Cloaked and marked people stood around a fire, chanting while a single dark-green cloaked person stood outside of the circle, and slowly moved into the middle of the circle, revealed a blade and cut the palm of their hand. The person clenched their hand and held it out to the fire, allowing the blood to drop into the flames, changing the flames to an emerald green.
Fred's eyes snapped open and she lifted from her bed in a cool sweat. When Fred got her breath back, she placed one hand over her heart, feeling the same tug as she'd felt ever since the Vision's began. Fred looked to Annie in the bed next to her, still fast a sleep. She removed the hand from her chest and placed it to her head as the migraine began. Fred tore the covers off her legs and wandered out the room and across the corridor to the bathroom.
Fred walked in feeling sightly dizzy, and gripped the sink with her hands, she took three deep breaths and then ran the cold water tap, splashing the cool water over her face. In the reflection of the mirror a light appeared, Fred stared into the mirror, it was a Gateway. Fred turned around as the familiar red-head stepped through.
"Its about time." Fred stared at Roslyn, she didn't mean it rudy, but she had been waiting weeks for a reply.
"You've been calling me through time, what do expect." Roslyn pointed out. "Now, why are we in a bathroom?"
"We wouldn't be in here, if you'd come sooner." Fred raised an eyebrow.
Roslyn sighed, "Right then. Why did you call me?"
"I called you because of my Visions. Are they supposed to hurt like this?" Fred asked.
"Some Keeper's are born with it, others learn to control it when it appears." Roslyn said. "But sometimes it will be painful, I can get you something to help, but it won't do much."
"What will it do?" Fred asked.
"It will numb the pain, but you'll still react to the Vision's, your body inside will still fight back." Roslyn answered.
"Fine, when can you get it to me?" Fred stepped forward.
"I'm not sure, I have to go to the Temple to get it. I promise I will return as soon as possible." Roslyn paused. "How is Annie, did she get her Pendent?"
Fred nodded. "Yes, Annie got her Pendent and she's doing a hell of a lot better then me."
Roslyn nodded. "Alright, I'll return as soon a possible." Roslyn turned back to the Gateway and vanished into the light. The Gateway automatically closed when she vanished.
The alarm rang at seven, Fred's immediately her hand on it turning it off, Fred didn't even react to the pain that shook her hand turning her palm red. Fred stared up at the sealing, another night without sleep, another day to push through, could it get any worse, she thought. Annie yawned as she sat up rubbing her eyes, she looked over to fred's be, where she still lay.
"Fred?" Annie wasn't going to ask if she was alright, she knew Fred was struggling. Annie climbed out of bed and walked round Fred's bed and crouched down next to it. "Hey, why don't we get some breakfast in you."
Fred turned her gaze to Annie, "Thanks."
Fred thanked her for being there, this had been their routine for the past two months, Annie had been taking care of Fred, there every morning to cheer her up. Fred's Visions had been brutal at times, the first night was the horrific, Fred suddenly began screaming in the middle of the night, waking the entire floor, Annie had to wake Fred, sometimes Fred had even stopped breathing, but now it had subsided to just waking in a cold sweat, sometimes screaming. For a few weeks, Fred had tried to stop sleeping all together, but she'd always drift off. It had become so bad, that Annie had to start helping Fred with her lesson and work, as the professors had called home a few times about Fred handing in work late and even falling a sleep in class. However Fred did make it back and in one night, had caught up with all her work, now it seemed that Fred had more free time then ever.
Every morning, lunch and sometimes dinner, Fred and Annie would eat with Annie's friends, during frees Fred sat in her room alone most of the time, she didn't like the idea of holding Annie back and taking her away from her other friends. Annie would walk Fred to some of her classes, and Fred would sit at the back, so the professors wouldn't see her tired dark eyes. Though Fred sat at the back, staring as if she was a gargoyle, she took in each and every word her professors said, Fred did her best to keep up and not worry the professors and Annie.
The girls dressed and headed down to the hall for breakfast. They sat at their usual table with a few of Annie's friends, yes they all got along with Fred, they knew her, but they were Annie's friends for class. Fred preferred to have only Annie's company, but Annie had a life, so Fred didn't mind being around them.
"Annie, have you done the homework for drama?" One of her male friends asked.
"Yeah, I've got it here." Annie dipped her hand into her bag and pulled the easy out, handing it to her friend.
"I handed mine in yesterday, but I wasn't sure if it was that great." He laughed. "You being head of the class and all."
"I'm not head of the class, and anyway mine's not that good." Annie smiled.
Fred finished chewing the piece of beacon in her mouth and put her fork down, placing her hands hesitantly over her ears.
Annie noticed and turned to Fred, "Hey, you alright?"
Fred had never had a Vision while awake, so seeing her cover her ears was slightly odd.
"I'm fine, its just a little loud." Fred's hands shook as she set them back down on the table.
"Are you sure, we can go up stairs?" Annie placed one hand on Fred's back.
Fred shook her head, "No. Its fine." Fred paused, but the ruckus of the hall grew to loud in Fred's ears. "You know what," Fred began and stood herself up. "I'm gonna go up stairs and try to cool off before my lesson."
"Do you want help?" Annie turned to her.
"No, thanks." Fred shook her head with a quarter smile, grabbed her bag and made her way to the doors to leave the hall.
Fred had just pushed through the doors, when her head began to pound, her temperature rose and her sight became blurred and bright, Fred wobbled side to side as she moved down the corridor, bumping into people, finally Fred suddenly stopped and her head threw back, her eyes clamping shut as she collapsed.
A girl screamed, seeing it happen before her and suddenly talk of a girl collapsing spread like wild fire to the hall. Through the sea of people, Annie pushed through and dropped to her knees next to Fred, who's body was hardly moving. Annie checked Fred's racing pulse and then parted her eyelids, to she the white clouded eyes. While Annie found help to take Fred up to their dorm-room, Fred was seeing a Vision of someone she knew well.
A crescent silver Moon shone in the dark night sky, over a forest where a boy, no a young man, Will Scarlett, ran for his life. Bounding after him on all fours was a dog, no its was too big, almost man size, a Wolf, no something else. Will tripped and turned as the creature pounced.
Fred's eyes shot open, Annie jumped back, their hearts pounding.
"Fred, what did you see?" Annie asked.
"Will." Fred scrambled to her feet and ran over to her cupboard, where she kept the drawings of the people she'd met through the Gateways.
"Will?" Annie frowned, unsure who Fred was on about. "Will who?"
"Will Scarlett." Fred answered and pulled the drawing out from the box. "He looked exactly the same, but different style hair, shorter."
"What did you see?" Annie asked again.
Fred dropped the drawing back into the box and pushed it back into her cupboard. "Will was being chased by something."
"What? Draw it." Annie pointed to Fred's drawings pads on her desk.
Fed shook her head, "I can't, I didn't get a good look. It looked like a Wolf, but huge." Fred met Annie's gaze. "I have to help him, Annie. I can't let him die."
"Fred, we can't go, we can't just leave." Annie pointed out.
"I can't just let him die, Annie." Fred stared into Annie's eyes, seeing the uncertainty. Fred shook her head, clenched her hands and closed her eyes, she began mouthing Roslyn's name. Fred opened her eyes after a moment and looked around. "Where are you?" She shouted and dropped to her knees.
"Fred, may still have time." Annie crouched down in front of her.
"Time, we don't have time. I can't just sit around and wait, Annie its Will. He can't die, he's not supposed to die like this." Fred sniffed, the pain in her head becoming to much and now, knowing she couldn't do anything, she began to cry and Annie wrapped her arms around her comforting her.