Protection. The act of protection or the state of being protected; preservation from injury or harm.

Chapter 8 - The Beginning Part Two: Revelations

Faith grunted and struggled against the restraints that held her down. She'd been locked up for god only knows how long, and she still had the strength to attempt to free herself. She only rested for a moment, allowing her eyes to wander to her left. There was a man inside a plexi cell. Faith blinked for a moment, then she recognized the man.
"Jax?" she said silently. She felt the anger inside her begin to burn brighter than before. Jax was a hero when she was younger. Faith figured that they must have taken him in right after she disappeared. Jax was her bestfriend. Along with...

The opened and a young woman came inside. Faith's eyes grew wide. She only looked as though she were all of twenty. Maybe younger.
"Maddie," Faith smiled. But Maddie seemed to ignore her. Faith frowned, "Now that's no way to treat a guest!"
Maddie laughed somewhat, "Guest?" Maddie turned to face Faith, grinning, "You're no guest. You're trash!"

"Oh my. You've gone and hurt my feelings. That wasn't very nice," Faith frowned again.

"You have no feelings you filfth."
"Oh, if only you knew, dearest Maddie. You hair looks just like his, only blond. It's thick and wonderful. And your eyes, they reflect... Well, nevermind," Faith looked away, as if she was embarassed for talking like that.

"No, continue. My curiosity is peeked. Continue," Maddie sat down on a stoll, staring at Faith.

"Your eyes... Can you handle the truth?" Faith looked at Maddie. She stared into Maddie's eyes, reading her thoughts. "Didn't think so."
"No! I want to know!" Maddie yelled.

"I don't know."

"TELL ME!"
"Your eyes... They reflect that of which once belonged to me. The fire. The beauty. We did a good job," Faith seemed by the way she talked.
"What do you mean, 'that of which once belonged to me'?" Maddie frowned somewhat, becoming very confused.

"You, Maddie. You're my-" Faith was cut off by a seering pain inside her head. Maddie jumped when Faith cried out in pain, "That bastard!" Faith cried out.
"What is it?!" Maddie cried out, standing up.
"You, Maddie, are a... full... fledged... Faith... JUNIOR!" Faith barely got the words out. Maddie nearly screamed.

"You're my mother?! But Wiccer... He-"
"Is a sick pig. Stay away from him. Whatever you do, stay away from him!" Faith grunted in pain.
"How do I know you speak the truth?"
Faith grinned, "Go into Wiccer's office and open the grey filing cabinet. Inside at the back will be black folder with two white dots. That's my file. I want you to open it up and search for an envelope. It has your birth certificate in it," Faith looked away.

"How do you know all this?" Maddie felt herself wanting to cry. How could she have been hidden from the truth all this time? How?
"Wiccer is my father and he's the one who showed me where he kept all of his... 'personal'... files."
"I know he's your father."

"And... Ferne is your father. I'm only saying this because Ferne... He wasn't like the other's here," Faith smiled a real smile at Maddie.

"I still think you're a monster," Maddie stood up and headed for the door, completely bewildered.

"That's okay," Faith watched as Maddie left and smiled.

Kelly flew up, "Kelly?! Are you okay?!" Andy appeared infront of her and Kelly blinked. She just nodded as Andy took her hands and helped her stand up. "You just suddenly passed out. What the hell was that all about?! You scared the shit out of me!" Kelly stared at Andy for a moment. She wasn't sure if she wanted to tell him or not. Could Andy know about her dreams? How would he react to them?
"Nevermind. Now isn't the time. Let's just get out of here," Kelly suggested.
"I suppose you're right. But where do we go, Kelly? Obviously your place and mine are out of the question. It's not like we have a lot of options," Kelly couldn't help but agree with Andy. He had a major point. Where were they to go?! There was one place.
"I know a place," Kelly stared at Andy then looked away, "Tim's."

Kelly reached her hand into Tim's mailbox and lifted up a small hidden flap. She pulled out a key, "You sure this is okay?" Andy watched as Kelly unlocked the door to the small house. As she walked inside, a dizzy spell hit her and she collapsed, "Kelly!" Andy yelled out.

