After a few tense moments of fighting, his hold on my shirt lessened. I didn't know if he dared let go of me, but I didn't want to take the chance he'd keep me from getting the bottle. I yanked my arm hard and felt the friction burn as the fabric of his pants scraped the skin off my wrist.
I was going to win.
I brought the bottle up and fumbled with the nozzle. I tried to spray it in his face, but he let go of my shirt and grabbed me by the wrist. He was so fast I didn't have time to spray. He pushed the bottle as far away from his face as he could.
I desperately pumped the spray and felt the mist drift into my face as I watched it fall into his. I felt myself begin to go under and fought against the blackness.
“You will stay awake!” I shouted in my mind.
I pushed hard with my arm and brought the bottle closer to Shander. I sprayed it right in his face this time and shouted, “Leave me alone and die…”
The incredulous look he gave me would have been funny if I weren't fighting against him for my life and for the safety of my friends.
His eyes went blank and I felt him loosen his grip on my wrist, but he didn't let go. The Tamire started to work more and more on me. I fought against it trying to stay awake, but felt myself drifting off to sleep.
I forced my eyes to stay open and thought of my house. I couldn't focus on it. The marble had disappeared, but I couldn't remember why that would be important. My wrist felt free. Why was that important? I thought of my front room, but it kept slipping in and out of my thoughts. I felt weightless and started floating, reminding me of swimming lessons as a little girl. I tried to fight it and looked for my house, but couldn't find it. I kept sinking deeper and deeper and finally hit something hard.
I closed my eyes completely and gave myself up to the darkness.
Chapter Twenty
Lost
I was hot. I didn't know why. One side of my face prickled with the heat. I tried to reach up to cover my face, but couldn't move my arms. That irritated me.
It seemed like I'd done this before. But the heat was so uncomfortable. I tried to gather my thoughts, but something was wrong. Where was I? My eyes wouldn’t open.
My breathing — slow and shallow — was the only sound I heard. I breathed in deeply, smelling a hot salty scent. Weird. I could feel my heartbeat, slow as well.
Had I done this before? I was hot now, yet before I'd been cold. I lay on something hard this time but remembered lying on something softer last time.
Why the difference?
I tried to open my eyes again, but they still ignored my command. I focused my attention on my body. I lay on my stomach, my left arm pinned underneath, unable to move. It felt numb, yet something in my hand felt cool. Why? My right arm lay out straight. The ground felt rough under my hand.
My head hurt. Not like the headache I'd expected. Why had I expected a headache? I couldn't remember. My head hurt in a different way. Throbbing with my heartbeat. My face got hotter and I felt the tingle again, reminding me of a sunburn.
I became aware of a red glow behind my eyelids. The sun would make sense. I tried to open my eyes, feeling happy when they fluttered a little. When they finally opened, the brightness blinded me for a moment. I squinted and tried to make out things in my limited view. I still couldn't move anything else.
Nothing looked familiar. It was so bright and foreign to me I had no idea where I was. My weak arms refused to move me, but eventually I brought my hand to my face. I wanted to roll over and see what I held in my other hand. It felt cool. I longed to put it on my hot face.
At least my hand covering my face helped a little.
My memories confused me. I couldn't remember who or where I was. I tried to think of my name but drew a blank. I tried to think of home but nothing came. A brief flash of some tall pillars flooded my mind, but I didn't know them. Lacy curtains, but where had I seen them before?
I tried to remember anything of the last little while, but could only come up with physical sensations. Cold and hot. Soft and hard. Floating and falling.
The alphabet came easily. I tried counting. No problem. The Pledge of Allegiance flowed smoothly. Phone number? No. I tried my address. Nothing.
My name? Did it start with an A? Amira? No. I was sure that wasn't my name. But what was it? And who was Amira?
When I could finally move my body, I rolled off my arm. My head hurt with the movement. When the blood came back into my arm, it stung. I weakly pulled my hand up to my face to look at the object I held. A black circle with a leather cord looped inside the hollow in the center. A necklace of some kind? Where had it come from?
I glanced around me, hoping something would spark a memory. The bright sun made it difficult for me to see much of anything. I squinted and tried again. Nothing but flat white sand for miles. No, not sand. It felt different than sand. But I couldn't quite place it.
When I tried to sit up to get a better look, I couldn't bring my body up. The movement of my head caused incredible pain and a wave of nausea.
I lay still and tried to remember anything that would tell me what had happened. The more I thought about it, the more confused I became. Exhaustion tugged at me. I pulled my arm up to cover my eyes and drifted off to sleep.
****
I woke up some time later. Sweat had formed between my face and the skin on my arm. It evaporated quickly when I moved my arm. The bright light shocked me.
I turned my head to the side, and the pounding, throbbing of my headache took me by surprise. I tried it again more slowly to see where I was. I lay sprawled on the ground somewhere bright and barren. There were no trees or bushes anywhere. In the far distance, I thought I saw some mountains.
