Caroline: aftr reading this u better review ppl.
Chapter 55: How Long Is My Path?
"Caroline!" Ed screamed, running to his sister's side.
She looked up, her eyes narrowed from pain.
"What happened?" he asked, kneeling beside her as the rest began to surround her.
"I... think I got stung... by one of those wasps..." she said, her voice showing pain.
Ed slipped off the right side of her coat & under jacket, then looked at the backside of her shoulder.
There was a small puncture, & the area around it was a little pink, slightly puffed up.
"Yeah, it looks like a sting alright..." Ed muttered.
"That's not good," Miroku said. "Those were poisonous wasps."
"Poisonous!" Ed yelled.
"Actually... it doesn't hurt that bad anymore..." Caroline said, blinking several times.
"You're kidding," Sango said.
"No, really," Caroline said. "It only actually hurt when I got stung. It doesn't hurt much now."
"Those wasps did look a little different, you know," Kohaku said, looking up at his sister.
"I guess..." Miroku said. "We'll just have to keep our guard up then. We leave first thing in the morning on our quest."
"You know what that means," Roy said, looking at Caroline as she began to pull up the sleeves again.
She blinked confusedly.
"You'll have to tell us if you feel sick... at any time."
"No problem," Caroline said, giving a warm little small, finally feeling as if she were a part of the team again.
---
Jordan opened her eyes, awaking from a bad dream. She rolled over, & noticed not more than a few feet away, Caroline was sitting there, her arms resting below her head. She was smiling as she stared up at the stars.
"Feeling sick?" she asked Caroline.
Caroline looked a little surprised, the voice breaking the silence. She smiled her toothy smile.
"Actually I feel better than before I got stung..." she said.
Jordan gave her a little smile back.
"Whatcha thinkin about?" she asked.
Caroline shrugged.
"Just the future..." she said. "I guess I'm kinda confused about it."
Jordan looked lost. Caroline gave a little laugh.
"It's funny. I'm smart enough to be top-rate alchemists, read the most complex alchemy books, but I haven't ever been able to understand life itself."
Caroline looked over, giving Jordan the saddest, most lost look she had ever given her.
"Why can't I understand it?" she asked.
Jordan gave her a small smile.
"No one can understand it, Ekai," she said. "It's just the way the world works."
Caroline still had the same look on her face.
"But then why do we live it?" she asked. "Why are we here?"
"Well I guess..." Jordan said. "We're here for the adventure of it. No one's path is the same. Some are tougher, some are easier. Some are longer, & some are shorter."
Caroline looked as if she understood it a little more now, but still looked unsatisfied.
"How... long do you think my path is, Jordan?"
Jordan looked surprised. She stared at the girl who looked up at the stars with a sad look.
"I don't know..." she finally answered. "I'm not even sure how long mine is, to be truthful. The thing that keeps me goin though..." she thought. "Is that... I gotta be brave enough to lead my own path & not let someone take it over. I gotta get stronger. What... keeps you going, Caroline?"
The girl kept a sad look on her face as she thought.
"I... I want to be someone."
Jordan looked confused as a tear fell down Caroline's face.
"I don't wanna be looked down on anymore. I'm sick of being used, picked on, & I'm sick of letting others down. I wanna be someone important. Someone that's brave, & strong, & loyal. I just wanna be somebody."
Jordan smiled, & playfully punched Caroline in the arm.
"You idiot," she said as Caroline looked over, looked confused & innocent. "You're already all those things. You don't have to push yourself over the limit to be someone you already are."
Caroline stared, & her lower lip trembled as more tears fell down her face. She smiled toothily again.
"Thank you..." she said. "Aneue..."
Jordan smiled.
"No problem," she said. "Just get some rest, Ekai. We have a long journey tomorrow."
Caroline nodded, & rolled over.
"Aneue?" she asked one last time as Jordan began to close her eyes.
"Yeah?" she asked a few minutes later.
"If I ever fall on my path, will... will you help me up?"
Caroline sat there several minutes, hoping for a reply. She closed her eyes, feeling discouraged, when she heard her answer.
"As long as you'll do the same."
Caroline smiled, & closed her eyes.
---
The girl forced herself onward, staring at the ground.
Feeling a bit dizzy now
She couldn't understand why she was feeling this way. She had felt fine yesterday after she had gotten stung. Even once she woke up, she was feeling great. But she was beginning to feel feverish. A bit of sweat was on her forehead. But… they were walking in a forest, for crying out loud! It was the humidity for sure.
