The Fate Of The Marked

Chapter Four

There was a sharp burn in my left shoulder, like a bee sting. I yelled and tried to pull away, but couldn't move. It grew worse and turned into a stab. It felt like someone was trying to pull my skin off. I screamed but no one spoke or made it stop. My panic grew with the agony.

Then, it was over.

It happened so fast that seconds later, I couldn't quite imagine what it felt like. I knew I was dripping with sweat, but it was so hot it didn't make a difference. I couldn't tell if my eyes were open or closed. I knew I was shaking. I whimpered and tried to move again. Everything ached.

"I'm sorry, child." A soft, feminine voice said. "It had to be done."

I startled but could not look to see where the voice was coming from. It was everywhere. I opened my mouth to speak, but couldn't form words.

"You must learn to protect yourself." The woman said. "You must learn to heal yourself."

"W-whats going on?" I asked, voice breaking.

Pain stabbed through me again. I cringed, but locked my jaw, refusing to make another sound. My resolve crumbled quickly.

"The Venatores wont spare you. They are coming." She said with urgency as the pain spiked. "You must be ready. You must learn to fight."

"Venatores?" I asked. " What are you talking about? Where am I?"

I screamed. The pain rippled through my whole body, like an invisible hand. It burned like nothing I had ever felt.

"Yes, Venatores. Hunters." The woman said. "They know where you are. You must be ready to fight."

"What are you doing to me?" I screamed.

But the pain had already faded. The voice got closer to me and I panted, trying to take deep breaths.

"You must learn to heal. They did not take your powers. Tell no one else, they cannot be trusted." She said. "It is dangerous for me to contact you. Father grows angrier by the second. Learn well and may you be protected."

"Why-"

"Be brave child," She said, cutting me off. "You are stronger and more important than you know. Our lives depend on it."

And then I was flying. Not in the way birds do with wings, but in the terrifying way that someone gets shoved out of a plane without a parachute.

I sat bolt upright in my bed. The room, still illuminated by the lamp, was spinning and made me dizzy. Nausea pulsed through me. I threw myself out of bed and ran for the door. It took me a few seconds to undo the lock. I raced into the bathroom and slammed the door behind me.

After I emptied my stomach, I curled up on the cold aluminum tile, cheek resting on the toilet seat. My knees felt like jello. I managed to lock the door without standing up. I flushed the toilet, hands shaking violently. That had been the most vivid thing that had happened since I had first woken in the hospital. I felt more alert than I ever remembered being.

My whole body hurt terribly, more than when I had gone to bed. The woman's voice echoed in my head.

Venatores. Hunters.

But I had known that when the woman said that. I hadn't been asking for a translation, but rather an explanation. She said I was being hunted. That I had more power than I knew. Those were two things that stood out the most. I stood in front of the mirror and pulled my shirt off.

Now, impossibly, my stomach was bruised as well. I checked over my neck and saw that it was worse. Much worse. My arms were sore, as were my legs busted up. I turned around and looked at my back, then nearly fell over.

On my left shoulder, large enough to stand out, was a black marking. It looked like a stretched out diamond, with points winding in and out of the outline. In the center were five interlocking circles. I had to sit down. The dream hadn't been a dream.

It had been real.

Somehow I had gotten from my bed to that room. My mind was racing, leaving all logic behind. It had been real. Had what the woman said been true, too, then? Or was this some kind of twisted dream? I pinched my arm, hard, but nothing happened. I didn't wake up. The whole house was silent, except for the sound of my heart pounding in my head. This couldn't be real.

But at the same moment, it made sense to accept it.

I took several deep breaths. There was one way to find out. I stood in front of the mirror. I saw the new injuries for what they were: a challenge.

If this didn't work, I would wake Christi and Jason and ask them to take me to a hospital. Maybe one for mental people. Slowly, I placed my hand on my stomach. Without thinking, I steadied myself. I focused on where my hand was placed, as if I had done it a thousand times, or perhaps I had, and pictured it healing, over and over again. I was about to give up when it happened.

Something changed.

The pain in my stomach lessened and I pushed further. I met my own eyes in the mirror and saw a glint of something that gave me hope. When I looked down, the bruises were almost gone. I had to stop and breathe again. I was terrified and exhilarated. This time, I kept my eyes on my stomach as I healed it.

The marks disappeared before my eyes. I reached a hand behind myself and did the same to my neck, back and legs. I took the bandage off my head and touched the stitching gently, before fixing that too. I was tipsy and almost falling over by the time I was finished, as if I had drank too much caffine and was having a sugar crash.

This had to do with the mark on my back. It hadn't been there when I was at the hospital.

The only thing left to fix was the strange emblem on my shoulder. It was scalding hot, the skin around it inflamed as it it were a new tattoo. I had a feeling it had something to do with the healing power. I wasn't sure how I felt about what I had just done.

Because it felt completely natural, and that scared me.

What was I?

I touched the mark with my hand, concentrating. Nothing happened. The adrenaline began to wear off and I stumbled. I put my shirt back on and threw the bandage in the trash. I tumbled my way back into my room and fell flat on the bed. I rested for a few minutes before going to sit at the desk and staring out at the sky, thinking carefully.

The woman had mentioned Hunters. I hoped she was wrong, but I knew that she wasn't. I wondered what they wanted from me and how they knew where I was. I couldn't focus on a single worry. But, staring out at the lightning sky, I knew I was safe for the next day or so. It would have to be enough time to make a decision and a good plan.

I had no idea where, or even if there was anywhere safe for me, but I couldn't stay here and put a family at risk. They didn't owe me anything. The horizon had turned pink before I crawled into bed and turned the lamp off.

I was asleep in a moment, and didn't dream.

Somewhere, chained to a black marble alter, an angel's lips twisted up into a cruel, caculating smile.