-1Disclaimer: I don't own Young Wizards. If I did, you'd probably kill me.
Nita was lying in a field of daisies that stretched all the way to the distant horizon. Daisies had been her mothers favorite flower. She was wearing a long yellow sundress. There were daisies in her hair. The sun was shining. She was happy.
She laughed and spun around, once, twice, three times until she was so dizzy that she fell over. She inhaled the smell of the sweet smelling grass and sighed. It was crazy, but she felt as though she could taste the blue, blue sky.
"Having fun?" A child's voice inquired.
Nita sat bolt upright, her heart bouncing off her ribcage. Standing in front of her was a small girl of around seven, with long, curly, white blond hair and cloudy blue eyes. She too was wearing a sundress, though hers was blue.
"I…I thought I was alone," Nita stammered.
"You were right," The girl responded, as perfectly calm as the cloudless sky. Then, before Nita had time to decipher that puzzling remark, she turned on her heel (Nita noticed that she was also barefoot) and said, "Follow me."
Feeling uneasy, Nita did so. They came to the crest of a hill. The girl paused. "You go on," she said, and smiled at Nita. It was not a reassuring smile. It didn't begin to reach her eyes, which now seemed more stormy than cloudy.
Nita began to feel frightened, though she wasn't sure why. She wanted to run away, but her feet moved her forward, over the knoll of the hill. She saw what was on the other side, and gasped.
Sitting on a picnic blanket and kissing fiercely were Kit and Dairine. Nita froze. She could neither look nor look away. A storm was building inside her. Finally, a cry tore itself loose from her lips. She fled.
Waiting for her on the other side of the hill was the blonde girl. She laughed at Nita's distress, the flood of tears streaming down her face. "Why did you bring me here?" Nita screamed when she had her breath back.
The girl shook her head, laughing. "You brought yourself here," she replied, still giggling. "Is it not satisfactory? Or is this more what you wanted?" She snapped her fingers and Kit and Dairine appeared at her feet. With a flick of her wrist she flung Dairine aside and held a silver blade to Kit's throat.
"No!" Nita screamed, powerless to stop her.
"As you wish," The demon girl snarled. She dropped Kit and reappeared at Nita's side. The last thing Nita saw was the flash of the silver dagger and the blood staining her yellow sundress before she was lost to the world.
Nita's eyes flew open. For a moment she thought she was still dreaming, due to the sharp pain in her ribcage, but then she realized that her situation was all too real. Her face was pressed against a damp, mossy floor her side was on fire with pain. She let out a small sob. Her nightmare had been so terrible, and it seemed that reality was not all that much better. She tried to lift her head and gasped as it sent a shuddering pain throughout her entire body. Best not to move, then.
Nita closed her eyes and tried to think, but images from her dream continued to haunt her. She gave a soft little moan, braced herself, and sat up.
Pain. Her body raged at her, denying her every attempt to make it obey her. The corners of her vision went fuzzy, and Nita thought she would have fainted had her desperate, flailing hand not caught the edge of a wall, which she slumped against gratefully, her breathing labored. What the hell had happened to her?
When she was brave enough to open her eyes, again she saw that she was not alone. Gazing down at her with a look of great concern in his eyes was a black-haired, shirtless, jean-clad Irish guy that Nita knew very well. In fact, she'd just saved his life a few months ago (and he'd gotten even more attractive since then, if that was possible).
"Ronan?" She croaked in disbelief.
"That's me," He said, dropping to his knees with a worried smile.
"What…why…where's your shirt?" Nita asked, and then blushed. Of all the questions she could have asked, why was that the one that came out of her mouth?
Ronan didn't laugh, but gestured to her midsection instead. Nita looked down and have a muffled little cry - her nightgown was soaked in blood. No wonder it hurt to move.
"What…what happened?" She asked, shaking. Nita had never been good with blood, especially if it was her own.
Ronan worried look grew more intense. "Broke a couple ribs, it seems. Nasty cut. Lucky whatever attacked you missed all the important stuff, or I'd have been too late."
Nita felt her midsection gingerly. "You used your shirt as a bandage?" She said, then gulped. She hadn't been wearing a bra.
It was Ronan's turn to look embarrassed. "Sorry, Nita," he began awkwardly, his eyes not quite meeting her own. "I wouldn't have…invaded your privacy or whatever, but you were bleeding quite a lot, and…"
Nita held up a hand to stop him, which hurt, but was necessary. "I'd rather have my life than my privacy, thanks," she said, ignoring her burning cheeks. "Seriously, thank you."
Ronan looked relieved. "Don't mention it. I did a few spells to stop the bleeding and mend your ribs, but it'll be a few minutes till you're completely healed, so I'd advise not moving till then. And you might be sore for a couple of days, sorry about that."
Nita winced. "I'm just glad to be alive," she said fervently. "But…where the hell are we?"
Ronan looked around at the room, which featured a low stone ceiling, walls, and floors, all damp and moss covered. There was an oil lamp burning in the middle of the room, but no windows, so the light was dim. There didn't appear to be a door either.
"No idea," Ronan responded, shrugging his tanned, broad shoulders. (Where did someone get a tan in Ireland? How did Ronan have the time to lay around in the sun, anyway?) He frowned at Nita. "How'd you get here, anyway?"
Nita told him. He was nodding before she finished. "They attacked me, too," he said, "while I was sleeping."
"Any idea what they are?" Said Nita keenly.
Ronan pursed his lips. "None," he said grimly.
Nita nodded, though she couldn't help but be a bit disappointed. "So we're stuck here, then?"
Ronan clenched his jaw. "For now," he said slowly, "since there's an anti transit spell on this whole damn place…" He looked at Nita, and she was frightened by the intensity of his stare. "But I swear as soon as I get out of here I'm going to get ahold of whoever did this to you…" he gestured at her ribs, "…and tear them apart."
Nita shivered, partly from the cold and partly from the anger in Ronan's voice. Ronan noticed, retrieved her robe from the opposite corner of the cell, and helped her into it. Nita shivered again as his gentle hands tucked her hair behind her ears - for a moment, she thought he was going to kiss her - but then he moved away.
Still holding her gaze, Ronan made himself as comfortable as possible on the hard stone floor, and smiled, flicking his hair out of his eyes. "So, Nita," he began, "how've you been?"
A/N: Happy New Years.