You only have what time allows
"You hear that?"
Everyone turned to look at the laggard.
"Hear what?" Ed asked.
"Those voices," Caroline said. Everyone looked a bit confused. The girl didn't know why. She heard voices. She heard them clear as day. She knew it.
"Look," Inuyasha said, impatiently. "That's the third time you've asked us that today. What'll it be next? Look, Naraku's behind us," he said, doing a very bad imitation of Caroline.
"Give her a break, Inuyasha," Miroku said.
"Hmph," the hanyou answered. "We can't afford a break when that bastard's got his hands on Kagome."
"Do you need to rest?" Sango asked kindly.
For you resting means moving on instead
The girl shook her head, looking confused.
"Just tell us if you need anything," Jordan said.
She nodded quietly.
Why was she the only one who could hear it?
Be careful or you'll wind up dead
Ah, well, it had to be her imagination… right?
Pain begins, your head starts to ache
She kept walking, but as she did, her head began to hurt. & it wasn't just any old headache. This one hurt big time. She was beginning to think she was sick, but if she was sick, she would've reacted faster of course.
"Caroline?"
"Huh?" the girl said quietly, looking up. She was still the one closest to the back of the group.
"You okay?"
She looked at her brother. He was smiling.
"Uhh…" she tried to answer.
"Don't lie if you're feeling bad," his countenance turned concerned. "We can stop if you need to."
"I'm feeling-"
Watch out, girl, you're gonna break
Suddenly in her mind, it was like she was surrounded by darkness. A hand over her mouth, & she couldn't speak.
"What?" Ed asked.
'I'm-' the girl managed, her voice muffled.
"I'm fine, really," the girl said smiling.
Living on words that you've said
Ed looked content, & turned away.
The girl had managed to speak. But it wasn't what she wanted to say… right?
Of course it was! She wanted Ed to think she was fine. Not that she wasn't or anything. No, she wouldn't be weak. She wouldn't stop the whole group just to take a little nap or to take some medicine.
But at some point, you'll fall dead
The girl was getting annoyed of hearing these voices in her head. These children couldn't keep singing for much longer, right? & why were they singing this weird song anyways?
It's getting harder to move on
It wasn't but a bit later, the girl's arms began to ache. Actually, everything began to ache. Her head. He lungs. Her arms. Her legs. & her mind was in complete torment.
When all your strength's used up & gone
Her vision kept switching oddly enough. It would switch from seeing the backs of her friends, to looking up at the smirking faces of Naraku & the others he had with him, & sometimes a reddish tint would interfere.
But it feels as if you're pushing lead
However as the girl struggled to at least stay up with the group, her mind was having a struggle of its own. In that, almost as if a dream was playing as she was awake, she was running. Running where, she did not know, for all she saw was empty black around her. She was panting, scared, frightened of something chasing her. Suddenly though a hand reached up out of the darkness. It wrapped around her mouth.
Her vision switched to show the backs of the others.
Push too hard, you'll wind up dead
She tried to scream for them as two other hands reached up & wrapped around her wrists. She was brought to her knees, trying to scream for the others.
You feel broken, yet it's more than it seems
She stopped walking. She couldn't move any further. She was much too dizzy, light-headed to move onward. She fell to her knees in the grass. The pain was too much to bear anymore.
"Caroline?"
You double over, but you cannot scream
At least that's what she thought she heard. She was so confused. She wanted to cry. But… she couldn't. Something held her back. Not pride. Not bravery. She didn't even know.
Your eyes are blurring, & you see in red
As two more hands reached up & held her down by her legs, she realized one thing.
You know that tomorrow you'll be dead
She was going insane. Completely insane. She was losing it. But she realized another thing as instead of the happy, smiling faces of her teammates came the smirking, sure-to-bring-torture faces of her enemies…
Your time is up, take one last breath
She could do nothing about it. With that, as she looked up slowly one last time to see the worried faces of her friends…
Look at the faces that will see your death
She heard the laughter of those who had beaten her.
Your mouth can't open, you cannot cry
She struggled. She tried to scream. Cry out.
You cannot scream
But finally, the girl who never sobbed cried. The girl who was never scared was terrified. & the girl who never gave in gave up.
It's time
She squeezed her eyes shut.
To die
& that moment, she fell to the grass.
To be continued...
