Her Quest : Magic in the Blood
Chapter 44

Ian punched the boulder. Again and again and again. Lightning cracked in the sky followed by the boom of thunder. Everything was washed in bright light for a split second before the darkness consumed all.

Ian kept hitting the boulder. The red blotches of blood on the stone kept getting washed away by the rain as he smeared some again. Tears washed down his face. But the rain took that away too.

"Ian, that's enough," Emm protested from behind him.

He kept hitting. Emm walked over to him and pulled him back. Ian shrugged his hands away and hit the boulder again. Lightning flashed again and Emm noticed the crack on the large stone. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he walked over and crept before him.

Ian's hands stopped mid strike as Emm came between him and the rock. He gulped, his muscles straining as he lowered his arms down.

"That's enough!" Emm said, his voice low.

Ian shook his head, looking down at the grass, "It will never be enough. Never," he let out a shaky breath, his shoulders sagging, "I led her to this. It's because of me, Emm. I am the reason she's laying on her deathbed," he covered his eyes with the heel of his hands as the tears ran down his face, "My fault, Emm. Everything is my fault."

Emm pulled him closer and wrapped his arms around him. Ian hugged him tightly, letting out all the grief. Emm tried to hold himself together for his brother, soothing him.

"She'll be alright. She's a fighter, you know that," he patted his back.

Ian shook his head, weeping against his shoulder as rain pelted their tears away.

Emm pulled away, "Hey, look at me," he leaned his head down, trying to see in his eyes and squeezed his shoulder making him raise his eyes, "She'll be alright. She's tougher than we think," Ian nodded his head weakly, "We need to head back, okay? The sun will rise in a couple of hours. You want to be there when she wakes up, don't you?"

Ian murmured a "Yes," and Emm looked over at Gage standing a few feet away, "Let's go see our angel."

***

Ian waited at the door for Emm to come back. He wouldn't go in. Couldn't go in. Even though he wanted to see her, he couldn't bring himself to step into the house. So he had requested Emm to go see her and then come back down and tell him how was she.

He waited. It had been nearly a half hour. Surely Emm would come back any minute now.

Ian held on tight to the little ray of hope in his chest as he sat on the steps of the house.

***

Emm walked in, closing the door lightly behind him. Jake sat on a chair by the bed, holding Sonia's hand. As soon as Emm entered, he rose. Emm motioned for him to keep sitting.

Walking to the bed, he looked down at Sonia. His teeth gritted involuntarily as he took in her sight. Just that evening, just a handful of hours ago, he was dancing with a flawless beauty. The same girl, yet she looked nothing like her.

Purple bruises marked her face. Her left cheek was swollen. There was a gauge wrapped around her head covering an injury on her forehead. He knew there must be more bandages on her torso and on her leg. He had seen the gaping hole in her dress.

And Emm knew the pain of being shot. His hand rose and rubbed at his waist, where till date a scar remained from his childhood. He gulped as he looked at her, knowing she had endured more than him.

"Where's he?"

Emm looked up at the silent voice of his younger brother. Jake's eyes were red and he didn't look up at Emm, keeping his eyes down at his hands holding Sonia's left one in both of his.

"He won't come in," Emm replied.

Jake shook his head, "It's not his fault."

"But he blames himself."

Emm took a breath and sat down on the corner of the bed by her side. He leaned towards her and looked at her.

"We missed our chocolate competition," he mumbled and touched her cheek softly with his knuckles, "I wanted you to win so badly," he whispered.

He heard Jake take in a ragged breath and knew he was trying to hold it in. Everyone was.

"Come back, angel," he ran a hand over her hair and leaning forward kissed her forehead, "Rest and get well soon. I'll see you on the morrow," Emm promised and with one last look turned away. He never cried, never in his life, and even then as he felt his eyes burn, he didn't let a tear slip past them.

He left the room, closing the door softly. Walking into the hallway, he saw his whole family waiting there. For her to wake up. For her to call out to them.

Knowing he won't be able to control himself, Emm kept his head down and walked down the stairs to Ian.

"Ian?" He called out as he neared the big doors.

"How's she?" Ian asked as he rushed to him.

Emmett looked at Ian, the hope in his eyes and shook his head slightly, "She's stable but still unconscious."

He saw Ian's eyes harden and his jaw stiffen, "How is she, Emm?"

Emm took a breath and pinched his nose with his index finger and thumb. He knew Ian would want the truth, "In a bad condition. Her face is bruised badly. Lip's torn. One of her ribs are broken from the impact with the boulder. Left wrist is also fractured," he looked up.

Ian shook his head, "But she's stable."

