Potential for Darkness (Peter Pan)//(Robbie Kay)

14 ~ Hospitalized

<<<Day 19>>>

A stabbing pain lanced somewhere behind her forehead as Adelina jerked awake, breathing heavily. Reflexively, she tried to sit up, but the slightest contraction of her upper body muscles made her feel like she was being stabbed with blades of fire. Terrified upon learning of her inability to move, her eyes searched around herself wildly to understand where she was.

She wasn't in her tree house, that was for sure. The wooden room was filled with unknown cabinets and shelves, all filled with sorts of herbs or fluids. A musty, herbal scent hung in the air, quite pleasant and appeasing. Dust motes floated and danced in the golden sun rays that beamed through the thick windowpane.

The room reminded her of the garden shed hidden deep in their grandparents' huge terrain she used to play in with her brother in summer. Outside was stifling hot and dry, but nestled into that small shed, it had been cool enough and snug, with plenty of oddities lined on the numerous shelves to keep them occupied. They used to pretend they were magicians, she recalled with a nostalgic smile, witches and wizards, brewing potions either for healing each other after imaginary battles, or to kill off their enemies to rule over their kingdoms. Those had been good memories, until she'd turned twelve and her mother had learned of it, and had forbidden Jamie to play with her. She didn't blame him for having listened to his mother, why start a fight that he couldn't win anyways?

Ever since then, Adelina had only returned once to that shed, where she'd tried to play on her own, but it hadn't been the same without him. She blinked. Leaving memory lane hastily, Adelina surveyed the room. Wherever she was now, it wasn't their grandparents' shed, this room was - she now realized - much too big to be the small garden shed.

"Where the hell am I?" she muttered under her breath, not expecting an answer.

There was a small yawn and shuffling sound in response to her question, issuing from a far corner lost in shadow. Adelina tensed, uncertain of who was there, unable to see.

"Oh, you're awake," a soft, younger voice said, gentleness emanating from it. "Good, I was starting to fall asleep." The owner of the voice emerged into the dying golden light of evening and into her line of sight.

A smile drew itself on her lips. "Gabriel," she said fondly. "What are you doing here?"

The eight year old child looked at her uncertainly, giving her a small, timid smile. "I came here to help you."

"Why?"

Gabriel played with his fingers as he drew himself to her bedside, almost as if he was nervous. "When Felix came to bring me my food, he had some blood on his shirt, and he seemed a bit preoccupied. So I asked him what was going on and he told me that you got beaten unconscious by Ryan and that you were in the infirmary." Gabriel didn't meet her eyes. "So I- I asked if I could help."

Adelina's heart filled with warmth and love for the child before her. "That's so very sweet of you Gabriel." The boy blushed, looking down at his shoes.

"Does it hurt?" he asked when he finally dared to look at her again. "It looks like it does."

"Doesn't hurt as much as that bastard will when I get my revenge on him," she replied. Adelina then recalled who she was speaking to as she met his wide, brown gaze, and covered her mouth with her hands. "Sorry, I shouldn't say words like that in front of you."