Seeing Truth

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Chapter 33: Black Rose

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Darkness. That's all that seemed to be around me when I woke. What did I wake to? I answered that already. I woke to darkness. What else was there? Of course, Kado was there; he was sitting somewhere in the dark with his elbows rested on his knees while he leaned forward so that his hands could wrap around the back of his head. He shuddered. What was wrong with him? Had something happened? Did I do something to hurt him? I wanted to know. I needed to know. Suddenly, Kado was lost, and I was staring at Link. He was walking down a dark corridor. At least that's what I thought, but soon enough, the king and queen came into view; Zelda stood next to them. I watched as Link emptied something into his hand. The look on their faces brightened, but Link's features stayed the same depressed expression. Why? Yet again, the scenery changed. I was watching Kenny now. Not the Kenny I knew; not my Kenny. His back was turned to me, but I knew what he was doing; his katana was unsheathed, the blade giving off a reddish tint, and he was staring straight ahead. I wanted to see what he was looking at, but my mind just didn't seem to process. How I hated dreams! I waited, though; I waited so long that I didn't realize that the dream was over…the nightmare was over…

I gasped for breath, hoping to find a way out from my watery grave. I had to get out. I had to fight the cold hands that pressed me down. They wouldn't stop. They wouldn't leave me! They continued to hold me down onto something soft. Why was this happening? The bottom of the ocean wasn't soft. People didn't exist there… Had I been saved? Who was holding me down? I breathed in sharply and began trying to pry away from their grip. I heard something beep. Someone called a name. Was it me they were calling? They didn't sound familiar. I tried opening my eyes. The only thing I saw was white. I couldn't be dreaming. Was this real? Was it a dream? What part of the castle would have blinding white ceilings? Where was I?

I grunted and shot my hand out as someone held the injured part of my arm. There was no pain. Had I been out so long that all of my injuries had healed? Why didn't I feel a fever? Where was the headache? Where was the scent of freshly fallen rain? What happened to the sound of crackling fire from the fireplace? I finally forced my eyes to open. I blinked a few times so that I could adjust my eyes to the light. I subsided my fighting just a little as I tried to calm my racing heart. I heard the beeping continuously now. It seemed to be following the pattern of my racing heart. Why was that happening? I glanced around me in a panic. I was scared out of my mind.

The people above me were all strangers; not one did I seem to know. They were all clean-cut. They were a bit frazzled from my onslaught of trying to get away, but they seemed…different. They weren't like the people from the Middle Ages. Were they from some sort of organization? Did they believe in personal hygiene? Were they outlaws because of their beliefs? Had I somehow fallen into their town, been found and were being taken care of in someone's house? Did they have heart monitors in every room and keep them tied down to hospital beds and feed them through an ivy tube?

My heart pounded in my chest. No. This couldn't be happening. How could this be happening! Why now! Why did I have to be here? Why did I jump off that cliff? Why didn't I listen to Link and Kenny and Kado? Why did I have to be so stubborn? God, help me! Let me out of here! Please, let this be a dream!

My voice was raspy, but I turned to one of the many faces and asked the older woman with blonde hair: "Where am I?" I knew… didn't I? Maybe this was just another dream...

"Honey, you're in the hospital." She answered calmly as she slowly let go of my arm as the others began to release me ever so slowly. My lips were chapped and my throat was dry; I didn't want to talk more than I had to, but I had so many questions.

"You were in a coma for almost three months." I heard one of the male nurses say as he grabbed something from a tray nearby.

"The damage from the broken wire in your game system sent a shock through the entire console and television, including the control. The faulty wiring was even present in the control's wiring. There was a small crack in the plastic. We assumed you were holding onto that. The electric shock knocked you unconscious. We're surprised you were still alive when your father found you." Another nurse with red hair said in a surprisingly calm voice. None of this crap mattered to them. I was just another patient. I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the pillow as everything seeped in. How could an electric shock send me into a coma for three months? That was insane! What if they were lying? What if they found me somewhere out on the street like Link had found me in the forest, and since they couldn't find a reason for my disappearance, they decided on making a bullcrap story to tell to me?

"I… was electrocuted…but…how…? I… wasn't in a coma…" I muttered, trying to piece things together in my mind.

"Of course you were." The blonde nurse replied all too suddenly.

"I wasn't in a coma." I repeated, a bit less reassured, however.

"Honey," the same nurse began, as if she were talking to a child, "You were in a coma for three months. It's June right now. Your school year just ended a week ago. You've been in this hospital for three months, and we've been taking care of you."

