Chapter One - On This Bed I Lay

Ready to find out what happened after we left off, Grimmlins? Good, cause I am! I decided I'll try to balance my time between all three of my projects, but I won't be posting anymore till these are all finished!

"Teague, what on earth happened?" Ever is also looking distraught, but what should I expect? They're her friends, and Ever is her Fae Godmother. I'd be shocked if they weren't upset.

"She was...attacked. By her." I gesture with my free hand to the Grimorie, before scooping Mina into my arms. "I don't know what to do! She could die!"

"Teague, I think you do know what to do." Ever's voice is suddenly filled with an icy calmness, and she locks her gaze with mine.

"There's no guarantee that she'll survive that, though!"

"But she definitely won't survive if you don't!" Nix seems to have caught on.

I look down at Mina, who lies limply in my arms. They're right. I have to try. Because if I don't, then all of this will have been for nothing.

Teague's POV

She tosses slightly, eyes squeezed shut. I just sit beside Mina, holding onto her hand. It's a softer side, and I don't necessarily like it. But I want her to be safe. I want her to be okay.

The process, however, seems to be working. Moving her to the Fae plane definitely helped her. She's healing, and if she's healing that means this process is good. And safe. And working. She stops tossing, and I wait, like I've done for a few days now, to see if she's awakened yet.

One eye flutters open, and then the other. It takes her a moment to register where she is though, before she speaks. "Tea...Teague?"

I nod, and inwardly let out a sigh of relief. "You're alright."

"Ya...man, that girl packed a wallop..."

I can feel the corners of my mouth turn upwards. "She's Fae. What did you expect?"

Mina shifts slightly with a groan so she can get a better look at me. "Should I be afraid, Teague?"

The question catches me off guard. "Why do you ask that, Mina?"

"Well, I'm in a bed on what I'm guessing is the Fae plane..." She trails off. "And I don't know what happened after I collapsed." Panic begins to show in her eyes. "Does my family know where I am? Nan? Ever and Nix?"

"Mina, you need to calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down when I was nearly killed!"

I think she might be going into shock, but who knows? She's a girl. Is this natural? "Mina, just listen t-"

"She was going to kill me! Maybe she did kill me. Maybe I'm dead. Or worse." She's trembling, and shuts her eyes. "I'm being tortured. Or I'm going to wake up and find out these last few days were all a dream. A good dream, but still a-"

"Mina!" I speak with more force than intended, but it still has the intended effect. Until I see the fear. "I...I'm sorry, Mi-"

"Why am I not at home, Teague?" It's as if the thought just dawned on her. And, in her eyes, I can see the flicker of doubt. She thinks she knows the answer. But she doesn't want to admit it. She wants me to tell her she's wrong...But I can't. "Why am I not resting there?"

"Because you can't, Mina." I feel horrid saying it.

"Why not?" The panic and fear meld together to form one creature. She's frantic, and tears are welling up. Those big, brown eyes filled with tears. I can hardly return her gaze.

"Because when I brought you here to the Fae Plane, it began to heal you. But that came with a cost. It tethered you to this plane, supporting you with its life essence. If you leave, you die."

"No. No no no no no. This can't be true. This can't be right!" Her voice raises. "Please tell me you're lying!"

"I'm not." Is it really that bad here, with me?

She begins to sob, and I'm utterly helpless. I need her to calm down before she hurts someone. Mainly herself. I close my eyes, pulling at the Fae magic and envisioning what I want.

In a moment, the noise stops. I open my eyes, and Mina is lying on the bed, quiet and asleep. That should give her time to calm down. I run my hand through her hair before standing up to leave. She looks peaceful; especially now that she's out of her battered dress from the dance and into a simpler, blue one.

With that thought, I quietly walk out the door. She'll be alright.

I walk down the corridors, into my own wing of the castle. I've already asked the guards to summon me to come to her if Mina tries to get back here, and to not let her pass.

I trust her. But, there's one thing I can never trust her with. Maybe because I'm selfish. Maybe because I'm a coward. Maybe because I love her. Or, perhaps, a mix of all three. But she still must never see it. She must never know of its existence.

So I walk down the dark hallways, and pause by the wall, where the object was recently move. I hope it's just my imagination, but the crack looks slightly bigger.

I'm staring at Jared in the mirror. His fists pound the glass, and he's yelling. Background noise. I just ignore it. I need to find a way to keep Mina from finding this mirror. From finding Jared. He could undo everything.

I hope I didn't disappoint anyone! Like I said, I'll be balancing this and my other stories, so I might not be updating any constantly as I jump from one to the other!

Sorry it's not quite as long as I can write, I always am wary of writing too much, but I also don't want to write too little!

~Dagger