Cara
I dropped down, pain shooting through my knees due to the impact, but I did not care. I barely even noticed.
Liza's form was cold. Freezing. I pressed my palm on her temple. She shivered under my touch. I was actually thankful that she did. It assured me that she was still alive.
My breath caught as I took her in. She was covered in soil and grass. Her clothes -the same one she had worn the other night- were dirty and torn up. Her blonde locks were a mess. She was barefoot. Dry blood covered her hands and feet.
"Oh my God!" I exclaimed, my palm covering my mouth.
How had this happened?
Who did this?
She was fine yesterday.
What shocked me most was the gory cut on her left wrist. A deep anger accompanied my astonishment. I wanted to know whoever had done this to her.
Was the work of a human or something else? Probably the latter.
I felt defensive and protective of my friend in that moment, feeling a strong urge to find whoever it was that did this and exact a painful revenge on them.
Tears wet my cheeks, running down my face in slow streams. I wiped them down with the sleeved of my sweater.
"Liza! Liza!" I shook her shoulder gently, attempting to wake her. Her only response was a loud release of air. She gasped and her body shivered again.
Running my fingers through my hair, I breath heavily, the impact of the situation sinking in. I wanted to cry, to wail. But that would not help.
The first thing I though was that I should administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
'CPR is to be administered on an unconscious person. ' My father's words echoed in my mind. I remembered the time he had taught me first aid. It had been a while but I still remembered the key points, thanks to the little song he had created. Never would I forget the tune.
Once I made sure that she had a pulse and her airways were clear, I assured that she was laying flat the ground. Putting her fist on her chest and her other hand on top of it, I interlocked my fingers and pressed down on her chest in rounds. I carried out the procedure as it was to be done but there was no change.
Bring her into the house.
Standing up, I placed both of my arms under hers and lifted her. She wasn't too heavy so I was able to pull her, using my leg power rather than the little upper body strength I had. My regular runs in the woods had really strengthened my leg muscles.
I dragged her into the house, making sure not to drag her feet on the ground too much. I was careful and cautious of my surroundings, not wanting to cause any injuries for the both of us.
I managed to get her into the living room and placed her on the couch. Had the circumstances been different I would have taken a second to congratulate myself on how strong I had gotten.
Not knowing what else to do, I ran into the kitchen, grabbed my phone from where I had dropped it on the floor and dialled my father. After a few seconds he picked up.
"Dad!" My voice cracked as tears welled up in my eyes once more. I stared at my best friend who lay limp on the sofa. My heart broke. The pain was overwhelming. "L-Liza. She got lost and now she...Liza is in trouble!"
I was able to get the important parts out as I moved back to where my friend was.
"I'll be right there." A chair dragged on the other side of the call. "Explain what happened."
"I don't know. I don't know." A whimper escaped my lips." She came through the back door. She is dirty and she unconscious."
"Call for an ambulance, right now," my father instructed. He was very reliable in such situations. He was by far the best person to have around you in an emergency." In the mean time, place her flat on her back. Check airways and administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation if necessary. I taught you how. Above all,be safe. I am on my way."
He hang up.
Liza's voice sounded softly and suddenly as I dialled 9-1-1 ,"Cara?"
The girl's eyes were lazily opened. But opened. That was something. Her pupils moved languidly as she took in her surroundings. Her thin, well-groomed eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
With a raspy voice she spoke, "what happened? Ah!" Her hand flew to her temple as she hissed," my head! Jesus!"
I rushed to her aid, examining her forehead. I noticed the darkened bruise on her forehead. The skin below it was purplish as if it the girl had incurred an injury only a few days before.
Calculations raced through my mind. I assessed the state of affairs again and again, mentally trying to find a reasonable explanation for all of it. Nothing came up.
The few dry leaves I had found on her garments indicated that she had come from the woods. But how? Her home was at least thirty miles away. Liza's residence was on the other side of the state, closer to the beach.
"What happened?" I asked her." Do you remember anything?"
She opened her mouth, trying to speak but instead coughed as if trying to clear her throat of phlegm. I hurried to the kitchen to grab her a glass of water. I brought along with it a wet cloth.
Liza received the glass with shaky hands and brought it to her mouth. She gulped down the water and placed the glass on the coffee table. "I don't remember what happened. Except for a woman."
"A woman?"
"Y-Yeah. She was the last thing I saw before...before I woke up in the woods. "
"Where?"
