Sacrifice for a Dream

Chapter 22

My eyes fluttered open but everything around me was fuzzy. My whole body felt numb and tingly. I tried to focus on anything, I tried to move my head around, but it just wouldn't cooperate. I heard voices arguing close by. I just couldn't figure out who they belonged to. I laid there straining to hear, see, feel anything that would tell me what had happened.

"Phoenix!" I sat up in alarm. My heart broke just thinking about my Lost Boy, what he had done for me, to keep me safe.

Warm rough hands brushed back the hair from my face, "Little Bird, I'm right here. I'm fine. You saved me."

I looked into the eyes of the boy I had thought I had lost. He sat there whole and unbroken, breath coming in and out of his body. I grabbed him by the shoulders and lifted his shirt. There was no wound, just lightly tanned skin covering hard muscles.

I remembered my wrists and brought them up to my face to examine them more closely. Not even a scratch marred the skin there. I could see the blue veins, carrying the blood throughout my body but no cuts or scars marred the skin. "Did I dream that?"

"No," Stone grumbled from my right side, "it was all real, you scared us so bad Wren. Promise you'll never do that again."

I looked around, Saint was on Stone's side of my bed and the twins lay side by side, but their heads were resting on my thigh. They looked so worried that I couldn't help running my fingers over both their heads. "I'm sorry, it was just too much. I felt my blood boil. It felt like without you guys, my blood would burn me from the inside. Yes, I didn't want to live without you, but it was more."

The guys didn't say anything, just listened to me try to explain what I felt. I heard the arguing coming from the other room again. This time, I could make out one voice. Anne.

"My mom is here?" I asked them. No one answered. Before they could catch me, I ran from my room into the living room.

My mom stood in front of Mr. Brigand, who I now knew was my father. She had her finger in his face and was yelling at him.

"Mom," I cried and threw myself into her arms. "I'm so glad you're here."

She stopped yelling when I fell into her arms. Her body was stiff and unmoving. Was she mad at me? I pulled away and saw the tears running down her cheeks. Once she got over the shock, she grabbed my arm and pulled up the sleeve. When she found nothing, she tried the other arm.

She collapsed on the sofa. "What is going on here?"

I looked to Mr. Brigand for answers, but he just shrugged. "Well, there was this curse, and apparently I'm from here originally. I mean my biological parents are from here, I think they are from here. My biological mother is the one who placed the curse. I don't know if the curse is lifted. Is the curse lifted?" I questioned Mr. Brigand who smiled kindly at me.

"Oh, mom this is Mr. Brigand, he's my biological father. He's also the PE coach at my school."

My mom looked at me, and then looked at Mr. Brigand.

"I'm sorry, what?" Mom just sat there, looking back and forth. At this point the boys came into the room and took seats around the room.

Mr. Brigand and the Lost Boys slowly begin to explain the curse and what had happened when the doorbell rang. Stone and Saint went down the hallway to answer it. They returned, with Fala, Mika, Mr., and Mrs. Acorn and Zuur. After introductions were made, all eyes turned to Zuur for answers.

"I knew you could do it!" she said and walked over and hugged me. I cringed at the feeling of being touched but I held still. "The curse as we know it is broken."