Kila felt as if she was walking though darkness for a long time. Step after step after step, it never ended. After what felt like days Kila started to wonder if this was what it felt like when someone died. She didn't feel any more pain, but she was sure she heard someone speaking around her but she wasn't sure so she just kept walking.
"Kila," it was Lry's voice from somewhere in the darkness and it was calling her. Kila started to run towards where she thought she heard Lry's voice. "Kila." She kept running, her brow breaking out in a sweat and her legs burned but she kept running. "Kila," Lry's voice was getting louder and Kila saw a light up ahead. She pushed on.
As though the light was moving forward towards her as she ran towards it, it got bright fast and enveloped Kila quickly.
A room filled in around Kila, she was looking up a younger version of her mother as her mother looked down at her. Kila looked around the room. She was in her family's kitchen, only it looked different from her memory. She looked up on top of the cabinets; there was porcelain doll with its feet hanging over the edge. She stared at it; she broke that on accident when she was eight. She paused and looked down at her hands. They were tiny, she looked at her clothing. She was wearing her Star Academy uniform for the elementary division. She looked back up at her mother,
"Did you finish your dinner honey?" She looked back down at her hands; they now had a small plastic bowl in them.
"Yup!" Kila heard her voice, it was small and childish. Kila felt her face arch upwards in a smile. "Wanna see a magic trick mommy?" Her mother's brow turned inward.
"Sure?" Her mother crouched down so she was sitting on her ankles, she smiled. Kila knew now in her older years that the smile on her mother's face was fake, all in her mouth and not in her eyes.
"Okay!" Kila turned her bowl over, which had contained potato soup, and tapped it twice, then she turned it back over. "Look mommy it's all clean! How cool is that!" Kila grinned up at her mother but it faltered as her mother's face turned to a scowl. "What's wrong mommy? Don't you like my magic trick?" Tears started to leak down Kila face as she started to cry. She dropped the bowl and it rolled away. Kila rubbed her eyes as she wiped the tears away. By the look on her mom's face Kila felt like she had done something wrong.
"No honey" her mother wrapped her into a hug, "that was a very good magic trick." Kila felt a sharp pain in the back of her neck and everything went white just for a moment, as if the rods in her eyes were bleached. When Kila blinked her mother was standing by the sink.
"You can go play now, okay?" Her mother turned and smiled at her. Kila reached up and rubbed her eye wondering why it was wet, had she been crying? But like any other small child Kila dismissed the thought.
"Okay!" And she turned around and ran into the living room. For a moment it was like Kila was expelled from the smaller Kila as she watched her younger self run into the living room. The older Kila was left standing in the kitchen, looking over at her mother. She thought really hard. She had no memory of ever showing her mom that 'magic trick.' Kila watched her mom's back for a moment. Then everything froze and the kitchen turned white, her mother disappearing.
*
She looked around; she was standing outside the tavern in Danu. From where she was standing she watched as Lry, Simogan, Tarthan and Alex carrying her body walked up towards the front door.
"You have to be careful!" A voice said behind her and she spun around. The two girls were back standing in the darkness of the tavern again. "That could have been you." The girl with blue eyes turned and looked at the group walking inward.
"I know..." She spoke softly. Kila watched the two girls as they watched the group for a moment.
"Lry," Kila spoke from the corner of the tavern, but over where Alex was holding her mouth moved. Lry ran over to her.
"Kila are you okay?" She spoke quickly.
"Do me a favor, will ya?"
"Yes of course," Lry responded almost immediately, "what is it?"
"Around the corner of the tavern are two girls, one with green eyes and the other with blue. Bring them up to my room."
"Kila, I don't think you are in any shape to have visitors," Alex spoke looking down at her, concern in his eyes.
"Just do it, please?"
"Okay," Lry looked towards where the girls were standing, "Go ahead and take her up to her room and start healing her okay?" Alex nodded. He and Simogan walked into the Tavern. Lry turned and started to walk towards the girls.
"She's coming this way," the green eyed girl whispered frantically to the other.
"Stay calm," The other replied. Lry walked over to the two girls.
"Wow, I didn't even see you standing there," Lry spoke quietly as she scanned the area, her eyes sweeping right over where Kila stood, but she didn't seem to see her. "Can I ask you two to come up to our room please?"
"And why should we do that?" The girl with green eyes retorted but the girl with blue eyes held up her hand.
"What do you want with us?"
"Actually, I have no idea," Both girls raised their brows. "That girl that we just took inside wanted me to bring you up there." They exchanged glances.
"She was unconscious," The girl with green eyes, eyed her.
"Yeah," Lry scratched the back of her neck, "She does that sometimes...Anyway can you deny her after she got the crap beat out of her?" They exchanged glances again. The blue eyed girl gave the other a look and she sighed crossing her arms.
"Fine." She let out a long sigh crossing her arms.
Kila felt a sharp pain run though her leg, she blinked a couple times looking up at the ceiling of her room at the tavern. She shot up before regretting it immediately grabbing her ribs.
"Hold her down," Alex was over her gently pushing her back to the bed. "You need to keep still." She looked up at Alex before she reached up and touched his face.
"I thought I was going to die..."
"Well you almost did," He paused, "Try not to scream." Kila had time to give him a quizzical look before pain shot though her leg again. She started to scream but grabbed the pillow next to her and shoved it in her face biting down hard. There was a loud cracking noise. She uncovered her face and looked down at her leg. The bone was no longer sticking out but the hole was still there. She stared at it for a moment before a hand covered her eyes.
