Act II

Understanding

Can't wash it all away
Can't wish it all away
Can't hope it all away
Can't cry it all away

Torn turned on the TV, to keep his mind off of Janovah. He was in the palace bedroom. There had to be something fairly amusing on. The show that was on then featured somebody who looked like a scientist.

"You hold the answers deep within your own mind. Consciously, you've forgotten it. That's the way the denzian mind works. Whenever something is too unpleasant, to shameful for us to entertain, we reject it. We erase it from our memories. But the imprint is always there."

Much like the imprint of seeing her here, blood leaking from he corner of mouth, her eyes pale and glassy...as much as he like to forget seeing it. He decided to reject this show, as well as the memory. He picked up the remote and changed the channel. Now he saw what looked like a soap opera, an old one. There was a woman talking.

"We're supposed to try and be real. And I feel alone, and we're not together. And that is real."

Was this real? Was what was happening real? Why couldn't he forget all these memories? The woman on the show was now with a man. There were standing close, talking softly to each other. The man said something.

"You're not alone, honey. Never...Never."

He shook his head...he could not get rid of the dark thoughts. Because, inside, he was dying too. He picked up the remote and flipped through the channels, desperate to distract himself. Although, he was beginning to understand; nothing could curb the thoughts. The memories. His total, and complete understanding. None of what had happened will never fade, no matter how he tried. At last, he reached the channel he started from.

"But the imprint is always there. Nothing is ever really forgotten."

Janovah had to get out of there, and fast. There would be an attack, and it would be soon. It would not be hard to escape the ICU; she did it once, she could do it again.

She began removing everything retraining her body. At last she was free. As she attempted to escape the bed, she fell down from her weakness. She crawled to the wall, and leaned on a wall. She began edge out of the room. Some how. Some way. She watched for nurses and doctors and did her best to dodge and duck when they walked by. As she passed a corner, she heard two people arguing. One of them sounded like Seem, the other was a female's voice. She leaned over the corner, and saw Seem with his back turned to her, and a girl, with long black hair and white face make-up. The girl was backed up against a dead-end on the hall. No one was in sight except for the two.

"Raevyn, the dark powers will consume you, and you will betray us all. Look what happened to Errol." Seem said. The girl, called Raevyn, said, "Seem, brother, you don't understand, the dark forces are not evil. There is some good in them. Just look at the one called Maia." Seem shook his head. "Maia doesn't have a choice! Don't make me do this the hard way." Raevyn began to look fearful, yet dignified at the same time. She said, "I won't give you the shadow crystal. It contains a force you have never encountered before. It could kill you. Only I, the last of the Shadow Nuns can control it." Janovah let out a breath of nervousness.

She ducked behind the corner, as Seem turned around to see the disturbance. He turned back to Raevyn, and with a small sound of metal, he withdrew his huge sword. Janovah looked back and her eyes widened with horror. She heard the screams. She heard the flesh tear as the blade peiced it. She watched the blood gush and run. Her insides did backflips. She just watched Seem kill his sister.

She realized she had to move. She, with haste, leaned against the wall, and stood up and began to stumbling away, as fast as her weak body would carry her. But it wasn't long before a hand clamped on her shoulder. She fell backwards, winded. She screamed for help. Someone had to know what she he'd done. Before she could see the attacker, cloth was tied over her mouth and eyes. Her hands were bound behind her back, and she was thrust up, and stood unsteadily. In her ear, she heard Seem's low voice, now menacing. "Don't make me do this the hard way, love." She could feel the cold metal of a gun barrel beside her ear, but was totally blinded by the cloth. "Do not make a sound, or this city will need a new queen."

'Please, god,' Janovah pleaded to herself. 'Let this be a nightmare.' She had to tell somebody. Tell somebody about Raevyn. That she, herself was in grave danger. She stepped backwards as he pulled her along. She knew either she could wait around for Seem to kill her, or try to save herself. She reached her hands over, and whipped down and removed the cloths, and could see again. She was facing a hall full of unsuspecting people, far away. They seemed to have heard the noise and turned around to face her.

Seem threw his arm around her neck, And gun barrel to her head behind her.