You can find this song on YouTube or Project Playlist.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Avalon: Web of Magic/Quest for Magic series or the song "Monolith of Doubt". They belong to Rachel Roberts and After Forever respectively.
The ordeal has begun
To oblige the unknown, within me
Inch by inch, Adriane pulled up her sleeve. Time seemed to slow down. Kara's blue eyes widened when both arms were fully exposed. Adriane immediately regretted what she had done.
"Hold on," Adriane said quietly. She pulled up the leg of her jeans.
"Oh my--" Kara gasped. Then she noticed her friend was crying. She felt her own eyes prickle with tears. "Have you told anyone else?"
The warrior shook her head, her eyes squeezed shut. "Please, you can't tell anyone."
"What do you expect me to do, then? I can't help you by myself!"
Adriane's eyes shot open. "Nothing! I don't expect you to do anything. I shouldn't even have shown you in the first place." She jerked down her sleeves and pant legs and sat on the chair again.
Kara sighed. Her heart went out to the mage, but she couldn't just let her keep hurting herself. Cautiously, she walked over to the other girl. "Adriane, you need to get help."
"No." Kara should have known-- her warrior pride and stubborness wouldn't allow anyone to help her.
"I can't let you do this. It isn't safe. You could die!"
Adriane snorted. "C'mon, Kara. Get real."
"I am! You know I'm going to have to tell Doctor Fletcher, or the guidance counselor."
"You wouldn't." Adriane said disbelievingly.
Kara's silence told her she was completely serious.
"What if I told you I would stop?" It was complete lie, she had no intentions of quitting, but maybe Kara would believe it and leave her alone.
Just as she expected, Kara hesitated briefly. She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it. She shook her head. "Sorry," She said. "But I can't trust you."
As I drown
Cannot remember, cannot think
As I sink, deep...
Later that night, Adriane locked herself in the cottage bathroom. Lily and Pierre were sound asleep, both having had a bit too much wine that night, so she wasn't worried about them coming in.
Carefully bringing out her razor blade, Adriane pulled up the left leg of her sweatpants. On the inside of her leg, starting at her knee and going down, she carved out the letter W. The cool blade against her skin was refreshing and she immediately felt relieved when the blood ran freely down her leg and dripped on to the tile. The cut wasn't very deep, but it was bleeding, and that was all she needed right now.
After a few seconds, the warrior used the razor to write out the letters O and R next to the W. They, too, began to bleed while she carved T,H, and L. The letters weren't exactly even, but she knew what it was. Three to go, she told herself, and the dark-eyed girl finished the word with ESS.
After what seemed like hours of holding a hand towel to her leg, the bleeding stopped. Adriane wasn't sure if she was happy that it did. She had let down everyone. She'd let down her friends, the Drake, Dreamer, Storm, the animals of Ravenswood, her parents, Gran... And Zach. What would he think if he saw what she had done?
Kara was freaked out. Adriane could see it. She didn't understand how hurting yourself could possibly make you feel good, but she was going to try and make her get better.
What if she didn't want to get better? She knew that she was what she had carved into her skin.
Worthless.
Near the monolith of doubt
Creeps the fear
The fear to lose yourself
In the severe reflection
"Marlin," Emily gasped when the Aquatanian prince unfolded his hand. There, in his palm, was a beautiful, traditionally made Aquatanian necklace.
"Wait," He said, and fastened the clasp around her neck. "There."
"What is this for?" Emily asked, admiring the small, but bright, sparkling blue gem that hung around the center of her collarbone.
"It's something merpeople give to someone special to them. It's tradition." Marlin forced down a blush, and Emily smiled.
"Thank you," She whispered.
Marlin smiled back. "You're welcome." His eyes turned to the sun setting over the ocean. "I think you should be getting back to Ravenswood now."
The healer nodded. Marlin led the way to the mirror-portal in the palace, and Emily hesitated before going through. Quickly and nervously, Emily pecked him on the cheek and disappeared into the silvery-gray glass.
Marlin just stood there, bewildered.
I don't know
A flashing moment that has frozen me
My whole existence passed by
Through the trusted eyes of a mirror
But it wasn't me that I could see
Kara sat on the edge of her bed, playing with her necklace in her hands. Her conscience was screaming at her to tell someone about Adriane, but another part of her laughed.
She's no warrior, the voice said. You should take her place. She's bound to destroy herself sometime, then nothing will stop you from gaining her power.
The Spider Witch!
NO! Kara yelled in her mind. She squeezed her eyes shut in frustration. I'm not like you!
A silver light flashed, so bright that Kara could see it from behind her eyelids. She had a strange sensation that she was moving, then was jerked awake when she landed heavily on cold, hard earth.
This monolith of everything that I have been
Is vacillated and aghast
The inexorable time has taught me once again
That my features will change and macerate me
The witch stood above her, cackling. Kara looked at the wall behind her, to see a blank white tapestry that was being quickly painted over with a scene.
Kara gasped as the realization dawned on her.
See, it's me, my monolith of doubt
And the plot is finally moving forward! Since I suck at writing romance, I'm asking you guys to help me out here: What should happen next with Marlin and Emily? Thanks in advance, and please review!
--Krista