though it got a little messed up,” he aimed at Meghan with a wry smile, “I will miss my time here too.”
The mood did not stay dampened long. A short while later it was time for the twins’ belated thirteenth birthday party. It was a happy night. A relaxed night. A well-deserved break from the previous week’s tension.
The adults sat around the fire partaking in a few cheerful spirits.
Meghan, Colin, and Sebastien taught Jae how to play a card game called black queens, which he had unparalleled beginners luck at playing.
Meghan felt nearly back to normal, but started to get noticeably tired. The boys asked if she wanted to stop and get some rest, but she insisted they continue. In fact, Meghan was happier than she had ever remembered. Colin sensed this and could not help but grin. It was not often they were able to spend a night, surrounded by friends. They did not want it to end.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Colin awoke early the next morning. His happy feelings from the previous night vanished, a strange sense of foreboding filling him. He’d slept well. Caught up on a lot of missed sleep from his sister’s illness. He didn’t know why he awakened with such a feeling knotting him up inside. Maybe it was a bad dream he no longer remembered. Maybe he feared his sister’s illness would return. Maybe something had leaked into his mind during sleep, from his sister’s mind. Perhaps this was her ominous feeling, not his.
Awaken (The Witches, The Spell Book, and The Magic Tree) (A Fated Fantasy Quest Adventure Book 1) Page 13
