Knowledge is Deadly: Book 1: The Azuran Series

Chapter 21

They had been in the cave for three days. Katelyn kept herself busy changing bandages or talking to Blake.
Kilin was still unconscious and Aspen was getting better, but he still couldn't walk.
Now Katelyn sat on on of the smaller boulders on the beach. Her thoughts broken by Blake who was yelling her name from the cave entrance.
She turned and looked at him. "What?" She called.
"It's Kilin!" He called in a panic.
Katelyn's heart skipped a beat and she sprinted towards the cave. "What is it?" She panted as she entered.
"She- well." Blake said.
Katelyn looked at Kile. He was kneeling beside Kilin who was mumbling and twitching. Katelyn knelt next to Kile.
"How long has she been like this?" Katelyn asked, grabbing Kilin's hand to feel her pulse, which was quicker than normal.
"N-not long." Kile said
"Don't worry, I'm sure it's just a side affect of the medicine.." Katelyn said, trying to sound calm. It may be only side affect of the medicine, but this was the first change they had seen.
And then another change happened. With a loud scream Kilin bolted upright. Kile jumped back from shock and then quickly reached to calm Kilin. She scrambled away from both of them, genuinely terrified.
"Give her space." Katelyn ordered quietly to Kile, putting her arm in front of him. "Kilin?" She said gently.
Kilin looked around the cave, her breaths ragged. Just as quickly as she had sat up she stood and tried to run. Blake moved to stop her but she took one step in her right leg and fell to the ground in front of him with a scream of pain.
"Calm down Kilin. You're fine." Katelyn soothed. "It's just us."
Kilin looked up at Blake and tried to escape under his legs. He grabbed her waist and she squealed and tried to squirm away.
"No!" She yelled taking Blake to the ground beside her.
Katelyn watched nervously. "Kile go stand by the entrance. Don't let her escape if she tries." She said
He nodded and quickly moved to the entrance.
Kilin looked up at him and stared at him dumbfounded for a moment. She shook her head. "No, no, no." She mumbled and buried her face in her hands.
Kile took a hesitate step towards her. "Kile." Katelyn warned quietly. "She is in shock. She needs space."
"But.." he said not moving.
Blake moved away from Kilin.
"Not again.." Kilin mumbled.
Kile looked over at Katelyn with pleading eyes. He couldn't just watch this quietly.
She shook her head. "Wait." She said quietly.
Kile sighed and looked back at Kilin.
She had broken open the wound on her leg during her attempted escape and it was bleeding badly. Despite the bleeding, Kilin curled up into a ball, tears of panic and stress running down her face.
Katelyn wanted to help, but she didn't want to make Kilin's paranoia worse Katelyn started to hear Kilin's rushed thoughts on her head,
'but he died. I saw it. I must be dead. I got him killed. I have to get away from here.'
"No one is dead, we are all fine.." Katelyn replied gently.
'She can hear my thoughts. How is that possible?' Kilin thought.
"Kilin, I'm wearing the locket. I can hear your thoughts." Katelyn said, confused.
'Katelyn. No. she's here to.' Kilin said burying her face back into her knees.
"Yes, I'm here." Katelyn said, hating seeing Kilin like this. It was scary.
Kilin whined
'they are both here. I got them both killed.' She thought
"We are alive. It's not real." Katelyn said, looking at Kile.
He glanced at Katelyn, confused.
"It feels real.." Kilin mumbled.
"It's not." Katelyn reassured.
'Jackson.' Kilin thought picking her head up. 'He has to be here to.'
Katelyn studied her. "Jackson isn't here."
'He'll show up..' she thought. 'And I won't do anything about it..'
"Kilin what happened?" Katelyn asked gently.
"He took both of them.. and I couldn't stop it.. it's all my fault.." Kilin said staring at the ground.
"It's ok." Katelyn said even though she didn't understand.
"No it's not." Kilin snapped quietly. "It's not ok.. it won't be ok.." she mumbled.
They were all quiet for a moment.
"Kilin?" Kile asked his voice shaky.
She looked up at him quickly. "How are you not dead?.." she asked quietly.
"I wouldn't leave you." He replied gently.
She smiled slightly. "But you didn't leave," her smile faltered. "he took you away because I forced you away.." she said.
Kile took a step towards her. "I wouldn't let him do that." He said.
She looked at him sadly. "But I did.." she said.
He knelt down beside her. "I'm right here.. you didn't do anything." He said.
Kilin studied her for a moment before she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I thought I lost you." She cried softly. "I love you so much.." she said holding onto him tightly. Katelyn watched Kile's eyes grow wide.
