Queen of Hearts

Chapter 23: useless or not? | Kameron

There was a faint but insistent buzz in my ears when I became conscious. I opened my eyes to see a rough ceiling that suspiciously looked like hardened dirt. Tiny flashes of different colours floated in front of my eyes, disappearing whenever I squinted to get a better look at them.

For a split second, I thought I had seen jade and sapphire mix together in the mess that was the colour spectrum twirling above me. That seemed like -

I bolted upright, cringing at the instant pain that flared in my head as I did so. The Cat. The Queen of Diamonds had threatened to hurt the Cat if the Cat didn't comply with what she had asked her. The Cat - or Lillian - was in danger.

Then I became surprised at the fact that I actually remembered my dream. The previous times, I had not. Was it because I was aware of who I was dreaming about now? What was so special between myself and Queen Jennifer?

"Oh my God, Kameron," Samidha's loud voice cut through my thoughts. It left a dull sting in my head, so I rubbed my temples and glanced up to meet the concerned gaze of the weaponry master. It took me another few seconds to realise that I was lying on a bed in the infirmary - precisely the same bed Josie had used when she had been hurt. "You left me shocked in the training room. One second you're trembling and the next you're flinging Angeline back like it was nothing. You really are something."

My eyes widened when she mentioned the autumn haired girl. "Angeline! Is she okay? I really didn't mean to hurt her."

"We're all here," Chae's voice responded this time, and I turned my head to my right to see Chae, Kelvin and Angeline all sitting on a bed next to mine, staring at me. The twins seemed slightly exhausted, but they had no visible injury. Neither did Angeline, which made me sigh in relief. "It's okay, Gloria came by and healed us all when you were..." She trailed off, looking at Kelvin for support.

"When you were in the middle of shouting in your sleep," he said straightforwardly, earning himself a glare from Chae at his bad choice of words.

Chae hurried to say, "I mean, Gloria was verbally beating us all up too for letting you get into this state in the first place. She was almost louder than you. But she's fine now." Hearing about Gloria's concern for me warmed my heart. It sounded overly cute and cringe worthy, but it was true.

Pushing thoughts about Gloria's outburst aside, I groaned internally, having forgotten about how I made a ton of noise when I had dreams concerning Queen Jennifer. "Did I say anything...bad?" None of them replied instantly, confirming my fears. With my luck, I had probably sounded like I was fantasizing about murder. "Since we're on the topic of my dream, I think we should make sure the Cheshire Cat is okay."

"The Cat?" questioned Samidha instantly. From the way Kelvin's, Chae's and Angeline's faces looked somewhat blank, I guessed that the Cat was not an acquaintance of theirs.

I started by explaining my dream, leaving out some details that I didn't feel comfortable with saying aloud to the present company I was in. Thankfully, Samidha didn't press me for more details when I finished, instead sending Angeline to inform Hamish about this recent development.

Hamish must have not been far away from the infirmary at all, for Angeline returned in less than five minutes with the older boy following behind her like a shadow. He headed straight for me, his eyes seeming to drill holes into my already aching head. "I heard you used magic," he said as a way of greeting.

"That seems to be the case," I replied, cautiously, wondering if he was going to accuse me of being capable of an absurd feat such as stealing the magic. With his current attitude, I wouldn't be surprised.

He raised an eyebrow. "I was aware you were from the outside world."

"I am. But...stuff has been happening," I admitted. Deciding that I had nothing else to hide since my supposed unnatural abilities had come to light, I informed him of the first time, when I had miraculously shattered the lock holding the triplets. "When I pushed Angeline back, that was the second time," I finished, just as the infirmary door opened to admit an aquamarine eyed boy - Kit. He wordlessly walked up to Hamish and stood beside him, a silent companion.