by CATT
Rachel and I both pick up the blankets we had been using to take with us. Walking to the hole Case had cut we watch as he slips through. I follow him. Rachel is next followed by Adam, then Dominick. Once we are all out Case takes my hand and starts walking north. When we start to go into the woods, I pull back on Case’s hand trying to tell him we didn’t need to be in the woods because of the trees. He squeezes my hand and whispers so softly it was almost impossible here but luckily, I was close enough to him to read his lips as he mouthed the words “trust me.” I give my head a nod letting him know I trust him as we head in the woods.
As we walk through the heavy muck, I was glad I had changed out of the dress and sandals I had been wearing earlier. Everything is eerily quiet as we make our way through. It makes cold chills run through my body. We had been walking what felt like forever when the tree people swoop down out of nowhere.
They are everywhere surrounding us with sticks in their hands. They are speaking in their native language so none of us have the foggiest idea what they are saying. Case calls out to Dominick asking him if he is ready to fight. Dominick yells back he is ready to kick to some creepy tree people ass.
Case looks at me and asked, if I can handle this. I assure him that I can and tell him not to worry about me, I may not have any powers, but I still remember how to fight. Case gives my hand one last squeeze before leaning in and kissing my lips. When he raises his head, he looks me in the eyes and says, “I love you Lana you own my heart.”
He released my hand and takes off at a full run toward the tree people. I stand there immobilized watching as Case throws himself toward three of the tree people at once. Turning my head, I see that Dominick has done the same thing. Looking back and forth between them, I don’t know what to do. I felt my resolve breaking. Tears run down my face. Case and Dominick are both here because of me. They are fighting right now to save me and here I stand unable to give myself fully to either of them. They both deserve better than me, but I’d be DAMNED if I'd let either of them die right now before I have the chance to tell them the truth about my feelings for them.
Picking up my own stick I charge at one of the tree people hitting it with everything I have in me. It turns on me and slings its stick. I move to the left missing the hit. I may not have my powers, but I still remember the moves. I hit the tree person over the head then dropped the stick and seized it around the neck chocking it. It tries to fight me but as many times as it elbowed me in the stomach and kicked me in the shines I wouldn’t let go. Finally feeling the fight going out of its body, I add more pressure to its neck and hold on until it went limp.
Letting go I turn around and got hit in the face with a stick. Falling to the ground blood running down my face, I felt no pain. I don’t know where the blood is coming from. I only know the anger I am feeling as I jump up and start pounding on the thing that caused it. I hit it over, and over again until it hits the ground. Jumping on top of it, I continue pounding it with my fist. Blood is splattering everywhere. The tree person has long since stopped fighting back, but I can’t stop. It’s like I am hitting it for everything that has gone wrong in my life over the last year. As if it was to blame. Dominick is pulling at me telling me it is over. I finally stop hitting the tree person, I just killed and I felt the anger leaving my body. I go limp like the tree person had earlier that I chocked.
Dominick pulls me into his strong arms and holds me tight as I cry. After a while, I begin to feel the pain for the first time from where I had been hit in the face. I push away from Dominick moaning in pain.
“Let me see your face baby” Dominick said. Putting his hands on either side of my face raising it toward his, he cursed.
“Is it that bad” I asked as my tears fall on his hands?
“You’re as beautiful as you always are Princess” he said before placing a light kiss on my lips.
Someone cleared their throat bringing Dominick and I out of the little world we had created where it was just the two of us. Breaking apart I look around and see Case standing their frozen looking at us. The hurt I see on his face brake’s my heart. I didn’t know what to say or how to fix what he had just wittiness.
We stared at each other for what seemed like a life time before Case finally turns his head away and said, “We need to go.” Feeling like the lowest person alive I start walking. The pain I felt from my face is nothing compared to the pain I feel in my heart knowing I hurt my Angel. I love Case and never wanted to hurt him. I have to find a way to make him believe me. I have to fix this.
CHAPTER 44
We arrive at the camp sight Case has made. It’s inside a cave, walking in I notice there are candles burning everywhere lighting the cave. The second thing I notice is a fairy being held in the whoops. The Fairy never said a word as I look at him closer I see why. He is dead. I wonder what Case had done to the Fairy to get the information he needed before he killing him. Looking around at Rachel, and Adam, I see they look as bad as I do. It looks as if we all had taken a beating, but we had managed to come out on top.
Spreading my blanket out I sit down trying to wipe dried blood from my face. Case still has not spoken to me or even looked my way. I heard Adam asking Case what happens now and Case tells him we have to stay here out of sight for the next two days before he can open the door. Something about the incantation he had would only open the door on the night of the earth’s full moon.
I had no idea what he was talking about and wasn’t about to ask him right now with the way he is feeling towards me. Without speaking to anyone I lay back, close my eyes and let my tears fall silently. I fell asleep with my heart breaking for hurting Case. He is the one person that has always been by my side.
