A/n- Thanks for all the reviews! They really, really, keep me going. You guys are the best. So anyway, this chapter is told in Ria's point of view. Explanations will come later. Right now I'll have some fun with writing this. :D
Chapter 7
In my head, I heard the boisterous sound of tree leaves rustling as we collided head on with darkness. We kept rolling down, down, into a deep hollow hole of corruption that winded into wings around me tight. A voice filled with sorrow and dispair screamed deafeningly somewhere inside my soul. The forest is in chaos. Even the weak chirping of the birds suddenly became thunder in my ears. I squeezed my eyes shut, and willed everything to just please fade away...
Abruptly, my fears were met with silence. Nevertheless, it's not the kind of calm, peaceful serenity that I often find myself slipping away in. No. This silence is dead, filled with visions unseen, voices unheard. Right now, the only thing I sense in this stillness in the presence of two others and myself shaking and shuddering in this car, as they call it. We have a reason to be afraid, for I have lived this before, and I know how it always ends.
"Hey," a voice unexpectedly called from the blackness, seemingly somewhere nears the front of where I am. "You still back there?"
I blinked, trying to sit up without alerting where alarm is definitely not necessary to cause. Whoever spoke sounded very much like the lad that was with Susannah and I when we went out. I don't know what his name is, since we have never been formally introduced. He looked modern, as in born and raised in this century, and I'm sure that he is a ghost too.
"Yes," I called back, shivering slightly. "What exactly happened?"
The boy laughed, but the sound contained no humor, only irony. I'd have thought that there was actually a touch of cruelty in it if not for the fact that I felt the same way right now. "Isn't it pretty obvious?" He spoke, his tone flat.
Um, no, I thought to myself, that's why I'm asking. All I can really remember is that one minute we were cruising down the mountain track in a very daring manner, and the next we ended up here. Wherever here is. But I certainly do not like it, for not only does every ounce of my surroundings feel creepy, but it also provides me with a sense of dread, for some reason. And of course, there were those overpowering sounds I first heard.
Deep inside myself, I know that they weren't just a figment of my imagination. True, I've unknowingly been into more dreamlands and fantasies than I can count, but I think I can still differentiate illusion from reality, thankyouverymuch. They were real, as in, they weren't made up by the likes of me, and they weren't there to just be a diversion from my unsettling existence. They were there for a reason this time. Was it a sign, maybe? Or was it a warning?
"I'm sorry," I finally said, unable to keep the sarcasm out of my voice. "But I thought mostly people asked questions to things they don't know the answer to?"
"What, did you dematerialize in the middle of the crash or something?" Fine. If the lad wanted to play this game, then go right ahead. "I mean, I believe it's very clear that we hit a curve and went off the road, therefore tumbling down into this place. But I guess some people just spend too much time in their own little worlds to pay attention to what's really happening, huh."
Oh, so now he's accusing me of... of... of thinking too much? What is with modern lads theses days? I doubt that they are all so biting and insolent like this one here, since I've spend my time around several polite and nice ones. So what's his problem?
That, of course, should have been quite evident if I gave it a second's thought, but at that time I was in no mood to contemplate the daft minds.
"Okay," he said, after a long moment of silence, during which I just sat and stared out the window. "First things first. I don't think the girl here is doing very well. In fact," and here the lad turned around in his seat to glare at me, "she's unconscious."
"Well," I snapped, not really believing him. If fragile me is still here, unharmed and whole, then that headstrong and stubborn excuse for a lass has got to be all right. "Then why don't you do something to wake her up?"
The lad pretended to ignore me, and instead started digging around in a compartment positioned in front of him. After several seconds of shuffling papers and accessories around, he finally pulled out a cylinder shaped thing. After a click on the side, a stream of light appeared from one hole of whatever it is.
