Forlorn Present
I was in the meadow again. It was so sunny it tittered on the edge of being too bright. Flowers were in bloom everywhere and it was comfortably warm. It was perhaps the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Which is why I immediately distrusted the place.
I've learned that beauty often acts as the veil for darkness.
It was always spring in the meadow. Maybe that's why it bothered me so much. It was winter when I fell asleep but the first time I came to the meadow, so soon after, it was spring. It's been a long time since and yet the meadow always remains the same.
The meadow was a dream among my dreams of the past and nightmares I dare not face in waking hours. Nothing of it seemed real, everything had a soft glow to it and it all moved slower, not by much but enough that I took a notice to it.
And then of course there was the woman. The woman was always there. She too was breathtakingly beautiful but she seemed to be entirely made of moonlight. No matter how long I stared she never seemed to dim in the slightest.
"Hello child," she said in a melodious voice. "It pleases me to see you."
She always greeted me in the same manner. "I cannot say the same," I replied as I always did. "I've yet to understand where my mind obtained such a dream."
She sighed. "I've told you, child, this is not a dream."
"Yeah, yeah," I said before she could go on about what she always did every time I called this a dream. "You supposedly a god or some make-believe thing like that."
"I am the moon goddess, child," she said in a serene tone. "My name is Selene. You know this."
"Gods aren't real," I told her.
"Your mind is closed to the possibility," she replied. "It matters not. One day you will be ready to accept me."
"Unlikely," I muttered and sat down on the grass.
"Your mate searches for you," she said as thought this knowledge were some great charity she was bestowing upon me. "Is that not proof enough of my existence."
"No," I replied without hesitation. "You are a mere figment of my subconscious and as such you know all that I know. I know Grant would look. He's quite used to looking for me."
"For one with a destiny so touched by a goddess you are quite reluctant to believe in such a thing," she said. "It amuses me for the moment."
"Moments do not last long." I stood and turned my back on the woman. "Goodbye."
"Be careful, child," she warned. "Here you are safe. When you leave this place I cannot protect you."
"I do not need anyone's protection," I said over my shoulder.
~*~*~*~
"Doctor! She's crashing!" Trina called.
Grant watched through tortured eyes as his pack doctor tended to his mate. It was the eighth time she's crashed in the past five days. Trina soon joined him in his corner of the room. "She's dying," Grant said in a hoarse voice.
"She'll not be the only one," Trina said. "If you do not tend to your pack the rogues will tear it apart."
"I cannot leave her," he said. "I need to be here in case..." he could bare to say the words.
"In case the Doc can't bring Kate back next time she crashes," Trina said softly. "Neither of them can keep this up. She needs the antidote to whatever was in that syringe."
"Have the scientists made any progress?"
She shook her head, "Nor has Lily with the siblings. Neither mean you should abandon hope."
He looked at his mate, she was so pale and she barely moved. The only sign he had of her life was the weak beeping of the machine measuring her heart. "Hope is already lost."
~*~*~*~
"Have they mentioned anything of use?" Jason asked his mate.
She sighed. "They merely repeat the same things over and over. None of it makes a lick of sense." Jason looked over her shoulder to see the notepad she was writing on. "I've been writing all down, trying to make heads or tails of it and see if they repeat anything."
"Have they?"
She pressed her lips into a line for a moment. "They, well the female really, she keeps going on about an Alpha and a warrior. Then something about a savior. Look at this." She flipped back to another page.
Twinkle, twinkle, little wolf,
How they wonder what you are,
Up atop a war she'll cry,
The little savior's doom is nigh,
Twinkle, twinkle, little wolf,
How they wonder what you are.
"Lily what is any of that supposed to mean?" Jason asked. "What war?"
"That I don't know," she answered. "But it's not the only time they mention a war. Or this savior. From the way they talk this savior I think she, the Alpha, and the warrior are one person."
"That's not possible," Jason said. "You're talking about the ramblings of crazy people."
"Maybe," Lily said not believing in his words the slightest. "But what if they're true?"
"They aren't," he said firmly.
"Why not?"
"Because there are no female Alphas!"
"Not yet," she said. "But maybe there will be."
"Lily," he sighed turning her around to look at him. "You can't seriously think those two lunatics can tell the future."
"They aren't lunatics, Jason!" she snapped angrily. "They're sick. And maybe they can."
"You're talking about magic, Lily," he said. "Something that does not exist."
She scowled, "I am. And maybe it does."
"Lily," he said exasperated.
"Be very careful of the next words you speak, Jason Greyson," she said in a dangerous voice.
"Don't be like that," he murmured leaning down to kiss her.
