The Wilting Rose

Chapter 11- Into the mind, out of the prison

Then I realized that he was talking to another Jatt standing behind me. Actually, there were at least 50 other Jatt’s all around me. All of them were calling different names: wimp, loser, weak, dumb stuff like that. I wanted to get out of there, so I started to run.

I found myself in a dark room, with cobwebs everywhere. I saw Jatt again, curled up on his bed and sobbing. I saw one Jatt studying in a corner, one Jatt practicing moves over and over again. I saw my dad and Solie kissing, hugging each other wrapped around. Then Solie turned to me.  “Oh, Jatt, Scott and I were just going to the movies.” She turned back to my dad, “But you could join us. If you want.” Her words echoed around the cavern as I began to run again.

Now I was in the sun. I saw a million Solies dancing around the cavern, shimmery material flying out behind her. Jatt was watching, clapping and smiling as Solie danced. Suddenly Solie bent down and grabbed Jatt’s hand. Solie began to sing, her voice high, clear and beautiful. Jatt stood up and waltzed with her, spinning her and lifting her gently. Solie giggled, and then looked him right in the eyes.

“Sometimes, you know Jatt I think I made the wrong choice.” Jatt smiled at her, and she blushed. “I love you too, grumpy.” Jatt said, and twirled her around and around, until she was dizzy. Then he let her go, catching her as she fell.

Then I was running again, I knew I had to keep moving. I was in a store now, and Jatt was there, all bundled up in his coat and hat. He looked nice, in a strange sort of way. Then I realized why he looked weird. I couldn't see his large pointed ears; he was in a human shop. He was looking at a necklace, in a case. The necklace was in a big glass box, with a metal body. Jatt smiled at the lady, who fainted.

Then, he blew on the metal and while he was doing that, he pried it apart. I watched, as he pocketed the necklace, but before he did he etched Solie onto the gorgeous gems. I wished I could have somebody that loved me that much, so much that even when another boy was in love with me, he still bought me stuff and hoped I would come around. Okay, now I was dreaming.

And pain hit me like a cement slab in the face. I was in black again, and this time I was not waking up for a very, very, very long time.

I was aware of my head being held. I opened my eyes, but the light was almost blinding. Connor was holding my head. Huh? I thought he was supposed to be in another cell! They let us in to take care of you. We were separated to stop our magical powers from developing and breaking out, but seeing as you aren’t, well, in such good shape, they're not all that worried. Did you get in to Jatt’ mind?

Yes, I did. I know how to break out, but I don't know where he is. We have to do it now. Right now. I needed to get up, and help James; we needed to get out RIGHT NOW! I could not spend another second in this florescent lighting. My head was throbbing, and somehow I knew I was using too much magic too fast. But I had to get up.

I felt terrible. I got up, and I threw up, all over the ground. I felt a little lighter, (mostly in the head), and started blowing on the metal. Blow, and pry at the same time! I instructed James. The metal only opened a tiny bit. Them I had an idea so crazy and stupid, it just might work.

“Connor,” I said, “Kiss me.” The words slipped out, but I was desperate, and, after all, Jatt did pry the bars open when he was thinking about his true love. Connor looked repulsed by the vomit and pale skin, but he looked at me hard.

“As you wish, my Rosy.” And then he was leaning in. It was my first kiss and it was amazing. It was salty and sweet and my tears ran down his face and he was holding my head and pressing me into him and he was never going to let me go and then it was over. I was elated. I blew on the metal again, and it opened like I was prying apart butter.

“You know,” Connor had the mischievous glint in his eye that he always got before he did or said something really, truly, stupid. “I was hoping that it wouldn’t open, so maybe I could kiss you again.” He grinned; a lopsided grin that I thought was really cute.

“I don't need to be desperate to kiss you, you know.” I informed him, and to prove it, I leaned in again. We kissed, with the same intensity and passion as the first time. I was buzzing with positive magic. “Alliotz!” I said, and I shot up in the air. James followed suit. Connor looked at me, and I said it again, for him. He shot up too, and as I pried the ceiling of the jail open for us to pop out of, I thought about us getting married. It could happen.

Then, I was laughing, spinning out of control out of the prison that had contained me for so very long. Then it hit me. I was in love. And it was working out. As we corkscrewed through the air, I held his hand, then remembering how Jatt felt in the memory, I grabbed James’s hand, too. James smiled at me, and I could tell he was grateful I didn't leave him out. Part of me wanted to, for vengeance at all the times he and Connor went off and played tag without me, but it was better to be happy.

“Where to, Rosy?” asked Connor, happily spinning me around him like a helicopter while I held onto him and James for my life. I thought about it for a while. We were so perfect right there that I knew exactly where I wanted to spend the first night of freedom.

 “Paris, baby!” I called out in a moment of impulse. James looked worried. You don't know where he is? He asked, his thoughts going into overdrive as he tried to figure it out. I thought about it. No, I hadn't really seen where he was, but I was sure a couple nights in Paris couldn’t hurt. I decided we would spend a night in Paris, and then we could go on our separate ways. It had been forever since we really went wild, and had fun.

 We were on the River Seine, eating crepes, and enjoying Paris’s extraordinary mid-morning light. It was spring now, I wondered how long I had been in jail. One day blended into another in that place. I had a ring of delicate chocolate around my face, and the way the sun fell onto Connor’s silhouette made it seem like everything was perfect. And it was, but only for that one blissful moment. Because James had been thinking a little too hard about where Jatt was, what he was doing, and especially, what he was thinking.

He fell to the cement restaurant floor, screaming, and convulsing. I knew how he was feeling, it had happened to me only a couple hours before.

“Oh no!” Connor exclaimed, “When this happened to you, you were out like a light for weeks on end!” So that was why it seemed like we had been in jail for weeks! We had, just I had been asleep for most of it. But now was no time for reflecting on what I had and hadn't done, James was making a scene at 7:00 in the morning in France. I needed to summon more magic. And fast.

“Alliotz.” I said, speaking for all of us, and we shot up into the air, leaving the poor civilians trying to figure out what the heck they had just seen. I hoped they didn't. I landed us on a farm nearby where the only witnesses were a herd of cows and the passing goat. I remembered vaguely reading about how Eastern France was all peaceful, a great place to take a vacation if you were feeling stressed. I was feeling stressed, and before I knew it, a nervous little laugh escaped my lips.

“No chance any of you are Tias?” I called out in to the crowd stricken with terror. I could not, I repeat not wait a couple weeks to wake James up. We needed to help now. I had no idea what to do, and there was absolutely zero chance I was going into Jatt’s mind to find out, leaving Connor all alone with the gazing Oreos. I was starting to go crazy with worry, and then Connor said something to change everything. And not for the better, either.       

“I hate to tell you this Rosy…” I could tell he did hate to tell me this, really, but he felt compelled, like he needed to. “Rao said, when you were in this state, that there was a 64 percent chance that, well, you weren't going to live long enough to get out of it. Me and James were crazy stressed.” I blanched. Now, math was not my best subject but even I knew that 64 percent chance of death was bad. Like, really, really, over half-type bad.

What happened next will live in my mind forever.