AN: OH MY GOD I MISSED A WEEK! IT'S ONLY MY THIRD CHAPTER AND I ALREADY MISSED A WEEK! I FEEL SO SO SO SO BAD! Okay, so after some nights of not being able to fall asleep, I have decided that I will either: Post two chapters this week not including this one, or create a background story (NOT one-shot) for one of my characters after the plot has been developed a little and more people are introduced.
Chapter Three: Theo's Bracelet
Carina stared at the dark red jewel embedded in the bracelet on her hand that she had picked up at the zoo. It was midnight, and everyone was asleep. Everyone but her.
It had been a terrible day for her. The zoo was fun and all, but then Uncle Vernon got mad at Harry and took it out on her. As soon as she got into the cupboard, she fell asleep. It was one of the blissful kind, where you forget everything, and just exist. But of course, all dreams end and she woke up to a searing pain in her back. Every move hurt, so she tried to move as slow as possible. It didn't help a lot, but when she got the choice of a lot of pain in one moment and a small searing pain that she could ignore for a long time, she would choose the one that she could ignore most easily.
Raising the bracelet so it's luminous glow was shining directly in her face, she realized that she could see words in it. She brushed one of her fingers on the top of the jewel, and words appeared on it, along with a soft brushing of the words in her head.
Carina, does this work?
Her breath got hitched in her throat. First she finds a bracelet with a strange lit-up jewel that seems to call her name, then she finds out that it was expecting her.
Don't be silly, of course I'm not the bracelet. This is merely a communication device.
Carina swallowed. It seemed as if the bracelet- no the person behind the bracelet could read her mind.
That's because I can.
Oh. Carina couldn't help but think that the person was a bit intrusive.
You can do it too. I'll teach you.
A devious smile lit up on her face. If she could read minds… then a thought struck her, and she bit her lip.
If this isn't real… if it's just a dream…
Then go to sleep. In the morning, you'll find that I'm still here. Still reading your thoughts.
Reasonable. So she went back to a restless sleep.
When she woke up, Harry was still asleep, but the sun was still bright outside. Looks like they weren't coming out of the cupboard for a while. It took her awhile to remember the events of the past night. She was particularly pleased that she probably could read minds, though she tried to deny it as it was impossible. Though, however pleased she was, the person behind it was not pleased at all.
You have been awake. For a long time now.
Carina smiled. She swore she heard a harrumph at the other end, though the words wasn't displayed on the screen. She wondered what she should call the person.
There was a long silence before the person answered.
Theo. You can call me Theo.
She had a sneaking suspicion that Theo wasn't his real name, but it didn't matter. She had only met Theo for one day, it made sense that he didn't trust her. Theo probably knew what she was thinking, but if he heard, he made no sign of it. One thing she really wanted to know though, was if she was awake, and not in a dream controlled by her brain, then how was Theo reading her thoughts?
I come from a different world. Your birthday is July 14th, is it not? You will know the answer soon enough.
A different world? Carina didn't even want to think about it. Perhaps her mind was making things up, her back still did hurt like crazy. Maybe she was hallucinating? She wouldn't mind it going on forever, as Theo seemed nice. But she definitely did not want to go to a mental hospital for schizophrenia.
Fine. Go back to sleep. Take whatever muggles take when they are hallucinating. You can be assured, that I am very much real, and I am as real and as alive as you are.
A few weeks later, she had taken to ignoring Theo to try to not think about her obviously declining mental health as much as possible. But then came her birthday.
Uncle Vernon had just asked Dudley to take the mail, and as usual, Dudley was complaining, telling him to have Harry do it. Harry told Dudley to get it.
Harry had to go get it. Of course, Harry being the horrible sneak that he is, managed to get the mail that was addressed to them confiscated by the Dursleys. Harry felt guilty, but she was quick to reassure him that it was alright. And that was the end of it.
She told Theo all about it, of course, and he was furious. She, too, was furious in turn, that he had the gall to say such things about her beloved brother in everything but blood.
That letter contained everything you need to know about my world.
Oh. Carina couldn't help but feel a little resentment to Harry after that. But Harry had seemed sad enough, so she didn't press it on him, and was careful to keep her thoughts to herself. Instead, she told Theo all of her worries. Theo's reply was nothing if not reassuring.
It's alright. They'll probably send another letter anyways. I just thought that you would want to know about my world sooner rather than later.
Okay. So Carina waited. Until a couple days later, when letters came day after day with stunning accuracy of where Harry and Carina were. They soon were moved to the bedroom upstairs, and then to a hotel, and then to a dingy little hovel. Carina berated herself day after day when she didn't catch a single letter. It probably had to do with her healing back along with new injuries that popped up throughout the week. Though she knew he could read her thoughts, and probably knew about the injuries, she could feel him getting more and more furious every day even though he was trying to contain it.
What?! You still didn't get even one letter? Oh my Merlin! I- I mean it's alright, but still! Just one!
She felt bad for Theo. It was obvious he really wanted her to know about his world. She wondered what it was like, if he could read her thoughts and create a bracelet like a communication device. Or, she assumed he created it. For who else could've if not him?
Then, came Harry's birthday. In that cold and windy shelter, the Dursleys all crammed into the only tiny bed, Harry got the sofa, and Carina got the floor. Though Harry wasn't moving, she knew he wasn't asleep. She, too, was counting down minute by minute until his birthday so she could be the first to sing to him.
Then, midnight came. She sung as quietly as she could to not disturb the Dursleys, but hoped she was loud enough for Harry. However, not even a minute after she finished singing, a CRASH sounded through the shelter, and the door came down.
PLEASE DO NOT SKIP THIS!
So I am the type of person that skips ANs. If you read the top AN, you don't have to read this. Unfortunately, I don't want you guys to skip this AN. So I did it on both the top and the bottom. I feel so bad about skipping one week and it's been haunting me this entire week as I rushed to finish this chapter. So, after a couple nights of no sleep over this, I have decided to do something. A poll.
Your choices are: I post two chapters this week(not including this one) or I do a background story on one of the characters once the plot has developed more, which will not be a one shot.
Okay, I feel a lot better now.
Thanks for reading!
~DOAXXX