"When I went to take the trash can outside...the last night!" Her eyes widened as she came to a realisation. "When I took the bottle out!"
Blood froze in my veins, stopping my movements completely. She was talking about the night of our graduation day. Two days before.
"What? What is it?" She questioned, confused and worried. A lone tear rolled down her pale cheeks. She wiped it away but then noticed the blood her hands. I noticed something too.
There was a mark on her wrist. A red fading marking.
I grabbed her hand and studied it. A pain shot through my hand when I traced my fingertips over the reddened skin. I winced at the tingles shooting up my right arm.
"Oh my God!" Liza yanked my wrist towards her and saw that as her mark faded one appeared on my hand the same exact place it had been on hers.
Magic.
The pain subsided. I rubbed furiously at my skin but nothing changed. It did not fade. It was stuck...like a tattoo.
Deciding to deal with whatever was happening later, I spoke, "let's get you cleaned up....Then we will deal with this later."
The girl simply nodded, her gaze falling to the floor. There was another ache in my chest as I took in her expression. Never had I seen her like this. Around her eyes, where she usually would have a nice eyeshadow were dark circles. The pretty, expensive lipstick she usually wore was replaced by a dry cracks caused by dehydration. The blush that often covered her cheeks was now gone and in its place drying tears.
Before I could react to anything, a knock sounded at the door. The knock was followed by the sound of the knob turning and the door opening.
Heavy, hurried footsteps came our way until they stopped. And Ivan was right in front of me.
No words left my lips as he grabbed my waist and pulled me in.
"You're safe..." he breath next to my ear. It sounded like he was not telling me but confirming it to himself
His warm, soundless breath fanned my skin causing a shudder to rush through me. In his hold I forgot all that was around me. But I was reminded when the couch groaned as Liza attempted to stand.
Breaking away from Ivan's comforting hold, I turned my attention to Liza. I looked at Ivan again." She...She has been missing for two days. Something happened to her. She...She...doesn't-"
He completed the sentence when I couldn't , "remember."
"Two days!"
Ignoring my friend's exclamation, I questioned," do you know about this?"
Whatever was taking place or had taken place was not of my world but his. He held the answers.
Abruptly, Ivan took my hand and gazed upon my wrist.
"Tell me what the hell is going on!"
"Zoladie has taken her first shot. She has sworn to kill you." He said this just as my father entered the living room, walking straight into the most confusing scene of my life.
IvanShe stood at my side, my hand gripping her wrist. I ensured that my hold on her was not too tight. I had a problem controlling my own strength especially around her. Cara was my greatest reason to remain in control, yet she was the only reason I had trouble keeping myself calm.My greatest weakness and my greatest strength.Her eyes rested on her father who had not moved an inch from behind the long beige couch. His gaze was sharply fixed on me as I held his daughter's arm possessively. He was very protective of her, as was I. I was thus able to know exactly what was going through his mind. Who was this man near his daughter? Why did he speak as he did? What was his interest with her?Their resemblance was uncanny. Their relation was undoubtable. Their eyes were so much alike. They were bright and jade, unlike anything I had ever seen."Can we focus? Liza is not ok. Now is not the time to stare at each other." Cara spoke so commandingly. I felt myself smile for a moment. When the
CaraAnd only I can protect her ,the words echoed relentlessly in my mind.Without knowing what I was doing, I jumped out from where I was hiding behind the wall, at the staircase. I did not care that they now knew I had been eavesdropping. Ivan had probably already known."Protect me? Protect me from what?"Both men turned to me. Ivan's dark grey orbs were glued on me. As always, I felt stark naked under his stare."It's difficult to explain," answered Ivan. He pursed his lips, avoiding my eyes as if they burned his own."Try. Explain." Enough was enough. I was adamant on getting the answers I wanted."There's a witch. She will stop at nothing to...harm you. She wants to...to kill you," he faltered. Surprisingly, my father did not even flinch.He knows."She attacked Liza and if you do not get away from here, she will strike again." The world suddenly feel in, the room closing in on me. Ivan rushed to me but I stepped back, refusing him to touch me.What I got from his statement wa
CaraThe weight of all that had happened that day crushed my chest causing me a physical pain. Heaving, I collapsed onto the plush comforter. The beddings recieved me and comfort spread over me.My eyes shut and I began to drift off into the land of slumber - one of the best places known to troubled people. The feeling of solace however proved to be ephemeral. I was quickly brought back. Remembering that I was not at home and definitely not on my bed, my eyes snapped open. I was far from home.Sitting up on the luxurious queen sized, four-poster bed , I looked around the room again. I had hardly gotten a chance to look around before. Ivan had escorted me here and had quickly left. He clearly had other business to attend to. And it made me feel like... an inconvenience.My room was more than sizeable. It was huge. It was different from the room I had slept in the last time I had been here. That room was on the floor below the one I was presently in.Whoever had designed the place had m
