Chapter 21:
Pounding, throbbing, aching. Zarabeth cradled her head in her hands, the painful sensations causing her vision to pulse in and out of clarity as she waited helplessly for them to abate. She unconsciously squirmed beneath the feeling, trying, without success, to escape them as she lay curled in a tight bundle of limbs atop her bed. Why wouldn't it stop? Unwilling tears slowly fell from her eyes, the continual onslaught of throbbing pain in her head chipping away at Zara's will to fight it. Voices in the room about her came to her ears in muffled sounds and noises, unable to distinguish one word from another as she tried to think past the pounding behind her eyes. What was wrong with her?

Zarabeth instinctively flinched as she felt a hand laid against her shoulder, the familiar sound of Mrs. Hawkins' voice trying to be understood as she leaned in close to her. What was she saying? She caught something that must have been her name, but she couldn't hear anything more than her own labored breathing and heart as it pounded with her head.

Turning her head to look up, Zara could make out Jim's mother as she sat above her, Sarah's expression marked with worry as she looked from the girl to someone across the room. She watched as Mrs. Hawkins face suddenly relaxed a little, the woman signaling for someone to come closer as she hurriedly rose to leave.

Zarabeth tried to better see the room around her, the dim atmosphere illuminated by a few lamps, the flickering light sending odd shadows to fly across the walls. Sitting in the wing-back chair close to the bed was Silver, the old cyborg running his good hand over his face as he helplessly sat by, unsure of how to be of any use.

Jim quickly made his way over to take his mother's place, his mouth moving with words Zara couldn't hear or understand, trying to communicate so as she shook her head from side to side between grimaces.

Zarabeth watched as the boy bit down on his lip in frustration, his hand pulling the hair up from his forehead as he looked back down toward the girl beneath him. Another wave of unavoidable pain washed over her as Zara pulled her head back into her arms, trying to shut out the sensations. If only she could be unconscious, maybe then she'd be free of it. Even Jim's presence wasn't enough to make her want to stay awake now.

Eyes firmly shut, Zara let out a small groan as she felt herself being gently lifted upright, the indistinct sound of Jim's voice trying to tell her something reaching her ears. Warmth. Security. Zarabeth suddenly felt a little more calmed as she found herself sitting limply in the boy's embrace, her back to his chest while he kept his arms locked about her to keep the girl upright. The momentary relief ended as the surges of pain were renewed, their attacks now harsher than before as Zara squirmed beneath their hand, Jim's hold on her keeping her in place all the while.

Something suddenly changed. A smell, something strong and herbal that hadn't been there a second ago, now penetrated the pulsing in the girl's mind, the aroma gradually filling her up as her breathing became easier. The more she breathed it, the more relaxed Zarabeth felt, the pounding in her head slowly abating until only a dull throbbing was left, the pain nearly gone within a few minutes. Daring to open her eyes, Zara was relieved to find that she could really see, her vision no longer fading in and out as she was met with the kind blue eyes of Mrs. Hawkins.

Sarah released a small sigh, her eyes brightening as she observed the change in the girl's look. "Zarabeth? Sweetheart, can you hear me?"

A hint of a smile unconsciously crossed Zara's lips as she answered quietly, the slight throbbing behind her eyes a welcome feeling compared to that of the constant pain only moments ago. "Y-yeah."

She could hear Jim from behind her as he let out a trembling breath, his head heavy yet comforting as he let it rest in the girl's hair. "Are you ok?"

Completely exhausted, Zarabeth let her eyes finally close, her voice still broken and quiet as she made an answer. "Felt like my head was ready to split open." Suddenly remembering what had just happened, she reopened her eyes to search for an answer. "How-how did you-"

Knowing exactly what she would ask, Mrs. Hawkins held up a small glass bottle, a satisfied smile on her face. "Lavender oil. I consider it a miracle cure for quite a few things, headaches being one of them. I'll just leave it here in case you decide to have another relapse."

Zara sniffed quietly, making sure that her tears had really stopped falling before clearing her cheeks of their old trails. "Thank you."

"I-I don't get it." Lifting his head, Jim spoke up as he looked from Silver to his mother. "She was getting better. Zara was doing good yesterday. What was this? Silver, did this happen to you?"

"No lad, I t'ink I'd remember somet'in like dat. Ya know?"

Zarabeth could only move where she was urged as she felt Jim rearrange his hold on her to better see her, his voice marked with concern as he continued to question. "Zara, you were feeling better yesterday, right?"
The girl slowly nodded, wincing for a moment as the dull, but continual, throbbing in her head rose before receding back. "I felt almost normal, but now..."

"Now?"

"Honestly, I feel pretty lousy."

Trying as hard as her son to understand what was going on, Sarah's face stiffened for a moment as she kept her eyes on the girl. "How do her scars look?"

One arm wrapped about the front of her shoulders, Jim carefully held Zarabeth upright, letting her weight hold against his support as he moved the waves of her hair away from the exposed skin of her shoulders and back.

