[Finally back again! During the month I've been absent, I've been having troubles finding a way to wrap this story up neatly. But I think I've managed it. In these last few chapters I hope everyone has enjoyed reading this story as I have when writing it. I've really loved my first foray into fanfiction and even have LOADS of other stories brewing up in the back of my mind *cough*VIKINGS*cough*

In case I forget to do it later, thank you for taking the time to read this story. You're all awesome!

CLC]

Chapter Twenty-one

Reid yawned again as he looked down at his test. The black words swarmed as his tired eyes watered. Rubbing them harshly, he yawned again. His jaw cracking. Leaning back in his chair he looked up in the exam room. They weren't allowed to take the test in the class room as the tiered seating made cheating easy. So their single tables were evenly spaced. Scratching and paper crinkling was the only sound in the vaulted room and it echoed dully off the high ceiling.

His pale blue eyes scanned the backs of the hunched room. They were seated in alphabetically order and he could make out the other Sons easily. Caleb and Tyler were scribbling their answers down easily. They were the ones going to Ivy League schools after all. Looking again, he saw Pogue sat up and staring off into the distance. Like Reid, Pogue had no intention of going to Harvard. He got okay grades but it wasn't what he was all about. His passion was motorcycles and was well known for building classic bikes.

While the others had plans and options, Reid felt like the odd one out. He didn't have any discernable skills and college didn't exactly fill him with a sense of belonging like it did with Tyler and Caleb. He didn't know what he wanted.

A tut sounded to his right. Glancing, he saw a classmate toss his an annoyed look. Pulling a face, Reid looked down at his hand. He had unconsciously been drumming his eraser-topped pencil on the desk. Still his hand, he put his pencil down and crossed his arms.

The clock to the exam was minutes away from finishing and Reid wrote as much as he could on his paper. He wasn't exactly happy with it but he was just glad it was over. Leaning back further, he let off another yawn and felt his eyes droop. Instead of revising like the others have been doing for the past few weeks, Reid had been doing reading of another kind. But none of the books in their library yielded anything new concerning Georgina's situation. His thoughts turned sluggish and his eyes closed fully.

Flashes of images came to his dreams that his mind couldn't really decipher. Waves crashing against a cliff face so powerfully, he felt it shake his core. A black cloud, engulfing the blue skies. Flashes of pure white light. Masses of people fighting with bayonets, a gnarled and dead tree with a hanging rope swinging softly from the branch.

All of a sudden he felt like he was flying. But he wasn't himself. Black wings beat the air around him. His feathers were glossy and black like a ravens. Looking down and the landscape speeding past below him, he saw a dense forest. The different shades of green were shining brilliantly in the spring sunshine. His raven eyes saw things differently. Animals were running on the ground, rabbits and shrews.

Then all of a sudden, the tree line stopped. From this high up, he could see the line curved. In the distance he saw a solitary house standing on the edge of cliffs. The forest line circled around the area. The land between the house and the trees was barren. Dead and lifeless, the dirt was dark and forbidding even from this height. The house, with its white walls that were cracked and decaying, came closer as the raven flew nearer.

There were two parked cars outside the house. One was a mustang and the other was a black, shiny jeep. A familiar black haired woman was bringing in paper bag of groceries. As she leaned into the boot of the jeep, she never noticed the raven fly straight past her. Carefully and gracefully, the raven soundlessly flew into the house and through an open door to the right and landed on the back of a wooden chair.

Looking around the small room, he saw piles and piles of books. Parchment littered the floor. Underneath a thick blanket, was a sleeping Georgina. She must have fallen asleep while reading as the book she was holding was slowly falling out of her lax grip. The raven cocked his head as he looked at the girl. She was muttering dark things in her sleep. Her eyes were blackened from lack of sleep and their seemed to be a sickly look to her. Like she wasn't eating. But it was more than that. It was like her spirit was weaning.

Reid said her name in his dream. At the same time, a shrill caw came from the raven's beak. Georgina sat bolt upright. Her bright green eyes flew open in fear as she quickly looked around the room. It wasn't until she calmed down slightly that she saw the raven stood on the chair staring right back at her.

"Reid"

His eyes flew open as Georgina's had just done. He was sat in his chair in the exam room and he looked up at Tyler. He was putting on his bag with his completed paper in his hand.

"Please tell me you didn't slept through the whole thing," Tyler said.

"What?" Reid replied, looking at the clock in confusion. It was barely several minutes since he last looked at it.

"Test is over," Tyler said slowly to the confused Reid. Frowning he looked down at his friend and added, "You okay, buddy?"

Reid went to reply, but he couldn't find the words. He saw Caleb and Pogue laughing with each other near the door. Caleb looked at him and lifted his hands in a what's keeping you? gesture. Reid stood up and grabbed his bag.

"What's going on?" Tyler asked him quietly.

"I don't know," Reid said finally.

"I hate birds," screeched Jamie, running her hands over her bare skin like something was crawling on her.

"It's gone now," smiled Georgina as she watched the raven fly away from the house.

Closing the front door, she followed Jamie into the kitchen and helped unpacking the stuff.

"I don't even know how it go in here," Jamie said in disgust.

She took out a box of cereal and opened the cupboard on the wall. She paused when she saw most of the food here from last week. Looking back to Georgina, the hollowness of her cheeks and dark eyes didn't go unmissed.

"Have you been eating?" Jamie frowned.

Georgina tried to ignore the question. Her movements were slow and almost painful. Jamie put down the box and walked over to her. Taking the food out of Georgina's hands, Jamie forced her to stop and look at her without touching her. Georgina reluctantly looked at her.

"I haven't had the appetite. Every time I tried to eat, I would be sick," Georgina finally admitted.

Jamie looked worriedly at her friend. For nearly five weeks she had been Georgina's only company. But her visits had become later and later. It had been four days since her last time here. While her family knew where Georgina was, they all agreed to keep the secret. But Rowena has been making it hard for them. It was like she knew the Jamie's family were hiding something and was determined to find out the truth. She would surprise them with visits and other members of the Council were trying to weed information out of them. They couldn't trust anyone.

"Is it the attacks?" Jamie asked.

Georgina nodded tiredly and leaned heavily on the counter.

"They're coming every other day now. I'm not getting a break from them," she added.

Georgina had figured out a way to safely let go of her excess power without harming anyone. The barren lands surrounding the house were almost acting like a neutralizer. There was nothing in the land to affect. When the wave of power overtakes her, she goes to the middle of the empty farmland and nothing happens. It's almost calming now, as the worry was gone. But the pain wasn't leaving her body. After the release she would barely have strength to pull herself back to the house. Where she would black out until the following day. Only waking up when she feels her power rise up again.

"Have you heard anything from your grandfather?" Georgina asked.

It was obviously a sore subject as Jamie's pain flashed over her face.

"No. This is the longest time he's gone without any contact," Jamie replied sadly.

He had left straight after the verdict came in. Claiming that he had to find something before the time ran out. Jamie and her family expressed their concerns but he was gone before they even said a word. That was five weeks ago.

As they both stood in silence, the once hopeful atmosphere had turned bleak. It was a week away from ascension and she was no closer to answers as she was before she started the search.