The Mirrored Souls

9.

Waves crashing into rocks low at the seashore is better than the sound of constant voices yelling over one another, begging for help, saving, asking for second chances they can't get back. I know I'm still asleep seeing fog cover my feet as I walk to the little version of me playing in a made up house made by my subconscious. I never go back to my childhood memory but it seems as if they want to revisit me. I lean down grabbing a small toy beside the little me until she stops me, pointing to the old house door my mom once painted brown. I stand walking towards it scared of what's behind it as I open it up slowly only seeing a shadow holding my old stuffed teddy bear. Ready to move, my feet get trapped in place. My eyes automatically close shut as I think of the garden, Neriah...Darce? Both faces come into vision making me sway with motion sickness.

"Oriana..."

Short raspy breathing is being pushed down my neck, pinching the warmth of my skin away.

Craning my neck to the side while keeping a slow movement helps me see what's latched onto me from the back, only to be frightened more when I notice it's the little boy that's been appearing. "What's your name..." I gulp as the boy answers with, "Charles,"grappling onto the back of my neck, whispering more things I couldn't make out clearly. When the last word was spoken I somehow awakened in reality and Neriah was biting his nails worried to the max. "Oh thank god," he stands checking my pupils with a small flashlight, checking my pulse and my head for a fever. Scrambling to get up, I look at the window seeing it's dark out.

"How long was I asleep?"

Neriah itches the back of his head before saying, "Ten days," then hands me some soup and water.

"Ten?" I say shocked.

"Yes, ten days."

Only taking one spoonful of soup I get the urge to vomit, throwing my blanket off and running to the bathroom, blood and something shiny falls into the toilet bowl, "Neriah bring me my mom's journal," I hug the toilet bowl more as blood keeps coming up until the journal is placed on the edge of the sink. I reach for it skimming for what I'm looking for and when I find it I have Neriah grab what I need. "Make sure to mix it thoroughly," wiping my mouth flushing the blood tinted water I stand washing my face waiting for Neriah to hand it to me. "Okay here," as he gives me the ceramic bowl, our hands touch for a second making my senses simmer to it's normal form, making the sickness I had go away little by little.

I shakily put the bowl to my mouth, gulped what's inside saying what I wanted healed and for a second I thought it wasn't going to work until short dainty silver objects float to the surface coming together to form a distorted shape.

"What is that?" Neriah asks, looking in wonder.

"The answer to all my questions," getting on my tippy toes I get the object examining it carefully.

Moving to my moms desk, laying it on the wooden surface, I get a magnifying glass reading the language written on it.

"Hand me a pen and paper," I urgently say as I recognize the words malted onto the object.

Neriah drags a chair next to me, sitting as he puts the paper and pen in front of me.

"El prenedor de l'endeví..."

I repeat it to myself then it clicks into place as I translate it with the help of the notes left in my mom's journals.

"It means The Taker of the Soothsayer's, the man who imprisoned me in that frosted forest dungeon."

Working like a mad scientist who just discovered a new profound test subject, I keep translating some more than the words Odettee said through me meant, I'm already dead. Biting on the pen really focused on the pieces falling into place, Neriah hands me a warm cup of tea with buttermilk cookies. "Thanks..." I mumble while looking at the journals laid out and paper. "You know your mom was kind of the same way when she was stuck on a mirrored souls story," he says from behind leaning down moving the paper so the tea wouldn't get on it, brushing his arm against mine.

"You never talk about your family...why?" I asked genuinely interested.

Neriah clears his throat saying, "What do you want to eat for dinner? You haven't eaten technically for over two weeks," then goes into the kitchen washing his hands getting ready to take out some food to cook. "Neriah I-" the air shifts making goosebumps rise all over my body while I'm not in the kitchen anymore. I start to look up, "Where am I?" Getting scared I suddenly bang on the walls that's caving in on me out of nowhere, air gets sucked out leaving my lungs ready to burst from the lack of oxygen.

"H-Help!" I cough violently as some type of gas gets circulated in the small space I'm in.

Few more gasping sounds leave my lips, knocking me out.

****

Humming from my mom singing as she cooks has me smiling as I wake in a bed I don't remember is mine but enough for me to not question it.

My feet slip into the fuzzy house slippers left at the foot of my bed while I wiggle into a tan cardigan that was hanging on a coat hook that's on my door.

Walking down the narrow hallway, I turn to see my mom licking her thumb from getting pancake batter on it. "Good morning Na," she kisses my forehead while calling the nickname she gave me so sweetly that I didn't believe it was her. "Blueberry?" I ask sitting.

"What else would it be?" Laughing I smile more enjoying having her here with me.

"I missed you..." I happily say.

Putting the bowl down she walks over kissing my head, "I'm always here Na."