Finally seeing a moment to be of help, Silver stood, bringing the lamp from the side table toward Jim to give him more light.

Still fighting the waves of fatigue which threatened to overwhelm her, Zara let Jim support her, the sound of the boy's voice filled with growing confusion. "They look fine. They're not swollen or even red." The girl closed her eyes as she listened, Jim's hand cool against her skin as he laid it against her shoulder. "Doesn't feel hot, either."

As confused as her son, Mrs. Hawkins gently pressed the back of her hand to the girl's face, moving it between her cheeks and forehead before speaking. "Her fever's come up again, not nearly as high as before, but still there."

Cradled back in Jim's firm embrace, Zarabeth could feel her consciousness slowly slipping, the exhaustion of the last hour pulling her away into returning darkness as she forced her eyes to stay open.

The room was tense with quiet, no one sure of what to do or say until Silver finally broke the silence. "What's ta be done?"

Meeting the cyborg's gaze, Mrs. Hawkins ran a hand over the back of her neck distractedly. "We'll just wait and see. Maybe things will be better in the morning. If not, we can have Winters take another look at her. There's nothing else to do tonight, but I can stay up with her."

"No, mom, I'll do it."

"Jim, you need your sleep too. You've been up with her almost every night this week."

"I'm fine, Zara's not. I'll stay with her."

Seeing that her objections would get her nowhere, Mrs. Hawkins conceded without much of a fight. She knew that if Jim's mind was set, nothing was going to change that. "Alright, but don't be afraid to get me up if you need help, ok?"

The sound of Silver's light snoring was the only sound filling the room for a long while, the old cyborg content to stay as he was in the wing-back chair in the corner of Zarabeth's room. He'd intended to stay awake with Jim, but, as it turned out, sleep had been too much of a temptation for him to resist.

The dim and peaceful atmosphere threatened to pull Zara into that same state, the girl resisting the fatigue which continually beat against her as she concentrated on the boy's face above her.

Jim was looking off toward the window, gentle light streaming in from Montressor's single moon as it signaled the middle of the night. Releasing a heavy breath, the boy finally met her eyes, his own filled with worry as he watched the girl flinch every now and then. "You sure you're ok now?"

Nodding slowly, Zarabeth tried to make him understand. "A little headache isn't gonna kill me. Trust me, this feels a lot better than whatever that was earlier."

"Scared me pretty good, I'll tell ya that. You were asleep when you started acting like that. I thought it was a nightmare, but it didn't quit after you were awake. I'm glad that's over, or at least we have something to fight it if it comes back."

"You and me both."

"Alright, Zara. You need to get some rest. Stop trying to stay awake, ok? You're safe with me."

She scrunched her nose as she smiled slightly. "Perceptive, aren't ya?"

Repeating the girl's words from only a few days ago, Jim couldn't help but smile as he placed a small kiss on her forehead. "Just part of my job."

Zarabeth's mind swam through the billowing darkness around her for what felt like an eternity and only mere moments all at once. Moving between worlds of dreams and content darkness, Zara waited out the night, feeling completely safe knowing that Jim was always right there with her. He wouldn't let anything happen to her. She could truly rest, knowing that he was watching over her.

Taking in a deep breath, Zarabeth could feel herself coming to, her mind fully awake as she rolled beneath the layers of fabric surrounding her. Her cheek was met with something warm as she rolled to her side, a heartbeat, not her own, audible beside her ear as she recognized the smell of Jim. Eyes still closed, Zara smiled as she released a small sigh, feeling the boy move beneath her as he surrounded her in his arms.

"Hey, beautiful."

"Hey." Though hushed and strained, the sound of her own voice pulled her mind completely into consciousness, knowing that sleep would most likely not take her again for a good few hours more.

"How's your head?"

"Not horrible. I'll be fine."

"Hmm. Still feel kinda warm. You should probably take it easier today."

"Don't have to tell me twice." Slowly opening her eyes, the world around Zarabeth was dark, something she'd not expected to find. She must not have slept as long as she'd thought. "Goodness..."

"What?"

"Oh, I just thought it was later than it is."

"Really? You slept pretty soundly last night, I thought."

"Last night?" Confused by his words, Zara closed and opened her eyes once more, suddenly realizing that she couldn't even make out the boy's face. "W-what time is it?"

"Almost lunch. Hungry yet? I can have mom bring you up something."

"Lunch? What..." Forcing herself upright, Zarabeth turned her head from side to side, rubbing her hand over her face before trying again. Darkness. Thick, pure darkness. "I don't understand..."

"Zara? What's wrong?"

The girl could feel the covers around her move as Jim sat forward, his voice drawing closer to her while she stayed as she was.

"Jim..." Drawing in a sharp breath, Zarabeth fought to keep her voice even and calm as she began to tremble, the realization of what was going on hitting her sidelong. "I-I can't see."

"What?"

"I can't see."