Christina was burning alive.
At least she assumed this was what burning alive felt like. The hybrid princess wanted to scream with agony but her mouth refused to obey. Her friend turned attacker leaving her alone in the woods surrounding her home. Christina had no phone on her and it was dark, only the sounds of the forest for company, only the animals to see her tears before she blacked out.
She was going to die.
...
But she didn't. No, when Christina opened her eyes the worried face of her mother came into focus just above her, long curling strands of her hair tickling Christina's face.
"Oh, my baby, hi," Alissa whispered, teal eyes brimming with tears and face flooded with relief, "I didn't think you'd wake"
"DOCTORS," Radu shouted, "SHE'S AVAKE"
A fear she had never felt seized her heart as pain flooded her entire body. What was going on? What happened? Where was she? She had scarcely left the manor since the move and now. Terrified of what was happening she grabbed her mother's arm desperately.
"Focus on me, Butterfly, focus on me," Alissa remained calm, "You're safe sweetie"
"It hurts, Mommy, it hurts," Christina sobbed.
"Where does it hurt, Christina?" the doctors Victor and Vivika Stein arrived, the picture of calm.
"Everywhere! It burns!"
The doctors rushed around checking monitors and charts, swiping through tabs.
"We're giving her the highest dose of pain medication we can," Victor told Radu.
Christina was in so much pain she threw up, crying, gasping for air, and she began to asperate.
"HELP HER, SHE CAN'T BREATHE!" Radu snapped.
Everything went black once more.
...
Christina woke again weeks later. It was daytime now. She could hear cars passing by the window. Her mother slept with a pillow tucked behind her head in the visitors' chair while her father was nowhere to be seen.
I look like death.
Her reflection in the window revealed her to be the same color as the bed sheets. She was clean now but covered in veiny gray lines, the reaction of the zombie curse to fae genes. There was a breathing tube down her throat and a line in her arm flowing with some sparkling amber-colored liquid. Before she could scrutinize further the door opened, and her father stepped soundlessly inside, shutting it behind him.
He was startled seeing her awake and was at the bedside instantly, "My little shadow," he whispered, "You're finally avake again, are you hurting anyvhere?"
Christina tapped her legs with a grimace.
"I'll tell the doctors, don't vake your mother just yet she hasn't been sleeping"
She managed a thumbs up.
"I'll be right back"
...
"Christina?"
"See I told you she vas avake," Radu smiled at the doctors, "Just drifted off a little"
"Your legs still hurt?" Vivika got right to the task at hand.
Nodding she tapped her legs again.
"Okay, can you feel when you tap your legs"
"Mm"
"Here, let's get that out, you don't need it anymore"
The teen took a deep relieved breath.
"It seems," Victor finally looked up from the tablet in his hand, "The curse is most concentrated in your legs"
"Vhat does that mean?" Radu whispered in confusion.
"Christina," Vivika moved to the foot of the bed, "Wiggle your toes for me?"
"I'm trying" Nothing was happening.
"Lift your leg?"
Nothing.
"Why can't I"
"The curse struck hardest in your legs, you are paralyzed from the waist down"
"What? I can't-I'll never.."
"Don't go there. Your case is the only one of its kind so its hard to say, this-" Vivika indicated the stream of amber liquid, "Is a wonder of alchemy to stop your pain, created by some of the greatest minds we know so for now let's say the paralysis is temporary until we run some more tests"
"O-Okay"
For the time being, they checked her eyes, and ears, and took blood for tests that left Christina feeling squeamish at the sight. Once left alone with her parents her eyes drifted to the ceiling as waves of tangled emotions crashed upon her, anger, hurt, betrayal, sadness, loneliness. Slowly, tears started to flow, faster and faster. Underneath all those feelings was one she knew too well. Fear.
I may never walk again. I was so stupid to have trusted her! so, so, so stupid!
"It's going to be alright, Little Shadow, it's all going to be okay"
Christina wasn't convinced.
...
A few months later:
Christina wheeled herself through the quiet halls of the hospital. She was dressed in a loose tee shirt and plain black leggings and avoided looking at her reflection. As her body healed the gray veins had faded from her upper body but were still tangled all over her legs. Having just been dismissed from physical therapy she beelined for outdoors, eager to feel sunshine on her face only to stop short.
"Clawdeen?"
