"WEEE!" I ran up to Father's grave, going to my knees and pressing my little hands on the marble stone. "Hey, Daddy! Gabriel and I came to visit."
A part of my mind told me this was a memory but it felt so real, and I wanted to enjoy every second of it. I didn't get to visit Father's grave as often as I would have liked. If I had my wish, I'd visit him every single day so he wouldn't be lonely.
"Hey Dad," Gabriel called. I looked up to see him smiling down at me, with flowers in his hand. I rose, quickly dusting my hands off to make sure they were clean before reaching out for the flowers. The bouquet was so pretty and I didn't want to get them dirty. Dad deserved clean flowers.
Gabriel smiled as he passed me the bundle and I laid it carefully on Father’s grave. Then I stood and decided to tell him all about my last couple of weeks.
"Daddy, a lot happened since I last came here. I go to school now. A magic school. I have really nice friends. Well...actually, I think I love each of them, but I haven't decided who I like more. It's like they ALL have a part of my heart and I think things could work out nicely! Oh, Miss Landsford was there and Mommy's getting better. She's taking this medication Logan's family helped make and she remembers me now!" I exclaimed, unsure where these memories were coming from. They felt like something I experienced later in life, not now as a six-year-old, but I wanted him to know.
"Anyways, Gabriel's exams are next week so you have to wish him good luck, okay?!" I smiled. "I love you."
"That was an interesting recap." Gabriel chuckled
I pouted at him. "It was brilliant," I put my hands on my hips for emphasis. He bent down and picked me up. I giggled, giving him a tight hug.
"It was Jewel. Sadly, you have to go now,” he whispered.
"I have to go? Why?" I pulled back to frown at him.
He gave me a sad look. "You don't belong on this side."
"This side? Why not? You're here," I pointed out, confused by his words.
"I belong here. You don't, sweet Jewel. You belong with the living."
"But Daddy's here." I pointed over to his grave. Something told me Mother wasn't here with us, or she would have come to see Father too.
Gabriel shook his head. "Only I'm here right now and you have to go back or you'll make Mommy cry. "
"But...well...I don't want to make Mommy cry, but you'll be lonely! I can't leave you!" I cried, tears beginning to pool in my eyes.
He smiled, his own eyes misty with tears. "I can't lie. It is lonely here, but I get to watch you. See you love those friends of yours who'd do anything to make you happy. I have to do my part, Jewel. They would be sad without you." Tears began to roll down his cheeks
I lifted my hands to his cheeks, trying to wipe the tears away that kept flowing. Mine wouldn’t stop either. "But...I'll miss you." I whimpered.
"Me too, Jewel. You have no idea how much I miss you." He pulled me into a tight hug. "But you can't stay here. I won't allow it. You have to go back. There's more for you to do. I know you don't understand now, but you will one day."
We cried and cried for what seemed like ages, standing on the hillside of Father's grave as the sun began to set. He had to struggle a bit to remove himself from my hold and I looked up at him with desperate eyes, not wanting to leave. He looked like he was debating what to do, but he took a calming breath and knelt down to be at my level.
"I'll protect you from here and visit you in your dreams. I can't guarantee they won't be scary or sad, but I can at least see you there,” he offered. I pondered it, then lowered my gaze.
I do miss Mommy and the others. Prince Logan would cry and I don't like when he cries. Hm...I want to nap with Nixon and read with Brax. It would be fun to play magic tag with Maximus and take pictures with Kage. Alice and Koa would have more fun if I was there to bug them. And Zane, I want to hug Zane and thank him for saving me.
I looked back with a new resolve. I didn't want to leave Brother, but if he would still visit me, I'd have to make those minutes count so he'd never be lonely.
"You can come to my dreams whenever you’re lonely. Even if you’re not, you can still visit," I reassured him.
A wide smile formed on his lips as he nodded. "I'll visit whenever I miss my dear sister. Now make sure you tell Mother and Father I say hello."
