Wow… it's been a while. Thank you so much to all of my fantastic readers and reviewers and everyone who has added my story to their favorites and to story alert, it really means a lot to me. I'm so sorry I've taken so long to update. I did post an author's note explaining that I had gotten into a show at my school and I have been busy with that and with testing but I didn't leave it up for that long. I have now finished both and am free, for the time being. In a few days I'm going away with my family to Paris and then I'm staying in Wales to work for the rest of the summer. So… I'm not sure how updating over the summer is going to go. Anyway, here is the fifth chapter of War of Hearts, finally.
-Doyle
P.S. I also reread chapter four and realized that the two paragraphs involving Gemma and Kartik were really messed up and I have fixed them. Sorry about that.
Chapter Five
A ray of sun hits my eyes through the open window and I roll over with a groan. The only thing that forces me out of the protective warmth of my covers is the painful gurgling of my empty stomach. I look over at Ann's bed but it's empty so I assume she went to breakfast without me. I wash up as best as I can, poking my self in the eye in my sleepy state, and pull on my uniform over a clean chemise. Feeling a little more awake I stumble down stairs to breakfast.
As I assumed, the hot breakfast has already been served and I am just in time for my usual, a heaping bowl of cold porridge, great. Felicity and Ann spot me and wave me over. I smile, happy that we once again have somewhat of a friendship. I quickly join them.
"I tried waking you up this morning so you would not be late but you would not awake for any thing," Ann said, looking at me with her sad eyes and her fork half way to her mouth covered in hash and egg. I smile anyway.
"Thanks for trying Ann. I had trouble even waking my self up." She smiles back at me and continues eating. Fee looks at me and I know she wants to ask more questions but before she can even start I start talking again.
"It's Saturday and we have no classes, I know I promised to take you to the realms today so when do you want to go," I ask dryly, looking down at my oh-so-loverly porridge.
"Oh darling Gemma! Do you mean it," asks Fee, her light curls bouncing gracefully as she jumps up to hug me. Ann is also looking at me with a smile of glee on her face. All questions of the last couple of rocky days vanish from their minds and I feel myself smile at the feeling of having them as friends again.
We leave the hall after breakfast and head to the cave at the back of the school. Fee jumps and sings a merry little tune as she swings Ann around. I can't help but laugh at them.
"I can be beautiful again!" Ann cries with laughter. Felicity twirls her about.
"And we can finally she Pippa again!" My smile falls from my face and I can feel a knot form in my stomach. Oh no. Neither of them believes me that Pip has gone over to the Winterlands and god only knows what she will convince them to do behind my back. I look up at them entering the cave and decide that now was not the time to remind them.
"Come on Gemma! Hurry up," Fee calls from inside the cave. I run to catch up and I pray that we will not meet Pip in the realms today but something tells me that is unavoidable.
The cave is exactly as I remember it; small, damp, and musty smelling, but it still brings happy memories to my mind. Ann and Felicity are already sitting cross-legged on the floor and the Fee pats the ground next to her and I take a seat. I really don't want to do this but I know that if I don't I'll be doomed to my horrible fate alone.
"Picture the door of light like we used to, and remember, the realms aren't exactly what they used to be." I say the last part with a glance at Fee but I don't say anything more.
"Let's just go Gemma before we die of the cold," she responds, catching my point. We all close are eyes and within seconds the door appears in our mind's eye. Ann and Felicity are giggling with excitement and I stare at the door with hatred. What one does only for the fragile promise of never being completely alone.
"Come on Gemma, open the door," Fee says, getting impatient. I mumble my apologies and put my sweaty hand on the doorknob and pause only for a second before turning it, letting the light form the other side come threw, momentarily blinding us.
At the first glance, the garden looked as it usually did, beautiful and peaceful, but as I look around again it seems like the sunlight isn't as bright nor the grass as long and soft. Ann immediately covers herself in glimmering silk and sparkling diamonds. I glanced around but Felicity is nowhere insight. Panic grips my insides and I run over to Ann who is now looking at her reflection on the surface of the river, on which the gorgon is not present.
"Ann, where did Fee go, did she tell you," Ann looks up at me with a smile on her face.
"Um, no, I don't know where she went," she replies, immediately looking back at her reflection.
"Well, aren't you worried?" I can feel my heart start to race and I start to get angry. Ann does not respond, too absorbed in what she only wished could be, but as I turn away I see the reflection of angry red welts on the inside of her wrists. I wonder if the lack of seeing her beautiful self in the realms caused her to harm herself and I feel like my heart is being squeezed. I quickly push the feeling away and tell Ann that I'm going to go look for Felicity.
I follow a path into the woods. As soon as I enter I can feel the temperature drop and a feeling of dread comes over me but I continue on. I start calling Fee's name but get no response. Five minutes in I hear something and my head snaps in the direction and I step off the path and start to follow it. As I get closer I can make out the sound of laughter and I call Felicity again but still receive no response.
I can make out a clearing up ahead and I can see shapes moving. The laughter gets louder and I enter the clearing.
"Gemma! Oh dearest Gemma, I have missed you so much! What has kept you away from me for so long?" My stomach drops and I can fell my porridge from breakfast churn. Pippa…
"Pippa! I missed you as well. I am dearly sorry I have not been able to visit more often." I smile at the ground, not daring to look her in the eye. She lets out a carefree laugh that sounds like music and I look up at her. She's as beautiful as she always was. I finally notice Fee sitting next to Pip and she smiles smugly at me.