"It's called a flashlight, in case you're wondering," he called. "And don't deny it. You were. I can tell that you wanted to know"
"Oh gee," I sneered. "So now you're telepathic, wow. I'm utterly impressed that you were able to tell exactly what was going on inside my head just by the click of some switch to a 'flashlight'. Or did you confirm that from the movements of the trees outside? Or from total silence, perhaps? Or maybe you just think that you're so talented that you're capable of determining my- "
"Jesus," he suddenly breathed, gazing down at the girl in the driver's seat of this car. I looked up and saw his eyebrows were furrowed together in amazement, shock, or who knows what else as he held the flashlight up to point at the lass' head.
I remembered looking around when I first opened my eyes, and I know I saw Susannah's head lying against the wheel. The boy must have lifted it up to find out if she's all right. By his response to what he saw, apparently she's not.
"What's wrong?" I asked curiously, peering over the top of the seat to try to get a glimpse of what got him so surprised. I have to admit I was somewhat disappointed to the sight, since I was expecting something way more damaged and disfigured. I was only awarded with the vision of a few bruises, and a deep gash on the forehead. But I do have to say the bruises were pretty severe. I didn't know that they could turn color so soon after the person's been injured. And even though the cut above her eyes looked rather serious, it was nothing compared to some of my sisters' wounds when we were alive.
"Just get some clothes and wrap it around the wound," I said, shrugging. "It's no big deal. I've seen way worse."
I can hear him seething even as he grabbed an old shirt from the seat beside mine. Geez, what did I say now? It was the truth. I watched as he ripped off some part of the garment and carefully wrapped it around Susannah's forehead. Tying a knot at the back, he at last trained his eyes –or eye, since one of them is covered by a flock of hair- on me, and spat out, "So what do you suggest we do now, Miss Priss? This girl here is in serious need of medical care, and we have no way of getting her to a hospital. Even if we manage to get her up to the road, we can't carry her anywhere without making it look like she's sleepwalking or being possessed by some evil spirit. Not that that's really important. But she needs to get help ASAP, and walking can take forever. There are sometimes cars that drive by the track this time of the night, and we COULD hitch a ride if they could see us or if Susannah here wakes up and have the strength to stick a thumb in the air. But that, of course, is highly unlikely, so what option do you see left for us to get Susannah to a hospital before it's too late?"
I blinked rapidly several times, trying to stuff all he said into my head and process them at the same time. After awhile, I realized what he meant and I gasped. He's right. Susannah needs to have her wound treated as soon as possible. Who knows, she probably got some broken bones too. Oh my, I thought, as panic started to rise within me, really, what are we going to do? I didn't see it before, but Susannah isn't a ghost like us, so she must have suffered damages a lot more severe than us. And I don't think girls should just stay in a car after it's been crashed and left out in the woods. We definitely need to take her to see a doctor. Only, how?
Jesse, I suddenly pictured. If only he were here to assist us. He would surely know what to do under stressful situations like this. He always does.
As if summoned by my thought alone, Jesse himself then appeared right next to me. I shrieked in delight and threw my arms around him.
"Ria?" Jesse asked, sounding confused. I drew back, feeling a little embarrassed. I don't usually show affection like this, but this time instinct had totally taken over. "What's the matter?"
"Oh Jesse," I breathed, holding onto his hands tight. "There's been an accident. You see, Susannah was driving, but we rolled own here somehow, and now she's unconscious."
In the front seat, the lad muttered, "Nice explanation, Einstein. Descriptive much?" But that was soon drowned out by the voice of Jesse's shout.
"WHAT?! Nombre de Dios, Ria, why didn't you just tell me from the beginning?"
And with that, he quickly dropped my hands, and squeezed into the front and cradled Susannah's head on his lap. I saw him gingerly caress her face, all the while murmuring sweet nothings in her ear. Good God, for a second there I forgot that they were romantically involved.
Which isn't that surprising, considering that I didn't believe any of that nonsense Jesse told me for a second. However, while he's still in his little Romeo/Juliet fantasy, I better just make things easier for him. I'll be nice and let reality smack him in the face later, after his so-called 'Querida' is in some place where she can get treated. Perhaps then he'll have regained his senses.
