SURVIVE (THRIVE: Book Two)

Chapter 59- Restless

"Don't touch me," I scream, crawling away as I back myself into a corner "Leave me alone!" I can barely see straight, everything is blurring together so fiercely, that I can't tell where I am anymore.

"Breeze, it's okay, you're safe." I hear someone say, it sounds like Magnus' voice, but I can't be sure.

"Get away from me!" I shout, bumping my back against the wall.

"Don't worry, princess, I wouldn't want you bleeding out on me now." I suddenly hear Lucius' voice in my ear. I shake my head, trying to swat him away, but it's useless.

"Stop it!" I scream, smashing my head against the wall.

"What the hell is happening up here?" I suddenly hear Eli's voice and footsteps rushing into the room.

"Oh my god, Breeze," Desire says worriedly as she rushes to me, but a wind erupts from my chest and pushes her back.

"Please, you're not in danger," Pheonix says calmly, kneeling to my eye level from across the room.

"I need to keep you safe here for now," Sterling's voice whispers in my ear, and I can't help but tear at my hair "You may not believe it, but I do care about you, and the last thing I want to do is truly hurt you."

"Guys, there's blood on the wall where she hit her head," Kai states worriedly as he points behind me.

"Shit," Desire says anxiously "If she keeps this up she's going to kill herself."

"Breeze, please, listen to us;" Phoenix tries to get me to focus. I'm trying my hardest, but reality has become so flooded with the past that I can't think straight. It's just a screaming well of voices "We're your friends, no one among us is a threat to you. Just try to remember where you are, we're at Eli's bar. You remember waking up here this morning, right?"

Waking up. Waking up in that place day after day was a living nightmare, and there was no escape from the four walls and the beast in human form.

"Good morning, lovely." every time I opened my eyes, there he was, sitting across from me like he was watching me all night "What were you dreaming about?"

"Please stop," I plead, starting to cry "Please stop pretending you care."

"What are you talking about?" Magnus asks worriedly.

"If it eases your mind, I don't want you that way. I have no interest in taking lovers, I haven't in over eight hundred years. But, that doesn't mean I don't have feelings for you. What those are may be hard for you to understand, but just know, you are incredibly special to me." Those are the words that shattered my mind into a million pieces. I had known for years that Gael had an intense interest in my mother, so much so that it drove his insanity to the point of doing horrible things to far too many innocent people, me included. But now, someone of nearly equal delusion had this strange obsession with me of all people, and despite my best efforts, all I wanted to know was why. I asked repeatedly, and he would give me answers that explained certain things about the way he thinks, but nothing about what it had to do with me. Why? Why wouldn't he tell me why?

"Why me!" I scream, slamming the back of my head on the wall.

"That's enough," Desire states, sounding determined "Help me hold her down!" she shouts, and suddenly she, Kai, and Pheonix all jump into action. I try my hardest to fight them off, but they grab my legs, pull my arms together above my head, and drag me away from the wall.

"Sweet little princess, your essence is far more delicious than anything that I've ever tasted before with its sweet, yet bitter finish. But...I've been curious, how does the rest of you compare?" I hear his voice whisper quietly in my ear as they pin me down to the bed.

"Let me go!" I scream as loudly as I can, my voice screeching, my throat is coarse and dry, and I can feel myself choking as I try to breathe.

"What the hell are we supposed to do now?" Phoenix asks frantically.

"She's going through post-traumatic stress, I'm sure of it." Eli sighs as he rushes to the bedside "It used to happen to Valerie a lot right after the fight with Justin. I don't know how to snap her out of it, but..." Suddenly, he looks at Magnus "I need you and Jasper to go to the Temple and find Aurora and Roxie.

"Dad," I hear Jasper from the hall "If she's this bad, they might need to do this in the sanctuary."

"Gaia, for fucks sake, if you wanted to be careful you wouldn't be hanging around that priestess all damn day," I can hear Cleo's voice echo. Suddenly, I remember her shooting a bolt of electricity at me when we first met and Lucius throwing me out of the line of fire.

"Lucius, get Tessa out of here, I'll handle this." My heart begins to pound as I feel the pressure of their hands holding me down. My throat feels like it's full of sand and I can barely breathe, and now the room feels like it's shrinking smaller and smaller.

"Let me go!" I scream, trying again to burst them away, but to no avail.

"Stop fighting us, we're trying to help you." Desire pleads desperately.

"It's no use, it's like she can't hear us." Kai sighs.

"How the hell are we supposed to get her home like this?" Phoenix asks as he looks around, but no one seems to have an answer "Fantastic."

"You aren't going anywhere anytime soon, so you might as well make yourself comfortable, love,"

"Stop it!" I fight back.

"As long as she's awake, there's no way we can move her." Eli sighs, suddenly heading for the door.

"Wait, what the hell are you saying?" Kai asks nervously.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Jasper asks as he follows him out.

"We can't just put her to sleep, she might get trapped in a nightmare," Phoenix states as he puts more pressure on my arms.

"I hate to break it to you, but she already is." Desire sighs.

"What is he going to do to her?" Kai asks worriedly as he looks down at me sympathetically.

"Look, I know that we don't really know each other, but... I don't want to see you get hurt," I suddenly remember Kai's words.

"...Kai?" I ask cautiously.

"Breeze?" Kai asks, his eyes growing wide "Can you hear me?" Suddenly, I feel an overwhelming chill go down my spine.

"I know that you can hear me, little one. I'm sorry that things have to be this way, but I hope you understand that it will be for the better. I'm sparing you both, and that's all that matters." Gael. I was murdered before I had a chance to even live, and he fucking knew that I could sense him.

"Don't do this!" I shout, fighting harder than before, breaking free and running for the window. As I lunge forward, Magnus grabs my waist and we crash to the floor together. I roll over in pain, and he tries to climb on top of me, but I manage to slip out from under him.

"Breeze!" Phoenix shouts as they all attempt to grab me. Suddenly I feel someone pulling me by my arm, then I fall to the floor on top of someone. When I look up, I realize I'm in Kai's lap.

"I'm sorry about this, sister," he says anxiously as he grips the sides of my head. Suddenly, I can't move and my breathing becomes rapid, then my heartbeat starts to slow. Within seconds, everything begins to fade.

"What did you do?" Desire asks, catching her breath.

"She's going to be comatose, I'm not sure for how long." Kai sighs, brushing my hair back out of my face.

"How did you do that?" Magnus asks, sounding terrified by what just happened.

"...I'm guessing it has something to do with that hex your father left behind?" Phoenix states, his voice beginning to sound muffled.

"Something like that." Kai sighs, and suddenly, everything disappears reality disappears.