I nodded. "I'll tell Mommy when I get back. Uh...I will tell Daddy the next time I pass by." I considered it, trying to think when I could visit Father again.
Gabriel chuckled, and I pouted again, unsure why he was laughing. "What's so funny?"
He shook his head, lifting his hand to brush against my cheek. "It's not my place to tell you, but you'll understand soon. Now come give your bro one last hug." He opened his arms wide and I gave him the happiest expression before jumping into his arms.
"I love you with all my heart, Brother," I whispered before yawning, suddenly feeling sleepy.
"I love you too, Jewel. Death cannot get rid of my love for you and I will continue to watch over you until I know you'll always be safe. Farewell, my sister." His whispered voice sounded further away as my mind drifted into darkness.
Farewell, Gabriel
The sound of whispering woke me up, my sluggish mind trying to figure out where I was as my hearing began to pick up the words being exchanged.
"What if..." I heard a soft voice began but trailed off.
I listened closely to the familiar voice that spoke next. "Zane, stop already. Jewel's been fighting really hard. She won't die again, Savannah confirmed it," Logan reassured.
Again? What do you mean I died again? I don't feel like I died.
"But...it's my fault." The deep voice broke and I knew he was on the verge of crying.
"Hey. Jewel's not gonna be happy if she wakes up to you bawling your eyes out. Not a sexy first impression. Don't worry. Everything is going to be okay," Brax reassured him.
"Yes, her blood results came back and everything is within a healthy range and thankfully nothing is broken. Just the stress of the fall and the fact she hit her head prior is why she's been out for long. Don't lose hope." Maximus spoke calmly.
Fall? I fell...when? What was I doing prior to this? Sunday...exam prep...we went to stop something bad.
"She's a trooper. We just have to be patient," Nixon declared quietly. I remembered his fearful eyes, his hands reaching out to me, but I didn't understand why? Maybe I was falling, but how did I get to that point exactly?
"Kiku Ku!" a chirping sound exclaimed.
"Huh? Jewel's awake?" Kage's gentle voice questioned. I felt something soft rub against my cheek before a quiet purr. Alice?
"Meow meow meow,” she replied "Jewel? My Jewel's okay? Does anything hurt? Do you know who I am?" Her worried voice hurt my heart, making me wish I had the energy to hug and comfort her. I must have really gotten hurt for Alice to be so freaked out.
No...nothing hurts. I think I'm okay. Really tired though. It’s really hard to open my eyes. And of course, I know who you are, Alice Starfire who likes to steal our neighbor’s jewelry.
I felt Alice begin to lick my cheek, which made me want to giggle.
"Jewel, my precious. Can you try to open your eyes for me?' Logan's voice was closer and gentle which made me realize he was whispering into my ear.
"Zane, dim the lights," Maximus requested.
"Meow?" Alice added.
"Just try. Don't worry if you can't. Savannah said you need lots of rest."
Hmm alright. It took me a few attempts and after two minutes I was finally successful. It took a few moments for my vision to focus; watery gold eyes met mine.
"Hey, Precious," Logan whispered. A tear spilled from his eye and dropped to my cheek. I furrowed my brow, using a great deal of concentration to lift my hand and brush his cheek.
"Hey, my Prince. I thought you said crying wasn't a good first sexy expression?" I croaked, giving him the best smile I could muster in my weak state.
He smiled, pressing his forehead against mine before kissing me softly. "I missed you."
"I missed you too, though I don't know where I went," I confessed. He chuckled, giving me another kiss before he leaned back up.
Purple kitten eyes appeared in my vision, Alice's cat form took her turn to lick my face over and over again. "Hey. That tickles and is weird," I whispered, but let her continue, seeing as she never licked my face unless she was worried or wanted to reassure herself I was okay.
"I missed you. Don't scare me like that again. Mom almost had a heart attack," Alice scolded.
"Mom? Why? What did I do to make her almost have a heart attack?" I complained out loud, wondering if someone else could answer my question for me.
