I feel a soft pillow beneath my head and a blanket tucked around my body. I let out half violent shiver because I'm freezing from being outside. I try to talk, but nothing comes out and trying to open my eyes, they sting.
I can hear hushed tones. When I manage to keep my eyes open, I see I'm in a bed in hospital. I'm about to sit up when I feel a hand force me to lay me back down. It's icy cold which can only be one person, Rain.
She used heat magic, but it seems icy is her powers default. No doubt she might be exhausted from doing the opposite, producing warmth.
"Sit down, Sprout or you will make your fever worse."
"Huh?" I ask, trying to sit up.
"Just stay in bed."
And I'm pushed down again, but this time it's not Rain. Sebastian instead. They're both towering over me, dressed like doctors. "W-what happened?"
"You haven't got Merge exposure. Your blood tests came back negative." Sebastian says, somewhat calmly. "Honestly, I AM relieved!" Rain says, placing a damp rag on my forehead.
"Why are you doing this?" I ask.
"Doing what?" Rain answers shortly, but with a confused expression.
"Being... nice?"
"Do you want help or not, pathetic, sorry excuse for an angel?" Sebastian grumbles and I nod my head furiously. "Fine, you're underweight and dehydrated as you obviously know, but you're friends oblivious to it. That's all, but you're also slight cold." He says afterwards."
We just all stay quiet for a bit and then be speaks again, sitting down, throwing plastic gloves his wearing into a bin. "You know, Valerie...
I was actually quite worried about you to tell the truth... For a second anyway. Nothing more, nothing less. Samantha usually carries a quick temper, but I have never seen her behave so irrationally before, especially to pick you up like that and threaten to throw you into the river. It genuinely scared me and my wife."
I nod, not knowing what to say around them because they can be quiet impulsive too. "Well." He says, standing up. "You're fine to go back to your dormitory. I'm retiring for the night." And Sebastian walks out the door without a second though, leaving Rain with me. There is something different about her...
She has her hands clutched together, but they're shaking, her body is hunched over, head hanging low and she's very pale, verging on being blue her skin and her hair has a glassy effect.
Her eyes look dead too. "Rain?" I whisper. She doesn't answer me.
Has she been crying? She starts looking around the room, trying to avoid my gaze. "Rain...?" I ask slowly.
"Yes, Kiki? I-uh, Damn it!" She says grumpily after starting off gently. She almost seemed kind for a moment despite sad and I hear her sigh.
"Come with me, let's get you something to eat and I'll explain. Don't think you're getting special treatment or anything from now on though, Valerie." She huffs to disguise whatever it is, she's going through, and leads me out of the hospital.
She led me to her house that she shares with Sebastian, Owen, Harriet & Shelby.
Walking in behind her, I feel my mouth drop open when I see dark wood floors, chandelier lights, marble benches covered in all kinds of appliances. "Woah! This is really high class, fab and swanky!"
"Well, I'm glad you think so. Always like to hear that we have good tastes in home decor and that our furnishing skills are on point." She chuckles, smiling, her voice small and soft, eyes soft and small too.
She looks at me and gestures for me to follow her. We stop at the fridge and pulls it open.
"We have soft drink, breakfast juice, cordial, cold water, full cream and lactose free milk. Harriet is sensitive to dairy.
And coffee, tea or milo is on the bench." She says, then stands up with her hands on her hips, looking at me with a smile and flicks her ponytail over her back a little with the slight movement of her head . "What would you like?"
"Water."
"What? Just water?" She asks, looking seemingly worried. "Yes." I tell her. "Oh, I see... I forgot you were exactly like, Dana..." She responds, handing me a flask of cold water. She then walks over to a bench, grabbing a bowl. "Soup?"
"Yeah... Just not high calorie..."
"We should talk about this... But okay, there is a lighte calorie soup I can give you." She says, taking a can of soup out of a cupboard, then warms it up for me.
When it's ready, we take a seat together at the island. She has a cup of tea in her hands.
I sit there, unsure what to do. I don't want her to watch me while eating.
"You can eat it, it's not going to hurt you"
I look up to see her looking at me.
"I know." I whisper, "But my heads telling me-"
She cuts me off. "You don't have to explain it to me. Were familiar with anorexia, Valerie."
I cringe when she says this. "For now, why don't we talk and maybe you can try a bite or two in the process? I'd rather you have two bites than not eat anything at all on me.
Is their anything you want to know? I'm not an evil bitch 100% of the time like you think. I can see in your eyes that your soul holds questions."
I hear her sigh. "You called me, Kiki before..."
"Oh, I did..."
"Who's that?"
"Uh, I'm a Mother, Valerie. Let's just say none of my children talk to me or my Husband... And the ones that do, aren't actually ours, biologically anyway. Family is what you make it." She shrugs, trying to avoid the question.
"Who's Dana and Scout?"
"Oh, uh, well, they were once a part of this community, but they're not anymore."
"What do you mean?"
"They're both dead, Valerie. Maybe next time around, they both won't have to die again."
"Tell me more?"
"No."
"Why are you forcing souls to re-live a life they've already lived, but altered?"