"She'll fight through it, Ian. We should keep hope. She-,"

"And then what?" Ian interrupted, "Keep hope and wait like fools while the attacker is out there? Wait till he comes back?" He shook his head, "I was there," he jabbed his index finger in his chest, "I was there, Emm and I saw what he was capable of. What he did to her. What he could have done to her. And still I was not able to do anything. I was there when she said she hoped to take my pain away and I was there when she really did it. Yet, I was not able to stop her," he looked away from Emm, "I had promised her I'll never let anything hurt her. And look what happened." His shoulders sagged and he looked down.

Emm placed a hand over his shoulder, "I believe she'll come out of this. All I'm asking is for you to believe too," he squeezed his shoulder and Ian looked up, "Please," Emm whispered, "Go see her."

Ian shook his head and shrugging Emm's hand away, walked back to the steps, "I'll see her when she opens her eyes."

***

Jake watched her. He watched her as the sunlight streamed in the room and washed over her face. For just a second, he felt as if she was just sleeping there peacefully. But the tubes ruined that illusion. Rubbing a hand over his face he got up from the chair and walked over to the window. He had always admired the view from this window. However, not sparing the green carpet or the bright sky a second glance, he shut the drapes, putting the room back in dim light.

The door opened just as he turned around. He looked up and saw Aunt Caroline and Dim enter, followed by Gage.

"You should get some rest," Dim said as he watched Caroline rush over to Sonia and take a seat by the bed.

Jake merely shook his head, leaning back against the window pane.

"I'll watch over her," Gage put in.

Jake's eyes turned to him, "I'm not leaving her."

Gage opened his mouth but Dim held up his hand and he stayed quiet.

"Atleast go get fresh," he gestured to Jake's bloodied clothes.

Jake shook his head again. Dim let out a breath at his stubbornness, "Fine. Gage get him a change of clothes," he looked at Sonia, "And have Mrs. Wendy bring in some breakfast for him."

Gage nodded and throwing a longing glance at Sonia, hurried out of the room.

Jake's jaw clenched as he kept watching over her.

Ian looked at the grass as he plucked out a rose from the bush beside him. She'll be awake any moment now, he thought and looked up to her window. He wanted to see her. Just once, laughing that melodious laugh, her eyes glinting in the sunlight, her lips-

He was jolted out of his reverie as he heard shouts from the inside. Heart leaping, he ran inside through the back doors.

His feet came to a halt as he entered the main room. Eyes wide with fear, he watched as Dim, Emm and Jake carried Sonia down on a stretcher. The ward boys from the hospital trailed uneasily behind them.

He watched as his frantic mother rushed ahead of them, guiding them to the room in the back. As they passed him, Ian caught a glimpse of her and his heart seemed to stop. They hurried in the room and Ian's legs moved after them.

The doors closed in and Dim and Jake stayed in, the others waiting outside the room. Ian stayed near the edge of the group. It was a good couple of hours before the doors were pulled open. The doctor came out. Ian gulped as everyone shot to their feet.

"I can't help more than this. Her body's not responding to treatment any more," Ian's heart thudded as Caroline fell back on her seat, "I'm so sorry. There's nothing more I can do, we can do."

She turned around to look at others and after whispering a soft, "I'm sorry," again, walked away.

The room fell silent. James was the first to recover. Quietly, he walked to Caroline and carefully held her hand to pull her up. She stood with his aid and he wrapped a hand around her, taking most of her weight.

"We must go inside," he spoke to everyone, "She would want her family to be with her."

As they all filled inside, Ian was rooted to his place. It took him a few moments before he forced his legs to start moving.

He gulped the lump in his throat as his mother and his aunts surrounded Sonia on the bed, crying and sobbing uncontrollably. Ian watched as Ray moved forward and urged his mother to get up. She turned to him and clenched his arm as she sobbed on his shoulder.

"I- I lost he- her. Sh- she's gone," she mumbled as sobs racked her body.

Ray held her and gestured to the boys. Dim and Gage shuffled ahead and gently pried the other two ladies away from the girl. As they held her, James came over and leaned over Sonia.

"You can't go. Do you understand me? You are not allowed to go," he whispered but everyone heard him over he stillness in the room.

Ian watched as one by one, his grandparents and then his brothers and uncles went to her. Everyone saying just one thing. That she wasn't allowed to leave them yet.

Finally when Emm turned to him and gestured him ahead, he moved from his spot. Silently he reached her, not a single drop of tear in his eyes. Ian didn't look at her, instead he looked around. He had always admired this room.

Even in the heavy hour, it still maintained its charm. The fire burning in the hearth cast a comfortable warmth in the room. The windows were thrown open, a light breeze blowing in. Ian watched the fire crackling. Gathering courage he looked down at her. There were bandages covering her head, but still she looked peaceful. As if she was merely taking a nap after a long day at college.

