The Lore within Reality

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

I feel dazed. The world blurs around me, noises echo in my ears. I can hear my name but it sounds distant and hollow. Everything feels so out of focus, creating a dissociated feeling. The brick walls seem to go on for miles, contrasting sharply with the blue sky. Slowly, everything comes back into focus, the blurred edges clearing. Loud voices become apparent at the mouth of the alley, some concerned and some eating up the possible drama.

Elias hovers over me, his jaw set and eyes wide. "How do you feel?"

"I don't know," my words still rasp and scratch my throat from my near death experience. A new ache seems to flare though.

I try to sit up, but the world whirls. "Easy," the word sounds more like a grunt than English. A gentle hand on my back helps me ease forward. Sirens begin to echo in the distance.

Great...just what we needed. "I think it's time to go," he helps me to my feet, catching me when my knees buckle, before I've even finished the raspy words.

With one hand on my back, and the other holding my hand, we push our way through the small crowd. Ignoring the strange looks and comments, I stumble onto the sidewalk. Nausea roils in my belly as my head begins to pound. The sirens are getting closer.

"Almost there," his voice is tense, but his hands are gentle. We duck into another alley, walking across to the next street. Trusting Elias knows where we're headed, my eyes stay shut to avoid the searing pain the sun brings. My breaths come out in short gasps, sometimes broken by pained groans.

My knees give out, but I'm swung in the air before I even come close to the ground.

"Stay with me," Elias hums as he walks up the steps to my apartment.

The door swings open and Logen's outrage greets us, "What in the bloody-" His words are cut off as he's shoved out of the way. The hallway blurs past and I'm once again placed on my bed. Elias hasn't fully stepped away from my bed before I'm jumping up on wobbly legs and feebly pushing passed to get to the bathroom. What little contents filled my stomach met with the toilet bowl. I retch until there's nothing left and dry heave until my muscles ache.

Finally calming down, I lean against the tub, the frame cooling my back through the sweat soaked shirt. Resting my head on my knees, I slowly steady my breathing in between the trembles. I flinch away from a hand on my shoulder. Leveling my icy glare on the hand, slowly traveling to the brown irises, the hunter backs off, palms up in surrender. He sits back on his heels in the doorway, watching carefully.

"How do you feel?"

"Don't." I reply through clenched teeth, "Don't pretend to care. Don't give me your false pity. Tell me what the hell is wrong with me."

His head drops uncertainty, looking at his scarred hands. "There's nothing wrong with you, Raina."

I scoffed, still feeling the phantom pains from before. "I beg to differ."

"There is nothing wrong with you," He emphasizes each word, "You are gifted. Strongly, at that."

Lifting a brow, I meet his intent gaze incredulously. I slowly move to my feet, begging the nausea to be done with me. Logen stands watchfully in the hall, just barely out of view, avoiding my wrath maybe. Elias doesn't move, just watches me from his crouched position.

"This," waving my arms angrily at nothing, "does not feel like a gift. Gifts are pleasant. This is painful. Whatever it is, I don't want it." Logen smirks from the hallway, but quickly covers it with a cough when my glare lands on him.