Chapter Two: Wake Up!

Shadow's POV

~~Dream~~

There is fog everywhere. I can't see where I am. I hear whispers, voices calling my name. But not just any voices, my sister. I turn to where it's loudest and see Bleu is all her glory, looking the same yet older. Her black hair is up to her shoulders, her body more curved, but she's taller. Almost as tall as I am.

"Bleu?" She smiled slightly to me.

"Hello Shadow." She said softly to me. Her voice entrancing and sounding like chiming bells.

"What are you doing here? How are you alive?" I asked her.

"I'm not alive." She said frowning slightly. "I'm dead, remember? I killed myself because I thought I was all alone in the world. Mom and dad gone from the car accident. You disappeared off the face of the Earth, only to be found alive and on a desert island. It's your fault that I'm dead." Her voice was rising slightly. "Because of you being the klutz you are, you fell off that ship! Because of you, I was a depressed and empty shell of the girl I was! It's all your fault! It's your fault!"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I never meant to hurt you, Bleu!" I yelled. Out of nowhere, she pulled out a knife and started to stab me on my abdomen.

"Shadow!" I heard a voice. "Shadow!" It sounded familiar. "Shadow, wake up!" Carter?

"Come on, Shadow, wake up!" Kelsey?

~~End of Dream~~

I bolted awake and sat up quickly. Beads of sweat rolling down my forehead, tears falling from my eyes. I looked up to see Carter and Kelsey kneeling on the bed beside me, looking worried. Behind them was Chad, Dana, and Joel looking worried as well.

"What happened? Are you okay? We heard you screaming?" Kelsey asked. I took gasps of air.

"It's all my fault. She's dead because of me. Bleu is gone because of my disappearance. It's all my fault." I started to weep like an idiot. Kelsey pulled me into her arms and started to rub circles on my back.

"It's okay, Shadow. It was just a dream, it wasn't real. It wasn't your fault." She whispered to me. I was shaking with fear and tears fell like a waterfall. The sweat on my head was growing more and more. I was suddenly feeling cold, and then warm, cold, warm, and both switch off. "Whoa, Shadow, are you okay? You're skin is really hot."

The others looked to each other and then to me worried once again. Carter stretched his arm out and placed it on my forehead. His hand was so...

"You're hand is so cold." I say in a hoarse voice.

"You're burning, Shadow." Carter said. I saw Dana walk over to me.

"Chad, get a bowl of water and a wash cloth. Joel, get my kit." She instructed. Kelsey stepped aside for Dana to walk over to me and lay me down, she put the duvet over me when she saw my shivering.

Minutes later, Joel came back with a pink medical bag with a tag that had Dana's name on it. Chad came into the room with a hand towel and a bowl of water. He set that down on the bedside table.

"Keep her brow cool, it will lower her fever." Dana said. Carter stepped up and grabbed the towel, dipping it in the water and wringing it. He sat on the edge of the bed and started to dab the wet towel on my forehead. It kinda helped since my skin was burning more than a sunburn.

"What the hell is happening to me?" I couldn't help but ask. Out of nowhere, a thermometer is shoved into my mouth. "WTF?" I said, it was kinda muffled from the meter, but the others heard it 'cause they laughed a little. After two minutes, Dana pulled it out of my gob and looked at it.

"Oh god, one hundred and four." She said. Then I lean to the side and start to cough like there's no tomorrow. Dana pats my back as I gasp for air.

"Oh son of a monkeys uncle that hurt like a bitch." I mutter. I felt my eyelids get heavy and my breathing slow down a bit.

"Shadow? Come on Shadow, stay with me. Shadow." I heard Kelsey exclaim. That's when the darkness took over and I fell into a dreamless state.

Carter's POV

"Shadow? Come on Shadow, stay with me. Shadow." Kelsey exclaimed.

"It's okay, Kels. She's just exhausted. The fever is making her drowsy." Dana informed. The rest of us breathed a sigh of relief, but we were still worried about our new friend. She was really sick for some reason.

"What do you think caused her to be this sick?" I asked.

"It could be when she was on the island. She must've caught a virus and then her sickness just somehow started when she got here." Joel said. We all looked to him in surprise. "What? Okay, maybe I pay attention when Dana is treating people."

