Chapter 10

Nathan ran up the stairs with Lucas right on his heels. Nathan instinctively tried opening the bathroom door, but he found it was locked. He pounded on the door. "Kristin! Kristin? Are you alright? Unlock the door." Lucas joined in, "Doctor? Please let us know you're alright."

But, on the other side of the door, Kristin stood frozen in fear. She could not even hear Nathan and Lucas' cries as Marielle loomed over her.

"Lucas," Nathan said, "find out if the desk clerk has a key to this door."

Lucas obediently ran to check.

Meanwhile, Kristin backed away towards the door. However, she suddenly realized she was trapped as she fumbled with the doorknob and found it wouldn't budge. She turned back to Marielle. "Please," she pleaded. "Please don't do this."

But Marielle didn't seem to listen nor care about Kristin's pleas. She reached out and grabbed Kristin's arm, and Kristin fell into a dead faint.

Kristin was in the same forest she'd seen in her previous dream. Only this time, Marielle was next to her, still holding her arm. Kristin tried to get away, but Marielle's grip was too strong. She began running, pulling Kristin along with her. Kristin found herself stumbling a bit as it was difficult for her to keep up with Marielle's fast pace.

Finally, Marielle stopped short; Kristin was relieved she could finally catch her breath. But as Kristin began looking around her, her fear heightened when she realized that they were in the cemetary she'd seen in her last dream. There were other souls there as well. Suddenly, Kristin realized all eyes were on her, and she felt very frightened. She felt Marielle pull her gently towards the other souls. Kristin tried to resist, but Marielle pulled her harder. The souls parted ways to let them pass as Marielle pulled her towards a freshly dug grave.

Kristin suddenly realized what was happening and she screamed, "No!" But Marielle pulled her harder still. As Marielle pulled Kristin to the edge of the grave, Kristin shut her eyes tightly, expecting to be pushed into the grave. But, to her surprise, Marielle stopped pulling her. Kristin carefully opened her eyes and saw Marielle pointing to something inside the grave. Kristin reluctantly peered inside the grave and saw bones.

"I'm sorry, Sir," the desk clerk, whom Lucas had brought back to the guest house, told Nathan, "but this doorknob doesn't lock."

"What?" Nathan said. "No, there must be a mistake. My friend is locked in there. I heard her scream, and we haven't been able to open the door."

The desk clerk tried the doorknob, and it turned easily. "I'm sorry, Sir, but we really don't have time for pranks here."

"You have to believe us," Lucas countered. "It really was locked."

The desk clerk said nothing. He just walked away, shaking his head.

Nathan turned back to the bathroom door, half-expecting the door handle not to turn once again. However, it did, and his heart sank when he saw Kristin lying on the floor. He rushed to her side, and Lucas followed. "Kristin," Nathan gently shook her.

"Ugh," Kristin groaned softly. Nathan and Lucas were relieved to see her eyelids flutter open, though she looked confused.

"Can you sit up?" Nathan asked her.

Kristin nodded and Nathan and Lucas helped her up, though she faltered a bit. Nathan caught her. "Easy, easy," he said.

They helped her to her own bed in the bedroom. Nathan turned to Lucas. "Lucas, why don't you see if you can find Dr. Levin please?"

"Right, uh, no problem," he said, although he was reluctant to leave.

Nathan seemed to notice and he whispered, "Don't worry; she'll be fine."

Lucas nodded, feeling somewhat reassured, and he left.

Nathan turned back to Kristin. She looked pale and tired. "What happened?" he asked her gently.

Until then, she'd had her eyes shut. She opened them to look at him. Nathan noticed they had a faraway look in them that concerned him. "I-I'm not sure," she said.

"You screamed."

"I did? I don't remember," Kristin told him. Although, she knew full well what happened; she just didn't want to tell him. She hoped he didn't see through it. She didn't have the energy at the moment for an interrogation.

"Did you see her again?" Nathan asked, trying to draw some information out of her.

"No," she lied. "Look, can't I just rest right now? I'm so tired." That wasn't a lie. She felt like she had when she passed out at the ritual. All her strength was gone.

Nathan didn't believe her, but she didn't look well. Therefore, he didn't have the heart to press the issue at the moment; he decided he would speak with her later. "Right, of course," Nathan said. "I'll be nearby if you need me, and Dr. Levin should be here soon."

Kristin nodded. "Thank you," she said as she turned over and closed her eyes. Nathan grabbed a blanket from the end of the bed and spread it over her.

A short time later, Lucas returned with Dr. Levin, Commander Hitchcock, and Chief Crocker. Dr. Levin went upstairs to check on Kristin while Nathan explained to the others what had happened. Nathan also saw this as his opportunity to explain what had been going on with Kristin altogether and to let the others know that Kristin shouldn't be left alone.

As usual, Lucas found it fascinating. "Cool," he said.

"No, it is not 'cool'," Nathan told him. "This spirit is not like Lillian. She's a bit more malevolent, and I think it's best you don't speak with Tatiana about this, at least not for now."

"But it's her sister," Lucas protested. "She might be able to help."

"What the captain is say is that we should let Dr. Westphalen decide if she wants to speak with Tatiana or anyone else about it, but for now, let's just keep it between us," Katie broke in.

"That's exactly what I am saying," Nathan answered. "Thank you, Commander."

Lucas nodded with understanding. "Alright, I get it."

A short time later, Dr. Levin walked downstairs. "How is she?" Nathan asked him worriedly.

Dr. Levin shook his head. "She's exhausted, though I can't say why. It's possible she may have picked up a virus; I'll be sure to keep an eye on her to be sure it's nothing serious."

Nathan nodded his head; he then proceeded to explain to Dr. Levin what he had just told the others.

"Well, that might explain some of her exhaustion," Levin noted. "Either way, I agree; she shouldn't be left alone."

So, when it came time for dinner, Nathan opted to stay behind while the others went out. He had Lucas bring some takeout entrees back for him and Kristin. Nathan brought the takeout containers upstairs and knocked on the door.

"Come in," he heard Kristin say quietly.

"Hey," Nathan said as he opened the door. "I had Lucas pick you up something to eat." He walked over to the side of the bed.

"That was very nice of you," she answered, "but I'm not very hungry."

"Aw, come on," Nathan said. "You have to be eat something."

"Nathan, please," Kristin pleaded. "I just want to sleep."

Nathan nodded dejectedly. He picked up the takeout containers and left the room, closing the door behind him. He knew Kristin was hiding something, that she'd obviously still been seeing Marielle. But, she refused to speak to him or anyone else. He was at a loss of what to do, but he knew he had to contact Ford and get them back to the seaQuest...before they lost Kristin forever.