One minute I was standing, the other I was flying through the air and the next I was crashing into the rock floor, because more pain was exactly what I needed right now. This better not affect me when I wake up. I lay there, in the rocks not even bothering to get back up again, why should I when all it would mean is giving a chance for that lady to knock me down?
Plus, these rocks were surprisingly comfortable. I look to the sky, which when you're lying flat on the ground is the most obvious thing to be looking at right? It looks so dark and gloomy, like there's a storm coming in and as another insanely strong gust of wind blows in my direction, I can't help but think that one, hallelujah I am not standing up and secondly, when it is going to be over?
I just wanted a night of dreamless sleep, minus weird ladies throwing ultimatums at me. I had no doubt I had made the right decision. Life without my friends wouldn't be the same, why have the fake alternative when you can have the real deal?
As the gust of wind calms down I feel somebody staring at me, knowing that it would be this lady I sit up to face her. I see the outline of her form the way she looks a young woman, beautiful and yet at the same time she still looks transluscent. She walks towards me slowly as if she has all the time in the world, which I suppose she does.
She sits beside me staring into my eyes intently, and I stare back mesmerised. In her eyes I can see the wind swirling around she has Grey eyes but different shades of grey, dark grey and light grey infused into the ball and the iris of her eye, different emotions
She cups my jaw in her hands, her talon-like nails digging into my cheeks and states, "You know not the pain that befalls you in your lifetime, happiness is very far away from you right now and yet you choose the noble choice. You are strong but the enemies against you are stronger and you are only human so for how long can you persist? You are my favourite and so I shall bestow you with a gift, however I am not so unkind to gift it to you without the warning that you have 100 days to find in this animal if not this gift shall turn into a curse."
Freeing my jaw she picks up my wrist and pulling up my T-shirt sleeve to examine it further, it passes whatever criteria she has, very slowly she brings her mouth to my wrist. Softly she places a kiss as a mother would to her sleeping child but this kiss is not as innocent as that, seconds after she removes her lips I feel a burn inside me. It increases in intensity until I can't stop screaming, it's all I can feel.
I scream until my voice is hoarse and finally with fire burning through my veins I drift into the darkness of sleep.
I came to, abruptly not sure if this was reality that I was witnessing or still in the dream world. In which case I wanted to go back to sleep and if need be, not wake up for a very long time.
I let out a groan as my body wakes up and I can feel again, all that pain hits me like a sledgehammer. There was one place hurting worse than the rest, my wrist was still burning, as if my flesh had been soldered.
"Anna?' A voice I don't quite recognise murmurs to me.
"Hmm," Is all I can reply.
Damon comes into my line of vision, I wasn't even aware that my eyes were open, the room was mainly dark with a faint light coming from somewhere. At least my eyes weren't being assaulted.
"You okay? Now that you're awake, I'm going to call the healer and I'll check on Jack but he should be asleep."
Moments later, I'm being bundled into strong arms, that are not Jacks but are probably Damon's.
"Can I ask you some advice? Do you think, after all this is over if I proposed to Layla that she'd say yes?"
Even in my pain filled state I know this is a major big deal and already, just by him asking me this, was I filled with complete and utter joy for my friend. It was awesome how we could even make such plans with each other. Life beyond this prison.
"She'd be stupid not to," I smiled back up to him.
"I'll trust you keep it a surprise?" He asked attempting to hide his smirk.
"Of course," I beamed.
We had arrived to wherever the healer was and apparently Jack was here too, as I was being handed over to who I knew was most certainly Jack. Didn't Damon say that he was asleep? Or at least was supposed to be?
I don't have time to think about it further, as I'm being settled onto my bed with the healer hovering nervously next to me and Jack's heated stare boring holes into my side.
"Where is it painful the most?" He asks, slowly unravelling a wound I apparently had on my leg. Didn't even feel that one.
"My wrist," I state as he checks other cuts, right now, he didn't even have to ask me as he knows more about my body than me. I had no idea about any of these injuries - not that I'm complaining, the less pain the better.
"I had a feeling you'd say that, but none of us can touch it, it has a cloth wrapped around it and I've made a salve that you can try to apply yourself. We don't know what the wound looks like, but we've got a flame on, if you need stitches I'll be happy to do them for you whenever."
I nodded, having no idea who could have put a cloth on it other than that crazy lady. I'm pulled out of my thoughts by Jack, who gently cupped my palm in his hands. I look toward him, noticing a stark difference in him, I could tell he hadn't slept in a while, which made me wonder how long was I out for?
"You want something to eat? I have chicken soup." And as he said that I knew it wasn't a request, it was a demand, Jack style.
I ate alone my mind going over everything that had been going on last night, my brain replaying all the eventful things that had happened. I was glad, Jack had gone to do whatever maybe get me more food but I rather hope not, this time was me time.
I could really do with a shower right now but know that I'm not in any physical state to have one, my cuts alone would make it pure agony. Thinking about cuts, I take a long look at my bandaged wrist before deciding that now would be a good time to attempt to change the dressing. I'm not sure when, but the seering pain from my wrist had died down to a slow but persistant burn.
