CHAPTER 54: Running

It was around nine o'clock at night, according to a clock hanging from a building, but I kept on going. My body was beginning to beg and cry and plea for a rest, but I ignored the prayerful imploring.

"Must . . . keep . . . going . . ." I panted as my vision began to swim.

My steady inhaling and exhaling finally turned into desperate panting. I took a quick turn to the right, for there was what looked like an electric fence blocking my way. I didn't give an F about the fact that I was pushing the limits of my capabilities ― just as long as I could find a good place to live. I took another deep breath in the high hopes of extending the rather short time that I had before I was out for the count. My vision was not only blurry at this point, but also dim as waves of exhaustion began to wash over me. A building, which appeared to be a manor of some kind, came into view at long last. Feeling confident that I had found a good place to stay, I let Mother Nature's somewhat unreasonable force overcome me as the darkness began to swirl around me like a violent tornado. I saw several plants come rushing over to me. To help me, perhaps?

With that thought on my mind, the darkness swallowed me whole.

I came to on a soft, fluffy bed. The sheets were made of silk, and had a lovely pattern of roses stitched onto the fabric. I let out a small yelp, for in my opinion, luxury was a sign of trouble. My breathing was fast, my eyes were at their widest, and my crystals were flashing from grey to a bright blue.

"Where am I?" I asked no one in particular, my voice a mere wisp of sound.

"You're in the infirmary of Casa Loma, dear." a Sunflower answered as she put a pill into my leaf, which was aching and throbbing like crazy.

I exhaled sharply, letting out the air that I never realized that I was holding. I considered myself blessed, because for me, falling unconscious was usually followed by some kind of injury. But at least it was a case of energy . . . right? With a nervous laugh, I looked at the walls and floors. Yellow with blue stripes. Talk about babyish.

"So . . . you're Elyssia Antonia Maccabaeus, correct?" the Sunflower asked.

I nodded, finally shoving the damned pill into my mouth.

"We found you passed out near the gates of the manor. You're not that sick, but you pushed yourself to keep running." the Sunflower explained.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes." I replied flatly, hoping that the flower wouldn't ask me why I was running.

After all . . . I didn't really have an excuse, unless running away from the source of your heartbreak counted as an excuse that was as lame as hell. I smacked my forehead ― how the hell could I be so damn stupid?! Letting those God-forsaken instincts take control of my mind . . . why was I so sensitive? Merci buckets, Aunt Adina. Suddenly, a scene flashed through my mind.

Peater and Elias were desperately calling my name, their faces grimy and full of tears as they screamed my name at the crumbling buildings.

"Elyssia! Please . . . tell me where you are! I'm so sorry, I mean it! I . . . am a jerk, I'll admit it! Please forgive me!"

Shaking my head, I was back in the real world, which I had never been more grateful to see, hear and feel.

"So . . . what did you turn Casa Loma into?" I asked.

"A home for sick and mentally troubled girl-plants. Neat, eh?" the Sunflower answered.

"Now sleep, child. You need all the rest that you can get." she whispered as she gave me another pill, although this one was a clear blue.

I looked up at the Sunflower, and I could have sworn that I saw Annika's eyes looking back at me.

"Annika . . . aren't you six feet under?" I squeaked.

"Hehe . . . I'm not Annika. I'm her mother, Teresa Aviora. Poor girl . . . she did die after all . . ." the Sunflower murmured, wiping away a few tears instants later.

"Oh . . . I'm sorry, Teresa." I mumbled. "It's fine. Now sleep, dear child. Sleep." Teresa replied.

I reluctantly shoved the pill into my mouth, and with that, I ventured into my dreams.

I woke up and grunted as I received a message from Peater via telepathy.

"Elyssia . . . you know that you can't hide, or stay mad forever. Face the light of love for God's sakes. I love you, flaws and all. I hope that you can hear me, because we need to talk."

I didn't care about how much he lamented about how much he loved me, or how much he wanted to talk to me. He told me with his own bloody lips that nobody ― including him ― cared about me. Just because I was mentally unbalanced, and all that I've seen, done and experienced is already coming back to haunt.

"Elyssia, are you all right?" Teresa asked.

