Chapter 28. I have to say that this is a weird one 0_0

Chapter twenty-eight—Snow White’s awakening

I had ported back to the Order’s island a hot, sweaty mess. However, I was chilled and excited. I had not gotten answers on how to save the girl’s life, but I had been able to hear my mother’s voice.

Suddenly, I felt selfish. I could have just asked the rain how to save her, but instead I was too damn distracted.

I climbed the ladder to the entrance of the Order, and to Alhazred. He was still working on the girl, whom had grown paler in the hour. Her hair was the color of blood, as though she had a runny head wound.

“Welcome back, Mary.” He greeted cautiously. “Did you become one with the wind?”

“No, but you wouldn’t believe what had happened.” I exclaimed, walking up to him. He searched my face in surprise. “It had rained!”

“Rained?” Clearly that was unexpected. “The rains visited you?”

“Yes, but I heard my mother.”

Alhazred put the bottle he was holding on a counter. “You heard your deceased mother?”

“Indeed.”

“Well,” He stared at the girl. “That was much more than expected. Obviously, the Fate’s have taken liking of you. My dear scholar, you are now in the Order of the Fang; forever in debt to the protection of Balance magic.”

My eyes slid to the girl. “Can I be alone with her?”

Alhazred nodded, and put his books on another table. Quietly, he walked out of the room. I was alone with the girl.

I tried to think some things out. I thought of the spell that Malistaire had cast- I decided it was him- and thought of the words he had used. Fairytales, perfection, disguise, enemies.

Then I realized something. This woman has a curse that put her as Snow White.

“By the Fates, I’m so sorry…” I don’t know who she loved, or who her true love was. “Please forgive me for not saving you fast enough…”

There was silence.

“Please,” I begged. “Wake up, as a friend, as a sister…” I thought of Sabrina. If I couldn’t have protected her, I will give my life to save another sister. I put my lips on her cold forehead, and thought how much I already loved her. As family- the only symbol I had left. I’m not going to let her die, and Malistaire win once again. Once she’s alive, I am going to find the others. Then I’m going to kill Malistaire.

Strangely then, I felt a flutter against my chin, like little hairs. I moved away from her, and concentrated on her face. Her eyes twitched.

Her eyes began to move, as though watching something, but they remained closed. I cupped her face in my hands, and started to shake. “Wake up! You can do it. Please, try as hard as you can!”

It was a few moments too long. Her eyes stopped moving, and she went limp once again. Disappointed, I gently put her face back on the stone. I sat down and put my face in my hands in misery.

Then I heard movement. Just slightly.

Then: “How did you do it?”

I looked up, and gaped in shock. The girl was sitting up, her moonstone eyes wide, and strands of hair over her face.

“I- I’m not sure.” I stuttered in amazement. “Whats your name?”

“Melissa Nicole; we are the same race, aren’t we?” She stared in my eyes with content. “Seraphina-Alleyen.”

I nodded. “You are my blood sister, and you must be the person who has been watching me.”

Melissa nodded. “I was not sure… It was such a convenience that one of the Seraphina-Alleyen would be the daughter of the man we are supposed to destroy.”

I smiled weakly. “How did you figure out?”

“The Fates.” Melissa smiled. “They sent me messages in dreams. How did you… Find out..?”

I shifted my position, awkwardly. “It’s hard to explain…”

Somebody gasped at the doorway. I looked over to see Matt, with extreme surprise in his eyes. “How did you possibly get her awake?”

I looked at her, then back at Matt. “I think its something about our sisterly bond… Well, something cheesy like that.” I smirked.

“Sisterly?” Matt frowned, and my breath caught in my throat. Oh crap. “I thought your sister was recently deceased?”

“Oh-“I started, but Melissa interrupted me.

“We are good friends, like sisters.” She nodded at me to understand.

“Yes, we are.” I agreed half-heartedly.

Matt stared at both of us, disbelief written all over his face. “You never said anything about knowing her, Mary.”

I cleared my throat. “That’s because you weren’t there at the scene.”

“Indeed.” He observed. He straightened up, and looked at Melissa. “Do you need anything? Pretty soon you’re going to have to explain to the Order what happened.”

