She was drowning. The current of the river seemed to pull her further down and she could not swim anymore. She tried to get to the surface but she could only wave helplessly to the dreamy looking sun above the water. Bubbles escaped her nose and mouth, the last bits of her oxygen. She had been fighting for her alive for quite a long time but she was losing it. It was exhausting. She could not take it anymore.
She lost it. She was giving up. She gave up kicking her legs. She gave up stroking her hands. She gave up breathing. She closed her eyes, feeling scared, feeling her heartbeat slowing. She was falling, surrendering to her ghastly fate.
But then she felt a hand around her body, pulling her upwards. She could not see who was rescuing her because her eyes were still tightly closed; hoping that what she was experiencing was not just a dream. As they broke over the water surface, she gasped for air. She was half-conscious as her rescuer pulled her to the river bank, out of the water. Another hand helped her rescuer to pull her out.
The anxious and concern faces of two boys swam in and out of her sight but she did not recognize any of them because her mind was so clouded.
She opened her eyes. The strong smell of the antiseptic pierced into her nostrils. She looked around. The bright and whiteness of the room was quite blinding for her eyes. She had been dreaming agan just now. Who was the two boys? She wondered. The door opened. A bespectacled man wearing a white lab coat entered the room and stepped towards her, smiling. A lady wearing a white nurse uniform followed closely behind.
“Where am I?” Lilian blurted out.
“The hospital. You passed out yesterday. A poisoned bullet grazed your neck. Fortunately it was not serious. You had been sleeping for the last twenty-four hours,” the man explained. “I’m your doctor; Doctor Hermes,”
Lilian nodded. She tried to flip through her memories. Where had she been before she ended up here? Had she been dreaming all the while? Had she been involved in an accident and was haunted by the crazy dreams of being kidnapped and car chase while in her state of unconsciousness? Would that mean that her parents were still alive?
“We are very glad that you have returned, Miss Rhea of Medea,” said the Dr. Hermes, his smiled widened as he jotted something on the clipboard he was holding. “You’ll be receiving visitors soon. So, rest well,”
Dr. Hermes and the nurse bowed slightly to her and exited the room. Lilian was still silent, stunned when the doctor mentioned the name ‘Rhea’. She frantically scanned the surrounding for clues which will determine whether she had been dreaming all this while.
She caught sight of the bottle of medicine on her bedside table. She took it and read the label. It wrote ‘Pleidus Medical Centre’. She placed the bottle back to its original place. She was already in Pleidus. She was not dreaming.
Lilian got down from her bed and went to the window. The curtains were already drawn, so she just peered outside. She was in a city, with many modern looking buildings. There were huge glass tubes connecting each building so that people could walk from one building to another through the glass tubes. She could see thousands of people walking through the glass tubes.
She looked at the sky above. It was murky, just like when she had first gone through the portal. The air around looked foggy and she could not really the sun because it was constantly hidden by the dark clouds which were rolling across the sky. Was it going to rain?
Then, she heard the sound of the thunder rumbling but there was no lightning except for the occasional glow emanated from inside the black clouds. Bead of raindrops began to fall from the clouds. The drizzle became heavy rain in just a few seconds. The rain pattered against the window. Lilian put her hand on the glass, fascinated by the rain.
“The rain looks beautiful from here, right?” said a familiar voice from behind. Lilian turned. A woman in her forty was standing at the doorway, looking at her. “But you don’t want to touch it. The rain here is acidic. It can burn your skin if you’re exposed to it without getting immunization beforehand,”
“It’s that horrible?” asked Lilian, hardly believing that the innocent looking rain can be so threatening. She turned back to the window to gaze at the rain before went to sit on her bed back. The woman sat in the chair just beside her bed.
“Do you feel better?” asked the woman, smiling in a motherly way. She was instantly being reminded to Maria.
“Yes, I’m fine but I feel very confused now. So many questions in my head,” said Lilian truthfully.