She sat in stunned silence, glancing from Kile to Blake to Aspen and back to Kile again.
Kile looked up at Katelyn not sure how to respond to any of this.
She shrugged and pursed her lips to hold back a smile.
"I'm fine now.." Kile said.
"So, no one is dead?.." Kilin asked letting go of him and looking at him.
"No one is dead and we are all safe." Kile said gladly.
Katelyn nodded. 'No one is dead. We are safe.' Katelyn's thoughts repeated.
"Mari.. what happened to Mari? Where are we?" Kilin asked
Katelyn tensed up when she said Mari's name and said nothing.
"Mari is fine. We are in the cave by the beach." Kile said.
Kilin nodded and leaned into him, resting against his shoulder. Kile rubbed her back softly.
Katelyn sighed quietly and looked at the ground. Kile was the only one who was able to calm Kilin down.
Kile looked up at Katelyn. She met his gaze silently, trying to hide her disappointment.
"I need to fix her leg up." Katelyn said, digging in her bag for bandages.
"M-my leg?" Kilin asked looking up at Kile.
"That's where the dagger hit you." Kile explained.
Katelyn slowly walked to Kilin's side and looked at the wound. It was bleeding badly. Kilin looked down at her own leg and then to Katelyn. "I'm going to clean and wrap it. Is that ok?" Katelyn said calmly.
'Katelyn..' Kilin asked herself. "Yeah.." she said.
Katelyn cleaned it gently and began wrapping it tightly, putting pressure on it to stop the bleeding.
"So, everyone is here? Like Bla..ke.. and... Aspen?" Kilin asked
"Yes. Just them, Kile, you, and me." Katelyn responded, finishing up.
'So It is Blake and Aspen. Why can't I remember..' Kilin thought.
Katelyn looked up at Kilin and studied her.
'She can't remember?' Katelyn thought.
Katelyn put her things away in her bag and sighed. "Are you ok?" She asked Kilin.
She nodded in response. "I think so." She said. Kile smiled happily.
"I need a walk. You'll be fine?" Katelyn asked.
"Yeah." Kilin said glancing at Kile.
"I'm going with." Blake said walking over to them.
Katelyn stood and looked back at Kilin one last time before walking out, followed by Blake.
The sun was setting turning the sky and the reflection on the ocean bright pink and orange.
"So it looks like none of us where close on when one of them would say something." Blake said walking beside her.
"Nope. But does this count? I mean, she was hallucinating. She probably doesn't even realize she said the words 'I love you'."
"We will have to see in a few days if she remembers." Blake said
"That will be interesting." Katelyn said with a light laugh.
Blake laughed slightly. "Well, I'm glad they are both ok." He said.
Katelyn kicked a pebble. "They are for now." "Yeah." Blake agreed.
"I feel vulnerable here." Katelyn said after they had strolled silently for a while.
"Yeah, we need somewhere else to go." Blake said.
"We do. But Kilin and Aspen aren't able to travel right now." Katelyn noted.
"A plan would be nice however." He said looking over at her.
"Don't look at me. I don't know where to go."
"Yeah, I know." Blake said with a nod.
Katelyn looked at him and narrowed her eyes. "What is that supposed to mean?"
He shook his head. "You just sort of walk with us.. so ah.. I don't expect you to have a plan." He said
Katelyn scoffed. "Are you saying I'm useless?" She rolled her eyes and looked away.
"Not useless just.. not entirely helpful all the time." He said.
"Oh yeah? I'd like to see you try and doctor injuries twenty-four seven." Katelyn challenged.
"I did say not all the time. You can continue your doctoring." He said.
"And if I had known I'd be thrown into this big huge mess, I would have taken the time to learn how to fight." Katelyn added.
"Maybe Aspen an still teach you." Blake said looking over at her.
"No thanks. Besides, he's injured." Katelyn dismissed.
"You still couldn't beat him now." Blake teased.
"Oh shut up." Katelyn said, shooting him a glare.
"I'd be able to outrun him though."
"Yeah probably." Blake said. "He just can't stay healthy can he?"
"Apparently not. It gets tiring having to look after him all the time, you know?" Katelyn said sarcastically.
"I know. He just can't give me a break." Blake said seriously.
"Oh Blake, I was joking. You are going to be an overprotective dad one day, you know that?" She said, looking at him.
Katelyn's thoughts wandered to her own dad. He wasn't a bad father, he just wanted the best for her. She realized that now.
"Do I act like a dad? Because I'm younger than him. That's weird." Blake said breaking her thoughts.
