“Mama, please wake up,” a tentative voice pulls me from oblivion.

“Mama,” the voice sounds again. It’s sad. A hiccup sounds and I realize the person had been crying.

What has them so sad? I muse, trying to open my eyes.

“Why is she not waking up?” Mama asks sounding harried.

I’m trying!

“Her system deems what is happening around her harmful and subconsciously tries to prevent further damage.”

That sounded like Killian.

Wait my system?

“Mama, wake up,” …Blue?

What was happening and why did I feel so warm and toasty?

“Blue?” I start, calling out, but my tongue doesn’t cooperate.

I try projecting comfort via our tel-bond so that he could stop crying. I’m wondering if it’s working when I feel a tug in my head. Sensing him on the other end, I tug back, making him go silent and in the next minute I’m enveloped by a tiny bundle of warmth.

“Mama!”

“She’s up? Baby girl open your eyes!” Papa barks at me, typical of him to issue the command.

I use all my mustered energy to pry open my eyelids and look around the room; my room. Everyone was surrounding me.

“Why are you all here? How did I end up here? I was in the kitchen…”

“You shut down baby, like completely no heartbeat or brain waves,” Mama says, fighting tears.

“I thought we had killed you,” this comes from Nona.

“Nah, I’m a tough cookie,” I answer trying to sit up despite the protests from Blue.

“That you are,” mumbles Killian, the Broody Hottie as he moves to help me up.

Once I’m comfortable, I regard all the sombre faces around me.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

“Alright, hit me with it, what is wrong with me now?”

“You have to leave so that they can get that awful thing off you,” says Mama searching my face.

“But it wouldn’t that kill me?” I ask confused.

“Not if we don’t touch the bind, we’ll get rid of the repellent spell first, then try to find out how to break the bind. We have approximately one month till your 21st so we have to work fast,” Nona explains moving to clasp my hands.

“We have to try.” Papa pleads, not his usual approach.

“Where are we going?” I ask.

“To Faery,” answers Nona Ellie.

“Where you guys wanted to take me, I presume?” I ask turning to Mor and Killian.

“Yes. We only want to help you,” Mor adds on after seeing my face.

“I can’t believe this,” I mutter slumping.

“We will have you excused from work,” Mama says.

“Don’t bother Mama, they kicked me out today, something about my fellow dancers not feeling comfortable working with a mentally unstable person — human more like, that is why I was at the bar,” I answer bitterly.

“Why would they do that, everything they are doing for that album for Breath is your work, hell most of the routines on it are yours?” Mama says all fired up.

“How did they know all that?” Raphael asks.

“From the horse’s mouth, Papa, they had my health records, I told you Melinda was a bitch— sorry Mama— and that I refuse to work with her, but you guys didn’t take me seriously.”

“We just thought it was because you were so against therapy,” Papa says looking apologetic.

“Her niece Angeline was up for the leading spot against me, and you can guess the rest.”

“I’ll talk to Ian,” he insists.

Ian was our lead choreographer at the company as well as the dance director, he was also a supreme pain in my rear.

“No need, that will just make things worse. They still don’t know that you are my parents and I prefer it that way, besides, I’m leaving, aren’t I?”

“If we leave in the evening, we will be at the academy before everyone wakes up.” BH pipes up, eager to escape this place I’d bet.

“Wait a minute, hold up, Academy? You are taking me to high school? Hell no, I choose death.”

“No drama queen, Thorne Academy is a college, once mage kids come of age, they attend Thorne, before that, there are other institutions, though most prefer home-schooling,” Nona says rolling her eyes, I taught her that.

“It is also a very prestigious school,” Killian adds still looking chagrined at my outburst.

“Great, I’m going to be surrounded by a bunch of stuck-up rich kids, right?”

“You are a rich kid,” Killian mumbles but i ignore him.

“Most probably,” answers Mor also ignoring him.

I liked her even more now…“Wait, what about Blue? I am not leaving my baby”

Mama opens her mouth, most likely to object.

“No Mama, that’s my condition. I’m not leaving Knox behind, and if we have to put on uniforms you aren’t putting me in a damn skirt.” I add as an afterthought.

“You’d better tell them that,” I say, turning to BH …Yes, he was back to the name.

“Oh look at you back to normal,” says Nona Ellie.

“We’ll see what we can do, as for Blue, we had a feeling you’d say that even if we wanted to separate you we couldn’t do it without hurting either of you since we don’t know the impact it would have on you without his aura keeping you alive,” Papa says sounding a bit sad.

“We will leave you to it then, just bring personal stuff, clothes and toiletries will be provided,” Nona Ellie says.

“How do you know so much about this place and its people Nona?”

“Guess we will find out,” she adds with a kiss on my forehead and a wink as she glides out.

Mor gives a tiny wave and follows while BH just scowls at me and prowls out.