seemed to spin around me, small voices were talking, but the words spoken
made no sense.
Suddenly, the world went black as I collapsed to the ground.
Chapter
Ten
“Just give her time to adjust. We've given her a lot to take in,” I heard
Gram say.
I tried to sit up to see who was talking, but my body was just too
weak. Fighting against the exhaustion I felt, I pushed myself up onto
my elbows. As I began to give up my efforts, strong hands gripped my shoulders
and helped me to sit up the rest of the way.
“Take it easy, you have been through a lot,” said the soft voice of my
grandmother.
When my eyes focused, they locked with the Air Elemental, they called
Breeze, and, instantly, my memories rushed back. I was pummeled with years of
contained images and sounds. Like a pitcher being filled with liquid, I absorbed
an overwhelming number of memories.
As the barrage of information slowed, I could see everyone around me. I was
surrounded by the dolls from my childhood. Bay, with her silly giggles and her
plans for adventures. Daisy, who had listened patiently to the secrets and dreams
I shared with her. Breeze, the one that always had the answers to my worries and
fears. And now, Blaze, who had been my strength and comforted. She had a
dragon-like spirit that scared off any creatures in the night.
“I don't understand. How can this be? These are just my dolls. What magic
are you using, Gram, and why?” I asked, still fighting the clouds of confusion.
“You are correct, Mara. You do have a toy version of each of them. Not soon
after Meg was born, you became more vocal about the elements. The more you
spoke of the magic around you, the more scared I became. Honestly, I was growing suspicious of your mother and her commitments. To protect you, I made
an elixir that would hold your memory of the magic until it was safe.”
Gram knelt down next to me. “We agreed it would be best,” she said.
Each elemental nodded, confirming her story.
“Why didn't you give me my memory back when she left? Why wait until
now? Why wait until it was too late for me to learn anything?” A strong feeling
of hopelessness consumed me.
“Mara,” Blaze spoke, “you already know everything that you need to. It is
inside you, as it always has been. We have been with you the whole time. You
just didn't realize that we were here."
I sat silently, embracing my memories. I had no words to tell them how I felt
about the secrets that were freed. Small things that I had always felt began to make more sense. An image of my mother, brushing my hair while she asked me
questions about the time I spent talking to myself, returned. Even then, I knew I
