Mia
"Mia." A voice calls out to me.
I spin around in the dark, looking for the source of the sound but to no avail. "Who's there?" I call out into the void.
"Mia. Look at me." The voice calls again. The sound comes out in a mixture of different voices making it difficult to pinpoint which one is calling me. 199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBFOyuCMg5A
"I can't." I call out again. "I can't see you."
Their laughter rings throughout the void, raising the hair on my skin. Immediately, the voices break out into their own.
"She's blind." One of them says.
"She's not like her father." A woman says. What do they mean I'm not like my father?
"What-" I begin ready to press them for more information.
"A wasted gift." Another says.
"She's young, give her time." The voice of an older male speaks over all the whispers.
"Time doesn't matter. Her mother forsaken her to the Lykos Demon. Oya won't be pleased."
"Ṣàngó made a deal to protect his shamans. Her father's blood still runs through her. Cursed or not, she is still apart of him."
"Ha, you think Obatala will let this slide."
"You think the Lykos bloodline will allow her to be touched. The orishas are powerful but my sister will be just as strong." The demanding voice of a young man silences the other voices. Its presence commands attention and is as powerful as Peters.
"Parasite." The voices screamed but the man only laughed.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡINXSxehACJ
"Speak about us all you want, but remember, while you sit around thinking of our bloodline as cursed, I'd been sitting in your so-called impenetrable chamber the whole time." Suddenly, a form appeared in front of me, his body wrapped in a bright light. He lifted a hand to my face and I was powerless to move. Tilting my head up, I lock onto ocean blue eyes that frame a masculine face with short cut start white hair and pale skin. The man standing in front of me looked similar to Peter in an odd way. "And if you didn't notice already, it's my Darkness that protected her here."
Suddenly, I'm pushed out of the void and I feel myself plummet.
A stone weighs heavy on my chest as I struggle to breathe. Hands go over my body and in a moment, I fight to shake them off. A familiar warmth settles over me and for a moment I relax before opening my eyes to the presence. I stare into familiar ocean blue eyes.
"Mia." Merida breathes, one hand on my shoulder.
Too much time has slipped between now and dinner. I can almost feel it through the way Merida weariness creeps into me. Madness stirs abruptly, lost in a unfought battle from before. Merida places her other hand on the side of my face. 199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx9E2kgItre
"Shh. It's okay. You're safe." She says.
I settle as I push Madness into a temporary rest. The weight on my chest lightens somewhat but the phantom of it still lingers.
Over the course of ten minutes approximately, Dr. Scott along with other nurses that I recognize filter in and out the room. Merida stays by my side until they leave and takes the time to fill me in on everything that's happened from the past three days. Her conversation with Peter, the pack preparing for war, Kristen's finally healed save for the markings. I take a moment to process all of it as Ma followed by Peter enter the room.
"I made soup." Ma says as she holds up a round container with brown liquid. "It's laced with medicine to help restore your strength but you'll dose off a little after."
"Thanks." I reply, Merida helps me to sit up right. They watch closely and ask the usual 'are you feeling okay' questions while I eat. I answer honestly in between gulps until I finish the container.
After a moment, "Merida told me everything. It's okay." I say, responding to multiple unspoken questions. Many of which are from the dinner. "I remember bits and pieces of the night."
"Tell me what happened." Peter asks in a gentle tone. It's an eerie feeling, being able to be calm around him. But after learning everything from Merida, it's like I'd almost made peace with the understanding of why he did it. Almost.
Something in me has changed as a result of the shitload of crap events that have occurred in the last two weeks. This isn't to say that I fully accept him or that the past four years have been magically resolved, but I at least understand him, with the added bonus that Madness doesn't want to kill him.
It's a small step on the never-ending road that this family will have to travel.
Merida watches me with intense eyes as I dig through my mess of memories about that night. After I get them sorted for a moment, I begin with the moment I entered the garden.
"I was looking for a place in the garden. Somewhere to rest for a while. But I got lost in the maze." I try to recall the memories as they piece themselves together. "It was quiet, save for the wind. But then I heard a child laughing."
"Like a giggle." Kristen says suddenly, drawing everyone's attention to her for a moment. "I still don't remember much, but some things are coming back to me."
I nod, "Yea, exactly. It surrounded me from all sides. I tried to use Madness but she couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from. Then..." I pause for a moment as I try to find the right words.
"The smell of sulfur." Kristen finishes. "You smell sulfur and your nature tells you to run. But you can't."
"Why couldn't I?" I ask. Merida reaches over and grabs my hand. The boiling nerves that began to rise quieted.
"It's magic." Merida answers. "The sorceress likely used magic to trap you. But I don't know how she does it."
"It's a binding curse. A type of forbidden blood magic that leaves a burn mark in the shape of a triangle." Peter replies. "We were able to figure it out from the markings left in the garden. Usually, sorceresses who are linked to a coven wouldn't be able to cast something that strong. A rogue witch, on the other hand, could do it well over time of course, among other things."
I was surprised at how much Peter knew about magic, but I could only assume it was because of his age or his position as Alpha.
"Like memory loss." Merida said, as Peter nodded.
"I felt trapped, but only briefly. I shook it off quickly. But before I could shift, something was thrown at me. Like a ball of purple fire. I flew back and it was lights out for me after." I said.
"I blacked out after the binding spell hit me as well." Kristen said.
"When Mia and I found you, it looked like you were being used as a sacrifice. She might've been using you to gain power." Ma told Kristen, who paled immediately. "And if we didn't find Mia in time, it's possible the same would've happened."
"She did it to a deer as well." Merida replied. "I saw it shortly after Kristen woke up."
For a brief moment, Peter fixed his gaze upon the wall. His expression was unreadable. "It adds up with the others. Her ultimate goal could be power."
"If that's the case, then why attack inside the pack grounds. And why don't I seem to be badly affected by the magic?" I asked. It was a odd question to ask, but I was concerned about the immunity, especially after seeing Kristen.
Peter shook his head. "A message, perhaps a threat. Regardless, because she was an old friend, I've been waiting in the hopes that the coven will show up and deal with her. But it appears they have no intention of doing so. She'll be killed as soon as we find her."
Peter's wolf was hiding behind his eyes as he said that final sentence. An expression of eagerness etched within them. There was something behind his words that shifted the air in the room, bringing the wolves in it to attention. Madness twitched, not in anger, but in anticipation, at the sight.
"But as for that," He continues, verbally pointing to my other question, "I don't know."
"Resistance maybe?" Kristen inquires.
"We don't have any ancestors linked to sorceresses." Ma says. "For resistance to work, you need to have witch-blood."
Merida flinches as Peters eyes lock on her for a moment. "We should let Mia get some rest." He says.
The group begins to exit as each one says their goodbyes in different ways. Peter gives me a nod as he heads out, Kristen waves, Ma kisses me softly on the forehead. Yet once she exits, Merida lingers behind. It was then that I noticed our hands were still linked.
"Mia," she begins. "are you okay? Are you hungry? Or maybe too cold?"199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNkzucIDtOi
I give her hand a gentle squeeze. "Merida, I'm okay. I already ate and the temperatures' alright. I'm not in pain either." I say addressing her unspoken question.
She nods, but I can feel her desire to ask me something else.
"Mia-" She begins but I cut her off, the drugs Ma gave me starting to take effect.
"Don't worry so much, sis." I tell her, suddenly feeling too weary to care about the strange expression she wore. "I'll be fine."
The lights in the room dim, and I once more find myself in the same total darkness that had been surrounding me for the previous three days. "Okay," She says softly.
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