"Um, Jesse," I drawled, "Any suggestions on how we can get her to a hospital?"
Jesse, looking a bit startled, fixed his amazingly dark eyes on me. For a moment, I took in his thoroughly straight nose, sweetly and fully shaped lips, creamy skin, and that scar on his eyebrow, and I could clearly see how Susannah had fallen in love with him. Or so she says, anyway.
But my brother truly is an image of perfection. And the only one that deserves to be with him is me, and me only. No one else was allowed, and no one will be allowed, in our life. I smiled discreetly in satisfaction, knowing that this time I will win yet again.
"Well," Jesse said uncertainly. "Why was Susannah driving in the first place? And whose car is this?"
"It's mine," the lad jumped in. "And I think we should just get going before someone finds Susannah here unconscious in a 'stolen' car."
"Get going?" Jesse murmured, still stroking Susannah's head. First her cheek, then her hair, then nose, then her-
All right, calm down, Ria, I told myself as I watched them. Jesse eyebrows were drawn together in deep thought, and I know he was worried but didn't know what to do like us.
"J... Jesse?" I heard a voice suddenly. Looking away from Jesse to the lass on his lap, I saw that she had awakened. A miracle. My brother's voice and touch has the ability to wake someone up from the dead? Well, not the dead, but something close to it. Nevertheless, she seemed and sounded very, very weak, and it was taking all her strength just to lift her head up to gaze into Jesse's eyes.
"Querida!" My brother gasped. "Are you all right?"
Before Susannah even had a chance to open her mouth, the lad gushed on with a short explanation on what had happened. After he finished, Susannah only looked worse than she had before. "Yeah, I could understand that my head got cut. I have a huge headache."
"Your forehead? Nombre de Dios, you really need medical care!" Jesse cried.
"Um, Jesse," I said, feeling a little annoyed. "We can see the obvious."
"Really," the lad muttered, "you couldn't a minute ago."
Ignoring him, I turned back to Jesse and smiled. "Any suggestions?"
Holding the frail girl in his arms, Jesse began to mumble, "Well, I can dematerialize and get Father Dom, but I don't even know where we are, so I can't lead him here. Beside, that'll take too long and we only have a limited amount of time. The only other option I see here is to carry her up to the road and then try to have someone driving a car passing by to take us."
"Jesse?" Susannah spoke, her voice still sounding weak as ever. "How did you get here?"
"Shh," Jesse shushed her, putting a finger to her lips. "That's not important right now, Querida. You need to save your strength. Please don't close your eyes. You'll make it through, I'm here with you."
Then, to us, he said, "I'll carry her up to the road. You two lead the way."
Moaning and groaning, the lad and I climbed out of the car first. Once out, I shivered again, suddenly aware of my surroundings. Tree branches cracked as I stepped on them, and somehow the hooting of owls seemed creepy and a little scary even. The path was rugged and bumpy, and several times I had to grab onto the nearest tree to prevent myself from falling down into who knows where. We were all quiet as we walked up, neither one of us saying anything that would jinx us from finding the road. I was pretty sure that no one knew where we were going, but there didn't seem to be anything else we can do except keep walking. A few times Susannah would give a soft cry of distress, and Jesse would soothe her, and she'd be silent again.
Finally, my feet touched the mountain track. Light spilled from the lamps on the side of the road, illuminating everything around us. I glanced back at Jesse questioningly, my eyes asking him what to do now. I took his nod as a sign to just continue walking until we see a car driving by that could help.
After a few minutes, the headlights of a car came into view. I heard the lad behind me breathe a sigh of relief, but Susannah just moaned again. Trying to stand upright so it wouldn't look like she was leaning against thin air, she stuck out her left thumb in the air. The car slowly stopped as it neared us, and the driver rolled down his window and looked out.
"You need a ride?" A voice called, sounding a bit drunk.