"I mean . . . saw you thrashing and yelling in your sleep." I nodded, and gladly accepted the slightly watery soup that she offered me.

"Now . . . roam around freely. Just . . . be careful, and report to the canteen at lunchtime." Teresa said.

I gladly jumped up and decided to explore the hallways of Casa Loma. But while I investigated the secret passageways and staircases, I thought about my decision. Was it the right one? Or was it ―

"OUCH!" I shrieked as I bumped into a wall.

Yeeesh, I wouldn't be surprised if somebody came down here because they heard me screaming . . . I thought as I wiped my eyes. And surely enough, a Cactus had come around the corner and to my spot.

"H-hello? Is everything all right over there, dear?" the Cactus asked. I wiped my eyes and sighed.

"Uh . . . yeah . . . I guess . . ." I replied between hiccoughs.

"I haven't seen you around before today. Now, why are you here? Don't be scared to tell me ― I don't bite, and I won't judge, whether it's horrible or light." the Cactus whispered.

"It's . . . it's . . ." I couldn't answer, because it was too difficult to explain. How could I explain how I'd left Peater all over some horrible words?

"Oh . . . um . . . it's just, uh . . . erm . . . family business . . ." I finally managed to cough.

"Well, it should be fine, shouldn't it, dear? I mean, it's kinda normal for parents to be divorcing, what with these hard times. I'm not trying to minimize your situation, but you should know that . . . it's the hard knock life for . . . all of us here in Toronto. Whether you're at Bessarion, Leslie, Kennedy, or Davenport, there will be zombies, and there will be Zomboss' influence of evil." the Cactus said with a smile. I smiled back out of politeness.

"Well . . . thanks." I mumbled.

"You're welcome, dear. Anytime you wanna have a good ol' chat, just come to me, Roosevelta Dahria." the Cactus replied.

My eyes widened, and next thing I knew, I was hugging Roosevelta like a teddy bear.

"Roosie! I didn't think that I'd see you again! Oh, you're a sight for sore eyes!" I exclaimed.

"Well, if it isn't Elyssia Antonia!" Roosie squealed as she returned the hug.

"I ended up in here because I was hearing voices in my head that nobody else heard. Turned out that I had schizophrenia, so it's getting treated in here! Now . . . how did you end up in here?" I shrugged.

"I was running from . . . something, and then I, uh . . . I fainted."

Just then, a tap on my shoulder made me turn around . . . again.

"Elyssia, come into my office, will you?" Teresa said softly.

I nodded, and waved a reluctant goodbye to Roosie before I was led into a small office. It was chock full of weird instruments, which made me shiver and shudder.

"Elyssia . . . you know that you can't hide your suffering forever. I can read your mind, and now I know all about your issues." Teresa whispered.

I gasped as my crystals turned a bright blue to indicate apprehension.

"Yes, I do know about it. From you running away from Peater and his father all because of some words they didn't mean to say, and everything else . . . I know." Teresa smiled a tight smile after saying that.

"Well, I have a valid reason ― Peater doesn't care about me, or else he wouldn't be so willing to get some mental being to control his actions!" I exclaimed.

"Oh really dear?" Teresa scoffed.

"Now . . . define love for me. True, everlasting love . . . what is it?" I bit my lip and shrugged.

"Define love, Teresa. Define love for me, would you? Maybe I am wrong . . ." I murmured.

"Well, all right, dear. Love is not something you experience through the eyes, or the mind. It's something that you experience with the heart. It doesn't matter how much you've gone through, because with a little bit of hope, you can make it out of your evil." Teresa explained. I closed my eyes and sighed.

"You're right . . ."

"Now . . . about everything else . . ." Teresa sighed before pulling a sheet of paper and a pen from a drawer.

The Sunflower then started drawing something on the paper. At first, I couldn't make out what it was, but a good look indicated that it was a cracked snowflake with many black spots on it.

"This represents your soul, Elyssia. The black represents the evil that you have done, experienced and seen, while the cracks represent how much your actions and the actions of others have chipped your soul." Teresa whispered.

"Once that thing breaks in half, it's over for you, Elyssia. But to repair it . . . well, there's no magic. Only love can fix it."