"She paid dearly for her message, Terra," Elise shared her memories of walking Carol toward her home, and later, the realization that she was missing.
“No!” gasped Terra out loud.
Portia turned in her chair to see what had disturbed her rest. Terra attempted to appear asleep. After a moment, Portia turned back to the news.
"She was taken from her home," thought Elise.
"If that's the case, it's likely that the Tweens has been infiltrated," thought Amity.
"But how?" thought George.
"When the greeter, Bruce came to Halle and me to warn us. He feared the same thing," Christopher's thoughts darted through the peculiar visits from the reclusive greeter. His admission of losing the odd new arrival that was never claimed by any guide made the possibility more understandable to the group. Terra felt a twinge of sadness as she regarded Christopher’s loving remembrance of Halle.
"I didn’t want to torture Halle's thoughts. I didn’t know how else to warn you!" Terra thought.
"I didn’t want to believe that the horrible images she painted could be real. I know now that things on Earth are much worse than I imagined," Christopher thought.
Terra focused on the events that led to her and Liam being ambushed in the park. Part of her wished she could conceal her hidden intentions.
"You would never have killed him, Terra," thought Brendan. "The Originator put that idea in your mind, and you were desperate. You would have destroyed yourself trying to protect him. You almost did. If we hadn’t come when we did…"
A single tear rolled down Terra’s cheek. "I don’t know… He's here now. I will keep him safe."
"What about your other charges, and ours? Who will protect them from the Scourge?" Constance demanded.
"We can't just stay here, Terra. We must seek out our charges and salvage what we can. I can feel their cries." Amity thought.
"I understand. I alone will stay here." Terra thought.
"Get past your penchant for self-sacrifice. Will you accept our help? We came here partly for you," Elise thought.
"I agree, Elise and I will stay here while Terra heals. We can protect her and her loved ones while she is incapacitated. When she is well enough, we will hunt for the Originator together," Brendan thought.
"Then we have no choice but to split up. There's no time to waste," George thought.
"May you find what you're looking for," thought Terra.
"And may you heal and find the cause of all of this quickly," Christopher thought. "I need to follow through with this. Halle is waiting."
As the guides encircled Terra, the news broadcast on television shifted to a story of a family that was decimated by a murder-suicide.
"We will need to protect the Tweens if we cannot save this realm," Brendan thought.
"You never mentioned how you managed to come here?" asked Terra.
"That is a long story for another time," thought Christopher. He broke away from the circle and through the door without another word.
George, Amity, and Constance took a step back, bowed their heads politely and followed suit.
"Did I say something to upset him?" Terra thought.
"Let’s just say that it's a sensitive topic," thought Elise.
Chapter19
Terra scowled at the doorway. Four of her fellow guides were gone, and she had never felt so stranded or useless. They came to Earth to join her in battle. She needed to protect Liam. Now she was confined to a hospital room doing neither. The extended silence of Liam’s thoughts and feelings pulled on Terra like an itch that she could not scratch. Despite being assured that Liam was only a floor away having his leg repaired, it felt like each moment without the connection took him further from Terra’s reach.
Brendan and Elise ventured out to look for Scourge around the hospital. They felt anxious to find a solution for the Scourge infestation. Korin had not yet returned, forcing Terra to wonder if she had been whisked away to visit Azalea. The thought was not comforting.
Terra sighed as she looked at the network of tubes and monitors that were there to help her human body heal. They felt like a prison rather than a benefit. I have to get out of here!
“Be patient Terra, you have to let your body heal,” Portia spoke up from her place on the convertible chair.
“Yeah, I know,” said Terra. Waiting for a broken body to heal is only slowing me down. I need to be with Liam. I need to make sure the Scourge can't reach him. There's a war going on, and I'm stuck here on the sidelines.
The sound of springs protesting announced Portia’s escape from the convertible furniture. She stretched her shoulders before twisting her torso in either direction. “Believe me; I'm as ready to leave this hospital as you are. They're going to have to put me in traction if I sit on that cot-thing for much longer.”
“I’m sorry, mom. You don’t have to stay. I’ll be just fine here! I promise.” Actually, you'd be safer if you were far away from me!
“Don’t be silly. I want to be here with you. Besides, the last time I let you out of my sight you almost got yourself blown up.”
“I’m sure that was a onetime thing. The gas main could have blown up without me.”
“But it chose to wait for the exact moment when you stopped by it to visit with your friend,” Portia said.
"Okay, I understand," said Terra.
She twisted against the sheets. The gray walls mimicked the drab effect of an overcast day. A slight scent of bleach surrounded her in the medicinal space. The physical world around her could not account for the feeling she held inside.
“Terra, are you in pain? Should I get the nurse?” Portia asked.
“No, I’m alright,” Terra lied.
Portia crossed the room to sit at Terra’s bedside. She placed her cool hand on Terra’s forehead, then her cheek. She shook her head. “Nope, I’m not buying it. Terra I've known you for too long for that line to work on me. What’s wrong?”
Terra looked at her adoptive mother’s concerned expression for a moment. The weight of the silence was too strong. She opened her mouth to speak, but a choking sob came out instead. Tears trickled from her eyes.