Kelly looked around. Where had she gone? All around her was rubbed and the smell of death lingered in the air all around her. She coughed and covered her mouth with her hand. It was so disgusting. Kelly began walking through the rubble. But she stopped when the rubble began to move. She fell backwards as something burst through it. Kelly yelped in pain as she felt herself scrape her elbow on some of the rubble. As Kelly opened up her eyes, she saw a woman standing infront of her. It was Faith.
"You!" Kelly cried out. Faith looked at Kelly. She grinned and held out a hand. Kelly looked at her hand then accepted it. As Faith helped her up, she disappeared inside of Kelly.
"I'm you," Faith said gently, "I'm locked away inside you. You don't belong. But I can help you. I promise."
"How can I trust you?" Kelly closed her eyes. She could picture Faith immediately, "How do I know you'll keep your word?"
Faith laughed somewhat, "You'll just have to trust me. You have no choice."
"Fine. What do I have to do?" Kelly stared at Faith inside her mind.
"Accept me. Allow me to use my powers."
"So you can kill people all around you?!" Kelly said angrily.
"No. So I can protect you. If you die, so do I," Faith stared at Kelly with cold eyes.
"And why would I die?" Kelly frowned. This all sounded crazy. Maybe she really was crazy?
"You're not crazy. But, come on. Have you not noticed the random dude chasing you around? He's trying to kill you. And it's not because I'm inside you."

Kelly opened her eyes as she spoke the word, "Fine." She was awake now, and back at Tim's. Andy was sleeping in a chair across the darkened room, and she was laying on the couch. Kelly quickly sat up and touched her left elbow. When she pulled her hand away, there was blood spotting on her hand. "So, it wasn't really a dream. Right?" Kelly sighed and looked at Andy. She jumped when her cellphone in her pocket began vibrating. "What the hell? When did I put that there?" she quickly pulled it out and flipped it open, answering it, "Hello?"
"Kelly?! Where are you?!" it was Jackie.
"Andy and I had nowhere to go, so we went to Tim's. Where are you? And what about Tim?" Kelly had just remembered what had happened to Tim. Now all she could think about was Tim and wonder if he was alright or not.
"I'm outside the hospital right now. Tim's fine. He just needs a lot of stitches. Kelly... What happened? Why did you run off? Why was that thing after you? I barely understand anything going on. Only the basics. What are you hiding from me?!" Jackie sounded as though she were crying. Kelly didn't know what to say. She stared at Andy, who had begun to stir.
"I have to let you go," as Kelly lowered the phone from her ear, she could hear Jackie calling out to her. Screaming her name. Kelly wasn't sure what she gotten herself into. Nothing was making any sense to her. Nothing.
'Do you see the truth?'

A voice inside her head asked.
"Yes," Kelly said in response. She knew the voice belonged to Faith.
'Shall I reveal the truth to you?'

Kelly hesitated for a moment, then responded with, "Yes," Kelly grew nervous.
'Then so be it.'