Seeing Susannah's nod, the driver gestured for her to get in. Jesse tried to help her without drawing attention to himself. When she was safely seated and buckled in the front seat, Jesse, the lad, and I dematerialized and found ourselves squeezed in the back seat of the car.
"Where to?" The male driver said. I took a good look at him as he turned toward Susannah. He seemed to be about Jesse's age, maybe a little older. He had straight black hair, and by the greasy looks of it, he probably hadn't washed it in a long time. By the lamp, I could make out some absurd paintings on his bare arms. His nose seemed rather crooked, and a ring hung from it. His face was clotted with acne, depriving him of any good features he might have had.
"The nearest hospital," Susannah said quietly in answer to his question.
The lad nodded and began driving. I stared out the window at the blurry images as we flew past them. I didn't recognize anything, not that I expected to. But unfamiliar surroundings do not suit me, even if I've found myself in them half my life. Some times, like now, I wish with all my heart that I could belong, just in one place where I can truly call home. That was my dream when I was alive. What about now? Now not only do I need my big brother, I also need...
All of a sudden, I realized that we were driving within some thick, crowded grassland. Even though I am not aware of this place, I know that we are not close to any hospital. Where is this person taking us? Can he not see that Susannah is hurt and needs help? We have no time to waste!
Just as I was starting to ask Jesse if he knew what exactly is going on, the driver of the car cut off the engine. Everything turned quiet and almost eerie then, and the unexpected silence had Susannah jerking up from her seat. Blinking several times, she turned her head toward the lad. The movement must have pained her somewhere, for she gave a small yelp. Jesse immediately tried to help her, but I held him back.
"All right," the lad sitting in the driver's seat said, grinning evilly at Susannah. "We can do this fast, or we can take it slow."
I had no idea what he was talking about, but apparently Susannah did. She looked positively sick, and the glare she was shooting him would be enough to make any other person drop dead. Wow, she impresses me. Any other girl that has a deep cut on the forehead and minutes ago has been in a car crash would probably still be unconscious right now. Not only did she manage to keep awake, but also she's still capable of defending herself. Even if it doesn't work.
"Look, mister," she said slowly, trying to sound menacing even through her pain. "I happen to be in serious need for medical care right now, and I really don't have time to be screwing around like this. I will repay you after. Just not in this way."
The lad, however, just simply smirked. "If you gravely need to be in a hospital, then why don't we hurry and get it over with?"
Susannah looked like she wanted to slap him. Well, that's the understatement of the year.
"Um," I whispered, "What is he talking about?"
Jesse seemed as confused as I felt, but the other ghost lad in the car had an expression of torment mixed sympathy on his face. He glanced over at me and grunted something that sounded like, "you don't want to know."
"Actually, I do," I hissed back. "In case you haven't noticed, we need to help Susannah."
There was silence in the car for a few moments, during which the driver and Susannah just stared at each other. The driver appeared amused, whereas Susannah infuriated and desperate. Jesse just watched their staring match, having no clue what in the world is going on.
"Sex," the ghost lad sitting beside me finally muttered. "He wants Susannah to make love with him, or he's not taking her anywhere."
After the last word was out from his mouth, I felt my stomach positively drop to the bottom of my feet. Sure, I felt bad for her, but this is really about me, isn't it. No matter how hard I run, how far I try to get away, my past will always catch up with me. And this time, once again, it has.
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Shadows enfold, shadows embrace
Through a dark veil, behind the face
Hides a deep void, a sleeping cocoon
Butterfly waits, freedom come soon
Will you accept me? Will you believe?
Will you cast stones at what you perceive?
I need you to love me, a sleeping cocoon
Unfolding my wings, freedom come soon
A/n- Ria has several different personalities, and they can change faster than lightning. You can call it multi-personality, I guess. Anyway, I do not own that poem at the end. It was taken from the book Backstage Pass by Gaby Triana. It fits perfectly, especially that line "Will you cast stones at what you perceive?" If you've read the book, you'll know whom it's referring to. But I'd like to hear some of you guys' guess.
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