“I understand. I’m sorry I haven’t got to introduce myself properly. I’m Daphne of Myra, one of the council’s Legion, a part- time medical assistant here and an Eliminator,”
“Eliminator?” said Lilian, puzzled. “I never heard of it,”
“You’ll hear everything very soon. Once you’re fit enough, you’ll be attending classes for the Gifted Ones. I know you are more comfortable with the name Lilian, but to everyone who knows you here, they know you by the name Rhea. ‘Lilian’ is actually your undercover name. But of course, until you gain your memory back, no one would push you to use ‘Rhea’,” explained Daphne.
Lilian nodded. She was already exhausted by the flood of information for the past few days. She doubted any information could be cramped more into her worn out mind for the time being. Maybe a rest for a day or two would do.
“I know this whole process of adapting to your new life could be stressful but don’t worry. A mentor will be assigned to you. And I’m sure you’ll make friends in no time,” said Daphne assuring Lilian.
Friends. That could be useful. She remembered the thousands of people she had seen walking through the glass tubes. Would any of them become her friend?
“Err...Daphne, where’s my backpack?” Lilian asked Daphne as she looked around the room. Her backpack was not in sight.
“Oh, we had it brought here with you,” said Daphne. “It’s in the cupboard of the bedside table. We didn’t touch anything. Anyway, your green dress had been sent for dry- cleaning. It’s a beautiful dress, so it’s a pity if you have to discard it,”
“Thank you for that,” said Lilian, slightly touched with the thoughtful act.
Then, there was a knock on the door. Both Lilian and Daphne turned to look at the door. A man with short sooty hair and deep- set cognac eyes came into the room.
“Daphne, you better get your breakfast. Let me accompany her for a while,” said the main, smiling. He must be in his late twenties, judging by his mature look and business- like attitude.
“OK, then,” said Daphne, raising her eyebrows to Lilian. “He’s getting rid of me,” she added, chuckling. Lilian smiled. Daphne was definitely a pleasant lady who reminded her a lot of her mother. Daphne stood up and patted the man’s shoulder and left the room.
“Hi,” said the man, taking over Daphne’s seat on the chair next to the bed. “How are you feeling?”
“Fine. I’m good,” replied Lilian.
“I’m Linus of Medea, one of the Council’s Legion like Daphne but of a lower rank, of course,” he explained.
“Why you guys keep introducing yourselves like Rhea of something?” said Lilian curiously. She recalled Daphne introducing herself as Daphne of Myra and Dr. Hermes calling her as Rhea of Medea.
“I see. You are used to using surnames,” said Linus. “In Pleidus, the last name is the name of your birthplace. Like me and you, we were both born in Medea. You’ll be given a special lesson on Pleidus’ geography later, and then you’ll know where Medea is,”
“And you are a what? Keeper? Eliminator?” asked Lilian, curious about Linus’ ability.
“I’m a Manipulator,” he replied briskly.
Lilian was bewildered. He was one of the last three Manipulators.
“You are one of the last ones,” said Lilian, amused.
“Look who’s talking,” said Linus, laughing at Lilian’s funny expression. “We are endangered species,”
Lilian was embarrassed by her unintended expression just now.
“Thank you for saving me,” said Lilian without really looking at Linus.
“We should thank you,” said Linus.
“What do you mean?” said Lilian.
“You know what I mean. Although everyone though that I was the one who pull the strings on the Resisitants all that time, but I know I didn’t do most of it. I just stop them and made them drop their weapons. The rest...I think you know the story but I don’t want to tell anyone yet until I have talk to you personally,”
“I don’t know what you are talking about,” said Lilian brusquely.
“You see, Lily. For someone who is being clueless, you looked extremely calm and composed like you know what you’re going to expect. The more than two days you were with Zephyr, what did he told you?”
“I told you I don’t know what you’re talking about. Do you expect me to be so comfy with my kidnapper?” said Lilian, protesting.
