happened.
As I retold my dream, Gram listened patiently as she coated my cut with a purplish mixture. She smoothed the cold goo in long strokes, followed by a slow
figure-eight pattern. The paste stung, at first, but then warmed. It felt like hundreds of hot pins were being poked into my arm. Thankfully, the pinprick feeling began to subside as I finished my tale.
“Did I do the blessing wrong?” I built up the courage to ask, not really wanting to know the answer. I feared her response. “When I called the elements,
I felt all of them come to me. Shouldn't it have protected Meg from harm, even
from me?”
“No, love. You say you felt all of the elements come to you? If that is true,
then you did everything correctly. The Goddess wouldn't have blessed you in such a way if she didn't feel your open heart.”
Taking a cream-colored roll of linen bandages from her bag, she lightly
wound the fabric around my forearm. It created a cast-like protection.
“I'm sure that what happened tonight was just a dream. You know that these
come more often when you're worried. If you didn't have a nightmare, especially
tonight of all nights, I would have been surprised.” She stood up and gathered all
her supplies, stuffing them back into her bag. “Now, let's finish this up and go check on those two.”
In the kitchen, we found clues that hot chocolate had been made. Crumbs
indicated cookies had been added for additional comfort. Not wondering whom
the cookies were really comforting, I smiled.
Cole and Meg were sitting on the couch, reading a book. I sat down next to
Cole and put my head on his shoulder. “Thank you for being here for us
tonight.”
He kissed the top of my head and said, “Always.”
“Let's all go to bed.” Gram picked up Meg, who was unsuccessfully fighting
sleep.
Her slight frame gave the illusion that she was frail, but my grandmother could outwork most men in town. My little sister seemed like a light cloth in her
arms as she lifted her with ease and carried her off to bed.
Stopping, she turned, and spoke, “Cole, you can sleep in the guest room
since you have already put your things in there. Mara, there is plenty of room in
my bed for the three of us. Don't be too long with your good nights. We can deal
with things tomorrow.”
Watching Gram carry my little sister away, I felt a wave of sadness wash
over me. I can't keep putting her through this. I need to figure out why my dreams are so real. I need to control them for her sake. My grandmother had more to deal with than was fair. If Eliza was as persistent as she was in my dream, I feared what she would do.
As though he sensed my internal struggle, Cole held me tightly. “I won't ask
what your dream was about, tonight, Mar. I'm just glad you're safe. Do I dare look at the damage in your room?”
“I don't even want to think about that right now. I just want you to hold me
and tell me it will be all ok.”
“It will be ok,” he said with a smirk. “Now, let's get you off to bed before I
have to face the wrath of your grandmother. I don't want her to weave any protection spells on you that I won't be able to undo.”
Cole led me past the dining room towards the hall to the downstairs
bedrooms. As we passed the ladder that led to my room, I looked up. The white
half walls on each side of the ladder blocked my view. I could only see a portion
