Isildilia.(Book 1 of the White Lily trilogy)

chapter 8- the secret is out

Isildilia didn't want to wake up.

She wanted the whole thing to be a dream. She wanted to remain shut up within the deepest reaches of her mind and stay there. However, try as she might , all she heard was a knocking repeatedly resounding through her head. She grunted as it was driving her crazy. She had to wake up, just to force whatever was making that noise to stop.

Light flooded her eyes as she opened them a tiny amount. She was lying on her back, staring up at the ceiling. Someone had laid her out on her bed and tucked her under the sheets. She placed the back of her hand against her forehead; she was running some sort of fever. She also felt that someone had placed a small cloth over her, which had now dried out. She tried to sit up, but she didn't even have the strength in her back to do so. Every muscle screamed when she attempted any major movement, leaving her lying flat out and helpless.

Someone bustled into her room. She tried to turn over to see who it was, but to no avail. She could hear them wringing out another cloth from a bowl of water. They crouched down beside her and exchanged the cloth. She shivered at the cold water, as it dripped down into her hairline. It was Elencra. At first, she didn't notice that Isildilia was awake. But it wasn't long until she saw.

"Oh, you are awake. How are you feeling? Do you need anything?" She couldn't manage to say anything, so she just shook her head ever-so-slightly from side to side. Elencra placed a cool hand against her cheeks.

"Mmmh, you still have a high temperature. You scared us you know. All we could hear was you screaming. So we came running upstairs and found you lying unconscious on the floor, withering in some sort of pain ."

Isildilia looked away as memories of last night came flooding through her.

She then felt an icy pit form in her stomach. What if she saw the mark on her back? Not to mention the blood. If she did, she was pretending not to notice it. She knew Elencra could see the worry in her eyes. She opened her mouth and Isildilia half-expected her to question it but she did not.

"Still, I didn't expect you to be awake so early considering the fever you have," she said instead. Isildilia smiled weakly as relief filled her and Elencra smiled back. She took the bowl of water and the old cloth downstairs. Was that really all she was going to say? It had definitely happened . For once, she was completely sure of it. She even checked by rolling her tongue around in her mouth, feeling the burning cut where she had bitten down on it.

Judging from the glimmer of light filtering past her curtains, the morning was well underway. She could hear the people bustling through the streets below her window. She tried to sit up again, but she only managed to lift her head up a fraction.

She kept trying all morning to sit up, each time getting further and further upwards. It wasn't until the late afternoon that she was able to get out of the bed and walk around. Her strength quickly returned after that. She was able to walk without staggering side to side and completely surprised her family when she walked briskly into the kitchen. Elencra was so startled that she dropped the plate she was holding. The smash made everyone in the vicinity jump.

"What are you doing down here? Go back upstairs at once!" she shrieked.

Isildilia shook her head. "Honestly, I feel fine."

"Fine is it? When I last checked, you had a fever so high that you could roast a piece of meat on your forehead. Not to mentioned you were so weak you couldn't even move."

"Well, I'm moving now aren't I?"

"Moving yes! Moving back upstairs, now!" She started to push and lead Isildilia back to her room; she didn't bother to put up much of a fight. She let out a small groan. She did not want to stay in there any longer, nor did she want to pick another fight with her mother. So she allowed herself to be steered back in. This time, she even heard Elencra lock the door behind her. She was trapped, although there was an easy escape route.