"What do you-" She stopped, thinking back on what the girl had said. Then she narrowed her eyes. "Wait a minute...how do you know my name?" She blinked, almost feeling like an idiot. She had been told, after all, that the girl had travelled from her future.
"I know a lot; aside from just your name." Without turning her head, she lifted a hand, gesturing Bella forward. "Come. Sit."
After second thoughts, Bella decided that she was already doomed if this was all just a hoax, and so complied, walking around the girl a safe distance. She stopped when she spotted the item that gave the light—an orb. It was bright, floating in the air in front of the girl, spinning slowly. Though, as if it sensed Bella, it sparked slightly, throwing out bursts of excitement.
"You have a crystal ball," Bella breathed. From the way Kataros had described them, they were very rare. So, since the girl had such a thing, then she was either incredibly lucky or extremely powerful. Or, perhaps, both.
The girl laughed at her gaping face, and motioned to the empty space directly across from her, where a large, rectangular pillow sat. "Make yourself comfortable."
As Bella sat, the orb brightened, which confused her. It seemed to connect to her, but not fully, keeping a link on the girl across from her. It was like it was trying to belong to two Seer's instead of one.
"You look confused," the girl stated, watching Bella carefully, with what she imagined were carefully judging eyes.
"Your crystal," Bella told her. "It's acting very strangely." Not that she was a professional on the sort.
"Oh, that?" she waved a dismissive hand. "You'll find out the reason soon enough." She smiled. "Speaking of our crystals; how is Videns?"
She stared at her for a moment. "Um..." Then she shrugged. "Alright, I guess." Then she thought that over, and frowned. "How do you know about-"
"The future," she reminded her. "Remember?" She peered down at her crystal. "This is Vitam. She has belonged to several different powerful witches in the past. Before she was recovered, of course. After that, she belonged to one other before me."
"So, does that mean that you're a witch too?" Bella asked curiously.
"Can't tell you too much," she replied, rolling her shoulders. "I don't want to change the outcome of the future. That would be very bad."
"Then why am I here?" she demanded. "Why did you bring me here?"
"It's like I said," she told her with an impatient sigh. "You would have died if I hadn't, and that would have changed everything that's supposed to happen."
"But how was I dying?" Bella asked. She thought about the wind and the pain she had felt, but dismissed the thought. There had just been something strange going on, something she would have to talk to the others about.
What about Papa? Bella asked herself worriedly, remembering how the tearing wind and pain had affected her. It wasn't long until she remembered his death.
"My father," she said, blinking back tears rapidly, and she looked over at the girl.
She nodded. "He is the reason."
"So, I was dying because of his death?" she asked, confused. Her chest ached, almost reminding her of that strange pain she had felt, but this wasn't nearly as strong—more of an internal pain than physical.
The girl sighed again and, if not for her blurred image, Bella could have sworn that she rolled her eyes. "I think I ought to explain things a little more so you can at least make sense of them. The reason we were able to connect so well, so that I could save you, is because I have taken the role so many others have before me." When Bella only narrowed her eyes, she gestured to Vitam. "Every witch that has ever been claimed by Vitam has been linked to the deity of Life itself.”
That explained why everything was so familiar to her; Lylan had, after all, explained everything quite accurately, what with the seemingly endless cave and her being saved from death. “You're Vita.”
Her head bowed forward before straightening. “That's one of the many names, but it is not mine; merely the idea of what I now am. Vita takes charge of the balance of who lives and dies."
Bella shifted, in both a mix of excitement and nervousness, though she found all of this sudden and out of nowhere; and, if Silina truly was a deity in a woman's form, then how much more ridiculous could this—honestly—be. "Are you saying that you can bring people to life?" She winced at how idiotic of a question it was, considering everything she had been told.
She nodded. "Only if Fate requires it, of course."
"Papa," Bella said. She stood up, hardly flinching when the crystal flared in response. "You can bring my father to life."
"I don't have to," the girl told her. Before Bella could react, she stood as well. "He's already alive, Bella."
She grinned, trying to recover from her moment of panic, joy overwhelming every bit of what was left of her senses. "I-" She shook her head, trying to figure out what she was supposed to say, only managing a simple, "Thank you."
The girl shook her head. "Don't thank me. I'm not the one who brought him back."
She frowned, looking around the cave as if she would spot someone hiding in the shadows. "Then, who did?"
"That pain you were feeling," the girl told her, "is the reason you almost died. It wasn't because he died." She walked cautiously around the orb, stopping just shy of a foot in front of Bella. "You brought your father back to life."
Bella stared at her for a moment. Then, unable to help it, she laughed. It was a maniacal, frantic laugh, one that displayed just what she thought, which was that she thought the girl was joking—even despite the strange situation she was in. When the girl didn't join in, or even crack a blurred smile, she frowned uncertainly.
"I'm serious, you know," the girl told her in a matter-of-fact voice, as if she expected Bella to explode in argument.
Bella tried to hold back, to prove the girl's suspicions incorrect, but she was unable to help herself. "That's ridiculous."
