(I'm sorry this is taking so long to come out! I really don稚 mean to leave you hanging, but I've just been so busy! I was working a full-time job all summer, saving for college and now I'm actually at college with loads of homework. So, if you could just be patient, I'll update as quickly as I can.)
"Mina…"
Mina, sitting alone on her bed in an empty apartment, nearly jumped out of her skin as the sound of a rough, gravelly voice called her name from the depths of darkness. Sapphire-blue eyes wide and face pale, Mina took a few deep breaths to calm her ruffled nerves. She wasn't sure where she had heard that voice before, but the Scout was certain that she had.
Her hand slipped beneath the covers of her bed, where she had taken the liberty of hiding a dagger at Artemis' insistence. Mina's jaw clenched as her fingers tightened around the dagger's handle, the sound of rough laughter grating in her ears. It seemed to be echoing in the room, making it impossible for her to pinpoint the location of its origin.
"Well, well, well," the grating voice proclaimed from somewhere within the darkness of the room with some amusement, "if it isn't the little princess. Where are your guardians now, Mina? Aren't they here to save you?"
It was as if he was taunting her; she was reminded by the tone of her intruder's voice that she was alone. Even Artemis had disappeared, which was unusual. That simple fact frightened Mina more than she cared to admit. She had never really been alone and on her own before, and she was afraid.
"What's the matter, Princess Mina?" The intruder sneered, amusement at her helplessness evident in his self-confident tone. "Don't you remember who I am?"
Mina was caught off-guard as the air suddenly rushed from her lungs, leaving the blond-haired Scout gasping for breath. She choked out a strangled cry as a pair of invisible hands tightened around her throat, her own hands desperately clawing the air around her throat in search of the hands that held her captive.
Out of desperation, she reached down and grabbed the dagger, slicing the air around her throat. There was a trail of blood on the dagger when the hands on her throat loosened, then released her throat. Staggering backwards and taking a huge gulp of breath, Mina was caught off-guard as she was suddenly knocked onto her bed, the weight of her attacker pushing her deeper into the mattress.
"You little-"
The intruder's words broke off in surprise as he suddenly flew off of Mina, who glanced up to see Sage standing there, his lips pursed in what Mina took to be annoyance. As his eyes took in the bruises around her neck, his expression intensified to something akin to anger.
Before they had a chance to say anything to each other, both were very aware of the danger that presented itself in the room they were standing in. They both understood that it would be very difficult indeed to fight someone that couldn't be seen.
Moving deliberately slow, Sage moved over to the bed and helped Mina to her feet, his eyes on her throat. Glancing in the mirror, Mina was dismayed to see the hand-shaped bruises on her neck, a clue as to what had just been happening. She still held the bloody dagger in her hand and, catching his curious gaze, lifted it up, showing him what she had done.
Without warning, Sage was suddenly knocked to the floor, his hands up in an effort to ward off whoever or whatever it was he was fighting. Resisting the urge to scream in frustration, Mina grabbed her dagger and sliced the air again, attempting to ward off her unseen enemy.
"Mina, go!" Sage shouted, his uncovered eye focused on her. "Don't just stand there; go!"
Torn between staying there to help and fleeing, all it took to make up her mind was to see the stubborn expression in Sage's single eye. Frightened by the intensity of it, Mina turned and ran out of the room, her slight form fading into the darkness…
Mina woke with a start, her eyes wide and her whole body trembling. She just couldn't shake the feeling that her 'dream' had been a reality. If that was the case, Sage was in trouble and she didn't know how to help him.
Before she even had a chance to move from her bed, Rowen came rushing into the room, looking tired and disheveled, but completely alert.
"Mina, are you ok?" He ran a hand through his disheveled hair, his eyes concerned. "I heard you screaming, so I came in here."
Leaping from the bed, Mina's eyes went misty at the thought of Sage being left to defend himself against her enemy. "Rowen," she gasped, clutching at his shirt, "something's happening with Sage!"
Stunned by her words, but also knowing that his sister/cousin couldn't lie to him, Rowen pursed his lips grimly, watching her quietly for a moment. "Get ready to go," he commanded before rushing out of the room, leaving Mina to get ready.
All she did was throw on a jacket and a pair of sandals before rushing out of the room, meeting Rowen in the living room with Artemis standing beside him. For once, Artemis was silent, a thoughtful expression on his pale face. Silently, the three of them made their way to Rowen's car, each lost in their own thoughts, their expressions solemn and unreadable. The ride to Sage's house was a silent one, and the guilty feeling in Mina's heart became unbearable when she realized that something was very wrong.
Red and blue lights were flashing everywhere as they turned the corner to Sage's house; policemen and medical personnel were everywhere, some of them hurrying into the home. Rowen was in shock as he pulled up onto the curb, his eyes wide as he took in the scene. Ambulance workers were wheeling Sage out of the house while Mina began to sob uncontrollably, reeling with guilt and sorrow.
"Stay with her," Rowen told Artemis before moving over to where Sage's mother stood, tears streaming down her face.
As Sage passed near Mina, she heard him call out her name, sounding as though he were in pain. Stifling a sob, Mina moved closer as the ambulance workers that had been wheeling him out paused. He clasped a weak hand around hers for a moment, a tiny smile tugging at his face before the medical personnel wheeled him over to the ambulance, leaving Mina standing there with tears streaming down her cheeks…
