string of chimes.
“With my hands to the north, I call upon you, Earth, and ask you to ground
me in goodness and strengthen me.” I felt the wood beneath me move. It turned
into a grassy field, and I could smell the fresh grass and dirt. The herbs I dropped
disappeared into the grass for a moment, but then a small yellow flower began
growing from the dark green blades under my feet. I half expected Daisy to appear from the bloom.
“Goddess, my request is complete, and I ask you to keep us safe. Please
guide this child as she sleeps and wake her with the light of morning.” The herbs
I dropped, this time, turned into white tendrils of smoke that emitted a sound –
almost like a small child's laughter. The essence danced through the air and swirled around my slumbering sister. A small smile covered Meg's face as she continued to sleep soundly.
“Thank you, Goddess,” I whispered, and then I kissed my sister on the
cheek. “Sleep sweet, my little Meg, sleep sweet.”
Her small eyes barely opened, and she wrapped her arms around my neck
before she dozed off again.
Holding my sister in my arms, I felt all the doubt I had been carrying around,
off and on, all day fade away. I shifted myself and lay beside her. Before I knew
it, I had drifted off, too.
Chapter
Six
Iwas jolted by a set of sharp nails digging into my forearm. The hot searing
pain filled me as I tried to yank away. The harder I pulled, the tighter the
grip became.
“How ridiculous you are to think that anyone but me will truly ever love
you,” the voice of Eliza snarled.
I searched the darkness for her.
“Everything you are and will be is because of me.”
Looking around for an escape, all I could see was darkness.
“You can run, but I'll always be able to find you. You are my child. You're from my blood. Soon, you will forget the ridiculous ideas that have been planted in your head by that woman, and you will see what real power the magic you hold has in store for you.”
Tearing myself away from her, I felt a sting of pain in my arm as the skin ripped. Falling to my knees, I tried to find something to stop the warm blood from running down my arm. Blinded by the void, I jammed my shoulder into
something sharp. Feeling helpless, I cried out for my grandmother.
Eliza's taunts continued as I tried to move in the opposite direction of the voice. However, she was everywhere, and instead of escaping, I trapped myself.
There was nothing but solid walls around me.
“She can't save you now, Marina. Only I can…only I can,” my mother hissed
coldly. The faceless voice began to shake me violently. “Listen to me, Mara, join
me…”
I let out a bloodcurdling screaming, praying someone would save me.
“It's me, Mara; it's me," a soft voice pleaded, “Please, wake up, please.”
Light penetrated my consciousness. I looked around, expecting to see my
mother. Instead, I saw a rainbow mural on the wall and a small bed covered with,
at least, twenty different stuffed animals on top of a pink bedspread. The moon
