Amanda’s Point of View

My jaw hung open from what I just witnessed. My eyes linger on Jack’s body which is swaying in the chair now across the room from me. Dots click in my mind as I finally bring myself to ask, “What was that?” Jack looks up at me, his gaze finally meeting mine as he lets his face drop downward once again, “Sorry.” A gentle sigh brings my mind back to the reality, that this kid is hurting. I straighten out my back as I slowly walk towards Jack. His face still looking at the floor, unable to meet my gaze. I lean in front of him, “This is some water ok?” I give him a gentle smile as his head nods. I move the cup towards his lips as I mentally brace for his outburst again. But he didn’t have an outburst. Thank you, God. While he sips on the cup I study his face. Pale as snow and sweat flowing down his hair. I gently place my hand on his head taking his temperature. It’s burning. I stand still for a moment, maybe I should’ve taken him back to his room instead. Stupid Amanda, what were you thinking? The cup is empty now Jack’s face returns to its slopping position. Poor kid must be feeling horrid right now. My voice was close to a whisper, “Jack honey, are you able to walk back to your room?” I listen intently as a barely audible “no” comes out of his mouth. “Alright, upsy Daisy.” I grasp his underarms as I put his weight on my shoulder. Lifting with my legs I pull him up. For a kid he sure is heavy. I heave him up. The hard part is over now at least. “Ok Jack,” I softly say, “we’re going to walk back to your room alright?” I see his head bob up and down, I take that as a yes. One step two steps. You’re doing good Jack. We walk through the hallway of my home. Which room did Jack stay in again? Stopping at the front desk I pull Jack behind the counter. Grabbing a little book from the desk I look for Jack’s name. Jack, Jack, Jack, my eyes scroll through the pages until I finally see it. Room 6, got it. Closing the book I readjust my grip on Jack. Giving him a second to breathe, “How are you holding up?” Jack doesn’t respond his head just swinging with the flow of gravity. Not good it seems. Walking into the hallway we start our trek to his room. The sturdy oak not even cracking under our combined weight as we get to his door. Opening it, I lead him inside. Man his bed’s a mess, this is going to be a hassle. I give a slight sigh at that thought. “Alright Jack, we’re here. Let me get you into bed.” We walk towards the bed as I am setting him down, “Don’t lay down just yet I need to move,” before I can finish Jack’s body collapses onto the bed, “the sheets.” And he’s down, I grab his feet which are hanging off the bed. Closing them together I pull them upwards. Pushing Jack’s body up I pull the sheets out from under him. Of course, they get snagged on him because he’s too heavy for a kid! You don’t even look that big! Why are you so heavy? After a few tugs, I yank the sheets out and while I’m in the middle of tucking him into bed his hand grabs my wrist. It’s weak. His eyes stare off into space, “Don’t.” He takes a few seconds to continue. “Tell her.” Is he really thinking of Angel right now? “Focus on getting better,” I tell Jack with a soft smile as I slide my wrist out of his grasp. His hand falls limp to his side as his eyes shut close.

Jack’s point of view

The walls around me ooze with violet liquid. The purple goo dripped out of the stone walls. Each drop hits the stone ground. My eyes look up at the wall as a hole opens up. Hearing a droplet hitting a puddle I look down again, the purple goo piling up to my shins. Droplets falling from the ceiling create a malicious melody. My legs try to pull forward but I can't move. I look down again noticing the goo climbing up my body. The goo started to change color and shape. I watched as a liquidated humanoid thing grew on my leg its hands pulling on my waist as it tried to climb. Suddenly the hole in the wall shined a bright light and a voice called out, “Jack.” I tried to trudge through the goo but the humanoid creature held me tight. I feel my body start to sink as the whole room starts to shake, “Jack,” I hear again from the hole. My neck barely held itself above the rising goo while the creature's hand covered half my face, “Jack, wake up.”

The goo submerged my face underneath as the room continued to echo. The deep purple liquid filling my every sense, suddenly I notice I'm not breathing. My body tries to move in the liquid, trying desperately to get air. The suffocating goo never lets go as my vision starts to blur.

