Don't Blink

Chapter fourteen

  'You have to take risks. We will only understand the miracle of life fully when we allow the unexpected to happen'

-Paulo Coelho

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Mayla groaned as she woke up, confused.

'Was that just a dream?' Mayla thought as she sat up from the ground of her bedroom floor.
"You're awake!" Aphria, her friend exclaimed.
"What-"
"You were looking at the mirror and gasped and then passed out" Aphria answered "I didn't see why you gasped before you fell; are you okay?"
Mayla's face paled.
'Maybe not a dream' she thought.
"I'm fine" Mayla lied.
Aphria gave her friend a look but let it go.
Mayla walked to her bed and sat down.
"Are you going to tell me what happened?" Aphria asked.
Mayla sighed, looking at her concerned friend.
"I finally realise why this is happening to me" Mayla started "And the perfect person to ask about the lost princess"
Aphria looked at her friend with surprise.
"Really?" Aphria asked, surprised "Who?"
Mayla looked at her friend and held her hands.
"I'm sorry but I have to do this alone" Mayla said "I am forever grateful of what you are doing for me but you can't be caught up in my life...it's selfish of me"
"It is not selfish Mayla, I'm doing this out of the kindness in my heart" Aphria argued.
"I don't want you to get hurt in the way I am" Mayla said seriously "I wasn't kidding when I said there is a maniac after me...I don't want you hurt because of me"
Aphria noticed the concern in her friend's voice and the worry on her face.
'Man, she must have been through a lot in the other realm and here' Aphria thought 'Her friend is acting like a completely different person from her happy, cheery and carefree friend'
Aphria sighed.
"You know I want to help and you know you can't stop me if you're in a dangerous situation but you're my best friend, I would do anything for you" Aphria said "But...I also understand you're worry and concern for me...just remember I'm always here to talk and to help out; I want to help you overcome this, I want to help you to make your life normal as it can be again...even if it's not in this realm"
Mayla looked at her friend with wide eyes as she friend let some tears out of her eyes.
Mayla immediately hugged her friend.
"I will never leave you...that's a promise" Mayla said "Friends until the end"
Aphria laughed, her laugh chocking in a sob.
Mayla let go of her friend and smiled.
"Now, you need to hang with your guy and tell me the details" Mayla said, making Aphria blush a deep pink colour.
Mayla laughed as her stood stood up rapidly, like an animal startled. Aphria grabbed her small one-night bag which was already packed and glared at Mayla.
"What?" Mayla asked innocently "I didn't do anything wrong; I just stated the facts. you know it's going to happen"
Aphria rolled her eyes.
"Bye Speedy, I'm going to hang out with-"
"Braxton, I stand by my statement" Mayla said, cutting Aphria off.
Aphria crossed her arms.
"And that is?" she asked.
Mayla smirked.
"That you would have or going to have sex before your 2nd month" Mayla said, making Aphria go beet red.
"MAYLA!" she yelled, chucking the closest thing at Mayla, which happened to be a hairbrush.
Mayla dodged the hairbursh, hitting the wall behind her.
Mayla's head followed the brush as it hit the wall and then turned to Aphria.
"Now that was a little rude" Mayla teased, making her friend groan.
'I take back what I thought before; she's still the same' Aphria said as she walked out the door with a wave to her friend 'But more wiser'

~~~~~~~~~~

"Why are you at hers?" Mayla's father asked over the phone.
Mayla is standing outside a building she hasn't been to in years, tapping her foot on the ground with annoyance of her worried father.
"You shoudn't even be walking around! I told you to stay-"
"But this is important dad, I promise it is" Mayla explained "I have to clear something up"
"And what would you like to clear up?" her father demanded.
"If you really want to know then I'm asking about mum" Mayla said, making silence between the both.
Mayla's father sighed over the phone.
"Fine; but you have to leave before dark and text me because I can pick you up from the way back from work" Mayla's dad explained.
Mayla looked confused.
"Why are you at work? I thought it was your day off today" Mayla asked "Did something come up?"
"I had to grab a couple of things from the office" Mayla's dad said "And now I've gotten dragged into something I can't get out off"
Mayla giggled at the annoyance of her father's voice.
"Well have fun with that" Mayla said, "I need to get going, love you"
"Love you too sweetheart" Mayla's dad said "Actually, what do you want for dinner?"
"Can we have takeaway pizza?" Mayla asked.
"Margarita, BQQ meat lovers and garlic pizzas?" Mayla's dad asked "With a roll of garlic bread, solo soft drink and chocolate hot fudge brownies?"
Mayla chuckled.
"You know me too well dad" Mayla said "Bye, I have to go or the visiting hours will shut"
Her dad sighed.
"See you later honey" her dad said softly and the line went dead.
Mayla sighed and took the phone away form her ear and into her pocket.
She shook off her thoughts and walked into the automatic double doors of the building.

