The Enchanted Woods: book 1

Chapter 14

Chapter XIV

~~Three Hours Later~~

 All of us sit in the cave, still in complete shock. Miki kept saying something, but I was too spaced out to listen.

 Three babies. I count on my fingers...

 Me. I stick up my index finger... Alice. I put up another. Ashlynn, Cole. Two more. Violet. Another finger. One hand already filled up... The newborn twins... two more fingers. If Sapphire is resurected... One more finger. Eight. That's eight of us. How did this go from 3 (Alice, Sapphire, and I) to 8?

 A sick feeling hits my stomach... I look at Alice, Ashlynn, and Cole all cooing over the two new babies... My legs were shaking too violently for me to scooch closer to them..

 "The names..." I feebly call over to them.

 "Huh," they all turn their heads toward me..

 "Names... what are their names?" I ask again.

 "Ellie and Jake," Cole smiles.

 I smile weakly and look over at Alice who is gently caressing baby Violet. Alice smiles and comes over to me. I take Violet from her arms and look at her. A wolf. Beautiful shining auburn wolf ears sit atop her head. She smiles at me and wraps her little fingers tight around my ring finger. With my other fingers I tickle her stomach softly. A tiny giggle escapes her bright pink lips.

 "Duh-duh," I hear her whisper gently. I grin sprawls across Alice's face. Violet looks over at her. "Muh-muh."

 "Oh!" Alice gasps. I see joyful tears spring at the edges of her eyes.

 Violet begins to giggle, but then her eyes close, bound by sleep...

*****

**Alice**

 I hear Miki clear her throat. "Shall we get along with this," she gestures toward Sapphire. I can't believe I had almost forgotten... I jump to my feet and rush over to the table where Sapphire's lifeless body lays.

 "So this girl is very important with you," She looks down at me through dark eyes.

 "Yes..." I mutter. "She saved my life kinda."

 Miki grabs several bottles from different shelves. She goes to a cauldron and pours in amounts of each liquid or powder. "You are very brave, Alice," she pronounces my name so it sounds like 'Aleese'.

 I tilt my head slightly and question, "Why do you say that?"

 "You have not been in the woods long I assume. Within the short time you have escaped a criminal, met lots of people, befriended a wolf, turned a mortal into a feline, tried to save this girl many times, learned your Sixth Sense, accepted a mortal into your group, and had a beautiful baby girl," she stirs the concauction. "That is true bravery where I come from."

 I smile and look at Sapphire. Her body is solid white and freezing cold. She looked so young... so beautiful... "Will you be able to revive her?" I look back at Miki. She ladels some of the liquid and pours it into a bowl.

 "Let us hope for the best," her deep blood-red lips curl into a smile. She walks over to Sapphire's side and begins to part her lips gently. She alines the bowl with her cold lips and tilts it back a little. The mixture seeps down into her mouth.

 Anxiety fills me. I feel the preassure coming from Miki, the fatigue of Ashlynn, Cole's exasperation from the current events, and Austin's calm content as he cradles Violet. My senses seemed like they had been heightened. I space out and focus on each of the feelings. Finally feeling comes back and I look at Sapphire. Her face seemed to be flushing the sickly pale color and regaining what I thought she had lost: blood.

 Several minutes pass. Then... a cough... My senses perk up again and the words slip out of my mouth before my mind can fully think them through. "Sapphire?!" I see her eyelids begin to flutter. I place a hand on her forehead and watch as she gradually eases her eyes open.

 "A-Alice?" she sputters...

 I squeal and throw my body around her. I embrace her and kiss her forehead. "Sapphire!" I cry. She pulls away and looks from side to side.

 "Where am I?" her voice comes out feebly.

 "Still in the woods... This is Miki... She brought you back to life," tears trickle down my cheeks. Everyone had gathered around.

 Sapphire was so confused by everything. Cole, the babies, and where she was. "B-brought me b-back t-t-to life? What do you m-mean?"

 "Sapphire you were dead..." Ashlynn murmers. "Jason... he killed you."

 "Who is that?" she pointed at Cole. "Where did those babies come from?"

 "That's Cole... and the babies... Well Violet is mine... Ellie and Jake are Ashlynn and Cole's..."

 She lays her head back down. I can feel her discomfort and confusion. I kneel down next to her and look at her now living body. I explain everything to her. She nods her head.

 "But so much has happened... You... you have a baby!" She whispers.

 I chuckle softly... "I know it's pretty different, huh... But I'm still the same Alice. Nothing has changed," I smile warmly. "I'm glad to have you back..."

 I pull her down from the table and walk her to the mouth of the cave. The warm, early spring wind floats through and rustles some dead leaves off the forest floor, causing them to dance around in the wind like a small tornado. The wind latches on to some of Sapphire's perfect golden locks and let them sway carelessly with the rest of the world. Sapphire looks at me. Her face was pale and sunken. She looks dreadful. I reach out and tug tangles out of her hair.

 Help her expression called out to me. I feel a stab of Sapphires pain and worry as it seeps into my heart.

 If I could just fix that beautiful face up with some make-up... I pick up a patch of remaining snow and was her face. A little better I suppose.

 I was so scared to talk. Sapphire seemed so tense and worried, just as she had always been. She has always been compassionate. She can't go without being hepful or wanting to make sure that people are okay. I'm so happy she is back.

 "Alice," she whispers. "Why did you let me go..."

 I feel as though her voice gets fainter and fainter. Seemingly it faded... Fingers stretch up and touch my face.

 Ouch!

 The touch of her fingers was cold and it sent an electic tremor through me.

 Overhead, dark puffy clouds swirl around as if someone were stirring them. A dense fog thickens around us. I blink. Blink. Then she's gone.

 "Sapphire?" I thrash my head from side to side violently. "Sapphire!" my voice rises in anger, frustration... sadness.

 As I turn my head again I see her outline in the thick smoke. She just stands there. Doesn't say a word besides, "Alice" or "Why?"

 Blink.

 Again she moves to another location.

 "ALICE!" she screams. I look over and see Jason running out of the dark forest and latching on to Sapphire. I writhe around. I try to move. But nothing.

 "Sapphire!" I shriek. I try to reach out to her. Nothing works. My muscles were somehow bound tight and frozen. I mean literally frozen. They were cold as ice, stiff as a board, like they had never been used before.

 He stabbed her right before my very eyes. Blood gushed out of her and her screams echoed all around. No one came to help. My shrieks of pain and frustration meant nothing to the surrounding world.

 "Alice..." Her last word rings out slow a clearly. Then the world fades away as if my spirit had died along with Sapphire.

 "Alice?" I feel mysef being shaken, but no one was next to me. "Alice?!" Concern fills the familiar voice. Then... CRAP. A pinch of pain.

 I bolt upright and look around. I was still in the cave. Austin had woken me up. Violet was crying. Ashlynn and Cole were sleeping.

 Sapphire was still dead.