*climbs out of rabbit hole and brushes self off* Welcome to the seventh chapter of Raven's Ballad! This chapter will probably confuse some of you, just a warning. Enjoy!
Chapter.7
What?
Everything felt numb. Nothing mad sense. She felt like she was being held upside down in water. She fought against the feeling trying to force her eyes open but only seeing black. For once, she could do without the color black. Raven tried to move her limbs but they were as useful as rubber hoses. Finally she could feel a small tingling in her fingers and toes and was slowly able to move them. "What is she doing?" A loud voice boomed and hurt her ears. It was followed by audible hushes from at least three people. None of which sounded familiar; where was she?
"Sshh she's waking." A softer voice sounded. It was much closer than the others. Raven clenched and unclenched her hands feeling something brush against them. Her eyes popped open and the next thing she knew, she was sitting up with her back against a wall. Everything was still fuzzy and taking unnatural shapes as her mind tried to comprehend what the hell she was seeing. It was a bit before she realized her head was resting on something hard, a tombstone. Her eyes blinked and uncrossed just enough for her to get a hold of her bearings and to see the unfamiliar cemetery she was in. "Oh look she's awake!" Raven blinked a few times before looking around once more. No one was anywhere near her and she was beyond confused until her eyes focused on two figures off to her right. She tried to stand but her knees shook making the world seem to tip. Speaking of worlds, where was she? Carefully, she held onto headstones to keep her balance as she wobbled close to where the two were; a small ache settled in her chest as she came to see who it was. A man and a woman stood before her looking at a deep red blanket that was in the woman's arms. Raven cocked her head intrigued and crawled behind a large headstone, right behind where the man and woman stood. Raven strained her neck to see what was in the bundle. As if hearing her thoughts, the woman turned around smiling at the blanket. No, not just a blanket. A baby. Raven had to swallow a gasp as she saw the faces of the couple. It was her mom and dad. Paul and Sarah Madison were glowing as they stared at the baby, which she presumed was a girl, and cooed at her. An aura of happiness surrounded them but Raven felt like something was missing, something huge. And why were they in a cemetery? An annoying sound of creaking wood made her cover her ears and turn her attention towards a mausoleum that's door was opening. We all know Raven loved everything goth, didn't scare easily, and would give anything to be one of the undead-vampire undead anyway- but right then she was scared to her wits end and was ready to book it. Another couple came out intriguing her more than making her fear. A woman with unusual skin and auburn hair came out first, followed by a very tall man with dark hair, deep set eyes, and skin so gaunt and pale he could be translucent. She gasped feeling a longing for the two and when the four adults looked in her direction, she ducked quickly behind the tombstone. Her heart was beating quickly creating an ache in her chest. Raven slinked from tombstone to tombstone trying to get a closer look at the four. Her eyes were having a hard time adjusting and she had to blink more than necessary. "What?" She whispered as she saw her mother pass the baby girl over to the odd couple. The woman took the girl in her arms and held her close to her face. It was a sorrowful sweet sight. The man smiled down at the two and held them close to his chest. They were the picture of serenity.
"Thank you." The woman spoke smiling at Sarah and Paul. Raven's parents nodded with sullen looks. Oh how Raven wished she could get closer but feared blowing her cover. Instead she came to the closest headstone and sat waiting. The man played with the little girl, tossing her carefully into the air making her giggle and squirm with glee. The woman had seated herself on a stone bench along with Sarah. Both woman had eyes fixated on the little girl as they talked, neither looking once at the other. Raven had to keep as quiet and still as can be, the bench was only a foot away from where she hid. "I still can't thank you enough, Sarah." The voice of the woman was beautiful and soft like velvet. Raven recognized it almost immediately; it was the voice that crept into her mind singing that sultry lullaby. But she'd never heard or seen this woman before, she was sure of it.
Sarah smiled. "You don't need to. You gave us something, even for a short time, something we wanted and yearned for. I should be thanking you." They were quiet for a short time. Raven could only stare puzzled as she watched the scene before her. The tall man had finished playing with the baby girl as she was yawning small mews and her eyes looked droopy.
"It seems you tired her out, Jack." The woman laughed as he handed her the girl. Sarah watched the babies face intently as if searching for any sign of distress. "Oh Raven, you look so much like your father." But she didn't look at Paul; the woman looked at the tall man with a genuine look only a mother could have. Raven's eyes went wide and her knees buckled making her stumble backwards into a thicket. No, no, no. She shook her head as she pulled her scraped hands out of thorns.
"Did you hear that?" It was the man, Jack. Raven covered her mouth as she pulled her body close and tried to hide in a small opening. She could hear two of the four coming closer. Tears started to fall one by one down her cheeks hitting the dead grass.
Sarah got up and put an arm on both men. "It's probably nothing, a rabbit maybe." She led both back to where the woman was sitting and all gathered as the baby girl started to awaken from her very short nap. Paul looked at a watch that was on his wrist and sighed. "Time already?" He nodded. Both the man and woman's happy expressions changed almost simultaneously. Paul and Sarah suddenly looked awkward as the woman handed the girl over to Sarah. "I'm sorry. I wish you could see Raven everyday like we do." The woman bit her lip trying to hold back tears. She kissed the baby, no Raven, on the head a single tear falling on the baby and sliding down the infants cheek. It was stained blue. Raven gasped again as she could see from her hiding place that the baby had the same tear shaped mark on her cheek, the new one aside. She couldn't believe it. As the man and woman disappeared back through the mausoleum, Sarah and Paul wrapped the girl in her velvet red blanket. Raven sat back against a rock behind her and let tears run as she saw her parents, who she thought were her parents, leave the cemetery. She brought her sore, scraped, and cut hands to view. She had no clue how she was going to explain this. What she had a harder time comprehending was how did she just see her parents, an unknown couple, and herself as a baby. Time travel wasn't real and she wasn't going to argue for it. But that was the farthest thing in her mind at that moment. All she could comprehend as the air became suddenly freezing and she felt more alone then ever, was that the people she'd been with all her life were not her family. The people she had just seen were and she had no idea how to get back to Alexander and Becky.
