Veil

Chapter 16

   The group paced in the waiting room of the hospital where they had taken Chris. More accurately, Rebecca paced while everyone else sat looking sad and worried. Rebecca was just angry. Not at Chris but angry that she hadn't been there to help.

   Her mind was racing. She couldn't help her best friend who seemed to have been as cold as ice when they took her here. She had a lot of nervous energy and it seemed that everyone in the room could feel it coming off of her. Ben stood and held her shoulders.

  "Babe, you need to rest. You're panicking and you need to breathe and sit down. Everything will be perfect. I promise." Rebecca pulled Ben into a tight hug. The hazel eyed man was warm as he pulled her into his chest. His breathing was soft and Rebecca almost lost herself when he pulled back slightly to stare into her eyes. "I'm sure Chris will wake up any second now."

  "I hope so." Rebecca sighed as he kissed her softly. His strong hands rested on her arms. She shimmied down so his hands rested on her hips. She wrapped her arms around his neck. She pulled away when she felt her phone vibrate. It was from her online friend Fantasywriter67. Rebecca pulled out her messages.

   F: hey I haven't talked to you in a long time. how's life?

   R: well I started dating that guy. but my friend is in the hospital.

   F: omg are they okay?

   R: we'll know more. I gtg. I'll talk to you later.

   Isabel had a hard time focusing on anything. While Rebecca was making herself busy, Isabel couldn't find anything to focus on. Even games on her phone were boring her. It seemed strange that even keeping up with Instagram was quite boring.

   Her dad sat beside her but even he looked a little distracted. Isabel had forgotten that Chris had been his student a long time ago. It seemed almost like fate foreshadowed her meeting Chris through her father's involvement in her being the person she was today. Chris being hurt was almost as bad as if she was hurt.

  "Dad, how did you meet Chris?" Her dad looked up, his golden eyes staring into her green ones. His gaze was soft. "If it's emotional, I can handle it. I promise." Isabel said the last part smiling. She wanted her father to be reassured in her strength.

  "Alright. Well the first thing you have to understand is that this is only a small portion of how Chris became the person she is today. This isn't everything that led up to who she is. There are a few other things that have contributed to her being her." Sean, because that is technically his name although Isabel referred to him as dad, ran a hand through his brown hair. His golden eyes stared at the floor for a moment.

  "Back in the day, I wasn't that important in the Necromancers. In fact, I was very low on the totem pole. The new initiates had come in almost a year before; they had basically become a part of the family by then. But not all families have happy relationships.

  "Franklin was a very unhappy kid. He was around your age. He had few friends and those only wanted him around for his money. Girls were out of the question. Most of the time. There were times when girls would approach him due to his high bank account. Chris wasn't interested. That made Frank a little unhappy.

  "It was close to midnight. She shouldn't have been out that late. But as usual, she wanted to study up on some rituals. That was the perfect opportunity for Frank to hatch his plan. Four young men jumped her when she was eleven. Eleven!" Sean had a momentary spout of anger. "Anyways, they did some things that no one should be allowed to do. But nature had a way of righting wrongs.

  "Chris, unknown to even herself, had the ability to drain people's energy. So when Frank decided to take charge in a way of speaking, she killed him. The others reacted violently to say the least. That's when I found them.

  "I was outraged and pulled the three other boys to the office of the Priestess, the one that you met during her meeting with the circle. For a while, nothing happened except I was given permission to teach and train Chris the way I saw fit. Thus I became her teacher. When she became thirteen, she had the choice to leave and took it. She later formed a circle. A couple years later, with enough of me griping, the three other boys were executed for their crimes.

  "Although I wish I had more time to teach her, I understand her path was leading her elsewhere. I thought she would be a powerful Necromancer due to the extensive amount of Necromancers in her family. Her mother died on a mission for them for Christ's sake. But alas Chris was destined to discover her own path, the psth that now may be the very thing that saves our lives." Sean took a sip of his coffee. "I'm slightly glad though. Her beautiful grey eyes would've been replaced by golden. It would have been a shame really."

  "What is it with the golden eyes?" Isabel turned to see Rebecca standing behind her. She had been listening apparently because her question surprised both Isabel and Sean.

  "It's the Sight. It's a way of linking us to the Shadowrealm. It's almost like what Chris's eyes do except artificially. It is a  very strange custom, I will admit. But there have been several grey eyed Necromancers though they were few and far between. Have you ever noticed that most ghosts have grey eyes?"

  "That's why! It makes so much sense now." Rebecca and Sean spent the next hour talking magical theory. They were things that Isabel could really care less for. But luckily an hour was all she had to wait. The doctor walked in with a happy expression on his face.

  "Your friend is not only awake but fully prepared to meet with you and visit." Isabel literally jumped out of her seat and was the first in the long line of people who wanted to see Chris, followed by Rebecca who was just slightly slower. They were all happy to see their friend again.

   Chris, however, looked like she hadn't been sleeping for almost two days. Her expression was that of someone who had been having nightmares all night long. Her eyes were tired. They grey reflected most of their faces back at them.

  "Don't celebrate yet. Nyx is planning something big."

<<<<Author's Note>>>>

I know this chapter is quite a bit longer than before. Be happy. I wanted sufficient detail when this chapter came to mind. Isabel needed to hear from Chris's savior about her past.

Oh and Fantasywriter67 got a shout out for being the very first fan to give me feedback. Give me some feedback and I'll include you in a shout out. Thanks.

P.S. I'm trying to write at least a chapter a day from now on. Plus I'm extending the lengths of them so it may take me a little longer to write, based on the time invested in this one.

Your entertainer, Linkbot96