Shattered Souls

Chapter 8

By the time morning rolled around, I was wide awake. I'd slept in fits, waking up every hour or so, unable to stop thinking about Raina. After I got dressed, I passed by our room and was relieved to hear steady, even breathing. I silently left our suite and swam down to the entryway, steadying myself against a wall.

Seeing her wound... Feeling the horror and grief wash over me as I realized what could have (and probably had) caused it... Hearing her story...

More than anything, I felt an overwhelming sense of sadness whenever I thought about her. If Drew and I hadn't met Mom and Dad, would our lives have eventually turned out that way? A sudden wave of nausea washed over me and I barely turned my head in time before I vomited, the putrid scent stuffing itself up my nostrils and triggering another wave before I could even steady myself. I braced myself on the aforementioned wall, struggling to control my breathing.

Exhaustion seeped into every bone, every muscle as I took several deep breaths, letting them out slowly. When I heard a noise behind me, I whirled around, regretting it instantly when my head spun. "Faye?" I blinked up at a blurry figure, their voice distorted. "Honey, what's wrong?"

Little by little, my vision (as well as my hearing) returned to normal, revealing the figure to be Mom, worry etched on her face as she scanned my own. Sweat beaded on my brow as I gasped for water, holding onto Mom to keep my balance. When she spoke again, her voice was quiet and full of concern. "C'mon, sweetie."

I was in no position to argue. I clung to Mom as we slowly swam through the palace, my eyes squeezed shut against the hot and cold flashes that hit me seemingly at random. With the speed at which we were moving, it seemed to take hours to get back to our suite (when, in reality, it had probably only taken a few minutes). "Jonah?" She called as we approached our suite door. It opened before the word even finished echoing, his face appearing a heartbeat later.

"Faye?" His voice became distorted as a wave of dizziness suddenly washed over me, causing me to clench my eyes shut. It was as if my body was a boat on rough waters and I was seasick. Every movement triggered either nausea or dizziness. Jonah was still speaking, but I couldn't hear him.

Just like before, I barely had time to turn my head before what was left in my stomach (mostly bile and spit) revolted. I was shuddering, gasping for water as my vision blurred, then cleared. When I was sure another wave wasn't imminent, I raised my head, the movement agonizingly slow. Jonah was rubbing my back, the motion soothing as he spoke quietly to someone (Mom or Dad, most likely).

"I think it's just exhaustion and stress, but let's keep an eye on her." I had a feeling I wasn't supposed to hear this conversation, but it was all I could do to stay conscious. My body had almost completely shut down.

I didn't remember falling asleep, but the next time I opened my eyes, I was in our bed, a cold cloth on my forehead. Every part of my body felt immensely heavy as if an anchor was weighing it down. Even something as simple as opening my eyes was a momentous task. When Jonah noticed, his expression immediately softened, the worry replaced by concern. "How are you feeling?" He asked, his eyes searching my face.

The nausea had ebbed away some time while I'd slept, leaving in its place a lingering sense of exhaustion. I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Tired." It was only when I looked around that I realized we were the only ones in the room. "Where's Raina?"

Jonah glanced at the bedroom door as if merely speaking her name aloud would make her appear. "When she heard what happened, she was adamant about moving into the sitting room. Insisted on it. From what I could tell, her wound had stopped bleeding when I went to change the bandages."

He took my hand, rubbing his thumb over the top. "Raina introduced herself to your parents and told them..." He trailed off, swallowing hard as a new wave of anger crashed over him. "What happened to her and who was responsible."