Forever and Always

Chapter 4

Both the stuffed dog and the note fluttered out of my hand as the weight of what had just happened set in. I stared straight ahead of me in shock.

Jim's muffled voice reached my ears. I turned towards him. His lips were moving, and sound was coming out, but I couldn't make out what he was saying. I brought one hand up to my head as the room started to spin, and stuck my other arm out towards the wall as I felt my legs get shaky. But my knees still buckled and the ground came up to meet me. Luckily, Jim had realized what was going on and caught me before I fell.

As I lay there in his arms, not understanding what was going on around me, I started to panic. Jim rest my head in his lap and gently cupped my face in his hands. He looked down at me, smiling reassuringly and talking to me. I focused on his eyes, which helped the panic subside. I gradually regained my composure and was able to see and hear things clearly again. When I recovered, I stood up, but Jim remained close by my side in case I got dizzy again.

"Okay, so why did you just faint?" Nerita asked.

I crossed my arms over my chest and looked down at the ground. My gaze shifted over to the discarded doll on the floor and the upside down note beside it.

I looked into Jim's eyes when I answered the question.

"He's back," I said.

Jim's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Who?" Jennifer asked.

Jim picked the note up off the ground and read it. His eyes widened as he read the signature at the bottom.

"Blackmore," he growled.

I nodded.

"Wait? That guy who kidnapped you that summer after our first year at the Academy?" Gabriel asked.

"Yeah," Jim answered.

"I thought you guys sent him to another dimension?" Nerita asked.

"That's what I thought too," I replied.

"So what has he got to do with this?" Iris asked.

"He took them. He took the kids, and he won't give them back unless..." I trailed off.

"Unless what?" Angela prompted.

"Unless he gets her," Jim finished. "Which is not going to happen."

"We have to do something!" I exclaimed.

"But we are not going to just give you to him," Jim said, an angry look on his face.

"Well of course not, but we still have to save them," I refuted.

Jim and I stared at each other angrily, neither one of us wanting to give in.

"Okay," Gabriel interrupted. "First things first, we need to tell the Doppler's."

"He's right," I said, breaking my glaring contest with Jim.

"I'll run over to their house and tell them," Adelaide offered.

She transformed into a wolf-like creature and ran out of the house on all fours.

I wrapped my arms around myself again and leaned against the wall.

When Delbert and Amelia got here, we explained everything that happened. Jim handed the note to Amelia and she read it over, her brows furrowed in concentration. It was evident that Delbert was quite worried, though I wasn't able to tell what Amelia was feeling. She had a lot of practice at hiding her emotions, but surely she must be feeling something. These were her children, after all.

We spoke with the adults for a couple hours, but then they made us go up to bed while they continued to discuss what their plan of action would be. I didn't like being dismissed like that; we were adults too!

Mrs. Hawkins showed all our friends to some of the guest rooms so they could sleep more comfortably.

Before I went to bed, I picked up Daniel's little stuffed dog and placed it on the nightstand next to my bed. I stared at it until I fell asleep.

I was plagued with nightmares of Alex and the kids. They were crying out my name, but whenever I thought I had reached them, they disappeared and screamed my name from a different direction. All the while Alex's evil laugh filled every inch of space and invaded my mind until I was sure I would go insane. Just as I was starting to break down in my dream, I was shaken awake.

I freaked out a bit, looking around frantically. I realized Jim was in front of me, and he was holding my shoulders. He looked frightened.

"Wha-?" I asked, still a little confused.

"You were shouting in your sleep," Jim said, a sad look on his face.

"Oh," I whispered. "Sorry."

"It's fine. Are you alright?" he asked, releasing my shoulders.

"I don't know," I admitted, wrapping my arms around my knees.

"Do you want me to stay?" he offered.

"Yes please," I replied, giving him a small smile, which he returned.

I scooted over so that he could climb under the covers with me. He pulled me against his body just like he always did. I noticed that he was wearing a shirt and felt a little annoyed by the fabric. I wanted to feel the warmth of his skin. But I decided not to say anything. Just having him next to me was enough. I fell asleep to the soothing sound of his even breathing.

I slept peacefully for the rest of the night.