The lovely werewolf wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled weakly, "Hi, Christina, come in, I could use a friend"
Hesitantly, Christina entered the room, expecting to see Duncan or one of the Wolf siblings on the bed, not a stranger who looked very, very, human.
"This is my cousin Shaggy," Clawdeen explained, "Except he doesn't know that, um, he was in public when he transformed for the first time and was attacked by frightened normies he's been in a coma since, no one visits him, not his parents, I don't know if he has friends"
"Rey!"
Christina was startled as a large dog lumbered into view.
"This is Scooby, Shaggy's best buddy," Clawdeen corrected herself, "Scooby, this is my friend, Christina"
"Rello," Scooby plodded over.
"Hi," Christina scratched Scooby behind the ears.
"Duncan and I rescued them both after your father showed us the Grimness Book. We had come to visit you but you were sleeping then the Book dropped in-"
"-It does that"
"It must hurt anyway, by the time Duncan and I got there..."
"It's alright, you don't have to tell me, Clawdeen, I'm sure that was frightening and difficult'
"It was, his parents came that night but haven't been to see him since"
"Maybe it just makes them upset to see him this way I know it hurts Grandmother to see me here-"
"But she still visits you"
"True"
"There you are, Christina," Radu stopped just outside the doorway, "Hello Clawdeen"
"Hello"
"I see your rescue mission was suscessful"
"Yes, thank you"
"Don't thank me, it was the Book, Christina, your mother set up a picnic outside so you can eat before your nap"
"Okay, I'm coming," the hybrid turned to leave with her father.
"Christy?"
"Yeah, Clawdeen?"
"I um, have to go to a fearleading retreat soon, will you visit, Shaggy for me? I really don't want him to be alone"
"Sure, I'd be happy to"
...
And, Christina did just that. Every day after she was dismissed from physical therapy she took a book and visited Shaggy.
"It's good that you visit him, Christina,"
Startled, the hybrid looked up to see Vivika enter.
"I'm happy to do so"
"You might try reading to him"
"Why?"
"Sometimes those in a coma can still hear us not always but maybe he'd like to hear a story or two if he can"
"Okay"
"Ran I risten too?" Scooby popped up. The Dane slept so much that Christina often forgot he was there.
"Yes, of course"
Vivika finished checking Shaggy's vitals and left shutting the door behind her.
Christina leafed through her beloved fairy tale book landing on the story of The Sword In The Stone she began to read aloud, "Once Upon A Time.."
...
Even when Clawdeen returned from her retreat two weeks later, Christina continued to visit Shaggy and continued to read to him and Scooby whom she had begun bringing treats to. Sometimes after she read a few stories she would talk with Scooby other times she'd sleep. It was a strange thing but she slept better near Shaggy than she did in her own room. The months wore on and the new term at Monster High officially started. Christina was given a new laptop to do her schoolwork but this did not deter her visits to Shaggy.
Something that Clawdeen noticed.
...
"So what are we doing here?" Duncan asked confusedly as they searched the library in Christina's home.
"We are searching for the Grimness Book, it apparently likes to hide and I want to check something"
"Still it feels weird to be here when Christy's in the hospital"
"It's not like we broke in, Duncan, Miss Alissa let us in and she's in her office down the hall"
"Yeah, but still!"
Relax," Clawdeen giggled before kissing Duncan lightly, "We're going to be fine, besides, Christy asked if we'd drop off some of her get-well-soon presents, Remember?"
"Those stuffed dogs were kind of taking over her hospital room"
"Exactly, now if only I knew where-"
Thunk, The Grimness boo fell from the shelf Clawdeen was searching, landing beside her feet.
"Well that took forever and a day," Duncan whistled checking the time and finding they'd been searching for five straight hours, "Will it even open for you?"
"Looks like it," no sooner had Clawdeen hefted the book from the floor did it sprung open pages flipping rapidly until landing on two seemingly blank pages as the couple watched shimmering ink fill the pages line by line until a beautiful image spread across them.
"I knew it!"
...
Meanwhile, Christina was once again at Shaggy's bedside having just finished a tale she closed her book softly as Scooby was sleeping.
"I have to go now, Daddy's bringing me ice cream and I don't want it to melt but I'll be back later, I promise"
And because the door was closed, because no one was watching still swept up in the romance of the fairy tale she just finished, Christina kissed Shaggy goodbye. It was a quick gesture, a secret for her to keep as she did not quite understand why she'd done it. Smiling to herself she pat Scooby and headed out the door
"She's beautiful"