"Yes, you really do act like his dad... wait how old are you?" Katelyn asked.
"I'm twenty, Aspen twenty-one. Oh man we are getting old." Blake said running a hand through his hair.
Katelyn smiled. "You act too old for your age. Especially Aspen. Does he ever have fun?"
Blake laughed. "Sometimes.. he-" he laughed again. "He gets these moments and he just-" Blake snorted during his fit of laughter.
Katelyn caught his contagious laughter even though she had no clue why he was cracking up. "What?"
"Don't give him cake. Just don't." He warned trying to calm his laughter. "He just gets these crazy moments where.. where he can't control himself. And it-" he covered his mouth as he snorted again.
"I am totally trying that." Katelyn said. "Remind me to give him some."
"No! Honestly he gets crazy. Like Imagine Kile all angry and hyper. That's Aspen." Blake said calmling himself down. "But like, four feet taller."
"Oh.. on second thought.." Katelyn laughed, imagining it. "Nah, I want to see the side of Aspen that isn't boring."
"It's definitely not boring". He said with a small, calmed down laugh.
Katelyn smiled and looked down at the sand as they walked just beside the water.
'Aspen should come see this. No Aspen should stay put inside like the injured person he is.' Blake thought.
Katelyn glanced at him with an eyebrow raised.
"What?!" He asked "he need to rest." He added.
Katelyn rolled her eyes. "Oh, Blake."
'I can be protective too.' He thought looking away from her.
"Oh, I've noticed." Katelyn said. Blake huffed.
It was nearly dark now, the last bits of sunlight streaming across the surface of the ocean. Katelyn stopped walking and looked at it. Blake stood beside her quietly.
"I've had feelings for Jackson for such a long time... It's weird that they can be ruined in a few short seconds..." Katelyn thought out loud.
He looked over at her. "It will be ok." He said resting a hand on her shoulder.
Katelyn looked at him and gave him a small smile. 'I doubt it, but I hope so.' She thought.
Blake jumped back and looked at her confused. 'What?'
"What?" Katelyn asked. "What did I do?"
"I-I talk to myself but that definitely wasn't me." He said.
"What are you talking about?"
He took a step towards her and touched her shoulder again. 'Think something' he thought.
'Um... you have me concerned.' She thought, looking at him, bewildered.
He pulled away from her, shocked and walked off, sitting in the sand away from the water.
"Blake?" Katelyn asked, confused. She slowly walked over to him.
"That's weird.." he mumbled.
Katelyn sat beside him. "What is?"
"You said, 'um... you have me concerned.'" He copied.
Katelyn stared at him. "W- How did you?" She asked, shocked.
"I don't know.." Blake said shaking his head.
"You heard my thoughts?" Katelyn asked, clearly lost.
"Yes.. I think so." He said looking over at her
"How?"
He touched her shoulder again. 'Like this?' He thought.
'So you can hear me when you touch me?' She thought.
Blake blinked surprised. 'Yes.. this is weird.' He thought.
'We can communicate mentally... oh my gosh.'
'Your voice is weird as a thought' he noted.
'How so?' She wondered.
'Just different. Like maybe altered slightly.'
'It would be weird anyway. You're hearing my thoughts! Now you know how I feel all the time.'
'Don't act like your the one affected by this. None of us can keep our thoughts to ourselves.' Blake thought.
Katelyn sighed sadly. 'It's not my fault.'
"I still like talking though." He said moving his hand to his side.
Katelyn looked back at the ocean. "Of course you do."
"I like talking ok. Not a bad thing." He said looking at the, now dark, ocean as well.
Katelyn sighed. "There is such a thing as talking too much."
"No there isn't."
"Yes there is."
"No. There is not"
Katelyn rolled her eyes and looked up at the stars, quiet.
"So you think-" Blake started.
"Hushhh" Katelyn said looking up.
"Fine, but I-"
"shhh."
Blake huffed.
She smiled at him. "That's better."
"Is not." He grumbled.
Katelyn traced a pattern in the sand silently. It was a beautiful, cold night.
"Can I-"
"Ask yourself this. 'Is it completely imperative that I tell her this, or else I'll die? If not, zip it." Katelyn interrupted.
"Can I talk now?" He asked after asking himself the question.
Katelyn groaned and laid back in the sand, putting her hands behind her head. She closed her eyes. "Have at it. Not promising that I'll listen."
Blake started talking but it all faded together as Katelyn listened to the ocean. She ignored Blake rambling about something and tried to make out the constellations she had been taught as a child. Soon the stars merged together and where taken over by darkness as her eyelids closed, Blake's voice slowly fading away.