The Nathaniel Chronicles: The Awakening

Chapter 12

My vision was really blurry, but I was still coherent enough to make my way to the van. The crash sent me flying from the vehicle. I guess that's what I get for not using my seatbelt. I slammed into the side of the van.

"Shelby?" My head was pounding.

"Nathan?" I heard Shelby shout from somewhere. I was too disoriented to tell where the voice came from.

"I'm over here!" I felt someone grab my shoulder. I spun around as fast as I could, but nearly ended up on the ground. That probably wasn't my best plan of week.

"Whoa there," Shelby grabbed my shoulder, in an attempt to keep me on my feet. "A little warning next time you decide to crash a van we are driving in." She told me.

"Note," I sighed in pain. "How's Grace?" I asked.

"She's okay. You don't have to worry about her. She's just unconscious." I nodded.

"Good, good, we need to get to the mansion." I stated, trying my best to get to my feet.
"You are in no condition to walk." Shelby said sternly.

"We can't just wait here. We have less than an hour till you go all suicidal. I have something at the mansion that can counteract his compulsion." I lied.

Shelby gave me a shocked look. "You have a way to save me and you're just telling me about it now?" She asked me.

"Well I wasn't given much room to talk with Miss Shooty over there." I pointed behind me at Grace. She let out a moan, and I knew that we needed to get out of there, and fast.

Shelby supported me as we limped to the mansion. If I knew anything about the terrain we should be there soon. "So what is this secret concoction you have that should stop me from taking my life?" She asked me.

I tried to think quickly, but it was really hard with my head pounding like it was. "It's a necklace. It wards off dark magic, like compulsion." I lied. The only jewelry in existence that would protect someone from dark magic was wrapped around my arm, and taking that off would lose the power it held. I hated lying to her, but she wouldn't like the actual method to cure her of her compulsion.

"Okay, we are almost there." She told me.

I felt the ground change from stone, to grass. We were in the front yard. I limped up to the front door and limped into the house. I slumped down on the couch.

"Okay, you need to go downstairs and grab a blue crystal. It should be next to a wooden vase." I instructed, trying to remember the layout of the basement.

"Okay," she rushed out of the room, and left me lying on the couch bleeding out on the couch. I really hated the feeling of bleeding out. It was like freezing to death, but a lot more painful.

Shelby raced back into the room and handed me the stone. "What does that do?" She asked.

"It's a healing stone. It takes the pain I'm in right now, and stores it. Eventually the pain's going to be returned to me, but this stone just holds it at bay." I stated as I held the stone in the palm of my hand. I felt a rush of energy course through my body as it washed the pain into the stone. I watched as the stone's color changed from light blue to an ugly grey color. I dropped the grey stone to the floor and stood up.

"Make sure you don't touch that." I stated. The next person that picks up the stone gets the pain it's storing inside." I grabbed napkin from the kitchen and grabbed the stone. I carried the stone to a cup in the kitchen and dropped it inside. "That should do for now."