Thirteenth Chapter: Not Quite A Regular Event
I kneeled by Innocence's bed and bent over her, listening to her heartbeat. There was nothing but a faint, uneven th-thump. I exhaled and stood up, debating what to do. Which, of course, I didn't know!
I spun around and looked for something to help her; a potion, a liquid, something! But all I could see around me was a dizzying white, the white of forgetting and blinding pain.
I turned back to the bed and heard a voice that I recognized as Lust's.
"Take my parting advice," her silky-smooth voice said. I turned around and saw her at the doorway, leaning against the post. "It'll work, trust me."
"How did you get in here?" I asked hastily.
"She's out of it, so this building free turf now. No guards or repellants to keep us out!"
Us? What did she mean by 'us'?
And then I noticed Compassion, Harmony, and Irry behind her. The four of them came into the room and joined me at Innocence's bedside.
"So that's why we could get in…" Irry muttered. She looked up at me. "Any ideas?"
I choked back words. Of course I didn't have any ideas! "She's… almost…" I tried to say.
Compassion looked at Harmony. "Can't you do something? Ease her trifled mind, like you always say when these things happen?"
The made it sound like a regular event!
Harmony shook her head placidly. "No. Meddling with her mind now might be the end of her. Wrecking even some small detail of her might mean that Starfire –the real one- could never wake."
"Th-that would be awf…awful!" I stuttered, my breath ragged and my voice hoarse.
"Yes," Compassion whispered. "It would be awful to have that happen… although I do know one way to stop it. Only one, but I'm sure that it will work."
My heart leaped up to my throat in anticipation. "What?"
Lust smirked and set her hand on Compassion's shoulder. "What did I say before?"
Harmony seemed to appear in front of me. "Kiss her."