being nearly dead

Learn your lesson

  Cara was shaking. Ava tried her best to calm her down but it didn't seem to be making much of an impact. Her mind was filled with horrifying images and she was trying her best to push them out but Silas wasn't here and only he knew what she'd gone through.

  "Felix..." Cara whispered so softly Ava almost didn't hear her. He was the closest thing she had on hand.

  "Felix?" she repeated. "Where is he?" she looked around.

  "His- His room..." she trembled.

  Ava squeezed her hand and stood again. "I'll be right back, okay? Stay here, I'm going to fetch him..." she took one more look at the diminished girl. She looked her age now, younger maybe. She appeared small and broken. Ava walked out of the room quickly and almost immediately heard scuffing and muffled screaming.

  She ran toward the noise. Felix's room. She pushed open the door, a chair had been lazily placed in front of it. She saw him seated on the bed with his hands tied to the headrest. He had a wild look in his eyes as he tried to rip himself free. He saw her and fought more violently.

  She rushed over and assessed what was binding him, a wide black cloth had been tied around his mouth, keeping him from screaming out. She pulled it out his mouth letting him sigh. She tried the ropes but they burnt her fingers lightly.

  "You'll have to call Luna, it's a spell-" his mind snapped to attention. "Where is Cara? Nix? Silas? Where is everyone?" he was clearly panicked, intensely all over the place.

  "Nix is gone- Silas was taken... Cara is- is in her room, she needs you."

  Felix jerked his head to his bedside table. "My phone- call Luna, get her over her, now, sound urgent or she won't believe you."

***

  Luna arrived in less than thirty seconds. Felix insisted that Ava wait with Cara while he was released from his bonds. It was quiet between them, Ava sat beside her and rubbed her back which seemed to make her feel something relating to better. Luna walked in with Felix, both of whom were pissed off.

  "They must have come for him specifically," Luna said as she leaned against the bed post, "one went for Felix, knowing he'd protect his sister and got rid of him, Nix was likely a coincidence. I was scheduled to meet with a new soul, anybody could have found that out. With his connection to you, Cara, they must have used you as bait and the second guy surprise attacked him... They must have used some cloaking spell, otherwise he should have recognised their arrival much sooner," she looked to Felix, "must have been some very powerful magic to slip under his gaze..." she warned.

  Felix took a laboured breath and sat in front of Cara on the bed, taking her hands and kissing them. "I'm so sorry, Cara..." he drew her hair behind her ear and took her hand again, kissing them once more to profess his sorrow.

  Cara shook her head and pressed her forehead against his. "Felix... my brother..." she sobbed and leaned on his shoulder. He let go of her hands and put his arms around her to hold her closer.

  Luna gestured for Ava to follow her downstairs. They sat on the couches and Ava felt herself getting itchy at the prospect of where he could be. "Do you know anything? What happened just before he was taken?" Luna asked and sat forward.

  "Uh... he performed an 'incantation' to become my guardian instead of Nix... he was, of course, pissed when he came over and disappeared..." she admitted and pulled her leg closer to her chest and held it there, feeling uncomfortable.

  "I see..." Luna raised her brows. "Skipping past that for the moment."

  "Has this happened before? Do you know who these people could be?" Ava changed the subject quickly.