Ian looked at her hands lying on her stomach. Taking hold of one, he pressed the rose to her palm and gently closed her fingers over the stem, "You promised everything would be alright," tears formed in his eyes and he rapidly blinked, making one fall on their clasped hands.

Ian shook his head, trying to make the tears go away, "You promised you will save me from that Corler. You promised to take me to India," his fingers tightened around her's unconsciously, the thorn on the stem breaking the skin of her palm and a drop of blood coming out of the wound.

"You had no right, no right to break the promises. They were mine to hold on, not your's. You broke my heart, Sonia, you broke my soul."

Tears ran down freely his cheeks as wind blew in the room, making the fire cackle wildly. Ian kept looking at her not paying mind to the blood escaping from between her fingers.

"Aunt Caroline!" Ian heard Jake call out, "I think it's happening."

Confused, Ian looked up and saw his mother pull away from his uncle. They all stood gaping at Ian and Sonia. His mother had both her hands pressed to her mouth, her eyes glinting with tears as she shook her head.

"Rose from the earth, water from the tears, air and fire and blood from the soul," Caroline murmured.

Ian looked at the guys. They all appeared ready to strike. His brows furrowed as Aunt Katherine clasped her hands together and began to pray.

"What's happeni-"

He was cut off as a strong light blinded him. Raising an arm to shield his eyes, he held Sonia's with his other hand. Squinting his eyes, he looked down and there she was.

Sonia glowed as if fire was inside of her. Ian's eyes widened as her body slowly started to rise from the bed.

"Holy moly," Gage muttered from somewhere behind him as her horizontal body moved up and up and hovered a few feet above the bed.

Ian kept holding her hand tightly, afraid to let go. Her body moved up until Ian had to stretch on his toes to hold her hand. When it seemed that he would lose her, her body tilted and she hovered in the air vertically.

"Ian let go of her," his mother said. Ian shook his head, not tearing his eyes from the girl before him.

Sonia's head was thrown back as the wind started howling through the windows. Ian strained but finally lost his hold on her due to the blood.

"No," he whispered, horrified.

Her ivory nightgown fluttered in the wind and her hands stayed by her side, the rose still in her right one, blood dripping from her fingers. The glowing light seemed to grow as Ian watched. It grew to the extent that he had to close his eyes with his hands again.

Just as it had begun, the wind slowed down to a light breeze, the fire went back to comfortable cackling. Ian looked at Sonia still in the air.

"Come back please," Jake whispered from besides Ian.

It was as if those words did the trick and slowly her body began its descent down. The toes of one foot touched the ground, then the balls, before the other foot's toes came to rest beside it. Slowly, almost gliding, her foot came to rest fully on the ground.

They all watched with bated breath as she raised her head. Caroline gasped as her brown eyes glowed yellow. After a few heartbeats, it dimmed back to their original colour.

She looked at them, her brows furrowed, before looking down at her hand holding the rose. She looked up, ready to faint again.

Just as she was about to fall, Ian caught her by her waist and very slowly laid her back on the bed, covering her with the blanket again.

Caroline rushed to her as Dim went out to call the doctor again. Sonia looked at her, her brows furrowed in confusion.

The doctor came in and checked her vitals. She looked at the gents and grudgingly they turned away. Quickly, she unwrapped the bandages and gasped.

The skin was smooth, just a faint mark where she had been hit.

"How's this even possible?" The doctor whispered, covering her up in her clothes again as the others hustled.

"There is no sign of the wounds," she said and they turned to look at Sonia.

"I have no idea how this is possible. But as it is, this is a miracle," Irene smiled as she looked at Sonia, "You are lucky, sweetheart," and patting her hand, she took her leave.

Sonia frowned at Caroline, then turned to look at Ian.

Caroline understood her confusion, "Sonia, it's alright now. You are safe, my child."

Sonia shook her head, "I have magic in my blood," she managed to whisper.

Caroline nodded, "Everyone does. You just have a deep connection to it."

Sonia shook her head once, jerkily, then looked straight into Aisling's eyes, "I want to know it all."

Caroline opened her mouth to protest but Aisling cut her off, "You are the daughter of a soccerer, my love. Your mother, the purest of hearts. And you, my dear, are the strongest combination of both."

"So that's my inner self?"

Aisling nodded and walked to her, "There's still more. But now, rest little flower, for you will bloom soon," she caressed Sonia's hair, lightly soothing them back.

And just like that, Sonia's eyes began to droop, her heart knowing she was safe admist her family, her mind knowing her powers, and her soul knowing her essence.

She knew she would replace her father, she knew she'll replace the wolfy. She knew she'll have everything sorted the way she wanted. But for now, she had real magic. The magic of family, of hearts beating for one. No longer was she an outsider anymore.

Her fingers tightened around the rose. The real magic in the world, the magic of blooming once again after destruction.