"Keep her brow cool, Carter. I'll be right back, just need to get something for her fever so that she can get better." Dana said walking out of Shadow's room. As soon as she's gone, the room is filled with a tense silence, the only noise is Shadow's slow and ragged breathing.

She really looked bad. Her skin was pale unlike her regular olive skin, sweat saturated her forehead and her side bangs, her shoulders and hands shaking, teeth chattering. I wrap the blanket tighter around her so she can keep warm.

"I'm really worried guys, Shadow looks pretty bad right now." Chad said.

"Yeah, and when she woke up from that dream, she looked like she's seen a ghost. She mentioned someone named Bleu. Who is that?" Kelsey asked.

"Her sister." I answered. All attention was turned to me. "When she went outside the police station yesterday, I followed her to see her sitting and crying on the front steps. Then she started to blame herself how it was her fault her sister died of depression and loneliness." I explained. We all turned to Shadow who was shaking and muttering something.

"Don't touch her. Leave her alone." I heard her say. I furrowed my eyebrows and listened closely to what she was saying. "Who are you?.." She asked. "Olympius? What do you want with me?" I looked to her wide eyed, then to the others who were wide eyed as well.

"Did she just say Olympius?" Chad said. Dana chose this time to walk into the room.

"What is it?" She asked seeing our expressions.

"She's talking in her sleep. She mentioned Olympius." Kelsey said.

"Oh my god." Then I noticed the thing she was wheeling behind her.

"What's the IV for?" I asked as she pulled it to the side of Shadow's bed.

"This will help her with the fever. I don't know if this is the island or if Olympius is doing something to Shadow." Dana said. She pulled out the needle that's connected to the IV drip and pierced it into the vein in her left arm. Shadow didn't stir or flinch, just stiff as a board.

"Now, what do you think Olympius wants with Shadow?" Joel asked in ranger mode voice.

"No idea. We do know about her, she has speed, strength, strong senses, skill in archery, she's smart, funny, and caring. Do you think it's a coincidence that right when Shadow is home in Mariner Bay that Olympus would want to speak to her telepathically?" Dana asked.

"I guess for now we just have to wait and see," I said. "But we also have to keep and eye on Shadow in case she's in any danger."

We sat for about ten minutes in silence waiting for Shadow to wake up. She just layed there with a placid look on her beautiful face, her skin was starting to get it's color back, her breathing normal, and so was her temperature.

She bolted straight up and woke with a startled gasp for air. I quickly sat on her bedside and held her shoulders.

"Shadow. Shadow, it's okay, calm down. Deep breaths. It's okay." Soon she calmed down and relaxed. "What did you see? You were talking in your sleep?" She shook her head as if to clear something inside her mind.

"Um, there was this guy. No not a guy, he had horns, bright green eyes, talons, wings, and he was red. He said his name was Prince Olympius. He uh," She stumbled on her choice of words.

"Take your time, it'll come to you." I reassured her.

"He said that I'm important to him somehow. He's been watching me during my time on the island and watched as I survived and trained. He said he saw potential in me and that I would be of use to him."

"Did he say what he needed you for?" She shook her head and hung her head in shame, burying her sweaty face in her hands.

"No, I'm sorry." She paused for a minute. "What does he want with me? Why me, right when I come home he wants me?" She asks looking to me, then to Chad, Dana, Joel, and Kelsey. I shook my head.

"We're not sure, Shadow." Kelsey answered. "But we'll find out eventually and we'll make sure he doesn't get to you." The rest of us nodded in agreement. Shadow looked to all of us with pleading eyes.

"Please don't let him take me. I don't know why he wants me, I don't know what he sees in me. Please don't let him take me." She pleaded, tears falling on her beautiful face. I nodded to her.

"We won't let him get to you, Shadow. I promise." Joel declared.

"I promise." Said Dana.

"I promise." Said Chad.

"I promise." Said Kelsey.

"I promise." I said confidently and seriously. She wiped her tears, a few sniffles here and there, and gave us a small smile.

"Thank you." She said. Kelsey gave a cocky grin.

"I thought you said that you're last 'thank you' was yesterday." She said getting a laugh out of all of us.

"I just feel the need to be thankful for you guys and your hospitality. Not many people would do this for anyone." Shadow said.

"Well, we're different from other people." At my statement, that got another laugh out of everyone.