Hey everyone! I managed to type half of chapter 11 in my spare time, so I figured I should post it since I won't be posting much soon.(: Enjoy.
Chapter 11:
Everything that I have known. Gone. Nothing. My life taken by a single blade of a knife. How is that possible?
“The poison did too much damage. Especially to your Mark. There is a chance that you can still Move, but you will have to relearn everything,” Lyra babbled.
“There is a possibility that she will be able to Move again?” asks Trenton.
“Yes, there is.”
“I don’t have enough time to do that! It took years to get as far as I did! I can’t relearn everything in a few months!” My voice rises at every word from the panic that is ever growing. This is impossible! I can’t teach myself! Years of work, gone.
“You will have to-”
“I can’t, don’t you see? I will be unable to defeat the King. It’s nearly impossible to defeat him now!” Tears stream down my cheeks.
“ Elle, just calm down...” Lyra says soothingly.
“I can’t calm down! This is the end, I can’t do it.” My head falls back against the headboard.
“Elle, let me explain,” Lyra begs.
“Just listen to her, Elle.” Trenton’s voice breaks through to me, and I remember that he is sitting next to me. I try to control my breathing.
Lyra waits until I am fully calm, then says, “Since your mind and body remember the specific techniques of Moving, it will be easier to relearn. It will only take a few weeks to relearn one element.”
“I didn’t study fire,” I say, thinking more rational and collectively.
“It will be alright for now. There is no need to worry about that at the moment.” Lyra wipes away the last of
her tears.
Beside me, Trenton was gazing out a window, lost in thought. I look back at my life, all the techniques I practiced, each individual drill that my grandmother forced me to do. Can I do this alone?
“When can I begin?” I ask, my hands shaking from the mixture of emotions boiling up inside me, ranging from confusion, anger, and disbelief. Even if I didn't show it, inside I was doubting my own abilities.
“In a week or so. We have to wait for your Mark to heal.” Lyra sits on the end of my bed.
“What do you propose that I do in the mean time?” I question, adding frustration to the emotions.
How do they not realize that it is important for me to kill the King?
“Rest. Let your body recuperate.” Lyra brushes back some hair from her face.
"No, I can start now. I feel fine," I say. Sitting up awkwardly, I try to force my limp legs over the bed. Lyra is at my side in seconds, telling me to lay back down. I ignore her. I am fine. My feet on the cold wood, I attempt to stand upright. I grip on the bed for balance until I feel ready to stand on my own. Lyra has let me be. She knows that she couldn't stop me.
Feeling steady, I let go, ready for my knees to hold up my upper body. As if I were made of weak branches, my legs give out, my body is on the floor. My vision spun, blurring the room. Trenton rushes over, Lyra as well. They both held me up from my elbows, setting me back on my bed. I felt foolish. Weak. Vulnerable. Nothing. A horrible feeling.
Lyra checks my skin for any sign of bruises, taking extra time on my wrist. She sighed a relief, then told me to never try again, that I could damage my wrist further. I nodded.
"I will go get you something to eat. Help you gain more strength." Lyra exited the room.
“I can’t do this,” I whisper to myself, forgetting that Trenton was here. He managed to move to another stool along the wall, completely focused on his hands. I have to convince him he is not at fault.
“Are you alright, Trenton?” I ask cautiously.
His head shoots up to look me in the eyes, then says, “No. But I’ll survive.”
Trenton’s answer grabbed hold of my heart and began to choke it, my breath caught. Why is he acting like this?
“Trenton, please listen...” I beg.
“Just leave it be, Elle. Your only making it worse.” Trenton went back to his hands, forgetting about me.
Right then, I felt completely alone. Trenton’s hurtful answers skewered me in the heart. He was the only person I had left, now he was slowly going because he believed in something that was false.
A slight knock on the door announced Lyra’s arrival. In her hands was a wooden tray filled with bread, little purple berry-like things, raspberries, a orange colored fruit, and a green apple. She set the tray of fruit on the left side of my bed, making sure it wouldn’t tip over.
“Thank you,” I say.
Lyra nods her head and leaves again.
With my left hand, I take one of the purple fruit and plop it in my mouth. My teeth break the thin, but strong skin, reaching the juicy middle. Once I was done with the purple fruit, I had a slice of bread then some raspberries. No matter what I tried to think though, each thought led to my predicament and Trenton.
“Do you want some?” I ask Trenton, trying to sound cheerful.
Without a word, Trenton reaches over and picks up the orange fruit. He uses his finger nails to tear off the outer layer to reach a citrusy insides. Carefully, he picks out slices, popping them in his mouth.
We continue to eat in silence, my mouth filled with explosions of flavor. I wish that Trenton would at least talk to me. It's more painful for him to say nothing than for him to say hurtful things. My body ached for his voice, anything. Response to that was nothing. Just silence.
“Why are you angry at me?” I confront. I couldn’t take it.
Trenton looks up, disbelief filling his eyes. He says, “Elle, it doesn’t involve you, alright?”
“It does if you are angry at me.”
“No, it doesn’t. It's my problem, stop trying to fix it.” Trenton stands up sternly from his stool and walks out of the room.
Thanks for reading. I hope to post the rest of the chapter sometime soon.(:
