To Have Faith

Chapter 21 : Rage and it's Poisons

I'm standing in a field of long red grass.... The sky a deep orange, like a sunset above me... theres a beautiful scene of mountains in the distance, peaked with pure white snow...

Where am I....?

Someone calls to me, but it's not English.... I don't understand it. Yet I answer in the same musical language... Turning to see two people standing under a tree with silver leaves... they're on a hill not far off.

I can't see their faces... I just know that they are there. Calling for me... waiting for me to join them.

I try to run to them... but the longer I run the heavier my feet get.... The father away they seem....

The two people turn away...

I cry out.. Try to yell in that same musical language, but my tongue feels heavy and slow...

Then I'm on a ledge with a young child... there's something behind us....Something bad. Horrible. I can't turn....There's something equally terrifying in front of us. A hole. A rift. It's terrifying and awe inspiring.

Something pushes me.

I fall, bringing the child with me...

I try to hold onto their hand, pull them close to me...

but we get torn apart...

Fai...

and then the blackness...

Fait...

Always the blackness.... Everything and nothing-

"Faith!" My eyes flutter open with a start, cheek tingling as someone continues to smack it lightly.

The lights are too bright and there's a familiar stab of pain at my temples. I squeeze my eyes shut again, groaning.

There's a gasp of surprise, and someone yells, "Doctor she's awake!" It feels like there's cotton in my ears, but whoever they are they're too loud.

This is like a very bad case of Library déjà vu.

"I seriously need to stop waking up like this..." I grumble under my breath. Writhing to curl in on my side, my hands are stiff and throbbing dully as I do so.

The floor is hard, but cold and I gratefully press my hot cheek against it. Stomach aching and head spinning.

Hands are on me again in an instant, pulling me back towards the light and propping me up. I squeeze my eyes tighter shut as the world jumps and spins like a ballerina, my temples pounding.

"Here, drink this" the same urgent trembling voice orders, something cool is pressed against my lips and a second later, liquid is following. Some spilling down my chin as whoever is holding the cup shakes it.... No too minute, trembles? Why are they trembling?

"Oh thank god you're awake." Something drips on my face... Finally I crack my eyes open and look up. Mind too muddled to match the voice to any face.

Rose... it's Rose... on the edge of tears. Rose is leaning over me, my head propped up in her lap,

Finally I start to drink, small sips of-I'm not quite sure what. It's definitely not water, sort of raspberry flavor... stuff.

But it's clear, for whatever that's worth. Not too sweet and not the consistency of juice....

I sip at the not-water until the cup is empty, only then finding the energy to struggle up a little further- sitting on my own, though I sway precariously.

Rose takes one good look at me, and flings her arms around me.

"How.... How am I not dead...?" I ask softly, voice just a rasp.