CaraThe water felt like ice on my back. I turned up the knob, increasing the pressure at which the water poured down on me. The water came down on me from different sides - it was one of those multihead showers.I grabbed the shampoo and applied some of it on my hair. A soft honey scent spread in the air. I rubbed the shampoo into my hair then washed it out and did the same with the conditioner.The shower cleared my head and rid it of the harsh memories of my most recent nightmare. The dream had given me quite a shake. It had been so vivid. So real. Every moment had felt real and for a moment it felt like... I was looking into the future.Without even dressing up, I secured the towel around my body and took my phone from where I had kept it in my luggage bag.The first thing I saw upon unlocking the device was the my screensaver, a photo me and my father smiling, eating pancakes at this diner we used to go to before we moved to California. I remembered that day. It was the first day
CaraHis lips were strong and demanding against mine. He kissed me with passion. With need. And I reciprocated every one of his emotions. I tightened my arms around him and deepened the connection between us. For moments it felt like I fed off his passion and he fed off mine.My hunger grew and I became more aggressive, taking the lead. And he let me.Footsteps sounded around me, breaking through the barrier that had been created the second my lips met Ivan's. I tried to pull away but Ivan held me tighter and growled at my attempts to leave his arms."Someone's coming," I warned, my lips brushing against his as I spoke. He was only a breath away. I was tempted to ignore whoever was coming our way and close the small gap between us."Am I not allowed to kiss my own chosen in my own house?" He groaned, his hands running smoothly down my backside. For a second I'd thought he'd untie the knots that held my dress closed. " I shall have you when I want."You definetely shall , I thought.
IvanMy heartbeat was thunderous in my ears, my chest unbearably tight. The air in my lungs felt incredibly compacted. I clenched my fist, wondering why my body was acting the way it was. I became unnaturally nervous as I stared at my beloved. Her eyes remained focused on the gold and black tie I wore but she wasn't really looking at the tie itself. She was thinking. I knew it by the familiar look on her face that she was deep in thought.Upon informing her about my kingdom and my position in it, she had said nothing. The wait was killing me. Her silence was tearing me to bits.I realized then that the heightened senses, the weight in chest, the great discomfort, they were all due to anxiety. I was scarcely ever anxious or nervous - if at all - and so I was not well accustomed to whatever was happening. Not even in times of war, when I knew my enemies were drawing closer had I felt this way. This woman, standing right their drew something from inside me. She was able to reach into me
CaraI reveled in the pleasure of being on solid ground again. My head began to clear up, the dizziness the leaving me. I was amazed by the wonder of it all. Not more that five minutes before had I been back at Ivan's house and now I was here. And 'here' was quite far from home.My eyes travelled the room, taking everything in, from the shining stone floors to the spectacular view of the sky. The room was circular and large, with a grand cupola forming its ceiling. Large sculpted pillars held up the dome above us and in between them there were spaces allowing for a nice view.I shifted my attention back at the people before us. Directly in front of me stood a tall, heavy brown-eyed man with a head of long, curly, blonde hair. He eyed me top to bottom, saying nothing.Three people stood behind the giant of a man: a woman dressed in a leather military jacket and leather pants to match, a man dressed the same way and a young woman who wore a simple white dress."Sir," the built man greet
CAUTION : mature content ahead. If you are easily offended by such, kindly skip over the scene.KogoMy feet tapped against the stone floors as I waited impatiently outside Keith's chambers. It was known that he and his wife kept a few energy stones with them and if my plan was going to work I needed a stone.Still I had no idea how I would do this. I couldn't just barge in and demand that he give me a stone , I did not have a stone carrying permit. Operating and handling an energy stone required licensing these days, since the amendment of the laws due to Zoladie's recent terror in our land. As a result, all witches were charged to hand in there stones for 'safekeeping'. My only hope now was to steal it.Steal it , I decided inwardly. It would not be an issue, I had done this a few times in my youth. When I was younger, my friends and I had enjoyed stealing strong elixirs and potions from the shops in the town.The tall heavy doors burst open all of a sudden. There stood Keith, dress