“Oh, Terra. I’ll get the nurse. Just hang on!” Portia said as she reached for the call button that hung from the electrical controls of the hospital bed.
“Stop,” Terra swallowed hard as she fought back the tears.
Portia’s hand froze over the button. “Terra, talk to me. I love you, and I want to help.” Her eyes pleaded with Terra for a long moment.
“I could have killed him,” Terra said.
“Killed him? The explosion was an accident. The young man said you helped get him out from under the debris. I don’t understand.”
“I just wanted to make things okay. I never wanted this. I never wanted any of this. I just wanted to be with him. I can’t stand it anymore. None of this should have happened.”
“I’m still a bit confused. I know you didn’t mean for Liam to get hurt. It's strange that you snuck here to see him. But I understand; you wanted to see him. It's normal.”
“It’s not for me. It’s like I can’t breathe. I feel like the whole world slows down, and everything comes into focus the moment I see him again, and then it was taken away a moment later.”
“My sweet girl, you really love this Liam. Don't you?”
“More than anything,” Terra said. Tears streamed down her face, but somehow confessing this love that she had hidden from Portia for so long gave her a small sense of relief. For this short moment, what she was feeling and the situation she was in was human and simple.
Portia pulled Terra to her in a warm hug. “I’ll tell you what; I spoke with your Liam, and I know he doesn't hold you responsible for what happened. He was more worried about you than his own injuries. I think he'll be out of surgery soon. Let’s get you cleaned up, and I’ll wheel you down to the waiting room, so we can see if you can visit him when he wakes up.”
Terra nodded her head. Goin
g back to Liam was dangerous, but the compulsion to be at his side was unbearable. The silence of his thoughts through her mind was foreign and unnatural.
~~~~~~~~
Being confined to a mortal body was not Terra’s most comfortable state on a good day. Forcing her injured body to function was horrible. She let the water from the hospital's shower cascade over her as the steam filled the room. She ran her fingers over the new scar on her abdomen where surgeons had repaired her internal bleeding. The stitches felt stiff and foreign to her pruny fingers. She gazed down at her legs, covered with scratches and bruises. A sigh escaped her lips. Korin was right: she was not taking care of her body. Terra quickly shampooed her hair and rinsed off. The hospital’s towels were rough and smelled antiseptic against her tender skin. She carefully patted the water drops off of her injuries before pulling on yoga pants and a T-shirt. Terra appraised her reflection in the mirror as she combed her blonde hair into a neat bun. She wanted to look her best for Liam. It was strange. Their connection was always on a deeper level, but this physical presence somehow appealed to Terra in a new way. She wanted to make the right impression and bruised and battered was not the look she was going for.
A knock on the bathroom door brought Terra back to reality. “Terra, did you get washed down the drain? I just called the front desk, and they said Liam is out of surgery. He should be waking up soon.”
Terra opened the door, releasing a plume of trapped steam. “I look awful.” She muttered.
Portia appraised her daughter for a moment. “You look beautiful to me, but maybe I can help.” She hurried over to her purse and returned with a small makeup bag. “Here you go. At my age, you have to be a little more diligent. You have such natural beauty.”
Terra returned to the partially fogged up mirror. After a few adjustments, she had managed to disguise the bruise on her cheek and add some blush to her pale features.
“Alright, I’m ready,” Terra's voice shook.
“I’ll bring the wheelchair in, and we'll head down the hall,” Portia said.
Terra took a deep breath, then nodded.
Chapter20
Portia strained as she pushed Terra in the dilapidated wheelchair down the echoing halls of the hospital. The wheelchair squeaked loudly and pulled toward the left. With each rotation of the squeaky wheel, Terra felt anticipation grip her more firmly. She searched for any sign of Liam’s thoughts as he awakened, but there was nothing. The silence screamed at Terra: Something is wrong! The wait was unbearable. She had no way to know how he would react to her visit. Did he know why she found him in the park? Did he have any memory of the unseen help that lifted the debris from his leg? Did he understand, on some level what really happened? Most importantly, would he remember her? When everything had happened, in that blurred moment in-between the attacks and the explosion that changed everything he had seemed to recognize her; even to welcome her. Was he sincere or was he acting out of kindness to a stranger? Was she just another pretty face in the crowd?
“I can walk you know,” Terra said. She could not hide her impatience.
“It’s against hospital regulations. You would be a liability. Besides, just getting up and taking a shower left you looking as pale as a ghost,” Portia said.
Terra’s fingers increased their grip on the armrest. The cold hallway made her wish for a quick resolution to the trip. She envisioned herself being propelled towards Liam without the anchor of her body to hold her firmly in place among the particles of matter.
“Be patient, we're almost there,” Portia said.
Terra nodded. Portia could never understand the strange feeling and compulsions that tumbled around in her mind: Her thoughts were jumbled by her immortal mind arguing with foreign humanity. The only thing both sides of Terra could agree upon was that she could not get back to Liam fast enough.