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. Was she really telling the truth? Had everything that had happened to me been a dream? Was it all just a figment of my imagination? The fact that I had met Link and Zelda and all the others, and had even fallen in love with a prince, and had gotten to know and make friends with a mysterious Sheikan that sometimes had the oddest mood swings… were they all dream? How was that possible? How could a dream make me fall into a chasm of emotions that I couldn't rid myself of?

"We're going to let you rest, now, honey." The blonde nurse said as she fixed the covers over me.

"I don't want to rest." I replied a bit frustrated.

"It'll do you good." The redheaded nurse replied as they began to walk out of the room.

"No." I said as my eyes fell on the male nurse next to me. A needle was in one hand and I quickly began moving to the other side of the bed.

"Now, please, Jade. This will only calm you down." I tried to wrestle away as he gripped my arm and pinned it on the bed. I felt so much weaker, and so out of place.

"Let me go!" I said angrily. It was no use, however. The needle penetrated the skin on my forearm in a matter of seconds. He rubbed my skin in a sudden gesture as he spoke: "You'll feel better after this, Jade. I promise you. Now just rest; it'll do you good."

He was out of the room in only a few seconds, and I was left there alone in the whitewashed, "sterile" room. My heartbeat had become increasingly calmer. My head spinned, and my eyelids drooped. Not again… I was out unconscious in a matter of minutes.

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I didn't dream this time. I wish I did. I wanted to see Kado and Kenny and Link and Zelda. I wanted to see them so I could remember them. I didn't want to forget their faces so quickly. It seemed as if I hadn't seen them in forever. It was like I had known them for three months, and then for three months I had been in a coma. So, what if those three months I had lived in a video game, learned how to fight, and fallen in love been a dream? Were they really a figment of my imagination?

I woke to the sound of the heart monitor. Its continuous beeping brought the world into a pattern for me that seemed to repeat over and over again. I had a sudden urge to throw it out the window that was located on the left wall. I groaned in frustration as everything flooded back to me. I was in a hospital. I had been in a coma for three months because I had been electrocuted from some faulty wiring. It seemed like crap to me, but then again I didn't have any proof that it was false…and I didn't have any proof that what I had gone through was real. I covered my face with my hands and groaned angrily. Something hard and cold hit my cheekbone and I instantly drew back my hand.

A ring was slipped onto my left ring finger. A simple Gerudo design was embedded in the silver. My heart lapsed as I clutched my hand from sudden excitement. The beeps from the heart monitor increased as I tried to find ways that made sense of this. I was too wound up to realize the same three nurses rushing into the room. I glanced up at them, and without much thought, I shot out my left hand for them to see.

"See? Look at this! Who gave this to me?" I said as I pointed to the ring. They furrowed their eyebrows in confusion, and maybe even frustration. The redhead reached over and grabbed my shoulders gently. She pushed me back down on the bed, but I wrestled away from her.

"Maybe your family gave it to you while you were sleeping. They came by this morning." The male nurse said as he walked over to my side.

"No!" I said, flustered. But I stopped. My family…? They were here? I hadn't seen them in so long. I hardly even remembered what their voices sounded like. What did they look like now? After three months, some things should have changed, right?

"Calm down, Jade." The male nurse said as he glanced at the monitor from the corner of his eye.

"You're family will be here to visit you tomorrow afternoon." The blonde said as she squeezed the ivy bag. That thought struck me even harder. They would obviously know of my "actions" by now. I didn't want them to think I lost the part of my brain that told me what was real and what was imagination. I couldn't let them see me…but maybe they would believe me. They were family after all. They had to believe me… That was a slim chance in my hopes of gaining my sanity back.

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I had only about three hours of sleep that night. Insomnia was a disease to me, now. The only time I ever sleep long enough is when I pass out, and all of you should know I hate passing out. The night was slow and to seemed to no end. That was until the weak rays of the sun passed over the mountains and lit up half of the hospital room. Yeah, I said weak. Nothing could compare to the sunlight in Hyrule. It was as if it was still fresh and smog didn't choke out the life of the light. Here, it was hotter, but what do you expect when the air pollution in our world is deteriorating our ozone layer. I was afraid to step outside, now.

By this time, my parents should be waking, I thought dreadfully as I closed my eyes. I was actually afraid to see them again. After all that I had done back with Link and Kenny… and Kado. What would they say if they knew I had made out with a boy they had never met? Well, they wouldn't really care, I supposed, if they thought it was completely and utterly a dream I had become obsessed with overnight.

An hour passed until a hospital nurse around her early forties walked in. She smiled cheekily to me before turning around to open the curtains to the window even farther. The sun blinded me.