Opening my eyes I see Case lying beside me looking at my face. He is so handsome with his blonde hair falling everywhere his strong facial features and the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen.
“How is your face?”
“It hurts like hell. How does it look?”
“It looks like hell” he said smiling.
Reaching out I touch his beautiful face. “I’m sorry about what happened back in the woods.”
Taking my hand in his he asked, “What did happen out there Lana?”
“I don’t know I was upset and scared. I lost it. Dominick helped me up, and I guess he thought I was hurt. I don’t know. All I can say is what you saw didn’t mean anything it was nothing. It was just two friends comforting each other.”
“Lana I saw where he was sleeping when I came in the hut.”
“Yeah he was sleeping on the cushion with me, but he was there because of everything that happened to me that night. I was in bad shape, and he was being a friend. The prince has really been putting me through it and without Dominick being there I don’t think I would have been able to deal with it. Dominick is your friend Case. He would never do anything to hurt you.”
“Do you have feelings for him Lana? Be honest with me.”
This was it. It was time for me to tell Case the truth. Staring into his eyes I said, “yes I do” I saw the hurt in his eyes, I hate that I put it there, but it is time to be honest.
“For how long?” he whispered.
“I guess you could say a long-time… I’m sorry Case. The feelings I have for him and the feelings I have for you are completely different. You’re the one I’m with. I love you.”
“You say you love me yet you have feelings for someone else. How can that be”?
“I don’t know how. I only know It is true, and you have to believe me. I LOVE YOU!”
Case pulls my hand away from his face and tells me he believes me. It doesn’t change the fact that I have to decide what I want and when I figure it out to let him know. I watch as he stands and walks away from me. I lay there with my eyes closed dried blood from me and the tree person I had killed covering my body.
My face hurts like hell and I know my nose is broken. I can’t even breathe through it. If I would have had my powers when I had gotten hit it wouldn
’t have done anything to me. But without my powers, I could be hurt and feel pain like any other human would.
I fell asleep at some point. When I woke up, I see Rachel and Adam sitting on a huge rock talking. Sitting up I asked where Case, and Dominick, were at. Rachel told me they are gone after wood to keep the fire going. Adam asked me how I’m feeling and tells me that Case brought in water we can drink, and I can also clean up with it. He points towards the water, and I stand up and make my way to over to it deciding I need to wash my face and arms.
Pouring water in my hands from the wooden bucket, I splash it on my face. The water is cold, but feels great touching my sore face. Using my hands, I scrub my face lightly trying not to cause myself more pain than I am already in. After feeling like I got as much of the blood off me as I could I went over and sat on the rock with Adam and Rachel.
“I have to ask you a question Lana” Rachel said, “What’s up between you, Dominick, and Case?”
“It’s a long story” I tell her not wanting to talk about it.
“Alright guess it’s none of my business anyways. I just thought Dominick was your boyfriend the way you both acted the last few days then Case shows up, and we find out he's your boyfriend.”
“Rachel SHUT UP! Whatever’s going on it’s nothing to you!” Adam said in a loud voice.
I sit there with my head down thinking Rachel is right. She had every right to think Dominick, and I was a couple with the way I acted toward him back in the hut. God I truly am a slut! We hear arguing outside I jump up running outside, already knowing what I will find and sure enough there is Dominick and Case at each other’s throats. Running over to them, I push Case back and yell “STOP! I know what you’re arguing about, and if you want to be mad at someone be mad at me not each other!”
Dominick starts to say something, but I stop him before he had the chance. “DON’T SAY A WORD!” I boom. Looking at Case, I said, “You told us we had to be quiet. How is this being quiet? You both are acting like children, and you need to grow up before you lead the tree people right to us!”
Without saying another word I turn and go back in the cave and plop down on my blanket. Anger consumes me not toward Case and Dominick but at myself for the mess I’ve made of everything. It seems like all I’ve done since becoming a Keeper is hurt the people I care about.
Lying there I see Dominick and Case coming back in the cave. I turn my head away from them. I close my eyes trying to decide how I can undo the things I’ve done. Knowing there is no way even as I try to think of something. I know what I have to do.
The only thing that will be fair to both Dominick and Case would be for me not to see either one of them until I know what I want. I will break things off with Case, as soon as we're back in the Keepers’ World. Sure I will have to see them every day after all we do work together and live in the same house.
Hearing Dominick and Case arguing again brought me out of my thoughts. By the time I was on my feet, they we’re throwing punches at each other. I try to grab Dominick and pull him away from Case, but I can’t budge the six foot seven massive body.
Yelling at Adam, and Rachel, I tell them to come help me as I step between Case and Dominick thinking they would stop. That turns out to be one of the biggest mistakes I’ve ever made in my life. One of them hit me, or it could have been both of them. I'm not sure. I just remember the pain as it hit my already black and blue broken nose. I went flying backwards as I fell another sharp pain hit the back of my head before I hit the ground.