Terra noticed a figure standing in front of the double doors that led to the surgical wing: she recognized Brendan. Portia approached the young man who stood silently in front of her with no sign of noticing he was there at all. As Portia reached the door and pushed the button for the automatic door to open, Brendan beamed with a reassuring smile. Terra felt her own lips drawn into a reciprocal smile before she realized what was happening.
“Glad to see you're back up and around!" Brendan said.
Terra’s mouth opened to respond, but Portia pushed her chair by Brendan without a pause as the door opened.
The anticipation of seeing Liam drove all other thoughts away. Terra searched for Liam's thoughts fervently in her mind, but her efforts were met with empty silence.
“Mom, did you say that Liam was waking up now?” Terra asked.
“He should be,” answered Portia.
“Okay,” Terra said. If he's awake, then why can’t I feel his mind? The chair squeaked and groaned to a stop in a waiting room. A tired-looking woman looked up from a magazine and greeted Portia with a polite smile.
“Terra, have you met Christine?” Portia asked, “She's Liam’s foster mother: I’m sure you already know that. Anyway, we've been getting to know one another at the cafeteria.”
“Hello,” Terra waved politely. The memory of the time when the Scourge had attacked Liam’s foster family sprang into her mind. She had met Christine during the heat of battle but now was not the moment to test that memory’s staying power with the worried woman.
“So you're the mystery girl who Liam was meeting at the park,” Christine said. Her tone was friendly. She rose to her feet to shake Terra’s hand. Her grasp was warm and welcoming This kind lady’s demeanor was very different from when her body had been taken over by the scourge.
Terra smiled. Her eyes glanced down towards her lap. “It's nice to meet you.”
Christine laughed. “There's no need to feel embarrassed. I'm thrilled to know Liam has found somebody who captures his attention. He has been alone for so long. I want to see him happy.”
“Happy? He's in surgery.”
“Terra, honey, he's a different person. Yes, his leg is causing him some pain, but there's a look in his eyes that's completely new. It's like he's found something he had been looking for over a long time.”
Terra felt a surge of warmth flash across her face.
“Now I've embarrassed this young lady. Don’t feel that way honey, I only mean that it was a nice change: seeing his content,” Christine said.
Terra nodded her head, “I understand.”
The sound of the doors opening interrupted the conversation. Terra noticed a severe-looking nurse dominating the doorway.
“Are you the family of Liam Conway?” the nurse asked.
“I'm his guardian,” Christine answered.
“This way please.” The nurse gestured back down the corridor.
“Alright Ms. Terra, let’s go see how this young man is doing,” Christine said.
Terra glanced up at her mother.
“I’ll wait right here. We don’t want to overwhelm Liam with too many guests. I’m sure there's a limit,” Portia politely acquiesced. She kissed Terra on the head before taking a seat in the waiting room.
The tired nurse looked on from the doorway. She cast a quick glance at her watch.
Christine took Portia’s place pushing Terra’s chair. Terra again fought the urge to spring from her seat; she shifted her weight uncomfortably and found her body unwilling to comply with her wishes. Pain was such a mortal concept. Terra admonished herself for allowing a body’s signals to overrule her innate intentions.
“When we go in, I don’t want you to be surprised. I know you saw what happened during the accident, but I think I should warn you that Liam looks pretty beat up. The doctors said that it looked worse than it really is. The leg was the worst of it, and a couple of cracked ribs. To be honest, it looks like he lost a fight. He's bruised up and there are odd scratches everywhere.” Christine said.
“I understand.” Terra's throat tightened as she spoke. The Scourge did that to him. They tried to tear him
to shreds, and why: because of me. It's not fair. Liam was sent to lure me here and now the Scourge wants to use him to manipulate me too.
The nurse shifted her hefty body to the side as she held open a door for Christine to push Terra’s chair through. “He'll need his rest. Check-in with him, let him know you’re here, but then he needs to rest,” she said.
“Thank you.” Christine wheeled Terra through the doorway.
Chapter 21
Korin ducked into an alleyway down the street from the hospital.
It feels silly to hide; most people can't even see me. I guess it's better to be careful. I don't know what the guides would think if they saw me disappear from the street. Korin glanced around with guilty anticipation. The alley brought new dangers. She realized that she was no longer alone. Two Scourge entities shuffled out from behind the corner of the building.
"Look what we have here, a hold-out. Now don't you worry Miss.; you don't need that body you lost. You can become part of the Scourge and become powerful and last forever."
"I've heard that before," Korin said, backing away. She reached for her arm, tapping the intersecting circles four times as she retreated.
Please, please work! Korin took another step back. A moment later, the world around her blurred, and she found herself catapulted through the matter around her in a swirl of color and sound that left nothing distinct. Korin cringed away from the strangeness of the situation. She landed with an ungraceful flop on the old linoleum of a kitchen floor.
"Always rushing," Azalea said.
Korin sat up and looked at the tiny woman who stooped over her. "Rushing?"
"You rush to go to your friend. Now you rush to come back. Slow down, rushing won't help you." She looked at Korin with one eyebrow raised.
Korin winced under Azalea's stern expression. "I'm sorry to drop in on you, but I thought you would want to know what was going on."
Anointed Page 10