My back was soaked with sweat. I licked my lips and felt the stinging of dried, chapped skin. I tried to speak, though doubted anyone could hear me. Just as well. I couldn't form many words before the pain of my dry throat forced me to stop.
A light breeze floated over me and cooled me momentarily. It died down, leaving me with the oppressing heat. I moaned. I needed to get out of the sun, but how? Every movement made my head hurt terribly. I gritted my teeth together and forced myself to endure the throbbing pain as I tried to sit up to look around. A car was parked far in front of me. Whose was it? Not mine, but there was no one else around.
I gave up the search for the missing person and tried to stand up, making it as far as my knees. That left me gasping in pain as I fell over. I lay there a moment and tried rolling onto my stomach. I clenched my teeth again, waiting for the pain in my head to lessen. The skin on my arms burned as it touched the white ground. The heat was unbelievable. I cried out in pain, slowly crawling on my belly and forearms toward the car.
I must have passed out because when I awoke again I was even hotter and more confused. I looked around me, surprised to see a car about twenty-five yards away. Then I remembered that was my destination.
I worked at it, inch by inch, enduring the pain in my head. I fought through the fresh pain of old and new blisters every time I touched the hot ground. I inched forward. The shade next to the car would be my salvation.
I didn't know how long it took, but eventually I made it. The kiss of the shade on the crown of my head was the most beautiful thing in the world. I heaved forward with the last of my strength. When I finally pulled the rest of my long frame into the shade, I gave up completely and welcomed the darkness that surrounded me. This time I didn't care if I ever woke up again.
****
I was a presence drifting in a dark and colorless void. I looked for light of some sort, but couldn't find it anywhere.
Eternity passed, making me hate the darkness. Just when I wished my presence would disappear into the nothingness, I heard something beautiful in the background.
I desired it more than anything else. I tried to go forward, but had no body to move.
The sound came again. I had ears of a sort, allowing me to hear. I wasn't just a presence in a black void. I listened mo
re closely.
The sound brought color with it. I wanted color. This blackness irritated me. I waited to hear the colorful sound. I searched for it. Why wasn't it coming?
There!
I heard and saw it again. I loved this sound.
Why? Where had I heard it before? I looked at the bright, iridescent colors as they flashed around me with the sound. I tried to make a sound too.
The color of my sound was ugly. Muddy and splotchy. I didn't want to make it again.
The beautiful, colorful sound became louder. I waited and watched it.
It got louder and the colors became more vibrant. Why didn't it hurt my eyes?
I had eyes. That comforted me.
The sound reminded me of something.
It was familiar. How did I know that sound? It was a voice, a beautiful, deep, smooth voice. It kept saying the same thing over and over again. What did it mean? It should mean something to me, I knew it should, but I couldn't place it.
I made my ugly sound again and hated the color even more this time. Such a stark contrast to the beautiful colors. But it seemed my sound made the other voice happy. I focused on the sounds it made. Enjoying the swirls of colors as it spoke.
It said the same thing over and over again.
“Holly.” It sounded familiar. Why did I know this word?
“Please wake up, Holly. You can't leave me. I need you.”
I didn't know what that meant.
“Holly. Holly.”
That was it. Holly meant something to me. It was me. I am Holly!
My heartbeat sped up when I recognized my name.
I tried to respond, tried to say I could hear the voice, but just made such ugly sounds.
I wanted to open my eyes and see who spoke to me. I felt I should know him. I wanted to cry in frustration, but couldn't even do that.
“Holly. I love you. You stay with me. I'm trying to Heal you.” The beautiful voice broke with emotion.
I concentrated all of my attention on my eyes. They fluttered but I couldn't get them to open.
I moaned again in frustration this time. The colors lessened as I became more aware of myself. I felt hot everywhere, and incredibly weak. I couldn't do anything with my body.
The voice became quicker and closer. “Holly. Give me a little more time. Hold on. I will Heal you, work with me. Give me some of your strength.”
I could feel waves of comfort wash across my body. The heat would lessen each time, and I began to feel my different body parts. I turned my head toward where the voice came from and moaned in pain. It hurt, but it lessened with each wave that washed over me.
Something was happening. I felt stronger and the pain faded.
I welcomed the difference and smiled.
“Holly! Can you hear me? Are you with me now?” the urgent voice asked.
I tried to speak but still only got ugly dry sounds out.
I felt coolness against my lips. They parted eagerly as I recognized the water. It slowly dribbled into my mouth, seeking out the dry spots to destroy them. It was the most delicious thing I could remember. After the water found its way through my desert mouth, I attempted to swallow the small pool that formed at the back of my throat.
It went down smoothly, and I greedily wanted more. More came, slowly, but steadily until my throat was no longer dry. After I'd swallowed as much as I wanted, I closed my lips and turned my head to the side ever so slowly. The movement only brought a small amount of pain.
My eyelids fluttered as I tried to open them. The vast and empty sky above me, just beginning to get dark, filled my view. No stars yet, but I knew I would see them in a moment.
I looked around, trying to find my savior, and saw the most beautiful face I had ever seen.