I'm not sure what kind of injury to expect while I carefully peel the bandage off, but there aren't any signs of blood, always a positive thing. The more I unwrapped the bandage the less pain I felt, at this revelation I was practically ripping it off, it was more intricately done than I thought.
When I see the wound for the first, my first reaction is complete numbness. I am so utterly flabbergasted that the only thing I can do is stare and that is exactly how Jack and Warren find me. I'm lost in thought to the extent that I don't even hear them come into my room.
"Anna?" Jack questions softly, kneeling down to my level, gently prying my hand off my wrist.
I finally look into his eyes as he's about to lift my hand. I don't want him to, not yet.
I shake my head, no.
I'm not even sure why I'm feeling this way, sure, it's one hell of a shock but nothing truly bad. I take in a huge breath and decide I'm being stupid, this was nothing so monumental that I had to freak out about. Truly. Jack was only going to worry more really.
I lift my hand away at the speed of lightening before I can have any more second thoughts, and I can immediately tell, both Jack and Warren are as speechless as I. I didn't have any sort of scar, wound, or gaping pus filled gash on my wrist nope. I had something infinitely more beautiful.
There, in all its fiery glory was a beautiful little Phoenix on the bottom of my hand, it's wings wide as if in flight across my palm and the back of my hand. It's tail flowing gracefully down my arm. It was the only tattoo I had ever seen in person, so amazingly detailed it almost seemed alive.
"Well, that's definitely not what we were expecting." Warren states, snapping me out of my thoughts, he leaves the room.
Jack is still silent and now its scaring me.
"Jack?" I gently lift his chin, causing his eyes to look into mine, instead of staring at the phoenix. The eyes are the window to the soul, I once read and never knew what it meant, until now.
As I looked into his eyes, I saw all sorts of emotions flashing through them. Me and Jack had been through many things together, I had seen many different things through his eyes and yet, when I stared at those grey irises that I had come to love and take comfort in I did not recognise the emotion staring back at me.
I shuffle closer, my heart thudding dangerously fast in my chest, the sound resonating in my ears. I wait for him to say something, to do something, anything. But I had never seen him this still before, demons were by nature not the calmest around, they were more on the restless, fidgety side, and yet here I had one of the most powerful demons in front of me, statue still.
I need to know how much this was affecting him, how it was affecting him. What was he thinking? Has everything changed now?
He stands abruptly, charging towards the door as if possessed.
I don't know what to do, how to react. Do I give him space? Do I go after him? My heart hurts, and of all the pain I've ever felt this is the worst.
Give him a few minutes, I reason then I can go in search of him.
I don't even last a few minutes, I think I last one. I'm running to the demon wing as fast as I can and right now I think I'm superwoman ignoring the protest my body is making, something is wrong I can feel it. Just as I reach Jack's room I stop suddenly afraid. I hear a loud crash and some words in what is probably Latin, but who knows?
This is my cue, I barge in, rebelliously, without knocking. To see chaos. Complete chaos.
"Jack!" I exclaim, entering the room.
"It's too dangerous.." he growls and I then know his demon is very close to the surface.
I ignore him, boldly walking up to him regardless. He stiffens as I hug his waist, leaning into his back.
"You don't understand," he grumbles, turning to face me.
"I do and I don't care," I insist stubbornly.
"Anna," he picks me up as if I'm a doll and carries me to the bed. Jack was never this tall before, I decide to pay a little more attention to him, not only was he tall but he was also, shirtless! I could feel the blush rising in my cheeks - oh wow.
How had I not noticed this before?
I peek at his face, is he paying attention to me? Thankfully no, but then I notice strange markings on his skin.
Is he in his demon form?
"Not fully," he answers. I must have said that aloud.
"You did," he replies, chuckling at me.
"Jack!" I squeak snuggling into his chest before remembering he was shirtless, then proceeding to jerk away from him as if his touch burned me.
"Put something on!" I demand, hotly, my head in my hands.
"No."
This was a great conundrum, we were both at a standstill and despite his semi naked form I was glad that we had gotten through whatever had happened in my room, if only temporarily.
"Are you embarrassed?" He asks, chuckling.
"No," I insist stubbornly, knowing that I was blushing furiously.
"Yes," he countered as he gently pried my hands away from my face, "you don't need to be you know."
"I know," I look at him then, properly look at him, taking in the markings across his skin was it script in some language? Was is just markings, or was it symbols. I found myself unconsciously leaning to trace my finger along them.
"No," he growled, "don't."
"Why not?" I challenged, looking into his eyes.
"Just, because."
Yeah, like that was a good enough reason. I decided to drop it as I know as well as anyone who knew Jack that he was as stubborn as a mule, whatever one of those was and right now wasn't the time to press such issues. Not when we had more than one ticking time bombs over our heads.
With that in mind, I said "You need to hold another meeting."