She threw her arms into the air. "What happened in that room then? And why is your father alive? I didn't bring him back, Bella, and I certainly didn't make the mess back there. That was all you, so don't you blame it all on me."
Bella blinked. Now she was confident that the girl was young, speaking like that. Possibly younger than herself, or maybe the same age—just far more immature. She raised her brows at her, criticizing without bothering to hide it, which only made the girl shift nervously.
"Sorry," she muttered after a moment. "You're just very...stubborn."
She nodded. "Very. And you seem to be too, if you're still trying to tell me that I-"
"But you did!" she exclaimed. "Why can't you just accept that you're different. Then again, I suppose you're still a little new to this world. But you're a faerie, for crying out loud!" She shook her head with a huff, running a hand through her long hair. Then she looked back at Bella. "You're advancing quickly, Bella. Your fate is catching up with you fast, and the Prophecy is taking place. You need to accept what you've become, and you need to accept what you will come to be."
Bella took a deep breath, wanting to ask but not sure if she wanted to hear the answer. She ignored her fears and met the girl's faded eyes. "If I don't?"
There was a moment of silence, a moment so incredibly short yet so impossibly long, then she said, "You'll die."
16
Bella's eyes snapped open, though she didn't remember having had closed them in the first place, and she found herself back in the bedroom, in the same position she had been in before she was dragged into the cave. The pain was there, but only for an instant, and the moment her eyes had popped open, the wind ceased, and she was surprised to find that everything was floating midair. Though, not for long.
In a split second, everything crashed to the ground, tables breaking and vases shattering, causing glass and splinters to scatter across the ground. Bella's father, who lay just beside her, stared blankly at the ceiling, as still as he had originally been.
As Bella began thinking she had imagined the cave and the girl and eve
rything they had spoken of, her father's eyes seemed to fill with a sort of light, and he blinked rapidly, sitting up with a gasp.
"God," he wheezed, croaking a little as he threw his head around every which way, sudden movements pulling at the chains, which yanked him back onto the bed. When he spotted Bella, he smiled nervously. "Did it work?" Then he looked around him, narrowing his eyes. "Where is everyone?" He looked back up at her. "I couldn't have passed out?"
She grinned at him, not sure what to say, and opened her mouth to speak. But something stopped her. It was like she was choking on her words, and for a moment she thought that it was because she was just so excited to see him.
But then she felt the pain.
It racked through her body, making her convulse violently, slamming into her with enough force to knock her off the bed and onto the floor. She wanted to scream, and even opened her mouth to, but no noise came out, and she was left staring blankly as she gasped. Her blood felt like it was made out of fire, coursing under her skin in sharp bursts. Her head was the worst of it, flaring to life, feeling very much like there was something digging around in it.
"Bella!" Johnathon shouted, jerking at the chains, throwing himself about. "Someone—help!"
Kataros arrived right then, rushing to her side, Thais right on his tail. There were others, but Bella gave up on trying to point names and faces, trying to gain control of herself. She continued to convulse, managing to grasp a hold of Kataros's hand, which was trying to catch a hold of her. Though he was a demon, she had become one of the Fae as well, so her grip was uncomfortably tight, making him cringe, and his movement only made her hurt worse, so she released him, still fighting to let out a scream.
"What happened?" he asked. He seemed to say something else, but his voice grew deep and far away, along with all other responses. They turned into noises that didn't make sense, all scratchy and strong.
Suddenly, there was a weight under her, and she felt like she was floating. But, the pressure under her turned to fire, slicing through her skin and cutting through her body. It ran through every inch of her, down to her bones, and spread quicker than light, hitting her head the hardest.
With all the will she could muster up, Bella threw back her head and shrieked.
* * *
When Bella woke up, she was laying on the rectangular pillow that was sitting on the floor of the cave she had thought she imagined. The girl was right beside her, staring deeply into Vitam, seeming to be in her own world, and Bella briefly wondered if she was staring into the future—or, maybe, the past.
Then she remembered her father. He was alive and safe, but what of his wolf side? Did that part still exist? Her memories came faster than she would have preferred, and she was reminded of the pain she had felt before she passed out.
Just thinking about it made her hurt.
The girl cringed, almost like she could read her thoughts, and her attention surfaced to the room, her blurry face smiling grimly at Bella. "Bringing the dead back comes with a price."
"You don't say," she muttered, sitting up, which only resulted in a spinning head and a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. She groaned. "How did I get here?"
This time her smile was full, and Bella could see white under the dark lips. "I can't really say, but I think you may have connected to this place. It's quite close to impossible to come here whenever you want, though."
She nodded thoughtfully, running an absent hand through her hair, and she gazed around. "How did I get out last time?"
She shrugged. "You can't always control when you go either. Perhaps it sensed that you needed to leave."
"Then why am I back?"
Her shoulders rolled again. "Not everything has an answer. A reason, perhaps, but not an answer."
Bella made a face. "Who told you that load of nonsense?"
She smiled, then looked down at Vitam. "She let me experience your pain. I never knew it could hurt so much." She cringed.
She frowned. "You don't feel that when you...?"
The girl shook her head. "I'm different." Then she suddenly grinned. "Probably stronger than you too." She almost seemed to be boasting, as if it was something anyone ought to be proud of, but Bella dismissed this.
