Authors: Sarah Ripley
Scooping me up off the ground, she pressed me up against the wall, using her body to make sure I couldn’t escape.
“No one here, pretty girlie,” Anique hissed. “No white knight to save you now.” From behind her back she pulled out a long dagger and waved it in front of my face. “This might hurt a bit. I hope you don’t mind.”
The knife plunged into my body, just
below my ribcage, tearing through my skin, bringing forth a wave of blinding pain that paralyzed my entire body. I couldn’t move, I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t even see anymore, all I could do was focus on the pain as it travelled through my central nervous system and every single nerve. I opened my mouth and a blast of energy pulsated from my body, powerful enough to toss both Anique and I backwards and onto the floor. All the mirrors above the sinks shattered, sending a shower of broken glass down on us. I landed hard, spraying blood across the tiled floor. Anique hit a bathroom stall. The dagger dropped from her hands and skidded across the floor and between the toilets.
“Ug.” she sat up and spat out blood. “How the hell did you do that?”
Good question.
I managed to roll over onto my back but I couldn’t do much more than that. My shirt was damp with blood. It trickled across my stomach and down my sides, dripping onto the floor. Staring up at the ceiling I wondered who’d find my body when this was over. How long would it take me to come back? Would my new brain have flashbacks of me lying on this floor?
“One’s not enough,” Anique mumbled as she searched around for the dagger. When she couldn’t find it she slammed her fist against the tile, cracking it into several pieces.
I realised that this might be my only chance for escape but it required more energy than I had left. But I was so close to the door, so close to freedom, and whoever might be left inside the building. The voices were softer and fewer. There couldn’t be many in the halls now, the majority were probably outside in the parking lot, waiting for the fire trucks to arrive. The alarm continued to ring but the noise was softer now, further away. Where was Seito? Did he rush past me without even knowing where I was? How many minutes had passed since Anique grabbed me?
I concentrated on trying to gather the energy to roll over onto my side. If I could get to my knees I might be able to get to the door while she was distracted. But when I tried moving, pain flared through me and all I could do was squeeze my eyes closed and try not to pass out. My vision was beginning to blur, how long till I faded out completely?
None of that mattered. Anique squealed in delight and I heard the dagger scrap against the floor as she reached out and picked it up.
“Any last words?” She crawled back over to me, using one hand to pin my shoulder against the floor while the other raised the blade up high. Shards of glass clung to her hair.
Seito crashed through the door. He didn’t even pause to look at me, his eyes were on Anique only. Taking a flying leap, he tackled her hard as she brought the dagger down. It missed me by inches, stabbing at air and falling from her hand as Seito dragged her across the floor. Her head hit the wall and she crumbled into a heap beside the garbage bin.
Then Seito was at my side and his hands were wrapping themselves around my body, pulling me close and then lifting me up in the air.
“Hold on, Mai,” he said. “Don’t leave me.”
He carried me out into the empty hallway. The students had long since vacated. The air was still thick with smoke and I could hear the flames crackling as we rushed through the building. We were heading in the direction of the theatre, towards the flames and away from the parking lot. There was an exit door there. It was there where I’d first met Seito, meditating on the stage. My eyes grew heavy and I thought about how it hadn’t been that long ago. What a shame we’d only known each other such a short time. I was going to miss them all.
“Look at me, Mai, don’t close your eyes. Look at me.”
I opened my eyes and caught the profile of his face as he ran. He really was a great looking guy, I could see why Claire and Amber were both attracted to him. Those white bangs were pretty cool. His lips were soft. He probably was an amazing kisser.
Lina caught up with us just outside the theatre.
“Come on,” she said, opening the door so we could pass through. “Hurry. We can sneak out the back. I’ve got the car waiting.”
“We’re almost there, Mai,” Seito said. He sounded so very anxious the way he kept saying my name. I tried to tell him not to worry but it was too much effort. All I wanted to do was sleep.
I closed my eyes again, blinking once when Lina opened the back door and sunlight and cold air hit my face. There were other hands, reaching out and helping me along. They carefully managed to get me inside the car where Kian reached out and took me in his arms. Soft energy flowed over my body, warming my skin which was rapidly cooling. I couldn’t feel my feet anymore, they’d gone numb.
“Don’t die, Mai,” he said and I almost managed to smile because his words rhymed.
“Kian...” I needed to tell him something but I couldn’t remember.
“Don’t leave me
.”
But I was too tired. I closed my eyes again and unconsciousness claimed me.
Everything was soft and peaceful. Sunlight warmed my skin. I was back in the field where the wildflowers grew and the two little girls played in the big ancient tree. I was wearing a lovely dress that trailed down to my ankles. It was a pale blue, the colour of my eyes. A summer breeze blew against the fabric, and long wisps of silk danced around my legs and arms. My hair was styled and ringlet’s fell from my shoulders and across my chest.
