Only a few more chapters left. I might take a small break from my other story to finish this one more quickly. Enjoy:

Erica's healing process had hit a plateau. Over the next two and half weeks it continued to be the same. It didn't get any worse, but it wasn't feeling any better. Wuya had started performing spells to ease the pain, but she wasn't to sure if she should try healing it. The witch was worried about what the side-effects might be.

But the trio was more worried about Erica's welfare. Why should it be taking so long to heal? The suggestion came up that perhaps it was broken. But after a few tests that theory was quickly unproven.

"What if there is something permanently wrong with it?" Erica had worriedly asked after the ninth day.

"I'm sure it's fine Erica. Pain can be a strange thing sometime. It'll all be better soon." Chase has told her reassuringly. And so they just accepted the fact that sometimes injuries take a while to heal.

"I suppose that makes sense." She had replied, being rational as always. "I find emotional pain can be like that…"

"Yes…yes it can…"

--

It was now the officially the third week since the injury. Chase woke up, meditated for an hour, ate his breakfast with Wuya, and then made his way to the kitchen to check that Erica had eaten her breakfast. When it was confirmed that she had, he departed the kitchen and headed towards Erica's room for his usual mid-morning visit.

He was shocked to find that she wasn't in her usual spot, lying on the bed, face up, but that she wasn't even in the room at all! He checked the rock-door to the shower cave; no on there.

Starting to panic, he turned on his heals and was about to leave the room when he noticed a small piece of lavender parchment on the dresser. Intrigued, he picked up the curiously-colored paper, and read:

Chase-

The oddest thing happened this morning; I woke up and my ankle felt fine! Imagine that? I guess you were right about pain being weird sometimes. Anywho, I decided that I would 'celebrate' so I am spending my day walking around the castle as much as I can. Honestly, my legs feel so stiff I do not want to stand still for one moment. Well, I just wanted to leave this note so you would not get worried if you could not find me. If you want to find me, I will probably be the sanctuary later on.

Erica

Chase had to read the note several times before he could completely comprehend it. It wasn't that Erica had sloppy hand writing or anything, she just wrote very, very small.

Placing the note back on the dresser, he couldn't help but spy a brown leather book next to it. It had a symbol of a feather on the cover and there was a simple magnetic latch holding the whole thing shut.

"A feather…" Chase said out loud, thinking. "Why would there be a feather on this? Curious…"

Chase had never violated anyone's privacy before. He didn't think it was right to spy on someone. He believed it rude to listen in on conversations. And he would never dream of reading someone's diary. But here he stood starring down at the mysterious book with a burning desire to open it up.

"Well…if she didn't want anyone looking at this…then she would've hidden it…" Chase said to himself. "So it's perfectly justifiable if I read it." He said, opening the latch and flipping open to the first page.

The first thing he noticed was that the page was the same purple shade as the letter Erica had left behind. Well now I know where the note came from, he thought to himself.

Scanning the front cover he noticed a sketch of a red heart with the words "Jeff and Erica forever" written inside it. The words were hard to read because they had been scribbled over with red pen a bunch of times.

Am I really going to read this girl's diary…Chase thought about it for a minute, starring down at the heart. Yep. I am.

He turned his attention to the first page and read Erica's tiny hand writing:

June 6th 2002

Dear Diary,

My best friend Marley saw this diary at a shop in London while she was on vacation. It reminded her of me so she bought for me as a little gift. Isn't that so nice?

I have never had a diary before, but I think it will be great fun. So I am going to try and write in it as much as I can.

But how about we start with the basics?

My name is Erica Valetciay, I live in Venice, Italy, and I am thirteen yeas old. So If I ever loose this, then whoever may be reading this, please return this diary to me.

So, today was really, really fun. Danielle's boyfriend, Max, bought tickets to-

Chase stopped reading at the sound a small Thunk noise. Looking around frantically, he saw that it was nothing and looked back to the diary. Taking a bunch of the pages in his hand at a time he flipped forward until he found an entry from a few days back.

Ankle still hurting. This really stinks.

She had begun the entry, underlining the words several times.

Talked with Chase again today. He actually told me some things about his childhood. I am still shocked he told me. The man is so secretive sometimes…I wonder if that is it.

It really is strange. I am blushing just writing about this subject (again!). But still, I cannot deny the feeling.

I fancy him.

Chase started blushing himself. He knew he should stop reading, but he didn't want to.

There. I said it again. Well, I wrote it again.

I don't really get it. I just…like him. Well, I think I like him. I can't really explain it. It's just…this weird feeling I get whenever I see him. And…and every time I say something to him I bite my tongue afterwards and think "Why did I say something so stupid?"

Ugh, I haven't had a crush in so long I forget what it feels like. How pathetic is that? I'm a teenager; I should be having a new boyfriend every other week. Of course, I don't think I'll be having any boyfriends soon.

That's it. That's just it. I like Chase, but I hate the circumstances. I mean, I really hate them. I love it here in this place, I have these feelings for Chase (oh, I said it again! I mean, wrote.), but I just really, really hate this situation. Really.

I wonder what he feels about me? He acts like he cares about me a great deal. But does he like me to? He said something once about not being able to love. Something about a potion. He started it explaining it once but then I'm sad to say I tuned him out and starting starring into those bizarre, beautiful, green eyes of his…

Oh goodness! What is wrong with me?

Here I am blabbering away yet again about strange feelings and weird situations. I wonder sometimes if this is all the necklaces doing. At least I paid attention to that little explanation.

Well, my pen is running out of ink.

The entry had ended with those words. Chase read the pages a few more times. Did he really just read what he thought he had read?

Turning the page, he was about to read the next entry when he heard footsteps. His heart-rate quickened to a dangerously high pace as he snapped the cover shut, placed it back where it was, and sprinted over the door and opened up…only to be face to face with Erica.

"Oh, Chase!" She gasped, clutching at her chest. "You startled me."

"Yeah…you…you startled me to…uh, I got your note."

"My…? Oh right! That! So I did remember to rip it out..."

"Pardon?" Chase asked confused, breathing deeply, suppressing the adrenaline rush.

"I thought that maybe I forgotten to put the note out, so I was coming back here to check that I had ripped it out." Erica explained. "But now I know that I have, and that you have read it. And I am happy to report that my ankle is all better now." She added with a smile.

"Yeah…I read it…Question; why is there a feather on your diary?" The moment Chase said it he had to use all his will power to resist the urge to cover his mouth. Why did I say that? I'm an idiot…

"Oh…kind of embarrassing story actually." Erica blushed. "In first grade I went on a class trip to a science museum. And they had this swimming pool that had been emptied and then filled with feathers. It was some sort of demonstration, or experiment, I cannot really remember it that well. Anyway, I ended up tripping and falling into the pool. So silly, I know, but the museum is the one who should have had a guard rail. Anyway, you can only imagine the teasing after THAT. So, since then I have sort of had the nick-name 'feathers.' Silly, is it not?"

"Yeah…very funny…just wondering, is all."

"How did you know the book out was my diary?" Erica asked, raising her eyebrow.

"I…I…lucky guess." Chase said. "I gotta go." He said dashing off in the opposite direction.

Wow…major bombshell. I've really been looking forward to writing this chapter, so tell me what you think!