"Good mornin', Jade." The short, plump nurse said in a Southern accent. I smiled wearily, not sure of what to make of the kind nurse. The others I had met yesterday were the exact opposite of her: they were serious, business-like with no sense of humor whatsoever(I assumed), but this nurse…hell. She was the exact opposite. I just couldn't get angry with her.

"I have your breakfast all ready." She said as she grabbed a tray from the table near the door. I ignored her actions of regular hospital hospitality and stared up at the ceiling.

"Now, honey." The nurse spoke as she wheeled the bedside table around so the tabletop was over the bed. "I'm goin' to be your nurse for the remainder of your stay here. My name is Edna. If you need me press this button." She indicated the white control near the pillow. I pulled myself up as she began fumbling with the ivy tube. I noticed her gaze flicker to my left hand that had been resting on the table. I had been deciding whether or not I should be stubborn and not eat or eat so I wouldn't die.

"What a lovely ring, honey. I wonder whoever gave you such a thing." Edna said with a smile. I turned to her.

"They said my family did, but I don't know." I replied, glancing at the ring half-heartedly.

"Oh, well. I didn't see that yesterday. Your parents are supposed to check in anything they're leaving here. It's the hospital's policy." She said as she fluffed my pillow. I furrowed my eyebrows.

"You mean…they didn't—give me this ring?" I asked.

"I don't think so. They know of the hospital policy. They would remember to check in anything they were to leave here. After all, everyone did."

"What do you mean?" my eyes narrowed.

"Well, you received plenty of flowers when you arrived. We kept all the cards for your family to take home since most of them died. Though, one did last. It came in recently, actually. It's quite beautiful, but…strange." Something flickered in her dark gray eyes and I cocked my head to the side slightly.

"I'll bring it for you. It's still on the counter." She smiled before walking off. I stared down at the hospital food in front of me, but not realizing what the hell I was about to eat.

Only a few minutes had past when Edna finally returned. In her hand there was a bouquet- well, you couldn't say "bouquet" if it was really only one flower. It was a rose to be exact, wrapped in those papers that the flower shops use. I glanced at her other hand that held a single white envelope.

"Here you are, honey." She said softly. My eyes narrowed, though, when I saw the rose. It wasn't any average rose. It was black. The petals were black, the stem was black, and the leaves were black. How was that possible?

"I told you it was a bit strange." She said once she saw my expression.

"Thank you." I muttered as she finally handed me the envelope.

"Remember, dear. If you need me, just press the 'call' button." She said a bit worriedly before walking off. I watched warily as she exited the room before returning my attention back to the rose. A chill ran up my spine, and I threw the rose away from me. I stared at it as it lay on the white tiled floor in shock for a few seconds longer before my attention finally turned to the envelope. My hand shook uncontrollably from fright as I picked it up. It was light, and I prayed to God that that was good news… Inside there was a simple note on a torn piece of loose-leaf paper. I unfolded it. Scrawled in broken cursive it read:

You'll regret everything when the time comes…

There was no signature, no sign of whom this was from, and I had no idea what to think of about the note. It was obviously a threat, but what had I done in this world to gain an enemy? Unless, everything that had happened was real… was that a long shot? I quickly refolded the paper and shoved it into the envelope, and then folded that too before thrusting it into the drawer of the nightstand. I stopped though. My hand still clutched the handle of the drawer as I peered inside. I didn't think hospitals kept your clothes with you and in reach. But, no. The hospital hadn't done this. I knew that. I placed the envelope to the side and picked up my clothes slowly. They weren't the same ones I had been transported to Hyrule with, but they were mine; simple denim jeans and dark blue t-shirt. Nothing made sense anymore… Had it ever? I glanced around me suspiciously, not sure of what to make of my discovery. There had to be a reason these were here. And even if I couldn't figure out why, I decided to improvise. I quickly placed the clothes back in and shut the drawer more quietly.

This time, I waited a bit more anxiously as a plan began forming in my head.

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I glanced up at the clock hanging on the wall across me. It read eight-thirty. I tapped my fingers on the table. I wasn't sure how long I could stay here. It wasn't like me to stay somewhere longer than I had to… well, that happened when I was sent to Hyrule. I sighed sadly. I never even had a chance to visit all the places in Hyrule. It would have been so awesome to see Lake Hylia and Zora's Domain… AND the Gorons! How could I have missed them? That would have been awesome! And Lon Lon Ranch… I never even had a chance to go there. I was so lost on what was going on with the Triforce pieces and all that crap that I had forgotten. Ugh, Link would never go to think to spend three hours playing games in Kakariko Village without once thinking of his goal to save his world. I just realized it was the gamer. They didn't have a clue what the character they controlled was thinking. Poor Link. It was then that I promised myself never to play a Zelda game ever again. I was too confused, and afraid; was Link real or not? If he was, I would be cruel to control him. How wrong of me…

I glimpsed up at the clock once again; it read eight thirty-one. I sighed again. My eyes suddenly drooped. I needed to go home badly… wait… Where was that exactly? I hadn't gone there in three months! I pressed the "call" button in hopes of getting a nurse in here A.S.A.P. Only a second or two passed and Edna walked in with a skip in her step. My eyes widened at the fast service. What hospital was I in?

