Chapter Twenty Six
The moment I finally could hear again, I heard voices. I didn't want to open my eyes, for fear of whether this was reality, rather than yet another vivid dream.
"What did you do? Raina looks like she's been through a hurricane! How could you put her through this?"
"You agreed to this, you know."
"Yes, but that's because you were so stubborn as to make me…"
"Make you? Since when have I been obliged to even thinking about making you do anything I…"
"I what? 'I'm the whole innocent one here in this fix?'," Juniper said mimicking the words she expected to come out of Gabriel's mouth. "If you hadn't insisted you both go ahead, she would've never ended up in harms way."
I could tell this really stung Gabriel because suddenly, he had nothing to say. I just heard footsteps walking away. Juniper was scowling under her breath, pacing back and forth. But….where was Cal?"
'Right here,' I heard a voice. I suddenly jumped and opened my eyes. There he was, looking down at me, a furrowed creasing brow over his forehead in worry.
'You can hear me?' I said, startled. I put my hand up to my lips, tracing them to make sure I was really thinking all of this and not speaking it. Nope, surely enough, yet another inexplicable occurrence just HAD to come sometime soon.
Suddenly, I was angry. I didn't glare at him, in fact I was emotionless as I looked into his eyes. 'Well get out!' I said. 'I've had enough of strange things happening in my life for you to add another!'
He looked at me, amused. 'Then why'd you let me in?'
I turned my head slightly towards him, puzzled. I hadn't sat up yet. I wasn't ready to face Gabriel or Juniper at this point.
My expression said enough. 'You can only let me in when you want to?'
I glared at him. 'You're mocking me now.'
He smiled. 'Well, only partially. I can really hear most of your thoughts as I'm sure you can mine.'
'I can now,' I told him. Then I looked at him curiously. 'So….' I began. 'How am I supposed to block you out?'
He grinned mischievously. 'I'll let you figure that out for yourself.'
I scowled under my breath. If this was it was like having a brother, then I can't believe I ever yearned for one in the first place.
He was still sitting there. 'Well, I guess you're up. Shall we tell the others?' he asked, but not truly asking, because before I could say no, he walked up and over to Juniper and Gabriel.
"Oh good!" I heard, Juniper smile through her words. Gabriel had actually gone out to get food. Where were we anyway?
Juniper walked over with Cal. "How are you feeling?" she asked me.
"I'm not sure," I said. I hadn't exactly moved yet. "In fact, I can't exactly remember what happened."
"Hit yer' head did ya?" She said sympathetically. "Well, I'm glad it's no worse than that." She smiled in an odd way. It was as if she was hiding something.
'Wow, you really can't remember anything?' Cal asked, amused. 'You REALLY must've gotten hit hard!'
I looked up at Juniper, avoiding eye contact with Cal. He was just standing behind her, with an innocent look in his eyes.
Suddenly, I looked around. "Where are we?" I asked. "Are we still in the forest?"
"We're well away from the forest, Juniper just didn't want you to lose it when you woke up,"
"Wait, I don't understand…"
"Yes, well it's no big thing Raina," Juniper said, dismissing my question. "You need not worry about just that."
Great, so I can just wander around, not knowing where I am, what I'm doing, and I don't even know what just happening or what just happened at all. All I remember was that I was talking to Bess and….wait a second…Bess. Where was she?
'Gone,' Cal answered my thoughts.
I ignored him. "Where's Bess," I asked Juniper.
"Ah, she's not too far off. She's just on watch because she didn't want to stand around waiting for you to wake up. It was a bit much for her."
"Why?"
'Goodness, sis. Have you seen the sight of you at the moment?'
I looked on in confusion as Juniper looked at me a moment. "Can you stand?" She asked.
"Yes, I believe I can," I said, but in fact I hadn't tried. When I tried to move anything….I couldn't. Not anything below my face.
"I thought so…" Juniper said casually. She seriously said this casually! Like this wasn't a major problem! "Here, Cal help me get her up."
"Aaah!" I yelled. "What's wrong with me?! Why can't I move?!"
"The RN must've really cut it close," Cal commented as I hobbled my way over to water to look at myself.
"Cut what close?" I kept asking, as they ignored me. "Tell me or I'll…"
'What?' Cal jested. 'What will you do Cal. Even I know you can't do much in this state.'
"Here you are," Juniper said as she and Cal lay me down in the grass and turned me towards the water. That was when I really screamed. Oh my god! What happened to me?"
"Calm down Raina," Juniper said. "It's not something you can't fix."
"Then why haven't you fixed it already?" I asked, in panic.
"Because only you can actually do it Raina. I'm sorry, but this is black magic, in fact it's not only that, but it's something that only the RN are capable of."
The RN…I started thinking back. Then it hit me. The portal of light, the woods and Gabriel. Those creatures, so horrid…yet…so beautiful at the same time. I looked at them. "You mean….those….those THINGS did this to me?" I asked in horror.
Juniper nodded. "They're cold Raina. Cold as death. With the spell they put behind it, it proves to be very fatal, even against those who know how to defend themselves against them."
I swallowed. "So…" I began. "Can you teach me?" I asked. I almost felt like begging. I didn't want to face them and end up like this again.
Juniper smiled. "Well, the black arts is not a specialty of mine. I know a few who are, however. We're going to meet up with them soon."
I nodded. Forgetting that the pool of water was right there beside me, I glanced my way a moment and saw the gastly image of myself in the water. "How do I fix it, Juniper?" I asked.
"You have to focus first Raina. Close your eyes," she ordered. I did as she told. I was instantly hit with the flash of the creatures in my mind. Fearful, I opened my eyes again.
Juniper sighed and looked at me seriously. "You have to put them away, for just a moment and it will work Raina."
'You've got this Raina,' Cal said. His voice was suddenly serious. I'd never heard him like this before.
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.