"Maybe we should sit her up so she can drink some water," Maximus suggested.
"Good idea," Brax agreed.
"I have the water." Kage gestured to the glass in his hand.
"We'll answer your question in a second, Jewel," Nixon assured me. Maximus walked over and pressed some buttons on the bed before it slowly shifted position, putting me at a 45-degree angle which was helpful. I could finally see the guys and their relieved expressions.
"Here you go," Kade put the straw to my mouth and I literally gulped two-thirds of it down before Maximus intervened.
"Not too much in one go, Jewel." He smirked at my frown.
"But, I'm thirsty."
"I know. Just wait a few minutes and you can have the rest, okay?" he whispered. I slowly nodded, understanding that he was right. Didn't want to vomit it back up because I drank too quickly.
My eyes scanned the hospital room; I was confused as to why I was here instead of our dorm room. "What happened?"
"You don't remember?" Nixon questioned.
"Uh. Not really. Everything is fuzzy," I confessed. The guys exchanged glances and Brax stepped forward.
"Long story short, we were enjoying our Sunday afternoon when you and Kage announced Zane was in trouble and rushed over to the tower where we found some initiation thing going on. A brawl broke out and Huntly's younger brother, Silver, showed up. He tried to blast you guys off the tower but you used a spell to blind him. We thought it was over but Sliver sent a blast at you before we could intervene and you knocked into the tower wall which broke and fell," Brax summarized.
"So why am I here and not dead?" I wondered. Don't get me wrong, I was damn happy to be alive but how did I survive, to begin with?
Maximus stepped forward. "Nixon jumped over and caught you and used a teleportation spell mid-air. He teleported you close enough to Ms. Landsford and the other adults, laying you on the ground before you began to have a seizure."
"Oh," I replied. That's not bad...I guess? "Then why did you say I died?"
"Because you did," Nixon whispered. I turned to look into his eyes. He looked really tired and had black circles under his eyes. "Your seizure was longer than expected and you stopped breathing. We had to resuscitate you before putting you on a ventilator for a few days before you were able to breathe on your own."
OH...well, ya that sounds pretty bad. Kage placed a hand on my shoulder. "But you started to breathe again without any help and your mana returned back to full strength. It's like your magic worked double to try and heal you and it did."
"Plus your mother and Logan's mother were here non-stop. We just forced them to go home recently because they literally weren't sleeping," Braxton added.
"Wow. Um...how long exactly have I been out for?" I questioned.
"Two weeks," Nixon replied with a frown.
"Two...weeks?! I guess I failed exams then," I whispered, feeling rather sad about it, my head hanging low.
Logan walked back over to my side, slipping his hand into mine and squeezed gently. "You've been excused. The headmaster found out what happened and since your grades were already high to begin with, all the professors agreed you wouldn't need to take the exam to move forward. You also received an award for bravery and selflessness. You'll receive it when school starts back up again at the welcome back assembly where the headmaster herself will do a speech and introduce new rules regarding bullying at Brighten Magic Academy."
I gawked at him, my eyes slowly looking at the others who all smiled with prideful expression. "That sounds rather cool. Gabriel would be happy," I whispered. I finally ended the cycle.
Kage looked over his shoulder, staring at the white curtain that was pulled halfway open. "Zane dummy. Come out already. Jewel isn't mad,” he called out.
"I wasn't hiding or anything,” he replied, shuffling quietly to the end of the bed. He bowed his head before I could speak. "I'm sorry, Jewel. It's kind of hard to explain and I don't want to explain everything to you until you’re feeling better, but I'm terribly sorry for hurting you. All of you guys too."
I could hear the agony in his voice, trembling as if he'd burst into tears at any moment.
Brax sighed, slapping his back. "We forgive you temporary idiocy. Lift your head, brother."
He did as Brax commanded, his green eyes full of regret as they met mine. He stood there quietly, waiting for my response.
Though my heart clenched with a deep ache, I realized there was one major problem.
"Who are you?"
TO BE CONTINUED.