Sugar, Spice and a pinch of Fantasy

Chapter 50

A/N: I'm really sorry it's so short! But things are crazy busy at the moment. I'm in the midst of preparing for moots and my college exams are coming up. So please bare with me! If you guys don't mind shorter parts for a while, I can update much more often.

xoxo

---------- Chapter 50 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Haden’s POV)

I feel the sensation returning to my toes. I can already wriggle them. I’m still mostly immobilised, but it’ll be gone in about a minute.

Callum doesn’t know that immobilisation, and any talent he has will be significantly reduced when he uses it on me. I suppose it’s one of the perks.

I can’t see Jessy though. Matt’s crouched in front of her, completely blocking me. Alex is standing his ground, challenging Callum, mocking him. Sometimes I wish Alex wouldn’t be so brash!

Ah! I can feel my fingers...and a dull pain in my abdomen. I can imagine how much pain I’ll be in when the immobilisation wears out completely.

Callum is so busy focusing on taunting Alex, that he doesn’t notice as my hand snakes up to the hilt of my sword. I pull, slowly, wincing in pain. I have to bite the inside of my cheeks to stop myself from crying out in pain. I can taste the blood in my mouth, but that’s the least of my worries at the moment.

I hear glass smashing and look up quickly. Callum’s lying on the floor, my full length mirror is cracked and bloody. Way to go Alex!

From my peripheral vision, I see Matt gently lift Jessy up. Is she okay?! Did he hurt her?! Is she awake?!

I exhale in relief when I realise that she’s standing on her own feet. She looks dazed, but in the next moment she’s kneeling beside me, her tears streaming down her face. She’s working herself into hysterics again.

               “Hay,” she repeats, over and over again, stroking my face. I manage to twitch my lips slightly. But I think she understood that it was supposed to be a smile.

               “Please be okay! Does it hurt? What should I do?” she blubbers, her hands fluttering by her sides. She’s afraid to touch me in case she hurts me. How I wish the silly girl would just hug me! That’s really all I want from her.

She notices my hand on the hilt of the sword and she struggles for a moment to control herself. “Hay, do I pull it out?” she asks uncertainly.

My lips twitch again. “Was that a yes Hay? Blink twice if it’s a yes,”

I blink twice and she begins crying again. She’s afraid. I get it. But I can’t even comfort her. I’ll be fine in another minute. I can feel everything again, I just haven’t regained control of everything.

She stands up unsteadily and wraps her delicate hand around the hilt of the sword, wrapping it around my hand as well. She pulls slowly, not realising that the more gentle she is, the more pain she’s inflicting on me. I try my best not to flinch. But I  guess I did, because the next thing I know Jess is crouching down by me again, hyperventilating.

               “I’m sorry!” she whispers, her tears falling onto my face.

With great difficulty, I twitch my hand towards hers. She immediately grabs it, holding on for dear life.

Suddenly Callum is pushing her out of his way and pulls me to my feet. He holds on to a tuft of my hair, pulling my head back a little, while his other hand keeps me upright.

               “You come and closer and your prince gets it!” he threatens wildly. He’s bleeding profusely from the side of his head.

Alex has a tiny cut on his right cheek, but Matt has a bloody nose. They seem perfectly fine though.

               “Not...afraid...of...you!” I spit slowly, struggling to form the words.

               “Shut up!” he yells, yanking my hair back. I grunt in pain but I won’t give him the satisfaction of anything else.

               “Don’t do anything stupid Callum! There’re three of us, and only one of you. No matter what happens, you won’t make it out of here alive,” Alex spits.

               “Callum, remember, you harm Haden, and I can promise you that all of you remaining wraiths, the one’s in hiding will be killed, slowly and painfully,” Matt murmurs persuasively. “Do you want the death of your entire race on your shoulders?”

               “Shut up!” Callum yells once again. He’s at his breaking point. Which begs the question...why is he doing all of this?

               “Callum...why?” I ask, hoping to buy some time. I need to regain control over my body.

Jessy whimpers by my legs, staring up at me, asking me what she should do. If I could, I’d tell her to run and to lock herself in the room. But I can’t bear having her out of my sight.

               “Why what?!” he snaps, I can hear the panic in his voice.

And suddenly, I regain control of everything. I let out a relieved sigh. I grab the hilt of the blade and pull it out quickly, gasping in pain. Damn! That was so much more painful than I would have imagined it! Bloody action movies are so flawed!

A gasp for breath for a couple of minutes, fighting the feeling of throwing up right then and there. Jessy presses a hand against the bleeding wound, trying to stop the blood flow. She’s so pale, I’m more worried about her than myself!

               “I’m okay baby. Go to the corner please,” I whisper reaching for her hand to kiss it.

She throws me a look uncertainly before crossing the room towards the corner I had indicated. Using the sword to prop myself up, I deftly manoeuvre around Callum’s grasp. In half a minute, I’m facing him, panting heavily.

               “Why? Why do this? Why draw attention?” I ask, again buying time. The room around me is spinning and I’m on the verge of blacking out. I can feel it coming. I need to finish Callum off first!

I double over, sinking to my knees. I can feel a cold sweat break out on my forehead. And the next thing I know, I’m sinking into blissful oblivion.