I moved towards the tree, my bare feet warmed against the soft earth. As I drew near, one of the girls waved at me.
“You came back,” she said.
I looked up into the tree and spotted the second girl. She was still sitting on her branch, the same butterfly twittered on her finger. Just off in the distance something moved. A deer, beautiful and elegant, twitched her ears and sniffed the air for danger.
“Am I dead?”
The girl giggled and shook her head. “Not dead. Just resting. It’s always nice to come here when you need to sleep, don’t you think?”
“I guess so.”
The doe stamped her hoof against the ground and bent down to gather up some of the sweet grass in her mouth. She watched me carefully with big brown eyes as she chewed.
“It’s a good place to be,” the girl said. “Think of it as your own private heaven, a place of joy and beauty. You can come here anytime you need to escape. This world can be anything you want it to be, all you have to do is dream it.”
Anything I wanted? That sounded too complicated.
“You’re very pretty,” the girl said. “I can see why he loves you.”
“Who? Kian?” I glanced around the field. “Is he here?”
“No, just us.”
“Oh.”
“But it’s his energy that’s helping you right now. The both of them. They’re trying desperately to give you the strength you need to recover. You’ll need to go back to them soon, otherwise they’ll miss you.”
I frowned. “Do you mean if I stay here too long I won’t go back?”
“Something like that.” The little girl looked up at the tree where her sister picked a daisy from her hair. “But you’re alone. You’re missing someone. Your other half. You heard her calling to you out of the darkness. They haven’t found her yet. It’s probably best that you wait for her.”
“Do you know where she is?”
“Uh-uh.”
The doe finally finished eating and sniffed the air again. With a graceful leap, she turned and ran off through the fields. I watched her until the tall grass swallowed her up. I turned back to the childhood versions of Apani and Dialexa with their soft dresses and flowers woven in their hair.
“How do I get back?”
“You wish it with all your heart.”
Little Apani grinned and ran off across the field. Jumping from the branch, Dialexa hit the ground, chasing after her. I watched them disappear into the tall grass and wildflowers just as the doe had before them.
“Wait,” I yelled after them. “How do I make a wish?”
But I must have done something right because the field was fading and I was being pulled back into the present, riding along the wave of energy as it tingled through my body, bringing me back to the one I loved.
I opened my eyes and stared up at the ceiling of the motel room. I was in Kian’s bed, the blankets were wrapped around me and he was sitting in the chair, holding my hand and staring off into nothing at all. Seito sat beside him, looking at the ground, lost in his own thoughts. Everything was quiet and dark. The bedside lamp was on but it didn’t give off much light. Outside the sky was black.
I tried moving my head but stabbing pain across my temples stopped me. I squeezed my eyes closed and a moan escaped my lips.
“Mai?”
They were both off their chairs and hovering over me in an instant.
“Can I have some water?” My throat was burning from all the smoke and my mouth had the consistency of sawdust. Seito nodded and rushed to the bathroom to grab a glass. Kian squeezed my hand gently and ran his fingers across my forehead, checking whether I was feverish. Seito returned quickly, bringing the glass up to my lips where cool liquid rolled across my tongue and soothed my throat. I drank half the glass before he took it away.
“You’d better stop or you’ll get sick.”
“Thanks.”
“Anytime.” He placed the glass on the table beside me and stepped backwards to give me room.
My whole body ached, it was almost impossible to tell which part of me hurt more. I tried moving a little bit to try and see whether or not I could. The fingers on my right hand were bandaged with a splint. In my mind I could remember Anique bending them back until they snapped. They didn’t hurt much as broken fingers should, it was more of an itching tingle than anything else.
My stomach still felt as if someone had stuck a spoon inside of me and stirred everything around. There were bandages too and when I tried to move, my muscles constricted, sending a tsunami of pain and nausea throughout my system. The water I’d drank earlier gurgled at my throat, threatening to force its way back up.
“How are you feeling?” Kian placed a cool hand against my cheek. There was a spark of uncertainty, guilt and fear poured off him in waves.
“I’ve felt better,” I said and gave him a feeble grin. “But I think I’m healing. I can feel it. My skin is itchy. It’s like I can feel the cells moving around in my stomach, fusing parts of me back together. My body’s warm, like a heating pad. Is that normal?”
Both Seito and Kian nodded.
“You’ve both been helping me, sharing your energy. It speeds things up.”
The both nodded again.
“Thank you.” I turned my attention to Seito. He was sitting on the edge of the bed by my feet. “I owe you my life. She would have killed me if you hadn’t found me.”
“I wouldn’t have done it without your help,” he said. “You set off a burst of energy that could have been seen from Australia. It shattered every single window in the school. Of course the fire department thinks it was because of the fire but it was your energy that led me to you. I never would have thought to check the toilets.”
“I still owe you.”
“Good,” he said. “Remember what I told you. I’m always getting myself into trouble. I can use the help.”