She turned her head so his lips met her cheek. "If you don't mind I have work to do and I'd like to do it without someone looking over my shoulder."
"Lily there's nothing of use from these two. They're getting worse with each day that passes."
"And so does Kate," she said and her mate grew quiet. "If there's even a chance they might say something that'll help her then I need to be here."
"I'm beginning to think there's nothing left to help her," he whispered.
Lily couldn't find the words to comfort him. She couldn't find the words to comfort herself. Kate was their family. She was always there when they needed help, when anyone in the pack needed help. They'll have to tell them soon. There'd be those who'd want to say goodbye and from the look of things Kate didn't have long.
The Fire Light Alpha and Luna stood there thinking of how long they had until they would have to find a new Beta.
~*~*~*~
The scientist worked tirelessly. They knew the pressure upon their heads, they knew the weight of a life. They searched and searched for the poison afflicting a woman they'd never laid eyes on. They searched to save her. They tested the blood against everything that they could get their hands on. Herbs, acids, venoms, anything...
They found it after six days of searching. They'd been looking for one element, one thing that filled the syringe. It was actually a mixture of Blue Krait venom and Nightshade.
It's taken a while to find the two to test against the woman's blood samples. Both were extremely rare. The Blue Krait snake could only be found in Thailand and Nightshade only grew in certain parts of Europe. Both were extremely deadly if left untreated.
Neither scientist had any clue what the effect would be on someone who'd been given both the poisons together. Neither scientist knew if a person could recover from such a calamity. Neither knew if an antidote would even work.
~*~*~*~
I believe I'm going mad. My dreams were becoming darker and darker. The memories I'd been living in my sleep were changing and I wasn't quite sure what was real anymore. It would seem like I'm waking up. I'd open my eyes and Grant would be there, or Trina, or Tristan, or Jason. Whomever it was he or she would smile down at me. Their lips would move as if they were saying something, always the same thing, but I could never hear it. All I could hear was a buzzing.
Nothing was ever in color in these waking moments. It was always shades of gray. White against black. Then a flash of light. The flat side of a blade, a knife, no a dagger. I saw it catch the light, glint into my eyes as it plunged down. I felt the pain as it parted my skin and my flesh. It always traveled to the same point, the same destination. Over and over. Eight or nine times now, nearly ten. Nearly a decade in terms of years. Nearly a decade I've been trapped in this never ending cycle.
Nearly ten times I felt the sharp sting of the blade as it burrowed into my heart.
And nearly ten times I heard the cold, cruel laugh. Nearly ten times I saw the source of my nightmare stand in the corner of the room with his near white skin and his shadow black clothes. Adrian Peltier laughed as the ones I cared for killed me over and over. I saw Grant's face more than any of the others. It hurt more when it was him. I never could understand why.
Each time the dagger found its target was the moment that the buzzing turned into that laugh that's haunted my dreams.
It did not take long for me to dread it, to fear it, to wish never to wake up. It did not take long for me to prefer the nightmares of my past where I killed and watched others kill without mercy and without regret. I would gladly fill that book with names until the well of ink ran dry and the pages came to an end if it meant never having to wake.
Though I never heard what they said after a few times I manage to read their lips.
It was the same thing every single time no matter who it was. It never made any sense though. "The savior must die." I knew not what it meant, only that they said it every time right before they plunged the dagger into my chest.
I actually missed the meadow and the strange woman.
Which is why when I opened my eyes to see the white ceiling and florescent lights of a medical room and saw Grant looking down at me all I felt was fear.
I watched him whisper something I couldn't hear over the blood rushing in my ears and when he moved all I could do was scream.
~*~*~*~
At first seeing his mate's eyes open after the doctor gave her the antidote seemed like a miracle to Grant. He thought he was going to lose her and it felt like she was coming back to him from another side she didn't believe in.
"Katrina," he whispered joyfully. He moved to brush her hair out of her face but was rewarded with her screaming.
Before he could blink she'd flipped herself off the bed and was across the room huddled in a corner. She reeked of fear.
Grant called for the doctor and slowly approached his mate's trembling figure. "Katrina," he said slowly. "It's Grant. I'm not going to hurt you."
"Lies!" she cried and curled further in on herself.
"What's going on?" the doctor said grudgingly. He looked at the Fire Light Beta. "You broke my patient."
"Fix her!" Grant growled. He soon regretted his actions because that only seemed to frighten his mate more. "Shh, shh, shh. It's okay, Katrina." He closed the gap between them and put his hand on her shoulder.
"No!" she screamed thrashing about. She caught his cheek and raked her nailed across it drawing more than a little blood. "Get away!"