His eyes met mine. A huge tear hung onto his lower lashes. I wanted to reach up and wipe it away, but couldn't move my arm.
I gazed into those eyes, sure I knew them.
“Holly.” His voice was full of emotion.
“Thanks,” I whispered roughly. I imagined the colors from that sound would have been better than those first sounds, but not by much.
“Oh, Holly. I thought I had lost you.” The lone tear was joined by others before it fell off his lashes.
It looked wrong for him to cry.
“What happened?” I could barely get the words through my parched throat.
“After I went to Ramal to Heal him, I could always feel you,” he said. “So far away, but I never lost you. Healing Ramal took more energy and time than I thought it would. He was in bad shape. I'm sorry I didn't call you sooner. When I finally called to tell you what happened to Ramal, I only got your answering machine. Then you called me and said Shander was there at your door, and then the phone went dead. I felt such a feeling of terror where your presence is inside me. It brought me to my knees. Then you disappeared. I called your house, but no one answered.
“I couldn't find you for so long. I'd already gone to the airport to get a flight back here when I felt you again. I called your house and your parents answered, saying the house was messed up and they couldn't find you anywhere. I knew you were in trouble. I couldn't get here fast enough.”
He lowered his head into one of his hands while the other hand remained on my head. It hurt to see him miserable. He whispered softly. “I should never have left you alone.”
“It’s okay,” I whispered. Even though I didn't understand what he was talking about, I wanted to comfort him.
“No, it's not. I knew Shander would come to find us, and I still left you alone. I never actually thought he'd take you, but I was so wrong again.”
I should know the name Shander, but it was just out of reach. It drove me crazy that I only understood some of what he said.
The beautiful boy in front of me kept talking, and I had difficulty following him. I waved my hand weakly in front of my face.
“Stop,” I pleaded. “I don't understand any of this.”
He stopped talking and looked at me.
“What don't you understand?”
“You. Me. Here. Shander.”
He frowned.
“Where am I?” I asked.
“You don't know?”
“Not really,” I admitted.
“You are in the Salt Flats.”
“Why?”
“I think Shander brought you here, but I hoped you could tell me more about it,” he said.
“Hmm.” I closed my eyes. “Who is Shander?”
“He's the one chasing Amira.”
“Amira,” I whispered to myself. “I know that name. Who am I?”
“You are Holly Adams.”
“Oh. That's right.” I smiled as it clicked into place.
He smiled at me in return.
“Who are you?” I asked.
His smile disappeared. I felt the loss of his smile more than I thought I would. It seemed wrong for him to frown. I hurried to reassure him.
“I think I know you from somewhere, but I can't put it together. You are so familiar. I know some of the things you've said mean something to me, but I just can't catch it all.” My throat hurt from talking.
He looked relieved at my explanation.
I heard something strange yet familiar far in the distance. I tried to turn toward the sound. He looked up.
I looked at him for information.
“It is the ambulance. I called it as soon as I found you lying there by the car. I didn't know if I could Heal you completely. I could only do some. I'm sorry, but you are still very unwell.”
“You Healed me?” I whispered, not understanding.
“I tried. It worked a bit. I'm sorry I couldn't do more. It takes time to bring the body back into its perfect wellness. With the long flight back here and Healing Ramal, I'm not at my full strength. It isn't working as well as it normally would. I'm sorry, Holly.”
“Don't be. I think I was close to dying…” I paused to swallow and lick my lips. “I don't think I could have waited m
uch longer. Thank you.”
“Of course.”
He looked toward the ambulance as it approached.
“Will you be okay for a moment? I need to make sure they've seen us.”
I nodded my head and closed my eyes.
When he took his hands off my head, I felt worse than just a moment before.
I heard him walk away and then return. When he got closer to me, I opened my eyes and saw him holding a black circle hanging on a leather cord in one hand and a purple bottle in the other. He slipped them into his pants pocket. Someone else had done that not too long ago.
A few images flashed through my memory. The man in front of me now was so different from the man I'd seen with the purple bottle. I looked up at his face and saw him smile. He walked forward a few steps and knelt beside me.
“You are going to be okay. I don't know what I would do if I lost you.”
He leaned forward and gently kissed my forehead. As soon as his lips met my skin, I knew him.
“Jai,” I whispered.
He pulled back quickly and looked me in the eyes.
“I remember you.”
“Thank goodness,” he whispered back. “Do you remember everything?”
“Bits and pieces.” I looked at him and then remembered something else. “What about Amira?”
“As far as I know, they made it back home just fine. They left before I did.” He leaned close to me as the ambulance pulled up next to the car.
I watched in surprise at the flurry of activity as the paramedics jumped out and rushed over to me.
“We'll talk later,” he whispered in my ear as the paramedic started to take my vitals.
“Okay,” I whispered. I felt at peace. I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep again.
Chapter Twenty-One
Healing
Poking and prodding woke me. I opened my eyes to see a short nurse wearing bubblegum-pink scrubs.
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