I wake up, my body sweating profusely from every pore. My head weighs like a ton of bricks, my arms sore as if they were holding one hundred pounds of stone, my throat poached of any resemblance of wetness, my eyes struggling to stay open. I try to sit up but am unable to do so. The blanket while it should be light, weighed enough to keep me down. The dirty brown wood of the ceiling reminds me that I am at the inn. As I turned my head, a light shone through but with a hint of the sun setting. A dream. I mentally sigh with relief. Why have I been having these types of dreams so much recently? I lift up a single arm to wipe the sweat off my forehead only for the feeling of a thousand needles coursing through my arm. Jolting it back down in pain I let it rest. Mom, where are you? I don’t feel so well. My eyes start to drift into images of the past. Mom walks to me with a wet rag telling me everything is going to be ok. Mom please come back I'm not ready to be alone. My Mom looks back at me, smiling she says, “I'll always be watching over you.”

My vision fades back to reality, to the wooden purgatory that surrounds me.

Amanda's Point of View

Do, do, doodo, I think to myself. A soft smile eclipses on my face keeping hidden my childish thoughts. Hmmm, I wonder if Jack ever woke up. I stand up from the lobby’s desk as I trek through the halls to the kitchen, a soft hum gliding through my lips. Coming inside I see Mom and Angel handling some chores, I can definitely get used to Angel doing my chores. Thinking of that devil, Angel notices me and waves hello. Of course, I wave back, “Hey Angel, enjoying the dinner rush?” Angel takes a side glance at Mom who's working the stove at the moment singling with her pointer finger that she’s at the mercy of my Mom. Ah, poor girl, who enjoys chores? I know I don’t and I love having you do them, but to keep up a little act I nod my head understandably at Angel. We continue this charade of gestures until, oh oh, Mom ruins our fun. “What did you need Amanda.”

“Hi Mom, nice to see you too!” I give a sarcastic greeting. “I just came to grab Jack’s dinner, gonna go check in on him.” Angel jumps into the conversation, “I’ll take it to him!” She just slides off all the water on her hands using her magic I think? She runs towards the plate of food but I watch Mom slap Angel’s hand with a wooden spatula. Ouch. I flinch at the sight. I watch as the two exchange a full-blown argument without even uttering a single word. “I’m going to take that as Mom saying get back to work.” I give Angel a sympathetic smile as I walk past her and grab the plate of food. Angel looks defeated as she returns to the sink, “Don’t worry, I’ll update you.” A small smile fades onto Angel’s face before returning to a quick frown as she resumes working on the dishes.

Leaving the kitchen I walk through the cozy halls down to Jack’s room. I wonder if Jack is feeling any better. A slight memory of his pale state from earlier crosses my mind as I turn and face Jack’s door, giving it a knock I wait for a response. Nothing. Giving it another knock, I wait a few seconds, nothing. Maybe he’s too quiet since he is you know sick? “Jack, I’m coming in.” I give a slight warning before twisting the knob of the door. Making sure to open the door slowly in case Jack is awake. As the room enlightened my eyes with its cozy design I was greeted with a pale-skinned Jack, his face tilted towards me, sweat dripping down his cheek, wait is it sweat or is it a tear? Poor kid, he must be in so much pain. Trying to appear a bit more energetic, hoping that my energy would transfer to him, I walk through the doorway. “Good morning sleepy head!” I study his face while walking towards him with the plate of food, his mouth slowly moves and a barely audible phrase can be heard from him, “Good morning.” Oh! He can talk again! That's some good news for sure! I place the pipping hot food next to him on the side of the bed where lies his nightstand. Reaching for a bowl of water that I kept near him I pull the rag out of it. Ringing it out I place the rag on top of his head, this should help with the fever. While doing all of this, “How are you feeling? Any better?” Placing my hands on his shoulder I give a sympathetic squeeze. “Yes.” That’s good to hear. “Are you hungry?” I reach for the plate of food while intently listening, “A little bit.” Mmmhmm. “Are you able to eat on your own?” Now I feel like his Mom is asking if he’s able to eat on his own! I wonder how his Mom would act in this situation. Would she do the same that I am doing? “Yes.” Whew, at least I don’t need to be feeding him. “Ok, I am going to place the plate on your lap.” I move the plate to his lap and hand him the fork in his opened palm. Backing away I walk to the other side of the bed where the blinds sat. “Wow, it’s almost dark already!” I look back at Jack while he moves his arm ever so slowly, towards his mouth.

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I guess it's time for me to take my leave. He needs his rest after all. I walk back around the bed and head towards the door when I hear his fork hit the side of his plate. Taking a glance back, I meet Jack’s gaze. His mouth starts to move. “Please don’t go.” I notice the pain in his eyes, his gaze while holding mine he is barely able to maintain it. This kid, I mentally roll my eyes, I swear he knows exactly what buttons of mine to push. Clasping my hands together and trying my best to appear unfazed by his painful state, “I’m not going anywhere. Just grabbing a chair from outside.” I smile to reinforce my sincerity. Taking a step outside I grab a chair from the lobby which sadly, is a bit bulky. Wobbling my way back to Jack’s room I give a brief knock before opening the door and dragging the chair inside. Planting the beast of a chair next to his bed I take a seat.

Jack’s Point of View

I lay beneath the rough covers of the bed, taking a bite out of the grilled chicken every so often. Luckily they cut it up so it's a bit easier for me to eat it but the pain in my throat burns every time I take a gulp. I look up as Amanda knocks on my door and she comes in. Why did I ask her to stay? The pain of regret is just another pain to add to my long list. The chair looks a bit hard for her to carry, why did she bring such a big chair instead of just grabbing a smaller one? I feel my head start to clear up a little bit as my magic runs its course, but even with my magic going at full power I can barely feel the effects. Amanda takes a seat next to me, ah, that’s probably why she chose that chair, it has cushions on it. My fork slices into another piece of chicken as I pull it towards my face. An aching pain shoots through my hand causing me to thrash in a jolt of pain, dropping the fork. Fuck that hurt, my hand starts to settle down as I watch Amanda pick up my fork and place it onto my plate. This is so embarrassing.

My head droops low as I stare at the food, I did tell her I can eat it on my own but now I’m just embarrassing myself, I think I’m full either way so I’ll just tell Amanda I’m done. I look up at Amanda who’s holding a book in her hands as I get ready to speak there is a knock on the door. Who could that be? Amanda puts down her book and tells me she’ll go check to see who it is. As Amanda approaches the door I hear the recognizable voice of my sister. No, no, no did Amanda tell Angel I was sick? I need to do something about this. Adrenaline courses through my bones but I am too weak even with it to move my hands much let alone my body. Amanda opens the door and starts talking to Angel, I have to be quick. I push my elemental magic from my back, hoping I don’t end up ripping the shirt, pushing the ice upward I cause my body to lean upward, letting me sit up without too much effort. I hurriedly readjusted my body to appear better and put on a face, an act, so that Angel wouldn’t get too worried about me.

Amanda turns around to ask me if it’s ok for Angel to come in. Of course, it’s not! But if I told her that Angel would never let it go. Amanda’s face looks me over a little quizzily as she awaits my response. Taking a deep but quiet breath, “Sure.” I tell Amanda. Amanda moves off to the side as Angel’s face appears. Angel is about to run up to me but Amanda stops her in her tracks, “Remember he’s sick.” Her eyes linger on Angel’s before Angel gives an apology. Why is Angel apologizing? I interject and ask Angel why she’s apologizing. “Because I promised Amanda I wouldn’t bother you too much.” Angel looks down as she walks over to my bed. While Amanda is walking back to her chair she continues Angel’s point, “You need rest, which means you need peace and quiet.” I give a bit of a nervous smile and thank her. While Angel sits on the side of the bed and Amanda is in the chair again, Amanda watches Angel and me as I listen to Angel’s day. I get the feeling Angel likes the “Old Hag” as she puts it but she just can’t admit it. Soon enough though, the conversation starts to shift towards Mom and Dad. I just can’t. I don’t have the energy to be strong right now. I’m sorry Mom. I’m sorry Dad. Angel goes quiet for a few moments after giving a reminiscent memory of our parents. Both of us being reminded that we can never make new memories with them again.

