Huntress

Chapter 57

I was drifting in and out, so rapidly that it became hard to tell what was a dream and what was real. But that purple woman. She was real. I knew it. Maybe it was because I thought my mind wouldn't have the strength to create someone like her. Maybe it was because I could still recall the feeling of her hands on my shoulders, the saddened words she had whispered to me. I was forgetting everything else, though. And maybe one day, I would forget her too.

I would see a man with red eyes sometimes. Each time he came into a space where I was, I would tense. It was impossible not to, though I would see the hurt flicker across his features. I would feel shame then, because he seemed to be the only one would could catch those tiny movements, the small powers I had over limited muscles, like my body was trying to stay connected with my brain.

He would hold my hand sometimes. When he did, he would shut those red eyes and stay still until a crease formed between his brows, like he was concentrating so hard. He would pull away defeated, and though I couldn't tell him, I felt his pain. I now completely understood what it was like to place all your energy into one thing, even just the lift of a finger, and to fail.

Even in his frustration he was kind. He would sigh and pat my hand, tell me that we would try again tomorrow. He often left me a little snack, but I never knew if I ate it or if I just dreamed that I did.

A pretty woman would come to me sometimes. I would often think that she should have been wearing a lab coat, but the stethoscope around her neck would be the only indication that she had any medical training whatsoever. She always spoke kindly, though often I didn't have the capacity to understand what she was saying.

One particular morning, I was feeling clear-headed. It was a curse and a blessing. To finally know what was going on around me. to remember that I was damned to this body that I could no longer control with a brain that was unreliable.

Arms were around me, as they often were, seeing as my legs no longer obeyed when I asked them to move. A hulk of a man settled me on a couch, crouching down to move my legs through some very basic stretches and exercises. I was vaguely aware that I had been here before. I should have known these walls, those stairs, this man in front of me. It was a cabin and quite lavish by normal standards, it should have been unique enough to recall. But it was all slipping away from me, day by day.

"How is she doing?" a woman asked from out of view.

"I think I've actually increased her ankle mobility since she came here. She must have had multiple injuries to the same—"

"Ajax, that's not what I meant," the woman interrupted.

Ajax. I knew Ajax. At least, I thought I did.

He gave out a little sigh. "Nothing to report yet. Sandra said her vitals are good and physically, there is nothing wrong with her. Whatever this is, it's in the mind. And, she believes that it is something to do with werewolves, magic at the very minimum."

There was a pause, the only sound in the room was the soft swish of my sweatpants as Ajax continued to push me through exercises.

"Ajax, are we doing the right thing?" the woman whispered. "If we're hurting her even more..."

"Look at her," Ajax said firmly. "She is barely living, Keiko. If we find out that we are hurting her more and making it worse, we'll stop. We'll take her back to the home and cover all of the costs of being there, cover all the costs of anyone that we've hurt who needs extensive medical treatment. Ryder isn't talking to us at all so any information he might have is also gone. She is our only hope of understanding this. And I know that it hurts, I know that it's upsetting, but one soul to save a thousand is a price that I'm willing to pay. It's a price that Georgia was willing to pay when she took that job." He moved to stand up so we could begin my arm movements.

"I'm scared," Keiko admittedly softly, stepping into my line of vision. The raven-haired woman now had tears in her eyes, her lower lip captured between her teeth. "I'm so scared that we are the cause of this."

"If we can confirm that we are, we will have to be strong enough to face those repercussions. For now, we've already started isolating. We just need time, faith in our doctors, and patience."

Keiko rubbed her slender arms. "What if Ryder finds out?"

"Since he's not answering any of my calls or texts, I'm guessing he wants nothing to do with us right now. He's probably off in the woods, letting his wolf out to distract his mind. And if he does decide to come back to us we have a guard stationed outside during the days watching for him."

"Would you let a guard stop you from getting to me?" Keiko wondered.

Ajax's eyes darkened. "I'll round up a few more men."

There was a soft sigh, another pass of Keiko trying to console her soul via a little self-hug. "Do you ever wish that you hadn't been born for this role, that you were just a beta in some random pack."

"I think about it more often now than ever before, my love."

From there, I slipped back into my dreams. The black of a funeral that made me want to wail and sob. The red of blood coating my hands, even when I begged for it to go away. The firm hands on my back of a man I loved, but could never keep.

~~~Question of the Day~~~

What is stopping you from being more eco friendly?