Queen of Rosewood Forest (On Hold)

Chapter 20

"I..." My brain is foggy, and my feelings are becoming clouded. "I think I need a break." Getting up to go outside, my head feels light, and I stumble a bit. I get out the door and I'm only a couple steps away when Alun starts to follow me. At first, I didn't know it was him, but once he grabbed my arm to keep me from falling due to my dizziness that I was fighting, I smelled his cologne that reminded me of the ocean and fresh rain, and I could tell it was him. It's just something so uniquely him that I know its him coming up behind me before I see his face.

"Let me take you back to the Bohannon estate. I don't think you should be alone right now." He places a hand on my upper back to stabilize me. "You don't seem to be okay."

I start to protest but quickly realize I don't have enough energy to fight him so I just cave, "Okay."

As we walk up to the mansion Mrs. Bohannon spots us from the porch. "Alun? Is she alright?" she says while signaling to a maid.

We start to walk up the steps and a maid runs to take me from Alun so she can help me to my room. "She overworked herself today. I think she's having trouble controlling her powers and their taking too much energy from her," he explains. I don't catch any more of their conversation since I'm now inside and heading to my room.

I decide to stay in my room the rest of the evening, since my body feels like it's encased in concrete. It took everything in me to just change into my pajamas, so I give up on trying to brush my hair even though I know I'll regret it tomorrow. I just don't have the energy to push myself to do anymore right now. It's like the world is spinning around me and my chest is so tight that it hurts to breathe if I shift wrong. My brain is throbbing so painfully I think my skull is going to burst from the pressure. Everything in me hurts, every nerve, every fiber is screaming in pain. At this point, I try to get some sleep, but I keep gasping awake like my body is going to stop breathing and my mind has to force me to wake up to make sure I start breathing again. After the third or fourth time of waking up with a jolt, I hear something, so I force myself to calm my breathing down and it dawns on me that someone is arguing.

"Mother, she needs help and someone who she knows. I understand it isn't the best of circumstances, but she needs help and medicine to get better." I'm able to tell that the hushed argument is taking place outside of my door. "She trusts me."

"Neven you could end up making her worse. Just about everyone has noticed she's been avoiding you since you began fighting with Ally. What happens if you scare her, and she tries to leave in this condition? Have you even thought about that?"

"Fine, I'll call Alun," he huffed in annoyance, "but she's not going to be left in there alone."

"But why does it have to be you?" Ally asked in a whiny voice. I force back a gasp at hearing her voice. What is she doing here this late at night?

"Because she trusts me."

"And she doesn't trust Alun, Eben, or Aaden?"

"Not as much as me."

"And I wonder why," she scoffs.

"What does that mean?" Neven asked crossly. I tense at his tone; I've never heard him talk like that and it causes goosebumps to appear on my arms.

"Oh, don't act like you don't know," she says angrily.

"Let's all calm down," Mrs. Bohannon says tiredly. "We need to be rational, and we don't want to wake her with this discussion."

"I am, Mother," Neven sighs.

"Have you even thought about how this looks to the village, Neven?" Ally whines. "How it affects me and what they will think of me?"

"What are you talking about, Ally?" he asks confused.

"How do you think it looks that you have a married woman staying with you when you are supposed to be engaged to me? Where is her husband anyway? Think of our reputation!"

"Right, because it's all about you," he scoffs.

"You're supposed to become a council member when the elders pass, and our marriage has been arranged since we were 10. You are supposed to think about our village and keep your image in mind. You have to keep the peoples' trust, and all you want to do is argue over this girl? Seriously Neven?"

At this point I'm forcing myself not to hyperventilate, I can't be the cause of this, I can't. I try to push myself up, but my body fails me as I manage to get to the edge of the bed before falling off with a thud.

The fall tips off everyone outside my door and Neven rushes in with Ally and his mother not far behind. Neven picks me up as if it's nothing despite my body feeling unimaginably heavy to me. Mrs. Bohannon has a bowl of soup in her hands, and she sits down on a chair next to my bed to help me eat. I watch Ally drag Neven out of the room without a word and I wish I could disappear as tears slip down my face while my heart shoots pain over all my nerves.