During our solemn silence, Amanda interjects and asks us if we would like to hear a story. Anything to change the topic, anything to stop thinking of Mom and Dad. I give a very weak yes while Angel followed my lead. Amanda shifts her posture in the chair as she closes her eyes, taking a deep breath she opens them once again, a smile appearing on her face. “Once upon a time there was a girl who lived with her Mom and Dad. They lived an almost normal life but there was one thing that made them stand out, can you guess what that is?” Amanda asks us while she moves her hair behind her ears. We both shake our heads no. “They were traveling merchants. They were neither rich nor poor but they had everything one could ask for. The girl loves her parents but one thing that she hated was all the traveling. After all, she would always leave her friends to travel. The girl longed for friends but she had a hard time making them.” Amanda lets her words sit for a second while looking upwards to the sky. “When she confronted her parents about why she can never have friends, they gave her a suggestion, to read a book. Which seemed so mean to the girl that she threw a tempertantrum. Do you know what her parents did when she threw her tempertantrum?” Amanda asks us, we shake our heads no. My mana is starting to run low so I turn off my physical enhancement magic, letting the pain settle back in I let my mind drift into the dreamland of Amanda’s story. “They gave her a big ol spanking!” Amanda exaggerates the last word making a spanking motion with her hands. “And told her to read or she’s getting another!” My eyes feel heavy as I look around sheepishly at Angel who’s attention is fully glued to Amanda. “Inbetween sobs of tears she picks up a book about a young hero who was on a quest to defend his village from the evil demons!” Amanda makes a slashing motion with her hands. The hero tried and tried to defend his village but he failed. In the hero’s grief he looked for a way to be comforted but that was the end of the story. The girl was heart broken that she did not get to see the hero’s end and thats when she decided that if she can’t have friends her age she will make friends with the characters in her story.” Angel lets out a gasp, “Why wouldn’t the story show the hero’s end?!” Amanda gives it a thought before replying with her finger raised up, “Because not all stories are meant to have good endings, some are meant to teach you something important.” Angel looks a little annoyed but I take note of what Amanda said, is this one of those stories? She continues her story, “As she got a little older around 9 years old, her parents decided to make a long journey to the capital. It was going to be a rough time so she made sure to bring extra amount of books to keep herself occupied. But during that journey tragedy struck.” Angel gasps while Amanda lets her words sink in. “A group of bandits attacked her carriage. Her dad tried to fight them off but it was too much, the girl had the hero’s book in her hands when her mother told her to run and never look back. The girl ran and ran never looking back. Holding the book tightly in her hands until she passed out from exhaustion.” Amanda closes her eyes letting them rest momentarily before continuing, “When she awoke she found herself at the edge of a small village, she stumbled around, sad, scared,hungary and tired until she stumbled into the smell of fresh food coming from a building. When she went into the building a nice lady greeted her. The lady saw the pain on the girl’s face and gave her some food and a place to sleep. That night the girl dreamed of saving her parents. She needs to save them.” Silence fills the air as Amanda leans back in her chair, taking a deep breath, “She awoke the next day to find a newspaper that described the scenes of a gruesome event, the murder not far from the town where a couple of merchants were brutally murdered and looted by a band of bandits. The girl went into turmoil, the news was about her parents she failed her duty to save them, just like the hero in her book.” My eyes are getting very heavy now as I start to feel my consciousness fade from exhaustion. “But then the lady who gave her food would save her, would give her a new duty, the duty to be her daughter. The girl would finally be able to sleep soundly at night again, knowing that her new duty would be a path of redemption for her. The End.” Amanda gives a long winded sigh as she concludes her story. Angel on the other hand was not happy about the story talking about how the story was a dumb story because it was just sad. Of course it’s sad Angel it wasn’t meant to be happy but to teach us, or more specifically me. At this time my eyes are closed as I have barely any energy to even stay awake.

Amanda is in middle of consuling Angel about the story when she notices my eyes closed. “Come now Angel its time to go to bed.” My eyes are still closed but I have a gut feeling that Amanda points at me as a way to singal to Angel that I’m trying to sleep. I hear Amanda ushering Angel out but I grab Amanda’s attention before she leaves. Opening my eyes slightly, “Was that story about you?” Amanda looks a little sad but she nods her head before closing the door and leaving me to sleep.