"So what am I doing here now?" she asked, climbing to her feet carefully. When she was steadied, she shifted around, scuffing her toes against the ground as she gazed up at the ceiling of the cave.
She chuckled. "You don't listen very well. I don't know what you're doing here. Even if I did, I couldn't explain it too much. Sometimes the cave just draws you in. The reasons are for you to discover. Or, perhaps, there are no reasons."
Bella scowled at her. "You make no sense."
"Nonsense," the girl said, standing up as well, and she stretched. "I make perfect sense. You just don't understand." Then she grabbed Vitam in both hands, and the light cut off slightly, leaving them standing under a small glow. "I assume you were called while your body healed. I can't promise you anything, though, because time passes differently in here. A whole month can pass out there and only feel like minutes here, or vice versa." When Bella gaped at her, she hid her smile behind a hand, balancing Vitam on a hip. "Don't worry, that won't happen to you. You have to make it back to fight the wolves, or history will be rewritten."
"So, we win?" Bella asked hopefully.
Her hand went to her hip. "Shame on you, trying to get me to tell you these things. I said that you need to get back for the fight—not that you'll live through it. Maybe you'll die, and your death will inspire others." When Bella stared, she huffed. "Now I've frightened you. That's what you get for asking so many questions."
"I can't help it," she complained. "Too much information is better than none at all."
"Are you sure about that?"
Bella opened her mouth, closed it, and then set her hands on her hips stubbornly.
The girl regarded Bella carefully, then sighed. "You're very complicated."
"You know me well," Bella replied sardonically. She crossed her arms over her chest. Then, realizing that the fabric felt oddly familiar—and different from the gown she remembered wearing—she looked down at herself, only to find that she was wearing her mother's night gown. She tilted her head, momentarily distracted as much as confused.
"It's very pretty," the girl told her politely. "Your mother's, wasn't it?"
Bella glanced up at her sharply. "How do you know that?"
"I know a lot," she replied, voice suggesting that she wouldn't say more. When Bella only frowned at her, she shrugged, then added, "From Willow, if I remember correctly?"
"Where?" she asked, confused. She narrowed her eyes when the girl sharply turned her head down, and her frown deepened. "You're hiding something."
"I'm hiding a lot," was her reply, and she looked back up at her. "I can't tell you too much, Bella. It could change what's not meant to be altered." She shrugged her shoulders. "I was just trying to give you a compliment. It is a beautiful gown..." She fell silent, staring down at her feet.
"Thank you," Bella added after a few minutes of silence.
She looked up at her and nodded. "It really is. Beautiful, I mean. I'm guessing you were changed into it, and put in your room. It's the best place to heal, after all—the most comfortable."
Bella didn't even bother telling her that she had been forced to stay there. Instead, she asked, "Since I'm here while my body heals, does that mean that the pain will be gone when I get back?"
The girl thought about that for a second, then shook her head. "I don't think so. With that amount, it will probably take a few days—if you're lucky. Even as a faerie, your body still won't take all that well to it, especially since you just came into knowing what you are. The pain will be lessened, but it will still hurt."
Bella grimaced. "That's just great."
"Could be worse," she told her. "You could've died. Then everything would be ruined."
"What would happen?" Bella asked. "What would happen if someth
ing that was supposed to pass didn't?"
"Then the future would be changed," she said. "Things that were meant to be won't be, and events to pass will be tossed aside. Think of it like a book-" She cut off, tilting her head. "You like books, don't you?"
Bella frowned, confused by the sudden question, and nodded. "Very much so, yes."
She seemed to smile, ducking her head for a moment before looking at Bella again. "Then think of it that way. If one little thing was changed in the beginning, then the whole of it would have to be changed. Think of what would happen if the hero died."
Her favorite book crossed her mind, of the Prince who encountered so much horror to rescue his Princess. She thought of all the evil he defeated along his passage, and the allies he made. What would have happened to those allies if he hadn't been there? What would have happened to the rest of the world? Was the same thing happening to her? The Fae were strange to her, of course, but she was growing fond of them.
She was becoming one of them.
"Chaos," Bella murmured. She looked over at the girl, worry lines creasing her forehead. Then she took a deep, shaky breath. "So, I have to live to see the fight—where I'll either live or die. If not..."
She nodded. "Something is at work here, Bella. You can't just run, or give yourself up to them, and expect everything to be well. There has to be a battle."
"And there has to be a war." Bella's blood ran cold as the knowledge hit her, and she stared at the girl with wide eyes as she fit it all together. "Whether I live or die, there's going to be a battle.”
* * *
Bella woke up with a gasp, lurching into an upright position, startling Johnathon out of his drowsy state in the chair beside her. Her grip on his hand tightened painfully—almost to the point of breaking it—as her mouth dropped open in a silent scream, and her back arched, her chest thrusting itself into the air, eyes wide and aware. He didn't need to ask her if she was in pain—it was written all over her. He could practically smell it, like a poison, something he was sure was because of what he was, and he blamed himself for her being in pain.
Beauty's Beast- The Light Page 24