"Don't look at it," it was Simogan's voice. She could hardly think before the pain in her other leg started. She bit down on her lip hard and felt the pressure cause blood to start to well up. There was another cracking noise before the pain started to abate.
"That's all I can do right now," Alex spoke as Simogan removed his hand. "Lry needs to do your ribs and head. Alex looked at her for a moment, his face hard. He cracked a small smile, "I thought we talked about doing stupid things?" Kila laughed, but grabbed her ribs.
"This wasn't my fault," She said looking up at the ceiling. The door opened, there were a few moments where someone was talking then Lry walked into the room.
"Your guests are here," Lry looked her up and down, "You're a compete mess, you know." Lry cracked a smile at her.
"Yeah I know, but I need to speak with them."
"Alright," Lry threw her hands in the air for a moment before she walked over to the door and the two figures that were in brown cloaks walked in. They had their hoods up.
"Help me sit up please?" She looked at Simogan, who signed. Alex pulled her up as she winced and Simogan placed two pillows behind her back. Kila winced at the pain. The girl with the blue eyes walked up.
"What happened to you?" The girl with the blue eyes started to walk over to her but the other girl grabbed her shoulder.
"Really?" She raised an eyebrow, "Like I could do anything right now."
"You couldn't but the rest of them could," her eyes were slits.
"Oh yeah," Kila was feeling light headed, "The knight and the high Summoner are totally gonna jump you." She waved her hands in the air, "Oooo, scary." Alex and Simogan shot her a glare. The girl with the blue eyes widened.
"You are a high Summoner and a knight of the former King," She spoke breathlessly. The two boys pinched the bridge of their noise for a moment before they nodded. Lry sat on the side of the bed watching all of them, silent.
"So who are you?" the girl with green eyes looked over at Lry and then to Kila.
"Well," Kila felt drunk, "I'm Kila and that's Lry. Hey Lry, I'm feeling a little funny is that bad?" Kila slumped in her seat a little as Lry jumped up and ran over to her. Her hand went to her rib cage then down to her abdomen. Her eyes widened as she looked at Alex.
"She's bleeding internally," Alex jumped and placed his hand on her stomach. Kila sat up again and looked at the girl.
"Well it was nice meeting you but it looks like I'm going to die," Kila started to giggle uncontrollable.
"Her endorphin levels are probably through the roof with all this damage." Simogan looked over at the two girls. "Can either of you two heal?" They glanced at each other.
"Who is she?" The girl with green eyes looked at her.
"Oh yeah," Kila smiled and pulled her stone from her pocket and show it to the two girls. They both paled.
"Are you serious?" The girl with green eyes dropped to her knee, head bowed. "I'm sorry I did not know."
"Do formalities later," Simogan barked at them, "if we don't save her we're all screwed." The two of them threw off their cloaks and walked over to the bed. Simogan grabbed and pulled the two pillows out from Kila's head.
"Hey, that wasn't nice" Kila giggled.
"Alex," Simogan spoke quickly as he pulled his stone from his pocket and Tarthan jumped up on the bed.
"Right," Alex covered Kila's face with his hand.
"Hey don't do that, it's making me" Kila yawned, "Sleepy."
"Okays, nightly, night," The darkness of Alex's hand made her fall fast asleep, a warmth spreading though her body making all the pain go away. Kila delved towards her dreams and away from the pain of her body.
*
Kila was surprised to find herself standing in what looked like a cave with a door. She focused a little harder and noticed it wasn't a natural cave but it had been carved out of the stone, the edges of the rock smooth. A bed was placed a few feet away, a lantern lighting the small room. She looked around; there was a desk and a bunch of random stuff on a shelf. There was a man pacing around the room. The room it's self wasn't very big so he was making a lot of turns and walking quickly. He had brown hair that fell around his shoulders, dark olive skin, and he was draped in brown clothing.
He paused and looked around, and for a moment she thought that he saw her. His katars were in his hands within seconds as a shape came from the shadows. "Oh" He said as the shape of a girl appeared. Her short black hair clutched to her skinny neck, her ears stuck out at an odd angle and were elongated. "What do you want?" the man said harshly.
"Nothing." The girl said her voice small and squeaky, "I just wanted to see you. I was aware that you came back for a couple days."
"I'm not going to be here long." He spoke with no feeling in his voice, everything was hard.
"Why are you pacing?" She asked, completely ignoring his response.
"Leave." He said his eyes threatening.
"And if I say no?" She said as she made a face of innocent. "I haven't seen you in ages, what's happened? You've become so cold."
"I've seen life instead of being shut down in this place." His eyes sparkled with hatred. "Leave now before I call your mother." His voice became softer as he spoke, each work like venom. She turned, sticking her noise in the air.
"It was nice to see you too," Her voice said from behind the wall as she walked away. The man sat down and sighed.
"Why am I back here...? Stupid old man telling me to come back, I shouldn't..." He ran his hand though his hair. "This is taking too long." He muttered to the darkness. "I don't even know what I'm waiting for." He sat down hard on his bed and sighed.
Kila walked over to the man and sat down on her ankles looking into his face. He rubbed his eyes again before looking ahead his hands clasped in between his legs. He had green flecks in his brown eyes, they looked tired and annoyed. He looked right at her for a moment, she wondered slightly if he could see her. She smiled still feeling a little light headed; she took a deep breath in and blew it on his face. The tension left his eyes for a moment, but then he was looking around the room. "What the-?" He sighed again, running his head thought his hair before he let out a long sigh.
Kila looked at him for a moment, she felt warmth coming from behind her and when she turned she saw a bright light, she left it engulf her.