The Witching Hour

Chapter 37 - Violin

Ivy's eyes fluttered open, taking her from pure blackness to an onslaught of light. Vines suspended from the ceiling and cascaded down to her in the form of a green waterfall. She tried to sit up, but pain rendered her immobile. Biting her lip, she balled up the sheets between her fists. Her body ached as if a semi-truck had taken her out.

"Water," Ivy croaked to an empty room. Her hands flailed blindly around her.

"Thank the heavens." Marina's singsong voice chimed from the corner. She flew to Ivy's side, taking hold of her arm. Ivy lurched back at the invasion of sound. "You're awake. Drink this."

Marina thrust a cup into Ivy's hand as she helped her sit up with a steady hand on her back. Ivy leaned against the bed frame and regarded the cup with a narrowed eye.

"It's fine." Marina nudged Ivy with an elbow and a nod of the head. "Drink it."

Ivy didn't need to be told twice; she would have caved to the thirst in the end. Throwing her head back, Ivy finished the drink in one gulp.

Tingling spread across Ivy's extremities until it took over her body. Her eyes flickered closed, and she tried to remain calm by breathing in and out of her nose. Behind her eyelids, everything started off blurry until a vision of herself standing at a door came into focus. She jiggled the handle; it refused to open. Ivy stepped back to examine other ways of forcing it open.

The tingles strengthened, and the sound of a click reverberated through the dreamscape. Leaning forward, Ivy examined the brass knob. Intricate strokes were etched into the metal and wove a circular pattern on the knob itself. An upside down triangle with a line cutting through the tip appeared on the door. Ivy jutted her head back.

The Earth symbol.

This must be a door to her powers.

Ivy gripped the knob and turned it. Nothing happened, and she feared the door would remain closed forever. Seconds later, the door burst off its hinges and disintegrated into the thin air. Warmth flooded her body, and vines began to sprawl over every inch of the dream. They took over the doorframe until they formed the shape of it.

"Did it work?" Marina's voice pulled Ivy back to reality. The next sentence caught in her throat before she continued. "Oh, it worked."

When Ivy opened her eyes this time, greenery had exploded over the room just as it did in the dreamscape. Vines crawled up the corners and over the bed. They encircled the lamps and framed the windows. Her babies had come to find their mother.

"What the hell happened?" Ivy's voice cracked. She swung her feet to the side of the bed. She attempted to stand, but her legs couldn't support her weight on their own.

"Let's get some food into your system first." Marina stood up with her, securing an arm around Ivy's waist.

Ivy pulled away, but she realized she didn't have the energy to stand. The throbbing pain she had felt receded to a dull ache. Marina hoisted Ivy up, and the two of them hobbled to the kitchen. For being so tiny, Marina was so strong, lifting Ivy up like she weighed nothing.

"I should have fed you first," Marina chastised herself on their route to the dining table. She helped Ivy into a chair at the table and ducked into the kitchen.

Ivy's hazel eyes wandered across the apartment. She thought she was hallucinating, but the more she stared, the more she realized that items were missing. Pictures on the mantle and the bookcase had vanished, leaving empty holes in their wake. Whoever took them hadn't yet found something to replace their spots.

"Marina..." Ivy stopped her line of questioning upon seeing her with plates piled high with food. Her stomach rumbled on cue.

"Someone's hungry." Marina motioned with a nod to Ivy's torso. She placed a plate of pancakes and bacon in front of her. Ivy's eyes doubled in size, her mouth watering. The fairies may have fed her, but they didn't serve anything this scrumptious.