CACKLE- Book 1

Chapter Twenty-Five

"Your first kiss!" Anna squealed, taking a seat on Remi's couch.

Remis eyes were glued to the dresses Avani had picked out, her face red and hot.

"Was it good?" Anna asked.

"It was her first kiss; how would she know?" Avani teased, sparking laughter from Anna.

"I regret telling the two of you." Remi picked up one of the dresses, hardly seeing it she touched the fabric, pretending she were making some sort of decision on what to wear instead of feeling utterly mortified and doing everything she could to avoid making eye contact.

"Are we going back to the library today?" Remi asked, in an attempt to change the subject.

"No, we're going to see Theo." Anna said. "She's finally speaking, or I guess screaming. She started screaming in her sleep again which seems to have triggered something, now she's able to converse while she's awake too. So strange..." Placing a finger on her chin Anna trailed off into a deep thought.

"Such a shame. That poor girl, she's been suffering for so long." Avani added.

"Has she always been ill?" Remi asked.

"No! Not at all! She was the liveliest little girl. I believe the ailments started... well... maybe... a month ago?" Avani started counting on her fingers.

At this point Remi had been in this new world for some time, the days she spent traveling through the woods melding together into an incoherent timeline of events. She turned to Anna who was watching Avani count her fingers.

"When did it start Anna?" Remi's voice was stern. There was something scratching at the back of her mind, a connection she could feel forming.

"Just a week or two before you showed up on my doorstep." Anna said. She looked at Remi and the two exchanged wordless thoughts on what this might mean.

Avani was still counting her fingers.

"I'd like to wear this one." Remi said, picking up a dusty rose-colored gown. Avani blinked a little, bewildered.

"Oh, yes! Of course, miss." She said, rushing to Remi's side.

Remi was quiet ass Avani helped her dress and did her hair. Anna seemed to be deep in thought as well.

When she was finished Avani said, "There you are miss. You look as lovely as ever!" Her cheery disposition felt strange, in a room so full of tension and turmoil. Avani didn't seem to notice, or if she did, she didn't seem to care.

"Thank you so much, we really must be going." Anna said, jumping to her feet and grabbing Remi's arm.

They rushed out of Remi's room and into the hallway.

"Anna, do you think..." Remi started.

"Shush!" Anna snapped. "Not here."

They walked to Theo's bedroom. Anna knocked softly, opening it just a crack to peek her head inside.

"Theo..." She whispered.

A small voice that seemed to come from a great distance answered, "Anna!"

When Anna opened the door further Remi could see a small figure through the dim lighting. Lying in bed, propped up on a few pillows sat Theodora. Her Icey eyes- so like her mothers- cut through the darkness as she squinted at them. Anna found the lanterns quickly, bringing light to the room. Theo blinked as her eyes adjusted to the harsh glow, making out the two women standing before her.

"Hello." Remi said. She gave the girl a friendly little wave.

"Hello." Theo responded, her big doe eyes full of curiosity.

"Theo, this is Remilia. She's another witch and she's come to help you." Anna said, her voice was soft and cooing.

"You can call me Remi."

"Thank you, Remi. I didn't know there were anymore witches left, apart from Anna of course." While Theo was still young, the ailments did not seem to affect her ability to rationalize.

"I'm newly trained." Remi explained.

"Here, let me make you more comfortable." Anna fluffed up Theo's pillows and scootched the girl back, so she was sitting up straight. "Let me get your tonic."

There was a long table on the far side of Theo's room, cluttered with cauldrons, vials and various ingredients. Remi watched as Anna mixed herbs and in a cauldron. She lit a fire beneath and they waited for what felt like ages as the mixture finally started to boil, blending the tincture together. Remi studied the concoction. The thermal processing resulted in a small teacup's worth of brown sludge.

Remi's brows furrowed. It looked disgusting. Anna walked the cup over to Theo who accepted it without question, blowing the top a few times before taking a sip. It seemed like a routine the two had. While Theo sipped, Anna took her pulse, checked her legs, mobility, and various initial vitals.

"As usual," Anna sighed, "there's been no change to your condition."

That was bad news. They were treating Theo blindly by trying to counteract her symptoms. Without a clear diagnosis this would continue until her ailments progressed to the point of no recovery.

"When was your last episode?" Anna asked.

"This morning, before Avani brought me breakfast." Theo's voice was too soft, too sweet for a girl struggling so fiercely with her health.

Remi glanced at the table with a bowl of untouched porridge and berries.

"It was around 6 minutes long." Avani added. "I came in just after it started."

Placing the back of her hand on Theo's head Anna added, "Still warm, but not as hot as yesterday. That seems like an improvement."

"It feels like my head is on fire, right before the confusions start, and for a little while after."

Anna nodded, "so odd. A fever wouldn't break that quickly. I'm not sure what that could mean." Anna flipped through the book she had taken back from Remi that morning.

Remi felt a pang of guilt. She had not spent a single moment flipping through that book last night. Though, it was frustrating her to not know what she was looking for. What could she do? If Anna couldn't help this young girl, how could she possibly do any better?

Remi tried to reason with herself. The only excuse for her attendance was to help Theo, but a it wasn't the true reason she was there, it shouldn't matter that she wouldn't be able to do much for the girl. Though, a voice in the back of her mind refused that fact. If she was going to stay here, she was going to help.

Remi spent the rest of the day in Theo's room, with Anna. They combed through Anna's journals of symptoms and attempted treatments. More than once Remi would whisper to Anna about the timeline of Theo's conditions. From what they could tell, her symptoms started just before Remi was reborn. There didn't seem to be a connection between Remi and Theo, but the timing was enough for them to consider it as an oddity.

When the sun finally set, Remi wished Theo a good night, returning to her own room with Anna. They talked for a long time about the different forms of treatments and remedies they could still try, and eventually decided that the next morning they would start her day with a cup of green tea. One before her breakfast, one midday and one before her supper. It wasn't much but the extra fluids, vitamins, and minerals she would gain from the tea might help a little. At the very least help her digestive tract would start moving before Theo would have to drink another cup of Anna's sludgy tonic.

The two decided to call it a night. Remi flopping face first into her pillows. Exhausted from the day spent studying and worrying over something she couldn't control, but desperately wished to.

Back home, Anna had told Remi how the young girl had died of her ailments, long before the assassination of her parents. Guilt muddled and twisted her stomach as she pondered the pros and cons of trying to help Theo, when her future might be sealed either way.