“No, and call me Nikki; after my middle name. Also, are we in the Order of the Fang?” She replied, curiously.

“Yes, we are.” I answered for her, rubbing my eyes. I was so tired. I looked up at Matt. “Could you go and tell Alhazred that she is alright? I have a feeling he will know already, but go tell him just in case.”

Matt nodded, and stalked off in annoyance. I turned to Nikki. “Do you know what Angel you are?”

Nikki grimaced. “How could I not forget? How could I not know?” I saw a tear run down her face. I patted her back smoothly, but she waved me away. “Every single part of my life- every second, minute, hour, I remember. I know and remember every piece of knowledge that I’ve learned. It may seem nice for a pop quiz, but it feels like hell after you have to relive a moment in time that you never want to think of again, every single day.”

“You’re the Seraphina-Alleyen of Knowledge?” I concluded.

“No,” She corrected, “I’m the Seraphina-Alleyen of Knowledge and Remembrance.”

I frowned in pity. To think that she has to live through torture every day pierced my heart. I don’t know what happened to her, but I couldn’t imagine reliving my family’s death everyday in my mind. I touched my amulet gently, remembering my mother. “My mother thinks I’m the Seraphina-Alleyen of Wisdom and Spirit. Before she died, I mean.”

Nikki nodded at my words. “Do you think you are?”

I groaned in confusion. “Oh, I don’t know. It just seems too improbable, you know? I can’t see myself as an Angel of Wisdom, when the absolute thing I am doing is following the yellow brick road to revenge. And the thing is, I don’t want to follow revenge, I just want to make peace.”

“Then don’t follow revenge.”

I sighed. “But I don’t want to be held down by who I used to be, either. Quitting will just kill our other sisters, kill me, and let everybody down.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Nikki leaned over, and whispered. “I meant that you can become a good new person, without following revenge. In our case, it’s our only choice, now.”

I gazed at her, staring into my own eyes. “We need to find the others.”

Nikki nodded. “I think I know where the next sister is.”

Chapter 27!! I got this chapter from "Listen to the Rain" by Evanescence. :D Good ideas from that band!

Chapter twenty-seven—Listen to the Rain

Rowan, Sierra, and I took the girl to the Order. There, Alhazred greeted us with mere surprise. He glanced at the girl, and ordered us to lay her on a table by his desk.

“Where did you find this girl?” Alhazred asked, deep in his storage room.

“People had found her unconscious back at mainland.” Sierra replied. I noticed that she was holding Rowan’s hand tightly.

Despite their genetics, they looked nothing alike. It was only their petite shape that gave them resemblance.

Alhazred walked out of the room, and stopped to stare at me. I frowned, and looked at Rowan and Sierra. They noticed it too, but they didn’t know why he was staring so strangely.

“What is it?” My heart was racing with my amulet’s pulsing.

“Sierra, Rowan,” Alhazred nodded to them. “I am not in your assistance anymore. You may go.”

They looked as though they wanted to protest, but they just bowed and reluctantly turned to walk out of the area. I began to follow them, until Alhazred spoke again. “Mary, you must stay here.”

I turned my head to stare at him in wonder. “Why is that, professor?”

“We have something to discuss.”

I frowned, and sat by the table the girl was lying on. She was tall and slender, so out of the ordinary. I watched Alhazred as he began to study the girl. “Why did you want me to stay? What could we possibly discuss?”

Alhazred straightened, and put his clawed hands behind his back. “I knew there was something strange about you. I see it in your appearance, your personality, and your amulet.” He nodded to the necklace. I touched it gently. He glanced at the girl. “And I see the same thing with the girl, as well.”

I stared glumly at her, hoping that it isn’t too late for her to be saved.

“She’s not going to die, Mary. Not yet, anyhow.”

For the first time in ages, I did not cry about something so drastic. I just curled up my hands in a ball. “How long?”

“Until she starves in her sleeping state.”

I ran my fingers through my hair. “How do I save her?”

He bore a disappointed look in his eyes. “I don’t know.”

