Shattered Consciousness

Chapter 25: Dear You #2

"Yeah, I'm just like my country/ I'm young, scrappy, and hungry/ And I am not throwing away my... SHOT!" ~Hamilton (SORRY I HAD TO)

Happy Fourth of July dudes!!!

The sound of crinkling paper made my head rise. I'm not the type of girl to sit still in a hospital bed (or sit still anywhere, for that matter), so hearing the sound of paper made me curious. Just under the door, resting against the ugly, off-white tile of the linoleum floor, was an envelope with my name boldly written on the front.

My throat immediately went dry, my heart racing quickly.

I wish I could tell you everything worked itself out, but life doesn't work that way.

"Everything works itself out in the end" is absolute bullshit. Look at me, bedridden and barely able to stand.

But I did. I hobbled to the letter, snatching it and staring at the rough parchment. Daniel just left to get snacks, and I wanted to read this together, just in case my anxiety came to wreck me full-force.

I've gone through this life in a perpetual state of movement. Like the fair ride The Zipper, I think I have a handle on life before I turn a corner and find myself completely upside down.

I heard his footsteps. They were slow and heavy, dragging exhaustedly. He was stressed, I could tell, tired of being caught in my web of constant struggles. I waited patiently as I heard him pause at the door, take a deep breath, and slowly crack it open.

"I have something to show you," I said nervously, my voice frail.

He smiled weakly and grabbed my hand, pressing the back of it to his lips. I grabbed the letter from underneath my pillowcase and handed it to him.

"I haven't read it yet. Can you please read it out loud?" I whispered, my voice hoarse.

"Dearest Iris,
Dim-witted little girl. I thought you were intelligent enough to tell who I am by now, but apparently you've been preoccupied by something else, haven't you? Big Bad Alpha can't protect you from death now, can he? Hell, he can't even protect you now. I'll see you tonight. Have fun. ;)".

"Daniel?" I asked. "Are you okay?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~*Daniel's P.O.V*~~~~~~~~~~~
Her hands were bony. Hell, everything about her was bony. She was malnourished. Her eyes were glued shut, already exhausted even though it was the middle of the day. I sighed as I looked at her. She was still so beautiful, but I couldn't handle seeing her like this every day. Seeing the love of my life dying. I needed a break.

"I'll be back soon. I love you. ~Daniel" is the note I left on her bedside table. I kissed her on the forehead before running outside, immediately shifting into my wolf form. I just needed to think for a while. I needed to reflect, to think about how drastically my life was about to change. I needed to prepare for when my world crashed beneath my feet.

~*Iris' P.O.V*~

I woke up in a panic. My hair was sticking to my forehead. I looked at the clock and realized it was nighttime, and Daniel was nowhere to be seen. Did the writer of my letters take him? Was he trapped somewhere so they could play some sadistic game with my head?

Then I saw the paper on the bedside stand. My breathing hitched, my heart palpitating in my chest.

"I'll be back soon. I love you." ~Daniel

Could I trust it? It was Daniel's handwriting, sure, but was he just held captive? Why would he leave at such a bad time? Did he want me to get hurt? Did he not love me anymore?

My breathing hitched as I heard footsteps creeping toward my door. Was it my potential killer?

Am I about to die?, I thought.

In the midst of my panic, I scrambled to my feet. I took a few steps before lurching forward, my forehead smacking against the linoleum floor. My knees were too weak to hold me up.

I felt something sticky dripping down my face and blackness dotted my vision, but I kept myself conscious just long enough to hear a chuckle from the doorway and to see Charlie's head appear in front of me. I could tell his breath smelled awful.

"This is what you get, bitch," is all I heard before my eyes closed shut.

My head was foggy. I had a massive headache, but the smell around me was so familiar that it didn't matter. I slowly peeled open my eyes, staring curiously at the bands around my wrists.

"I didn't know Daniel had a fetish," I muttered before memories started rushing back.

You have cancer. You were taken by Charlie. He's pissed at you because you almost made him lose his mate, Brooke. Brooke is Daniel's third in command and has been friends with him since he was six.
Charlie's a pervert, I thought, all in quick procession.

But... why would Charlie bring me somewhere so obvious? Did he think Daniel was stupid? I could smell his scent all around me, which meant he was around here frequently.

"Ah, you're awake," a sinister voice snapped me out of my thoughts. "Let me tell you, I'm going to enjoy torturing you in your mate's own house. If only he hadn't left you tonight. Maybe you'd be safe. Shame he just couldn't deal with your bullshit anymore."

"That's not true," I whispered.

"What was that?" Charlie growled menacingly.

"I said it's not true!" I yelled, somehow growing a spine for two split seconds before the look in his eyes made me shrink in fear. He came up to me and pulled my hair back, slapping me across the face. His nails scratched at the skin of my cheek, leaving blood to trail down my neck.

"Yell like that again, bitch, and see where it gets you," he threatened.

I could hear things being thrown, smashing against walls. I heard a terrified roar, a roar so guttural that the emotion behind it couldn't be mistaken.

Daniel, I whispered in my head. Why hadn't he found me yet?

"I put a magical veil on this room. The only way he'll find you is if he's smart. I left clues, of course, but I personally don't think he'll figure them out before your life wastes away. What do you think?" he smirked evilly at me.

"Who the hell dropped you on your head when you were a baby?" was my genius response. It earned me a punch in the face, the sound of my skull smacking against the wooden floor reverberating around the room.

"He'll need to find a warlock. Which will be hard enough, since warlocks don't usually associate with wolves. I was just lucky enough to find one with a particular... distaste for you. I think you know who I'm talking about?" he asked innocently, but I sat there stone-faced. "She's researching ways to get past the veil your mate put around this house right now. She'll be here soon. But anyway, not only will he have to find a warlock, but he'll also have to figure out which room is missing. This is one of the least used rooms in the house, and your boyfriend isn't too observant. Kind of dull, actually."

"Don't talk about him like that," I snapped, earning another punch in the face.

"Watch your tongue with me! You want to see what happens to people who piss me off too much?"

I just shrugged and in return earned another punch in the face, my eye swelling and my consciousness slowly leaking from my grasp.

"Sleep tight," he snarled maliciously before my vision blacked out.