"Hi, honey. I have good news." She said happily.

"Yeah?" I began when I finally realized she had already been making her way over to my room, "Did you find the person who gave me this ring?"

She frowned slightly, "No, honey, but hopefully getting out of this hospital will cheer you up." I smiled faintly.

"When?" I asked hopefully.

"Tomorrow afternoon after they do a few observations." She said with a smile. I sulked, leaning back onto the bed. "What's the matter, doll face?"

I sighed, "Nothing. I'm just a bit tired." I lied. Those "observations" were no doubt probably going to make me out to be insane. How much more money were they going to steal?

"Oh. Well, I'm sure you'll feel better after you get some rest." I panicked slightly when she said "rest" but relaxed when I realized that she didn't plan on sedating me.

"Yeah… I guess so." I muttered.

"We'll have your things ready by then and your parents will drop by to pick you up." She said as she picked up the tray in front of me.

"Will they still be coming this afternoon?" I asked as I turned my head to watch her as she fixed the table so the top was to my side. Her brown hair was in a small bun on top of her head and I stared at the roll as she shook her head sadly.

"They thought it would be more convenient to come, see you and pick you up at the same time." She tried to be happy about it, but I could tell she was trying to hide her own disappointment.

"All right, then." I mumbled half-heartedly.

Edna finally left and I dozed in and out of consciousness. At one time or another, I remember her coming in and rearranging a few things, closing the curtains, fixing the covers…

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When I finally woke it was nightfall. It was hard to read the clock in the dead of night, and the fact that my horrible eyesight had returned didn't do me any good. I had forgotten what it felt like to be nearly blind. I hated the feeling of helplessness. I had to squint all the time. Where the hell were my glasses? After a few moments, I realized the clock read three-fifty. Now that that had been settled, I needed to find my glasses.

I fumbled for my glasses on the nightstand, but instead of finding what I had been searching for, something had pricked me on the side of my index finger. I quickly withdrew my hand to examine it: blood trickled down my finger and my face twisted into a grimace. How I hated blood! But I was used to it, wasn't I? But then, I was stronger and too busy to think about things like small cuts. I grabbed a tissue from the Kleenex box on the nightstand and wiped away the blood. I quickly noticed the small, pink lamp and flicked it on. The dim light illuminated the small area around my nightstand and only half of my bed.

I let my eyes travel around the nightstand, but it was only a second later that I realized what had caused my sudden bleeding. The black rose lay carelessly on the side of the nightstand, its thorns sticking up in every direction. I searched for the clear wrapping, but it was nowhere to be seen. Why would someone do that? It was a hazard to leave that out where someone could prick themself. Obviously. My heart pounded in my chest as I slowly opened the drawer of the nightstand. Everything was as it had been from last time. My gaze quickly flickered to the door that led to the hospital hallway. It was quiet. I picked up my clothes once again. This time it seemed heavier. I furrowed my eyebrows, but suddenly, something large and thick fell out from the folded clothing. I gasped and quickly glanced out the door. No one was to be seen. I silently leaned and picked up the black object. Turning it over, I realized it was a book, a very thick book. The words scrawled on top read, The Bible. My eyes widened. Why was this hidden in my clothes? Someone was playing with me.

I flipped through the tissue paper pages, and stopped right at the end. In the book of Revelations, there was a yellow stick note that read, Revenge shall be taken upon the evildoer. I snapped the Bible shut and placed it back in the drawer with shaking hands. I brought a hand out to my chest to calm my heart. I was scared to death, and more than I had been ever. Even more than I had been when the chandelier had almost crushed me. It was hard to believe, but it was true, and I was helpless now. There was no one I could trust. Someone was after me, and I didn't know what to do. I glanced at the clock that ticked steadily for every second. I only had a few hours before Edna came in on her morning visit-slash-check-on-me. I realized I couldn't stay here any longer. Someone was definitely after me. I didn't know whom, but they were nearby, and I wasn't safe any longer. I grabbed the ivy tube and yanked it out from my arm. I winced from the pain, but otherwise, tossed the tube away quickly and a bit angrily. Blood welled up slightly from the puncture, but I simply wiped it away.