"I can't tell you. Why don't you ask normal questions that is in the realm of possibility for me to explain to you, please."
"Okay... Sam and Avery."
"Samantha and Avery."
"Yes."
"Well, Samantha used to be one of our 'Guards', but she stopped taking orders so she was demoted and the rest is history, which is why you don't mess with us, Valerie. Let that be a lesson to you, dear."
"And Avery?"
"Her sister, Natasha died from Merge exposure. She took off her mask and breathed it in. There was no saving her. She died from her lungs being literally burnt from the insides, painful way to go.
And Avery's another pain in the butt like you as far as I am concerned."
"That's not what I meant..."
"Then what did you mean?"
"It seemed like Avery & Shelby were once friends."
"Friends? Ugh, not now, I'll explain. It's an old story though from when we were all younger. Harriet and Shelby used to be good friends, but something happened, we all got dragged into and one of the downsides was, they're no longer friends with each-other now. They hardly ever talk.
Because of that, Shelby searched for friends elsewhere and had a short "thing" with Avery. Now I'm not saying me or Sebastian would discourage it... but... you know what? Nevermind, it's not really any of your business!"
"Why are you being so nice to me?"
"Like I said, I'm not a bitch all the time. No one's born purely evil."
"...."
"I'd disagree..."
"Right... Well, moving on, this is the only reprieve you get, missy! You've had alot and you're being a burden on us. Start pulling your weight, will you?!
Well, her kindness didn't last long... I think I've pushed her as far as she can go.
"I will." I answer quietly and force myself to take bite of the soup, trying to avoid her gaze. I've already have several, not realizing during talking. "Valerie." She says, returning to caring slides a strand of my raven hair out of my face. I see the look of shock in her face though when she's realized what she's done and stands up, with her white, but blue & aqua toned hair hair falling in-front of her face that I can't see her eyes.
"Get out."
"But-"
"Get out, Valerie!"
I panic and stand up quickly. "Just leave." She growls at me and I step out of the kitchen, leaving to head back to my friends. I'm a little confused trying to find my way out when I hear several voices and I hide behind a wall, peering into a room. It's Shelby sitting alone at a dining table.
Declan is on the floor next to them all, sleeping. "Hehe that was such a funny joke, Dan! We should all totally go see it one day, together!" I hear her exclaim happily, kicking her legs in delight, then she reaches out weirdly.
"Aw, thanks for the hug, Libby." She smiles, then begins talking to others, but no one's there.
Is this the true Shelby I'm seeing right now? Suffers from psychosis? Or, just has imaginary friends despite being like in her twenties.
All of a sudden I hear her shriek and she leaps off the table.
"Shelby." I hear an unfamiliar voice say. I panic seeing a male wearing long white pants, has a pink & blue checkered shirt beneath a yellow cardigan and a cat tail and ears are portaging. Shelby looks around for where to go, but he has her cornered.
"W-who are you? Where are my friends friends?! W-where did they go?! Where's my pet cat? Declan! Declan!";
" I hear her say. The man steps forward. "None of it was real, but at the same time it was. You wanted to see what you wanted to see because you were lonely.
You've felt like most people in your life have betrayed you in some way, right? Do you know who I am?" Says the man.
"Declan...?" She suggests, relaxing her body posture.
"Correct, it's me."
"How are you a human?!"
"I'm not a cat, Shelby. I can shift shape. It's a long story, but I had a friend, James He... did something. He was obsessed with you and... Well, it's a long story. He turned me into a vat just as I awakened to what he was doing. You don't need to know though. It's okay because I'm here for you and you don't have to afraid anymore.
To make a very long story short, I'm an Angel from the Core and I'm not the only one. Were working on restoring the many world's in parallel existence to each-other. You don't need to be afraid or alone anymore. No one has to be."
He bends down, reaching out His hand to Her. "Come with me. I can bring you into the Law of Cycles, I won't leave you. Were friends and we have been for a very long time. You've shared your fears with me, your most inner thoughts, your hopes, goals and dreams. I may have been a cat for so long and that this will take getting some used to, but -"
He doesn't get to finish as she throws herself at him, hugging him around the neck. I see tears falling down her cheeks. "D-Declan!"
He just smiles, resting a hand on her head and wraps his other hand around her. "It's going to be okay, I'm here. I've been looking for you for a very long time."
I see a cream colored light that smells of frangapani's and just as they vanish he looks at me, mouthing: "Good luck, Valerie. Help will be along soon to help you."
I can see a circle in my mind with a whole bunch of fate lines connecting the center. I was just privvy to something special...
And then I see a ripple in the middle of the room and I see a ghostly version of Shelby walking away, carrying Declan as a cat in her arms... And then it hits me.
There is a thousand outcomes for just one situation and I witnessed where one two divide. I'm learning more that I did in class, experiencing how the worlds the Core built us, work. Wait... Kiki. Our God is Kiki! I look back to the direction of the kitchen.
No, it's not possible! I tell myself, starting to panic from simply watching outcomes separate themselves from other outcomes and I start running out the door into the snow, back to the boarding house.
223Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrkap4H0jy1