She felt suffocated as she climbed from her hiding place and crawled to where the bench was. Her tears had stopped and she felt hollow and confused. Why had she been lied to all this time? Didn't they think she should know the truth? The hollowness was replaced with frustration; she wanted to go home, but didn't know how. She wanted to leave this place and hide away in the mansion with Alexander's arms wrapped protectively around her. She let out a loud yell as she let the anger take over her.
_Meanwhile_
As Raven's body fell, Alexander reached out with inhuman speed. He wrapped his arms around her pulling her limp body to his chest. "Is she okay?" "What's wrong with her?" "Did she just faint?"
"Raven!" A crowd had formed upon seeing the town freak faint. The last worried voice came from two people: Alexander and the ever annoying Trevor Mitchell. Trevor had just pulled up in his expensive car as Raven fell. He came to crouch near the two Goths. Alexander glowered at him before picking Raven up and hurried her back to his car. He had no clue what to do but he was sure that Raven's parents would no for some odd reason. "Monster boy! What the hell did you do to her!" Trevor quickly followed behind. Alexander put Raven in the back seat as carefully as he could. He checked her neck to make she still had a pulse and was breathing. She did have a pulse but it was terribly faint and her breathing felt erratic.
"Back off Trevor." Matt said stopping the soccer snob. Becky climbed into the sleek car and put Raven's head in her lap. Alexander ignored all the stares and whispers as he got into his car, started it up, and got the hell out of there.
"Alexander slow down!" He had gone way over the speed limit and Becky has having a hard time keeping Raven still as her breathing started to come faster. But he only half slowed down. He couldn't let anything happen to Raven and after that horrid dream he had only a few nights ago... His high focused ears could hear her heart start to slow alarming him further. They arrived at the Madison residence in just under 12 minutes. As fast as he could Alexander took Raven out of the car and was up the porch steps and through the once locked door.
"Hey what gives?" It was Billy who had been on the couch playing a DS game. "Alexander? What happened to Raven?" He moved out of the way as Alexander put Raven down on the couch.
"Please get your parents. Now." He hurried Billy, who nodded and ran down the hallway.
Becky had been hovering over Raven, wanting to help her however she could but not knowing how. Raven's face was looking gaunt and her eyes twitched as if she were having a hard time seeing something. She sat at Raven's feet taking her best friends hand. Raven's skin was cold to the touch and her veins seemed more prominent against her translucent skin. Becky traced them as she made sure a pulse still beat; she almost jumped away when she noticed little marks and cuts were forming. Ugly red lines and needle thin holes decorated her flesh looking like she had fallen into a thorn bush. Drips of blood started to run and Becky pulled her scarf from her neck, putting pressure trying to stop the blood. It was then did she notice Alexander had stepped out the still open door, covering his mouth and nose as he went. She didn't bother to call out for him as she tried to concentrate on not fainting herself. Raven started to shake as Billy finally came down the hall with his parents on his heels.
"What happened?!" Sarah came to stand next to her daughter pulling strands of ebony hair from her face. "Becky, what happened?" Sarah didn't bother to look at the farm girl and took Raven's hands She pulled the fabric off of them and started to examine the cuts.
Suddenly fear and tension hit Becky and uncontrollable tremors took over her. "I-I don't know! She hadn't been feeling good for a long time and tonight she wasn't telling us when she was feeling worse. She was saying that she was going to the doctors right when she fainted. And these weird cuts came from no where, and, and…" She felt lightheaded herself as everything came at once.
"Billy take Becky to the kitchen please." Paul finally spoke up as he came from the bathroom with bandages and alcohol rub. Billy did as told leading a stunned Becky out of the room. Just then, Alexander reappeared looking like he was fighting an inner battle. "Alexander, it would be best if you weren't here too." But the vampire wouldn't move.
He instead came to kneel by Sarah. "With all do respect sir, I can't do that." His eyes wondered from Raven's bleeding hands to her face that had little streaks down it. Had she been crying in his absence? Both Sarah and Paul gave weary and frightened expressions as they proceeded to bandage Raven's hands and wipe her face. "Do you know what's wrong with her?" It dawned on Alexander as he asked that neither had called for a doctor and didn't bother asking for assistance. Had this happened before?
"Alexander you must try to understand that there is a reason, one we can't share with you, that Raven has been acting weird and been sick. Please don't ask any more questions." Paul put a hand on the goth boy's shoulder; he respected Raven's parents too much to deny their wishes but he couldn't listen this time. His love, the only one who seemed to understand him more than his own family, was lying almost lifeless while he could do nothing.
He shook his head. "No. What is wrong with Raven? Tell me, please." Both parents were taken slightly aback at his tone but looked almost defeated. Sarah didn't want to tell, in fear of losing Raven forever and breaking the trust and agreement she and Paul had made. But it didn't seem like there was anyway out of it as Raven suddenly opened her eyes and let out a shriek.
So thoughts? I haven't seen someone faint, personally I have myself, before so it was weird writing it. Oh and someone asked me why it was called 'Raven's Ballad'. Well here's my explanation: Sally's Song, Jack's Lament, and Raven's Ballad. Get it?
Review and you get a cookie or can borrow one of the characters!
Raven: So your pimping us out now?
LBVBA: It's what you get for putting me in the 'Emo' Corner!
Raven:...fair enough.
Both: REVIEW!
