The Trial

Chapter 19

I groaned awake, and the first thing my eyes land on was a window. it was dark out, but there was signs of sunlight. I couldn't tell if the sun was setting or rising. 

my everything ached. my skin was sweaty, but I was freezing. my throat was dry. the smell of dirt and blood lingered in the air, but the bits of the room I could see looked clean. groggily, I tried to look down at my chest, which wasn't covered by the thick blanket, to see what I was wearing. it was no wonder I smelled blood and dirt. I was still in the wretched dress from The Trial, which had to have been days ago. 

i saw a glass on the nightstand and tried to reach it but couldn't, so I attempted to roll to my right side and whimpered at the rise in the aching in every muscle I tried to move. I had managed to roll through the pain, but I had to lay still for a long moment, catching my breath and trying to will my aching muscles to relax. 

I reached for the glass, but, as I tried to pick it up, it slipped through my fingers and fell to the floor, shattering. I was too weak to even pick up a glass of water. as I let my arm relax on the bed and my hand on the nightstand, I couldn't get my eyes to focus on anything. I could barely get them to reopen every time they closed. 

suddenly, I sensed someone coming up beside me. I jerked away reflexivly and forced my eyes to open. "it's alright, Rebecca." Gabriel murmured softly as he reached toward my face, but I couldn't help but cringe away. "I'm not going to hurt you." he added gently and sat on the edge of the bed as the back of his fingers brushed the hair off the left side of my face. I stiffened under his touch, and my body shivered at coolness of his skin. as his thumb brushed across my left cheek bone, he sighed "I know you're in pain. I can make it stop, but I need your permission." my brows furrowed in confusion, so he added "you have to be a willing participant, if you want me to make you better. all you have to do is nod." I wasn't sure if this was some sort of trick or not, so I didn't move. "why don't I get you another drink and let you think about it for a minute." he offered and stood up, reluctantly pulling his hand from my face. it was so odd to see him acting so kind and gentle. all I'd ever seen him be was angry. I just couldn't wrap my mind around it. 

my eyes still wouldn't stay focused on anything for more than a few seconds, before little black dots swam in my vision, forcing me to blink, so I laid there as still as I could. the light from the window was fading, and I wasn't sure how I felt about that. darkness was always something to fear. well, not so much the dark but the creatures that lurked in its depths. 

it wasn't long, before I heard a door open. I was still on my right side, and the sound came from behind me. I didn't dare move for fear that my body would protest any movement at all. as he came into view, moving slowly, he quietly said "I know you're confused, but I'll explain everything when you're better." as he sat on the edge of the bed closest to me, he set the clear glass on the nightstand, and my eyes followed it. the liquid wasn't clear as I'd half expected, and he must've seen my confusion. "I've added some of my blood to the water. it'll make it easier to take." my eyes snapped to his, full of panic and fear. "it's only to help heal you. I promise. it's better than forcing you to drink it straight from vein, like Ares did." I blanched at his words, and he frowned and added "I take it you didn't know." 

I attempted to shake my head, and he sighed "that's the reason for the fever being so high. he shouldn't have given you his blood. I'm sure he was only trying to help, but it only made things much worse for you." he reached up toward my face, and I cringed and closed my eyes. as the back of his hand pressed against my forehead, I shivered at the coolness of his skin, again, but it brought a little relief to my feverish skin. "let's get you sat up, so you can drink." 

carefully, he slid his arms beneath me. his body was only inches above mine, and I held my breath. as he gently slid me up the bed and lifted my shoulders a bit higher, a whimper of pain couldn't be helped, and he frowned and murmured "just a little more."