by Kaitlyn Hoyt
“ARE YOU SURE SHE’S ALRIGHT?” Colton asks. “She’s been out for a while.”
“She’s fine, Colton. Stop worrying. She has to rest to regain her energy,” Claire explains, her voice further away.
“She’s the prophecy girl that they are always talking about? I thought she would look different,” says an unknown female voice. I hear two angry growls in the room “Hey, hey. Down boys. I didn’t mean that as a bad thing. I just thought she would be…I don’t know, taller or something. She looks so small. So fragile.”
My stomach is throbbing, but the pain isn’t as unbearable anymore. I can hear everything around me, but I can’t get my body to respond. I want to tell everyone that I am fine…or going to be fine.
“Don’t underestimate her,” Tom says.
“How come I woke up so much faster than she is?”
There is a moment of silence, before Claire speaks up, “I think that going into a vision for the first time, depleted a lot of her energy. I’m guessing she experienced the vision through your point of view, and that’s why she sustained the same injury. I think it was just too much for her body to handle at once. She just learned that she was a mage a couple days ago. She hasn’t quite learned how to control everything yet.”
I feel my finger twitch. I wait a few more seconds until full functioning is restored. I turn my head and groan inwardly.
“Ryanne, can you hear me?” I haven’t opened my eyes yet. I can feel everyone looking at me. Extra thoughts creep into my mind. She’s the one they are looking for. I can’t believe it. She’s the girl from the prophecy. Look at those guys pining over her. The shorter one is cute. I hope she’s okay. I need her to wake up so I can check everything to make sure there are no other injuries. I reach up and grab my head, trying to push them back.
“Guys, back up. She can hear your thoughts,” says David. He sounds like he is right beside me. I hear people shuffling and the thoughts quiet. They are still there, but it doesn’t feel like anyone is screaming at me anymore. I push the thoughts back and lock them with the others. It takes a little longer to accomplish this time; my body is so exhausted.
When I am left with my own thoughts, I slowly open my eyes. David and Colton are sitting down at my side. When I turn and look at them, they both give me small smiles. I feel my long bangs fall down on my forehead.
“Hey, guys. How long was I out?” I whisper.
Colton reaches out and tucks my hair behind my ear, “About four hours.”
“Oh.” I try to sit up, but my body won’t have it. Grunting in pain, I decide to lie back down.
“Guys, move out of the way, I need to take a look at her.”
A man walked toward me and bends down where David and Colton just were. “I take it you’re Logan.”
Smiling, he says, “Yeah, I’m Logan and you’re the famous Ryanne. I wish we were meeting under different circumstances, though.” I try to smile at him, but I’m sure it looks more like a grimace.
“Where does it hurt?”
“Just my stomach.”
He lifts up my bloodstained shirt and examines my abdomen, putting slight pressure on it, looking for sensitive spots. Nodding to himself, he pulls my shirt back down and grabs my wrist, checking my pulse. Then, he gently takes a hold of my chin, moving my head, and looking me in both eyes.
“Everything appears to be fine now,” he says to no one in particular. Looking directly at me, he says, “I think you just need to rest some more. Do you think you can walk?”
He puts his hand under my head, and helps push me into a seated position. I shake my head. If he wasn’t holding me up, I know that I would fall back. I’m too weak to do anything but sleep for the next month straight.
“Colton, do you think you’ll be able to carry her to her room?”
“Yeah.” Colton comes over to me. “Put your left arm around my neck.” I listen, and he wraps one arm around my back, and the other under my knees. Cradling me against his chest, he lifts me in his arms, and begins walking toward the stairs.
“Thank you, Logan,” I call out.
“You’re welcome.”
I rest my head against his chest, losing my battle to stay awake. I must have drifted off as he carried me to my room because I jolt awake when he is placing me down on the bed. He apologizes quietly, telling me to go back to sleep. I close my eyes again, and feel the blanket being pulled up around me. A hand brushes the hair out of my face, and someone leans down and kisses my cheek.
Then I fall back asleep.
I dream of Liam. I am lying in the field where I first met him. I just listen to life happening all around me. I can hear the crickets and birds communicating. The soft wind caresses my face, blowing strands of hair into my eyes. The leaves of the trees are brushing against each other in the breeze, creating soft whispers that ride the gentle gusts of wind. The sunlight warms my skin as I lean back and close my eyes, pointing my face toward the sky.
“You’re actually sleeping this time.” I know who is speaking to me before I even open my eyes. I feel someone come and lie down next to me. I blink, allowing my eyes to adjust to the light, before turning and facing him.
“Hey, Liam. Nice to see you too.”
“I see you’re wearing my necklace.” I look down at his necklace.
“Oh, you can have it back if you want it.” I reach down and am about to take it off, when his hand stops me.
Holding onto my arm, he says, “No, it looks better on you.” I smile at him and let go of it.
“We’re not going to be attacked this time, are we?” I ask.
“No, I don’t think so. This isn’t the same place as last time, just similar,” he replies honestly. “So, why are you here exactly? You only enter here if you’re in a very deep sleep.”
“I got shot.”
“You what?”
“Before I elaborate, can I ask you something?” I turn my body so I am facing him. I am lying on my side, my head resting on my palm.
He turns and mimics my movements. “Sure.”
“Are you real? Or are you a figment of my imagination?”
He reaches out and grabs a tendril of my hair that is blowing in the wind, before looking me in the eyes and saying, “I’m real, Ryanne. Not a figment of your imagination.’
For some reason, that makes me happy. I go on to explain everything from the beginning. I don’t leave out any details. I tell him about almost failing English, Adam, almost getting hit by the car, meeting David, Colton, and Claire, finding out I was a mage, my attempted kidnapping, learning about Dravin, realizing that my dreams aren’t actually dreams, training, and lastly the most recent vision.
“Is that all?” he jokes.
“Can I ask you something else?”
“Maybe,” he replies hesitantly.
“How come I can only see you when I’m dreaming or whatever? Do you live in the ‘real world’ too?”
He looks up at the sky. I turn back toward him, and see him exhale a deep breath. “I do live in the real world. I’m a mage like you. I’m what most call a dream-walker. I can go into mage’s dreams. I’m supposed to help them battle their inner demons, solve problems, resolve conflicts, etc. But you…” He turns and points toward me. “You’re different. When we first met, you weren’t dreaming. I can enter into the dream world, but no one else is supposed to be able to, so I don’t know how you got here.”
Nodding, I think about everything he just told me. We are in a different world right now: dream world. I shouldn’t be surprised, but I am. While I’m thinking, my body starts to tingle.
“I have to go back soon. I feel its pull,” I say sadly. I like talking to Liam. Like David, he’s easygoing and I’m comfortable talking to him. However, unlike David, he doesn’t show many emotions. His expressions are usually stoic and unreadable.
“I know. You’re starting to wake up.”
“Will I see you again?” I ask.
“Hopefully.” He cracks a smile. “Just ple
ase don’t get shot again.”