Mayla walked straight to the service desk, where an African-American lady sat at the desk.
"Hey darling, what can I get you?" she asked.
"I would like to see my great grandmother" Mayla stated.
The African-American looked up, making Mayla get a glimpse at her name tag.
'Ashley' 
She smiled.
"Oh darling, you're Alicia's aren't you?" she asked, making Mayla nod "I'm so sorry for your lost,  Alicia used to always visit your great grandmother, especially with you when you were younger"
she chuckled.
"You look as beautiful as the day I saw you honey" Ashley continued "Just sit in the waiting area and I will call you went your Great grandmother is ready"
Mayla nodded and walked over to the bunch of pale tan couches.
She sat on the one person one in the corner of the room, next to a window and a flower pot.

"Mayla! what are you doing here?" Alicia asked.
Mayla jumped at the sound and looked aroun
Apart from her, Ashley was in the room but she was now bopping to music through her headphones and isn't concentrated on Mayla at all.
Mayla turned to the window reflection.
"Is it a problem seeing my great grandmother?" Mayla asked "She would be worried sick about me"
Alicia crossed her arms.
"Don't be sassy with me young lady" Alicia said.
"I'm sorry okay? I've had a rough day" Mayla said.
Alicia looked at her daughter with concern.
"Mayla? sweet, what happened?" Alicia asked.
Mayla sighed.
"I got attacked and passed out at work...again" Mayla started, making her mother gasp.
"Was it the dark being?" Alicia asked.
Mayla nodded.
"I recognised the voice" Mayla said "When I was passed out, the king appeared to me in my 'dream', which was your guy's reality. I told him what was going on and then I woke up to my friends shaking me....me passing out got me send home and..."
Mayla's voice flattered.
"And?" Alicia asked.
"And I saw my reflectron version in the mirror, freaking me out and causing me to black out....again!" Mayla complained "When will this stop?"
"Mayla..."
"I only have 5 more days to find the lost princess or find information to send to the king" Mayla said "And then I also have this psycho dark being after me for some reason and-"
Mayla gasped as the pieces feel together.
The dark being must be after her because of be being the hire to the throne...
...the throne.
Does that mean Mayla has to go and live in Reflectron...forever?
"Mayla?" Alicia asked "Are you-"
"Mayla, sweetheart, your great grandmother is ready for you" Ashley said, sitting up from the desk.
Mayla nodded and stood up, taking a quick glance at the fading reflection of Alicia as she walked off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mayla sighed as she waited out the outside of her great grandmother's room and took a deep breath.
This meeting could change everything.
Mayla knocked on the door, waiting silently for a call to come in.
"Come in"
Mayla opened the door to see her great grandmother in bed, smiling softly at her great granddaughter.
"Mayla! come" she said, making Mayla walk in and sit in a chair next to her great grandmother's head "How are you my sweet?"
"I'm fine" Mayla replied "A little shook up after the kidnapping"
"Oh, I heard about that" she replied "I'm sure you would have been fine"
The look in her great grandmother's eyes made Mayla think she knows more than Mayla thinks.
"Thanks" Mayla said "How's your health?"
"It's been better my sweet, if only I was at my home town, then I would feel better" her great grandmother said, sighing.
"I could drive you there; where is it?" Mayla asked.
Her great grandmother shook her head.
"It is not a town anymore" she whispered "I missed running around with my friends and my father and mother laughing as I played..."
Mayla listened in to her great grandmother, holding her great grandmother's hand.
Mayla has never heard her great Grandmother's story before.
"...but when I was young, my mother passed so it was only me and my father, who was off ruling some world of his own" she explained "I turned 17 when I realised I needed more than my town so I left everyone and never went back...I met your great grandfather and that's that"
Mayla squeezed her great grandmother's hand.
"My father probably died thinking I was dead" she whispered.
"Don't lose hope" Mayla said.
Her great grandmother looked to the window and smiled.
"We have company" she said.
Mayla turned around and saw Lucas' reflection.

"Is it a ghost?" Mayla asked, pretending to be shocked.
Lucas looked at her with confusion.
Mayla glared at him.
"Don't worry my dear, he will leave when he is ready" her great grandmother said.
Mayla nodded and moved her eyes at Lucas.
Lucas got the message and disappeared.
Mayla turned to her great grandmother.
"Do you normally have ghosts around here?" Mayla asked.
"Not really my dear but the couple appear here and there...they don't harm us so it's okay" her great grandmother replied "Have you heard from your mother"
Mayla looked at her with shock.
"Quiete?" she asked, and then covering her mouth.
Mayla swore she saw her great grandmother smirk for a second before chuckling.
"You must have; you seem bright and cheery like you used to be" her grandmother said "I wish I could see my father again but I'm stuck here"
"Oh great grandmama" Mayla whispered.
"No need to call me that my sweet, it's Eirela"