I slowly slid off the bed and onto the cold floor. I reached over and opened the bottom drawer of the nightstand. To my surprise, my sneakers rested there, untouched in the last three months that I had been gone. I grabbed them quickly and quietly, and fled to the bathroom. I wasn't sure if they would hear me if I took a quick shower, but I did anyway. I left the door to the bathroom slightly ajar, and in case, hid my clothes and shoes in the empty trash bin. I tossed rolls and rolls of toilet paper that had been crumpled or torn or dampened on top then decidedly left it alone.

It was only then that I noticed all the scars and bruises on my body. They were the same ones I had obtained from all the training, and fighting and beatings from Ryuichi. How could I have not noticed it from before? This had to prove that I wasn't in a coma for three months. What were they hiding? The bruises were much lighter now, barely visible, but they were there, and the injuries, the wound on my arm, they had all reduced to mere scars. I was scarred for life, and this hospital better have a damn explanation why I was marked like this. They couldn't tell me that this happened by an electric shock.

I was out of the bathroom in thirty minutes, but realized I had to use the restroom. There was no way I could leave without being noticed. I mean, even the sound of the toilet flushing had scared me. I had practically jumped three feet away. I shook my head and quickly washed my hands. Almost everything I did here made me feel so uncomfortable and out of place. I wasn't sure what to do anymore since everything felt so alien. I sucked in my breath as I finally looked at myself in the mirror for the first time since I had woken here. I realized I had to get used to this place. It was for now, the only way to survive.

I pouted in annoyance as I stared at my sunken cheekbone, pale skin, and scar on the side of my face. Just by the look of me I could tell I had lost a lot of weight and the strength I had obtained seemed to have weakened, but why? Maybe it was just because of all that had happened to get here, I tried to reassure myself. It was actually strange pulling on jeans and a t-shirt since after all, I had lived off of Middle Age clothing almost every day after my regular and poser clothing had been stressed as a lost cause.

Everything in the room seemed exactly the same, and I was surprised that a night-watch nurse hadn't bothered to come see what the entire ruckus was about. I picked up my shoes from the floor and walked slowly to the window. I sighed in relief when I saw that it wasn't barred. It took a while to open the window, but after some hard-working labor, I had budged it about halfway. It wasn't that it was some molding, rusting window, but it was damn hard to open. Well, maybe not that hard, but it was hard trying not to make a sound. And since I felt much weaker, I had a harder chance of getting out successfully.

But I did. Sooner or later, I was gradually walking down Jonathon Drive where the Saint Leo Hospital was located. By then I had slipped on my sneakers and even then when cars passed by, I could tell the drivers were watching me, their heads turned to glimpse at the out-of-place girl walking down the sidewalk. I folded my arms across my chest instinctively, as if I could protect myself any better that way.

Only a few minutes passed until I had turned a corner onto a street that was lined with houses. It was familiar in a way that I couldn't determine. I glanced up at the street sign: it read Cherry Drive. My heart sunk. This was my street. I had walked all the way home and hadn't realized it. I took a few steps forward until my beige- bordered with dark brown house had come into view. The walkway was lit up in strong illuminating lights. They were definitely new. I gazed longingly up at the windows. I just wanted to run in and tell them I was there. I wouldn't leave again. And then, they would tell me how they missed me, and how much they loved me, and that they'd keep me safe. A dog barked in the distance and I stared down at the lawn. From the looks of it, it had been mowed recently and the flowers bordering the house had been set in neatly.

Footsteps drew me away from the newly decorating lawn and to the corner of Cherry Drive and Anthony. The streetlights illuminated the intersection, but nothing came into view. I waited a bit longer. No one was in sight, but the footsteps were constant and getting closer. I glanced at my house once more. My eyebrows furrowed. Should I go in? It was the safest place to go, wasn't it? But, what about my family? If this "stalker" knew where I lived, he could come after my family. No. I couldn't put them in any danger. So, what if I ran in, now. Maybe then he wouldn't know where I went. I shook my head. I was being selfish. Without any further hesitation, I ran, and without noticing, right in front of a police car.

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Soooo? How did everyone like this chapter? I wrote it in exactly one day, but of course I went over it. Lol. I hope this was a very suspenseful chappie for all of you, and I hope you all enjoyed :-D Thanks so much for your reviews! And I hope you all stay posted for the final chapter that will be coming up next week.

P.S I realized in the chapter before this, or, whenever she had the dream that the first couple paragraphs weren't in italics when they were supposed ot be since she was dreaming and all. Just wanted to clear that up...

So, go ahead and review. You know you want to…

xbluxmoonx