When Kelly opened her eyes, she was no longer inside Tim's house. She was in the past. Faith's past. Was it her past well? Kelly walked down the ahllway she was in. A young woman was walking towards her. It was Maddie. She was crying. When Kelly went to say something, Maddie walked straight through Kelly's body.
Kelly turned and saw an older, yet good looking, man approach Maddie. Kelly watched as Maddie smacked him on the face. The man could only stare at her blankly. Then Kelly recognized the man as Ferne.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Maddisson!" Ferne yelled at her.
"Then..." Maddie thought for a moment, "It's him!" Maddie took off to find Wiccer. Ferne went the opposite direction, walking past Kelly and into a room down the hallway. Kelly quickly followed. As she walked into the room, the doors behind her closed, making her jump.
"What the hell are you filling my daughter's head with?!" Ferne yelled at the strapped down Faith.
"The truth that's been hidden from you both using mind hypnosis!" Faith looked away.
Ferne's fists clenched, "Mind hypnosis?"
"Oh come on. Why the hell do you think he told you to say you remembered only hours ago?!" Faith grew impatient and frustrated. "Maddie is my child as well! And you were, are, my husband. You don't remember anything at all, do you?" Ferne's eyes grew wide and he looked at the gold ring on his finger.
"But my wife die-" Faith cut him off.
"Six years ago. That's the same amount of time I left for, before coming back today, night, whatever."
Ferne watched Faith carefully, looking for any sign of a lie. But her eyes didn't lie. What he didn't understand was why. "Why would Wiccer do something like this?"
"Because he wanted Maddie. He couldn't resist coming close to something his lovely daughter had spawned. There's nothing more to understand. He's a perverse old man, Ferne. And all his mind works on is chaos and destruction. I just wish I could have told you this under better circumstances. Because now, I have to free myself," Faith's eyes turned black and the straps that held her down released her. She jumped up from the hard metal bed and looked over at Jax's cell. Faith held her hand out towards the cell and said, "Release Avite!"
The door to Jax's cell opened and he twitched. Ferne stared at Faith in disbelief. Was she really his loving wife? Faith looked at him momentarily and sighed. She walked back over to him and stared into his eyes. He stared back, looking straight into her eyes.
"Reveal," Faith spoke the word breathlessly, then kissed Ferne gently on the lips. Ferne's eyes grew wide and he suddenly felt faint. Faith spoke in his mind, 'Let your memories flow freely.'
Ferne tried to stop himself from collapsing to the ground, but he couldn't. He couldn't stop his mind from allowing him to see all his past memories. Faith and him getting married. Maddie's birth. But what he remembered most was why Faith left. Why she ran away all those years ago.
Kelly felt herself want to cry. It was as though she were Ferne himself.
Ferne remembered cursing Wiccer for performing tests on Faith. He remembered Faith being locked up in a magic-proof cell. He remembered everything. Every inch of Faith's body. Her touch. Her warmth. But most of all, he remembered her love for him and his love for her. And then everything went black.
"I'm sorry," Faith said silently. Jax awoke and saw Faith. His eyes lit up with joyous emotion immediately. Faith looked at him and smiled, "It's time Jax. Take Ferne away from here. The same goes to Maddie. Don't let anyone stop you."
Jax nodded, "I... I understand." His voice was hoarse and dry. He stopped up and walked to Ferne's body, picking him up and quickly leaving the room. Kelly watched as the scene changed to Faith standing infront of a master system in the basement. Kelly could hear the distant screams and cries of terror.
Faith placed both of her hands on the system and closed her eyes. The system began to overload immediately. Sirens above began blaring. There was so much death and fear. Anger and cries of terror. Kelly could feel it all around her, swarming around her, taking control of her.
Then she saw it. Wiccer. Him. He came up behind Faith so fast and struck her in the neck with a needle. She threw him off of her quickly and ran out of the room. Kelly was following her against her will. As the both of them reached the outside, Faith spread her wings and took flight. As she reached a certain height, her body began to ache.
"Unh!" Faith immediately cried out in pain and stopping flying. Her body began falling. Faith grinned as she fell, "Bastard." Her body began changing as she fell. Her wings disappeared into thin air, as did her body. The body now belonged to that of a small, blond woman. It was Kelly.
Kelly stared in disbelief as her body fell. But she wasn't alone. Someone was there to catch her. Who was it? Who caught her?
"LET ME SEE!" Kelly cried out. And the world went black.

Andy was hugging Kelly tightly when she woke up, "It's okay, Kelly. I'm right here. Just please, wake up!" Kelly opened her eyes and suddenly began crying, wrapping her arms around Andy and never letting go. Andy felt her grip on him and smiled, thanking no one in particular inside his head.
"God, it was so sad, Andy! The truth I've learned. My past. I'm not even real!" Kelly's hands held Andy's back tightly. Andy didn't know what to make of it. What did she mean?
"Kelly... What did you dream about?" Andy wasn't sure if the question he had just asked was appropriate or not.
Kelly still didn't let go of Andy, "Not dream. Remember."
"I don't understand," Andy grew even more confused.
"You don't have to. It's complicated. I just," Kelly began sobbing again. Andy just hugged her tightly.

Jackie sat next to Tim in the hospital. He was asleep, but his face was far from peaceful. He was covered in stitches. Jackie sighed and stared at her cellphone. It was off. She wanted to desperately to hear from Kelly, but she wouldn't be able to. Not as long as she was inside the hospital.
Jackie nearly jumped when her cellphone went off, "But... It's off... Isn't it?" Jackie flipped open her cellphone. She had received a text message. It read, 'I'm watching you.' Jackie looked up and around. And there he was, Raven, in the doorway to Tim's room.
"Good evening," Raven grinned.

A/N: Whoa! What an ending! But talk about a trip down memory lane, lol. More like memory parking lot. Roflmao. Bad joke, I know. Lol. My bad.

Stay tuned for the next chapter.

P.S. - Chapter 9 - Crazy VS. Sane