“Oh, by the Fates, why couldn’t I save her?” I put my face in my hands, and sighed. I treasured the darkness.”

“Mary.” Alhazred leaned forwards towards me. “I don’t know what you’re up to. I don’t know what you’re looking for, or how much trouble you could possibly be in. However, I want you to join the Order of the Fang, so you can find what you’re looking for; so that whatever that is connected with this girl and you, won’t happen again.”

I looked up into his golden-green eyes, with pupils like a cats. “You would do that?”

He nodded. “But you must do one thing, first.”

I stood up. “What is it?”

“I want you to walk twenty miles into the desert, and listen to the wind. Become one with nature, and you will truly know what to do.”

This seemed crazy, but I had no choice. I nodded, picked up my canteen, and touched my amulet. I hoped it would help me from the dangers of porting. If not, I was going to have to go through the pain all over again.

I remembered the words that Cyrus Drake- my uncle, bore me. Then, remarkably, I ported.

I ended up in the Oasis. Looking all directions, I headed off for the part of the desert most flat with sand.

I counted each step as I walked the twenty miles. Each step, the sun burned my back and shot pains through my feet.

After a long amount of time walking, I sat down to rest. The Oasis was just a spot, and I felt relief that I could port back. I knew what the Oasis looked like, unlike the desert. That gave me the ability to port.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, I felt a raindrop. I looked at my wrist in shock, watching as the drop of liquid dripped off it, and onto the ground. I looked up. It was only scorching blue sky, with no clouds. I looked back into my hand, and I felt another drop.

What the hell?

All a sudden, it felt like a huge pail of water was dumped over my head. It was raining so hard, that I couldn’t see outside of it. I couldn’t see the sand, Oasis, or the blue sky that shouldn’t even be bearing rain. This may be magic rain.

Then, I heard this kind of music. This kind of song. It was like beautiful whispers, a chorus of angels singing out of the rain drops. It was so mystical; it took me moments to figure out what the words spoke.

“Listen… Listen… Listen…” The chorus of whispery, beautiful voices spoke the word high and low, making it sound like a symphony.

Then more voices rang out of the rain, except they were deeper, richer, and slower. I wondered if they were Angels that the Fates sent down. Could have Alhazred known about this?

“Listen to each drop of raaiin…”

Memorized by their voices, I listened harder. “Whispering secrets in vaaiin.”

Male voices, soft and gorgeous, sung out their “Ahh’s” like in a chorus. It was a musical never before seen heard, in the middle of a rainstorm with no clouds. How could this be possible?

“Frantically searching for someone to hear… Their story before they hit ground…” I stiffened, surprised. It felt like they were singing about me, all a sudden. In a way, it made sense. That was how I felt. Now afraid, I tried to move- but their voices rang out once again.

“Please don’t let go, let you listen for a while?” I stopped and listened.

Then all of the voices, male, female, angelic, and whispery sang, “Listen to the raaiin… AaAh.”

“Listen, Listen, Listen, to the rain weeping…”

Then I heard it. The sobbing. Each raindrop hitting the ground like a tear, and I felt one of my own on my cheek, hot and wet. However, instead of making me feel weaker, I felt stronger.

I stood alone in this magical storm, and then a sweet voice comes out. It was too familiar, too painful to hear-

How could I hear her voice? My heart was pounding. She’s dead.

“Hurry, you haven’t much time…” She sang. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block it out. I felt something slightly tugging at my clothes and hair.

“Open your eyes to the love-around you…” I reluctantly opened my eyes, and I didn’t regret it. I saw warm, beautiful faces in the rain, but there was something else. There was wind all around me, like I was in the middle of a huge tornado. However, it only tugged at my clothes and hair, too gently and safe.

“You may feel you’re alone,” I nodded, my lip shaking.

“But I’m still here with you.” She sang. “You can do what you dare, just remember to listen to the raaiin”

Her voice went soft, and the chorus died down with the rain. It stopped abruptly, and the wind slowly died down enough to see the oasis. I looked around, and there were no wet spots. No sign of it ever raining.

But that wasn’t what gave me the chills.

I had just heard my mother’s voice.