Grant grabbed her wrists and continued unsuccessfully to try to calm her down. "Doc, do something!" Katrina's name for his personal pack doctor was quite catchy.
"Hold her still," the doctor said joining them needle and syringe in hand.
Katrina's eyes widened at the sight and she fought harder. "Get it away!" she screamed. "Get it away!"
Grant could hear rapidly approaching footsteps in the hall outside. In this state anymore people would make her worse. Grant pulled Katrina away from the wall and spun her around so she was pinned tightly against his chest. He force one of her arms straight out and did his best to keep it steady. "Now Doc!" he said breathless from the struggle.
Katrina screamed when the needle sank into her arm. The not-so-good doctor emptied the contents of the little plastic tube into the girl.
"How long until it takes affect?" Grant asked as she continued to fight him. It she wasn't so frantic he would have long lost his upper hand.
"It shouldn't be long," the doctor answered. "Maybe a couple minutes."
"What the hell is going on here?" Jason Greyson demanded walking in on the scene. "Let my sister go!"
Lily joined them just in time to hear her adoptive sister begin muttering. "Thesaviormustdiethesaviormustdiethesaviormustdie." It took her a couple moments to understand the words and when she did her blood ran cold. "The savior must die."
Lily looked about the room, no one else seemed to understand what she was going on about and pretty soon the words become a meaningless slur. "The sedative it kicking in," the doctor said. "Move her to that bed there." He pointed to a rolling cot that was shoved into a corn of the room. A cot with straps.
Grant reluctantly did as told and the doctor tightened the thick leather-wrapped metal straps around the Fire Light Beta's wrists, chest, waist, and ankles.
"What the hell are you doing to her?" Jason demanded. "Get the hell away from my sister!"
"She woke up and just started screaming," Grant said never looking away from his mate's face. "She was scared out of her mind and thrashing about. She was going to hurt herself."
"Not just herself," Lily said softly. "You're face."
Grant raised a hand to his stinging cheek and it came back slick with blood. "She caught me with her claws," he explained. "I'll be fine. Doc, what happened? Why was she...?"
"From what little I know about Blue Krait venom and Nightshade I can only make a best guess," the doctor said.
"Then give me your best guess," Grant said.
The doctor nodded as he hooked his patient up to a series of machines. "Blue Krait venom causes severe hallucinations while Nightshade can cause terrible nightmares. I would say the two properties combine. Not even God knows what the poor girl may have seen while she slept." For the first time the doctor showed some sympathy and compassion for the visiting Beta. "I have to wait until she wakes again to give you anything more."
"How long until she wakes up?" Jason asked.
"A couple hours," the doctor said. "I didn't think it'd be wise to give her very much."
"Jason," Lily whispered to her mate, "Go get Tristan and Trina. Tell her family she woke up. Let them know what's going on. I'll stay with her."
Jason kissed her temple before leaving to do as she asked. She grabbed a chair for herself and Grant. "Thanks," he said hoarsely. "She's going to be fine right?"
Lily looked down at the sleeping face of perhaps her most trusted friend. "Yeah," she said though she didn't quite believe the words. Jason may think it was a bunch of crap but she wasn't so sure. Maybe the two in the basement weren't completely off their rockers.
It wasn't more than a couple hours of waiting with the lot of them in the room. Tristan Marold, Justin Church, Trina Greenfield, Tyler Grim, Grant Adams, and Lily and Jason Greyson all stood or sat gathered around a sleeping woman strapped to a cot.
Grant was the first to notice her movement. "I think she's waking up," he said to the others.
Faces gathered around closer to get glimpse. The Silver Moon Alpha was correct. Minutes later two blues eyes opened and everyone held back gasps. Before when she woke they were too distracted to really look but not there was nothing stopping them from seeing.
"Her eyes," Trina whispered to herself.
The Fire Light Beta's formerly blue eyes were now the same purple-blue color of Nightshade flower petals but even more startling was the ring of almost glowing silver that encircled her irises.
Before anyone could even begin to question such a thing she tried to move, most likely to sit up but was stopped short. She looked around confused. "What's going on?" she asked drowsily. "Why am I strapped down? Who are you people?"
"Katrina," Grant whispered afraid to even touch her. "What's the last thing you remember?"
Her brow furrowed. "I was leaving for school with Tyler. My mother was going on about how I should dress up in case I found my mate." She shook her head and leaned up as far as she could go. "I don't understand. Who are you?"
"Katie," Tyler said from the foot of the cot. "That was nearly eight years ago. You don't remember anything past then?"
She looked around again at unfamiliar faces as she tried to grasp what he was saying. "No."