Brightening White Flowers

3. White Flowers

I sit up quickly as words wake me from my slumber. As I look around my room I do not see a single person anywhere. I feel a stab of pain in my head as the words come back, 'Karri is so lucky.' I press against the side of my head as the envy in that voices stabs at me. What in Sini's name? 'Everybody loves her.' I gasp as the spearing pain becomes worse. I tumble out of bed, barely seeing where I am putting my feet until I stumble towards my window. My body is trembling as I unlatch the panes and open them only to stare open mouthed at the clearing in front of me. The once grassy clearing is full of white three-petaled flowers. As a breeze causes them to sway my vision blurs together into a sea of white and green as the voice continues, 'I want to be loved like her.'

I collapse to the ground as the stabbing pain becomes too much, "Stop it... please stop it." My voice trembles as I clutch at the hair hanging around my head. It ignores my pleading though and continues making me cry out from the pain. My control snaps and my body almost seems to glow as I faintly hear footsteps running towards me. I can hear voices outside my mind but I cannot understand them through the pain and demanding voice inside my head, but I plead with them to, "Please..." I whimper, "please make it stop." One of the voices outside my head yells loudly the words still too quiet to be comprehensible to me. A second later though a cool hand touches my forehead and I feel sleep envelop me quickly in an unnatural embrace.

~.~

I come to consciousness slowly this time and with no voices inside of my head. "It has to be those flowers, Tennan. Hana said that those cover the spot that they have claimed as their own since they were children and unlike Hana, Karri is not used to hearing voices from elsewhere." The woman stops speaking for a moment before she sighs heavily, "Should we destroy the flowers?" Her soft voice is distinct but quiet enough to not disturb the sick or wounded, almost as if she is used to speaking around those type of people.

"No." The other's voice is definitely male and surprisingly deep, "We will have to wait. The Land works in unusual and mysterious ways in these recent times." I know that voice. It takes a second more until I am able to place it as belonging to Tennan even though it sounds unusual since his voice is full of weariness this time. "Hana can help her cope and Sora can help her learn to block it out. It is about time she learns the other side of her father's power."

I can feel the hesitance of the female voice as it takes her time to speak again. "Are you sure, Head Tennan?" At the use of my grandfather's formal title I can pinpoint her irritation at him. "She is already suffering and mental blocks are hard to form at the best of times."

It feels as if my ears are over sensitive since I can hear Tennan's head nod by moving the air around him. "I am. He just needs to teach her enough control to get her through this... change, not make her resistant to torture." My eyes finally open as the last part of his sentence processes through my awakening brain. As my head turns I am able to visibly identify who is by my bedside as Tennan and Harisa.

Harisa has her reddish brown hair tied up in an intricate bun as golden bronzed eyes stare down at me kindly, "How are you doing, Karri?"

At first no words come forth as I continue to stare at them. Rather I make an unrecognizable sound as my eyes move from pale yellow depths to golden bronzed depths. Only then do words come forth as my thoughts organize themselves, "Better Harisa. There is nothing that is harming my head."

Harisa purses her lips then glances at Tennan, an indiscernible look passing between them. Harisa begins hesitantly, "Were you hearing voices?"

My eyes widen in surprise as I nod my head to her slowly, trying to be careful in case that pain comes back.