"Have a seat Gemma! What has been happening with you of late," Pip asks cheerfully. I shrug and sit down, continuing to look at the dirt patch in front of my left knee. Fee is sitting behind Pip, braiding her hair and she looks up at me, still smiling.
"How's that Indian friend of yours doing? Is he grieving me much," Pippa asks. My eyes snap to her face, and the look on Kartik's face as he saw Pip standing on the edge of the lake comes to mind, I stutter out a lie.
"Um, I-I haven't seen him since Christmas." I look back at the ground and Pip laughs.
"He would have been a good boy toy. He probably would have done what ever I wanted him to," she giggles. I glance up at her again I see eyes of white but I blink in surprise and her eyes are the lovely shade of purple, as they have always been. I remember my dream of her and Kartik and I shiver.
"It's probably getting late," I say, " we should probably start heading back. If we don't hurry Ann might just fall into the river." I smile weakly at them and Pip smiles back but Fee scowls at me.
"Why do we always have to go back only when you want to!" She jumps to her feet and is staring at me ferociously. "I want to stay with Pip some more!" With that she turns around and runs of. I pick up my skirts to run after her but I'm stopped by a hand on my shoulder. I look at its owner and Pippa is smiling at me.
"I'll go get her. She'll probably listen to me more than you anyway." Before I can argue she is running in the direction that Fee headed. At a lost of anything else to do I turn around and make my way back to Ann on the riverside.
When I get back to the garden Ann is still where I left her. Not knowing what else to do, I sit down next to her, She doesn't even respond. I look at my own reflection. My coppery curls seem limp and I have faint purpely-grayish circles under my eyes. I fall back onto the grass and look up at the clouds. I wonder if Kartik really does grieve for Pippa. Thinking of Kartik reminds me of last night and I cringe.
There's a rustling noise coming from the woods and I quickly stand up and brace myself but it is just Pippa back with Felicity. Fee doesn't even look at me as she walks quickly past and joins Ann on the bank.
"Thank you Pip, for bringing her back." She flashes me a small smile and I could swear that I see pointed teeth but before I can get a better look she turns and runs back into the woods. Going where, I wonder. I shudder at the thought and walk back to Ann and Felicity.
As soon as I reach them Fee gets up and walks back to the tree. I look down at Ann, who seems transfixed, and kneel down besides her.
"It is time to go Ann," I say quietly but she doesn't look at me. "Ann," I say louder and she jumps and turns to look at me. "It's time to leave."
"Leave?" She looks at me sadly and my heart clenches again.
"Yes Ann, it's getting late, we need to go back."
"I can't leave."
"Ann?" I pull gently on her arm but she jumps and pulls out of my grasp.
"No!" Tears are running down her cheeks and for a moment she looks confused. I try to comfort her but she pulls away again and runs over to Fee. I sigh sadly and force the tears welling up in my eyes to go away. I walk over to them and we hold hands and invision the door.
We are back at the cave in seconds and by the time I open my eyes Felicity has her arm around Ann's shoulders and they're walking back, leaving me on the ground. My legs are numb and the rest of my limbs are stiff from the cold. I lean my head against the wall behind me, the tears I've been holding back silently fall as I watch Felicity and Ann get smaller and smaller through a sheen of tears. It feels like hours that I sit there until the cold is too much to bare and I struggle to my feet, pain shooting through my limbs in protest. I walk around the grounds for a little while, trying to get some feeling back into my legs and I spot a light in the distance.
When I finally reach the source I discover a tent lit up from the inside. Kartik's camp. Without another thought I walked up to the entrance and knocked on the frame. A second later Kartik emerges and my heart skips a beat.
"Yes?" He doesn't look thrilled to see me and my dream flashes into my mind, I look away.
"Look," I say, glancing back up at him, "I didn't come here to fight. I came here to apologize." His look softens a bit, giving me the courage to continue. "I'm sorry what I did to you the other night, it was wrong, but I can't change the past. I've been fighting with Felicity and Ann a lot lately and I am feeling a little alone." Tears well up again and I try so hard not to let them fall. "I don't know what kind of relationship we could have together, but please let me know if you could at least try to be my friend." Damn tears! Kartik looks me in the eye and before I know it he pulls me into a hug, a friendly hug, and I bury my wet face in his shoulder.
"I have, and always will be your friend Gemma." We stay like that until my tears stop. He gives me a cloth to dry my face and then lends me his cloak as he walks me back to Spence. We stop at the edge of the woods and I try to give him back his cloak but he tells me to keep it until tomorrow. We awkwardly say our good-byes and head our separate ways.
I walk into Spence just in time for dinner. Not wanting to deal with anyone, I slip some food into a napkin and carry it up to my room. I eat in a meditative silence and when I am done I change into my night gown and hide Kartik's cloak in one of my drawers.
I'm in bed and pretending to be asleep when Ann comes in, and I'm still awake by the time she's in her bed snoring softly. I only fall asleep when I'm too exhausted to keep my eyes open. Every night I feel like I'm shriveling away, I wonder how much longer until there's nothing left?
-I'm really sorry that not a lot happened this chapter but I'm trying to build up on some things. I'm going to try to get another chapter up before I leave but it depends on how busy I am, hopefully, it will be a little more eventful than this one. And for all those GemmaKartik fans, keep hope! Luv Ya All!
-Doyle
