Lost and Afraid

(17)

   The door creaks open and Travis along with all of my siblings step inside the room crowding around me. Tracey looks at my legs and breaks down in tears laying her head beside mine.

   "I'm okay, it's just a sprained ankle and a small bite." I inform her but she cries harder. "Tracey, hey, I'm okay. I promise." I smile and she shakes her head upset with me.

   "You make too many promises." She cries into my shoulder and I nod agreeing with her. "You should really stop making promises." Tracey chuckles.

   "Dad should be here in a few minutes." Alice informed me. "I know you didn't want him hear but he found out about the Rogues and he's on his way." Alice's voice is filled with sorrow.

   "Don't worry, I can always fake my death to make him think he missed his chance." I joke making her laugh. "So, how was your day guys?" I asked with a serious face as they all chuckled and laughed.

   I hear something break and look over to see Madeline fast asleep sitting beside her brother and the marble on the floor. Leo walks over to the marble and picks it up piece by piece placing it in the trash.

   "Who's the girl?" Alice asked in a whisper.

   "Madeline Rose Green, the princess of Lequah." I say with a smile. "She's the sweetest little girl you will ever meet." I smile as she rustles in her sleep. "We should really keep our voices down, she hasn't slept in two days and I don't want to wake her or her brother up." Everyone's eyes turn to the boy laying in the bed. "Corey Logan Green, the heir to the throne of Lequah, but he's been injured by the recent Rogue attack." I inform them as the door is thrown open.

   "Where is she?" Dad looks around the place spotting me in the medical bed. "Who did this to you?!" He questions rather loudly. "I'll have them executed at once!" He shouts.

   "Shut it old man." I order. "This is a hospital room not a place to shout so keep your voice down." I glare at him as he raises a hand to me.

   "Don't hurt her." Madeline stands beside me her hand stopping my father's from making contact with me. "You will not hurt-" Her voice is cut off when she looks into my father's eyes. "You're cursed." She whispered and he looked so surprised that he slapped her away from him.

   Madeline landed on my lap her cheek red but her green eyes steady as she glared at my father, then the heinous creature named Amber walks into the room.

    "What do you want?" I asked with a sneer as I held Madeline close to me.

   "I simply came to check on my daughter-" Her eyes landed on Madeline and she froze, almost in fear it seemed.

   "A world without you is heaven. A world where the royalty are peasants is a place made for us saints, so take a leap of faith off the highest bridge and do us all a favor. But before you do, tie a rope around your brother's necks and make sure they can't breath then I'll take their sleeping bodies to the meadow where they can dream." Madeline sounded as if she was reciting words.

   "What are-" Amber's words are cut off.

   "You remember when you told me that Amber? I was four years old and under a trance. You were my nanny and you called me a brat after telling me to kill myself and my brothers." Madeline's words shocked everyone.

   Dad was frozen, his blue eyes dull and almost lifeless. I was shocked but before any of us could have a real reaction, Amber was gone in a puff of smoke. Dad fell to the floor and Madeline's face was streaked with hot tears.

   "What the fuck just happened?" Leo asked looking around.

   "No idea but for now let's put that to the side and get Dad into a hospital bed." Alice walks over to Dad and with Leo's help they get him into the next hospital bed. "We can talk about Amber when all of this is over, for now we have to focus on these two." Alice says looking from Corey to me. "What happened out there?"