A collection of random content from yours truly centered around the fantastic Books of Beginning trilogy by John Stephens. (The Emerald Atlas, The Fire Chronicle, and The Black Reckoning). This series is amazing, underrated, and has my heart.
This...
Background: Takes place after Kate is discharged from the hospital. Answers are finally received.
Content: Even More Angst, Pain, and Darkness.
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Part Three: Dark Wonderland
It was two and a half more days until Kate was deemed safe to go home, provided she took it easy and monitored the sight of the wound for any torn stitches or damage. Kate was just glad to be back on her feet, and her family was glad to see her healed as well. That is, until they arrived at home when Kate snatched her locket off the kitchen table and dashed to her room, claiming the need to take a nap.
Clare frowned, "do you think she's really tired? Or is she avoiding us for some reason? She barely speaks to me these days."
"It's not just you, mom," Michael said, "she's been acting strange for the past few months."
Emma bit her lip, "yeah, we think it's all the trauma getting to her. She needs help, but she won't listen to us."
Richard and Clare exchanged looks. They could hear the pain in their younger children's voices as they watched this happen to their sister. Richard opened his arms to hug his family. The four of them did not speak, they just clung to each other and wondered what they could do to help the girl who had saved them so many times before.
...............
Kate slipped her locket around her neck as soon as she was in her room, reveling in the familiar weight and the cool metal against her chest. She took a deep breath and clutched it between her fingers, eyes fluttering shut. When she opened them again, he was there, just like she had hoped he would be.
"You're back!" Were the first words out of his mouth, "are you ok? They took your locket away so I couldn't check on you after the fall. What happened?"
"I'm alright," Kate replied, "I had a nasty cut and a bump on the head but I should be healed up now. I missed you though."
"I missed you too," Rafe replied.
Those words hung in the air for a moment, and then Kate remembered his face when she was falling, the coldness of it. She shivered with the memory. She wanted this interaction, this vision, him, wanted it like she had never wanted anything before. But she knew if she let that memory linger silently what she had now would be poisoned.
"Why did you look so cold and cruel then? When I fell?" Kate asked, hating saying the words but at the same time knowing she had to to preserve what they had found.
