I call Cal and ask if he found Luce. He tells me he did but she fell out of a tree and is now at the hospital. Kaitlyn and I rush over there as quick as we can. When we get there, we wait anxiously for the doctor to let us see her. Finally, someone says we can go in.
The second we walk into her room, I ask, "Are you okay?!?"
"I'm fine Mara. Just... a little shaken up is all."
Kaitlyn glares skeptically at Luce.
"I didn't jump if that's what you're thinking Kate."
"I know. Cal said you didn't jump," I replied.
"So what did happen then?" Kaitlyn asked.
"I... I couldn't handle anything, my mind just kinda shut down. I passed out I think."
"That sounds terrifying."
"It was. I don't even know what happened. One minute I was talking to Cal, the next everything got kinda fuzzy and blurry. Blackness invaded my vision. And then I couldn't see at all. Next thing I knew I was waking up in the hospital, talking to a British sounding doctor."
Kaitlyn and I were getting more worried by the minute. I felt terrible that I wasn't able to stop what happened.
I told her "Cal's been asking about you. He's been in and out of the hospital. Half his time here, half at the church apparantley. He's praying that your better." This made me smile ever so slightly. I'm glad Cal cares so much about Luce.
"Great. Someone's praying for me. I'm sure that'll be super effective," Luce said, the sarcasm oozing from her voice.
"I'm sure he'll be here soon. Are you going to talk to him?"
"I don't know yet. I just don't want to see Jack right now, that's all I know."
"He didn't mean it."
"Yes he did. He meant every word he said."
All my pathetic self could do was give her a pitying look. Kailtyn on the other hand looked murderous. She clenched the knuckle she had punched Jack with only a little while ago.
"He had no right to say any of that to you and you know it."
"I know. That's why I'm not going to see him. I'm not going to yell at him in the middle of a hospital."
"Well maybe you should. After all, if it weren't for him, you probably wouldn't be here right now," someone said from behind.
Kaitlyn asked, "Cal, how did you get in here?"
"The doctor guy let me in."
That caused Kailtyn to give her famous line, "No shit Sherlock."
"Lucinda I know you're awake, are you okay?" Cal asked.
As they got into a conversation, Kaitlyn and I looked at each other and made an unspoken agreement to leave the two of them alone.
"We'll just leave you two alone then," I said before we walked out.
*****
Kaitlyn went home but I made my way to the theater. There was something comforting about being there alone, left to think and do as I please.
My first instinct was to explore some of the secret rooms. It just felt so magical in my mind, to find a place you didn't know existed. I don't know, I guess it's just the inexplicable things that fascinate me so much, drive my imagination. And who's to say that our imaginations aren't as real as our lives?
I climbed up some stairs and wandered through halls and rooms. Finally, I made my way into a room that I found very intriguing. The sunset was washing through the windows, creating a hazey look. In the room, I found some old trinkets and dusty books. The whole room was just piled with treasures waiting to be rediscovered. I picked out a book and began skimming through it. The spine was beautifully bound and I ran my fingers across all the ridges on the cover. To my delight, this book was about Peter Pan and his adventures, which are some of my favorite stories. I continued to pick my way throughout the room, lighting a few candelabras as it grew dark.
I made myself comfortable on a small sofa and continued flipping through pages of more books, pushing up my glasses every once in a while. Every book contained some type of magic.
I really do believe in magic. I don't know what it is that makes me love it so much, but I do.
Then, a spark in the middle of the room caught my attention. I walked over to it, the only clear space of the room. A carpet covered that part of the floor, muffling my footsteps. I was only in socks, I had taken my shoes off. The only light left was coming from the dimming candle on the other side of the room. I took some deep breaths, the crisp, night air was flowing through some cracks in the walls. My mind was at a complete ease, as if all my problems and thoughts had instantly vanished.
I had a strong urge to lightly raise my arm and allow my hand to make a slight horizontal movement. I did so, feeling a sensation at my finger tips that felt oddly freezing but hot at the same time. Sparks, similar to the one I had seen before, shot out of my fingertips. I stumbled back in shock but my curiosity helped me recover quickly. I tried doing the same thing multiple times but was unsuccessful. I stopped to think, deciding to clear my mind once again.
This time, as I moved my hands, more sparks came, and with those sparks came a delicate hand mirror. I picked it up by the handle and looked into the reflection. I saw myself, my physical appearance exactly the same as the last time I had peered into a mirror. But something inside me felt differemt.
I look the same, but I also love what I see inside the mirror. And that's the difference. I no longer hate to see myself...
I continued trying out different hand movements, causing some of the trinkets in the room to shiver or the tea cups to dance. I was purely fascinated by what I had discovered.
I had discovered magic.
*****
