The Blood in Our Veins

Chapter Twenty Five - Missed Out

My eyes opened slowly. I blinked, confused for a moment. Then I remembered everything. It was dark outside, so I couldn't have been out for long. I guess Markus was wrong. It seemed that I was alone in a small, secluded tent. It was well-furnished, with a wardrobe and plush bed. A soft chair sat next to me, facing where I laid. Looks like Ryon had planned to keep his promise. I figured it was Tristan's chambers. I tried to sit up but, the graceful person that I am, managed to fall off the matress onto the floor. I hit my head on a nightstand on the way down.

"Ow." I groaned. The enterance flap moved slightly away to reveal the face of some kind of guard. He scanned the room for any sign of movement. His eyes widened when he saw me.

"You're awake?" he asked in disbelief.

"No. I'm obviously sleepwalking." I said sarcastically. "You going to help me or what?" I asked after finding I was still too weak to stand. He shook his head, still stuck in his stupefied trance. I rolled my eyes, frustrated that the man continued to do nothing. I decided to find someone I knew I could count on no matter what.

"Kian!" I called. "Get your furry ass over here!" There was no hesitation before joyous howls broke out around camp. Moments later a familiar white wolf ran into our midst. She barked excitedly and nudged me to my feet. Using her for support, I carefully hobbled out into the open. Before I could register the face, someone engulfed me in an enormous hug, squeezing the life out of me.

"Hey, cut it out! I need my spine to stay intact!" I laughed. The unknown 'attacker' stopped immediately. I smiled when I set eyes upon a guilty looking Ryon. "Come on! I haven't been out for that long." He pursed his lips and cast his gaze to the dirt. I began to get suspicious.

"Ryon. How long have I been... recovering?" I asked hesitantly, not sure I wanted to know the answer.

"Exactly one hundred sixty-eight days, two hours, and twenty-three minutes as of three seconds ago." he said, proud that he had kept track of the time. To put it simply, I was shocked. It was impossible. I had only been asleep for a few hours. Not seven months. To top it all off, I had missed Lani's first birthday. If I had done my math right, it was three weeks before.

"Can I see Lani?" I asked quietly. Ryon nodded, completely understanding. He called for my brother. Tristan came out, holding my daughter. She looked older, her curly golden hair reaching below her ears. Her bright green eyes sparkled with curiosity as she looked at the 'new' person. She was currently sucking her own thumb.

"We have a surprise for you." Tristan smiled. He set Lani on the ground. She wobbled for a moment, then began slowly taking small steps toward me. Instead of being happy as my brother had expected, my hand flew to my mouth and tears filled my eyes. She had already taken her first steps. And I wasn't around to see them. Lani began to fall. I automatically caught her and lifted her from the ground.

As I looked down at her, I realized that I was no longer wearing my black dress. I was wearing a lacy white nightgown. Lani reached up and played with the hair that had fallen in my face. It saddened me that she had no memory of who I was. Her mother. The only sane member of her direct family. I began to feel dizzy.

I quickly handed Lani to Ryon in case I collapsed. Something rough brushed against my arm as I did so. For a short moment, Ryon's jacket sleeve came back to reveal bloodied cloth around his wrist. Swaying slightly, tried to balance myself out. I was steadied by a strong hand. I looked over to see Markus smiling down at me.

"What are you doing up?" he asked. "At the rate you were going, I thought you'd sleep for the rest of the century." I scowled.

"Liar." I spat.

"What did I do now?"

"You said a week at most. I don't think that this qualifies as a week." He shrugged.

"Results may vary? Now come on. You need to take it easy." I tried to resist when he led me back to the bed. He sighed dramatically. "Do you always have to be so difficult?"

"I don't want help from you. Kian will do a much better job anyway." I began working my way back to the tent, then stopped dead in my tracks. The familiar weight of the assassin's cuffs had disappeared. I lookedd down at my bare wrists. They were scarred, but I didn't care. "Where did you put them?" I asked, marveling at my free hands.

"They're on the nightstand you hit your head on." Markus replied. I nodded, the moment I did, I turned around to face him.

"How did you know I hit my head?" I asked. He put a hand to the area above his right eye. My palm shot up and felt the spot he had gestured to. A large bump had formed there, undoubtedly marked by a dark bruise. I groaned. "Great. Just great."

I leaned on Kian and slowly moved into the tent. Once there, I slid onto the bed and used the soft pillows to prop myself up. The fact that I was alone allowed me to ponder my situation. What else had I missed? I had a nagging feeling that they weren't telling me something. I looked back in my memory to see if any looks on my friends' faces would reveal anything.

Now that I thought about it, there was something odd about the previous scene. The fearful look in Tristan's eyes. The worry in Markus's voice when he realized I had left the tent. How they all were in a rush to return me to my bed. The distraction of Lani. The bandages on Ryon's arm. The more I pondered these signs and what they meant, the more confused I became. There didn't seem to be anything wrong. If there was something serious going on, they would have told me.

Then I figured it out. The answer didn't lie in the people, but in what was around them. Mountains were much closer to us than they were before. There was no hill to be seen. The tents looked like they had been patched up. The Resistance Camp had moved. We had been attacked.

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I guess you can miss a lot in seven months. I knew that you people were confused on the subject of Lani's appearance, so I made a handy description. :) OW! My BFF's lil' bro just hit me in the head with a football!! (rugby for you guys from the UK) And his annoying big sister WON'T LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!!!!!!!! Megan L., smack Sam next time you see her. Make it HARD!!

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BEATLES HAVING A PADDLE BATTLE IN A BOTTLE WITH A PUDDLE ON A POODLE EATING OODLES OF NOODLES !! (Yes, I bothered to memorize that. Dr. Suess still rocks.) ;)