“Fine,” said Linus. “I don’t want to push you but you better have a very good reason for this,”
Lilian fell silent. There was an awkward pause but finally Linus cleared his throat and said that he had to leave for Council’s meeting. Lilian just nodded.
As he stood up, Linus placed his hand on top of Lilian’s head and patted her gently.
“Please take care of yourself. I’ve been worrying about you for the past 15 years,” sighed Linus before he left the room.
Lilian was dumbfounded. Linus acted so familiar with her just now. Did they know each other before this?
As Linus footsteps disappeared, Lilian quickly took her backpack from the cupboard and opened it. Everything was quite intact. Her clothes, Jeremy’s wooden box, her favourite novel...
Linus nearly caught her off-guard. She should not talk. She promised Zephyr. She could still hear Zephyr’s voice echoed clearly in her head.
“Please do exactly as I told you. Can you promise to do that?” whispered Zephyr when he moved closer to Lilian. His lips were almost touching her ear. Lilian was utterly speechless. She became frightened when Zephyr talked to her like that. They were in the car, near the beachside just before she was supposed to make the ‘walk’ to Pleidus.
“Can you promise me?” he hissed urgently this time.
“Yes,” breathed Lilian. “Yes,”
“The Legion is on their way here,” said Zephyr. Lilian gasped. “The Resistants are also waiting for us near the portal,” he added tonelessly. Lilian was puzzled. What was Zephyr intending to do?
“I’ll delay the time as much as I can until the Legion arrived. Once they are here, one of them will crack the mind shields of my men. Once you feel I tightened my grip on your hand, that means the shields have been cracked. Use your power to make them attack me,”
“What? No!” Lilian protested. “I wouldn’t...!”
“Listen to me!” Zephyr urged insistently. “You have to be in safe hands. Do as I told. When they are attacking me, break free and go to the Legion. Follow them but you have to remember; never mention my name to anyone even if they specifically mention my name.
“They may try to read your mind to understand what you have gone through but take every time you have to left blank the memories you have about me. The Readers could only read what you are thinking on that time, so I’m sure you know how to control what you are thinking.
“Once you are safely in their side of Pleidus, check your backpack. I left something for you in there. I would really like to read that novel of yours someday if I have the chance.”
Lilian knew he was referring to ‘The Historian’ by Elizabeth Kostova she had packed in her backpack but she could not understand what the point was.
“But...,” Lilian tried to protest again but Zephyr put his finger on her lips to silence her.
“Please don’t say anything more,” he said. Then, he gave a long lingering kiss on Lilian’s cheek near her ear.
“Please take care of yourself after this,” he said gravely.
Lilian who was stunned by the kiss just nodded, her eyes brimming with tears for no apparent reason but Zephyr pretended not to see it.
He got out from the car before pulling Lilian out from the car. They met the other Resistants near the invisible portal who looked very determined to throw her directly into the portal. However, a few minutes after that, the Legion arrived and the unsuspecting Resistants went to strike them. Then, he saw the Resistants suddenly stopped their shooting and threw their guns to the sands. They were like being controlled but Zephyr was not affected at all.
She felt Zephyr’s grip tightened on her arm.
Concentrating, Lilian commanded the Resistants to attack Zephyr with their remaining weapons which were their swords. When the attack started, Zephyr actually gave a little nudge on her hand to signal her to go. She obliged and ran towards Daphne.
When she turned once, she saw Zephyr injured by his own men on the shoulder. She actually had to fight the urge to run back to him but she remembered she had promised Zephyr, so she turned and continue running towards Daphne.
Lilian closed her eyes. She could feel her eyelashes soaked with her tears. Will Zephyr be OK?
-End of Chapter 12-
2 comments:
is rhea gonna be matched with linus?
what is the relationship between rhea and zhepher?
p/s: this is my first time reading your blog..i must say your writing is pretty impressive. i really love your stories..
Thank you for the compliment. I must say i like both Linus and Zephyr but more will come.
Thank you again for the support =)
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