Moonlight Magic

Chapter 16

"NOOOOO!" I screamed.
Warm blood dripped from my hands as everything around me went ablaze. It wasn't my blood - I was sure it was someone else's but I don't quite remember. I didn't want to remember.
My eyes frantically searched for him, the one that was ripped from my embrace. I wanted to feel his strong arms around me, his comforting scent surrounding me.
All around, lost souls drifted through the air, moaning their pain, wanting to be heard. Still, motionless bodies rested here and there, their faces no longer recognisable. Maybe they once belonged to these poor souls. They were no one I knew, or I forced myself to think that was the truth.
I moved through the flames but everywhere appeared to be the same. The fire stretched out and licked my skin yet inflicted no pain. To no avail could I find him. Would I ever see his face again?
I was afraid and wanted to take it out on something, anything. Preferably on whoever separated us. The anger took over. It boiled within me, the power building, unable to be stopped. All I wanted was to let go, for it to be uncontrolled. To destroy, destroy, destroy. Till nothing was left but ashes of the memory of that boy even if it meant losing myself.

*****

My eyes flew open as I gasped awake. I tried sitting up but my whole body ached. My arm was properly bandaged and I no longer felt pain in my ankle but the deep wound in my arm still hurt. As I shook the last groggy thoughts from my head, I recalled what happened from before I passed out.
"Careful. Your injuries have been treated but you still need rest to completely recover."
My head whipped towards the voice. It was night from what I could tell from the window. The lights were out and there was a silhouette sitting near the bed. It shifted forward until a boy's face came into the light that spilled in through the window from above. The moon's light fell upon smooth skin and a tumble of hazelnut brown hair. Thick lashes framed eyes full of relief which shone a hue of emerald green. He was hot.
"How do you feel? Do you want some water?" His voice broke through my thoughts.
"Who are you?" I croaked, "Where am I?"
He smiled. "Forgive me for not introducing myself first. My name is Ivan Renaldi and we found you on our school grounds. You were badly hurt and unconscious so we took you in and healed you."
"Your school?"
"This is Cremlim Institute. I'm surprised you managed to get here."
"I was skeptical that this place even existed." I had thought 'Cremlim Institute' was some kind of insane asylum. "Wait, you knew I was coming?"
"Well, I was told you might come."
"How did you know that?"
"That's not important." Avoiding the question, he reached over to the nightstand beside the bed and handed me a cool glass of water. As I drank, I realised that I was in a small room. There was just the bed, nightstand and the chair he was sitting on from what little light allowed me to see.
Seeing me assessing the room, he said, "We decided against keeping you in the infirmary as its best for now if nobody knows about you being here."
"Why? How long had I been here?" I didn't like more things being kept from me.
"We found you about three nights ago; you've been out since. I know you have every right to not trust us but believe me it's only temporary. Not to mention you are safe here." At my puzzled look he added, "There's a barrier up around the school grounds. Anyone or anything not permitted will not gain entry so rest easy."
If what he said was true, I supposed for now my parents couldn't get to me. It also meant that even though the institute had kindly taken me in it didn't mean they didn't have their own agenda. They knew who was after me and wanted me for something. At the end of the day, I might just be another tool at their disposal. For what, I didn't know.
I soon realised that something else was missing. I was sure it was with me up until the very end when I blacked out.
"Where's the book?" I started to panic. If it was back with my parents or with someone else that was after it, I had a gnawing feeling in my gut that something terrible might happen.
"It's safe. You don't need to worry. It's back where it belongs."
"No!" I insisted. "It's dangerous. Give it back to me!"
"I'm telling the truth. It's back where it belongs. It won't be misused," he insisted. "It's still very late and you need sleep," he said while lightly touching my hand.
I calmed right down. He was right. My body was still healing from exhaustion so I carefully laid back down. Standing now, the boy wearing his pretty face looked down on me. His hands waved over me and I caught faint words and recognised it as Latin as I watched his moving lips.
"Sleep well, Rebecca."
As I fell into a deep sleep, I struggled to keep my eyes open. I realised he had cast a spell on me; the sudden drowsiness was magically induced. By now, I knew weird magic power when I was near it.
"Wha... Why... St..op," I mumbled before drifting off into the unknown, not knowing when I would again awaken.