CHAPTER 45
I didn’t know what hurt worse my face or the back of my head. I couldn’t open my eyes, for some reason. I could hear Case, Dominick, Rachel, and Adam, but I can’t open my eyes nor can I make out what they are saying. I felt so tired and really needed to sleep. My mind is shutting down, but before it dose I catch a glimpse of Dominick but I’m not sure about what I am seeing exactly because I know for a fact we are in the cave but what I am seeing is Dominick standing in the middle of a field. I see tree people surrounding him, he is trying to fight them all off but there is too many for him to take on by himself.
Watching In horror, I see four or five tree people take Dominick to the ground while another one rams a stake through his chest. I scream watching as the tree people push the stake deeper into his body. Dominick goes limp. I scream for him to get up bellowing to him he has to fight. I felt my heart breaking. No matter, how much I scream Dominick, just laid there dying. I am still screaming when Dominick starts fading from my vision.
Everything went black. I must be dying; if so I welcome it. Watching Dominick die just now opened my eyes about my feelings towards him. About how much I care about him how much I love him. That’s the reason I had been able to sleep with him so easy yet had never been able to bring myself to sleep with Case. Now it’s too late he’s gone, and I’ll never be able to tell him how much he means to me how much I love him. That I was sorry I had wasted all these months we could have been together.
Is this what HELL is like? A black nothingness a giant hole swallowing you up to never to be seen nor heard from again I scream out, demanding to know if anyone is there. All I hear back is the echo of my own voice. I thought about looking around to see if I can find Dominick but then realize that he wouldn’t have come here. Hell is left to those that didn’t deserve better. Like me, for the way I treated Dominick and Case. Of course, Dominick wouldn’t be here he’s kind, generous, forgiving, loving, and always helping others. He’s everything I’m not and never will be. Lying down in the black nothingness, I close my eyes and cry for all the mistakes I had made and the people I had hurt along the way.
As time went on, I lost all track of time I’m not sure if I have been here an hour, days, or even months for all I knew. I walked, and walked trying to see if I could see anything but no matter how far I went; nothing changed. I am wondering if the tree people had killed Case, Adam and Rachel when I hear a faint noise. Straining my ears, I listen to see if I can hear it again. When I am about to give up, I hear my name being called out.
“I’m here!” I howl. Jumping to my feet I took off running trying to locate where the voice is coming from without any luck. Stopping I listen to see if I can still hear it, again I make out the faint sound of my name being spoken. Its Case he’s here I have to find him. I start calling his name “Case where are you? I can’t find you! Can you find me?” He never replies. Could I have been imagining his voice? I stopped screaming and listen. Finally giving up when I didn’t hear him again.
Sitting in the dark rocking my body back and forth I see a small light appear. It starts growing the light becoming brighter and brighter. Holding my hands over my eyes, I try to block out the blinding light. Could this be the light you always hear people talking about that has near-death experiences? Maybe I wasn’t in Hell after all. This could be the holding place or something you go to before the light comes to take you.
Letting my hands drop from my face I watch the light come toward me. It stops blinding me and becomes beautiful the closer it gets. When the light is finally in front of me, it transforms into an Angel, but not any Angel, it is Michael. I have not seen him since my purification. He was the Angel, who had given me his blood.
“Hello Lana” Michael says in his soothing tone.
“Michael I can’t believe you’re here. I thought I was in HELL! However, you wouldn’t be here if I were. Are you taking me to heaven?”
“Lana you’re not dead; you're in a comma.”
“How can I be in a comma?”
“That’s not important right now. What is important is you need to wake up, I’m afraid if you stay here much longer there will be NO turning back. You’re falling deeper towards death. You have much to do my child. There is another war coming and you, and your powers are greatly needed this war is you’re destiny. You are the strongest of all keepers you were born to fight and lead this war. Without you goodness has no chance of winning. If evil wins the human race will be destroyed. The
keeper world will be no more. This war is the reason you were born. The reason your powers are so great. You have to fight to wake up. Listen to the voices calling to you and follow them.”
“How can I lead a war Michael? How can you say a war is my destiny? I can’t even figure out my own love life. I make a mess of everything I touch.”
“Lana love is a hard thing for anyone to deal with. All you can do is follow your heart. Listen to what your heart is telling you, and you’ll know what to do.” Michael said in his soothing musical voice.
“Michael what if your heart is telling you that you love two different people?”
“Lana you know, deep down, what your heart can’t live without.”
“It really doesn’t matter now I saw the tree people kill Dominick.”
“Dominick’s not dead he’s waiting on you. He’s sitting by your side now begging you to come back to him.”
“I don’t know how to get back Michael can you take me back?”