Kiro and Raven: Chosen Hero

Chapter Ten

"She's awake! Kiro, can you hear me!" A voice shouts this several times. Until I moan shifting. I hurt all over, my fingers tingling, heart aching. I struggle to breath, a heavy rock suffocating me.

"Kiro, baby! Please open your eyes."

Mom? I grit my teeth together, forcing my eyes open, "Mom..." I mumble, throat raw. Mom hangs over me, all her electronics haphazardly thrown into a chair. She holds my hand tight to her, tears falling. "Oh baby! I...I thought we lost you."

Lost me? What's happening? I look around, and all I see are doctors and nurses checking my stats, heartbeat, and moving electric pads out of the room... "Mom?" She must hear the fear in my voice because she hugs me close, "Don't you worry... you are safe, you're fine. I promise baby."

"What happened to me?"

"You.... your heart stopped."

My heart stopped! I clutch my chest, and feel.... Feel the slithering and clicking of those chains. That dream! I scramble looking for my mirror. I have a big fat silver and blue metal collar wrapped neatly over my neck. A single chain slithering into a hole in my chest over my heart. But there's no hole, not in reality anyway... I lower the mirror shaking. Mom hugs me tight, "What's wrong, tell me."

I lean into her, "I.... I just can't believe I had a heart attack... is it because of the virus?"

Mom nodes, "The doctors believe so..."

Virus.... The figure... the chain.... That female voice. How are they all connected... I need... Luna...

After all the commotion ended and mom fell asleep in her chair, I texted Luna. Within the hour she came.

She looks the same as ever. Her golden locks perfectly braided back, her plain elegant blue dress the sky to her sunny skin. She wears pure white socks and black shoes that lightly click together. She has a backpack slung over her shoulder that she moves to the right side of the bed as she crawls in to sit next to me. Sobbing, I grab her hiding in her shoulder. Luna can make even the scariest moments better.

Luna lightly brushes my hair then touches my neck. "I see you've been marked."

"Marked?" She can see it. "It... what is it?"

Luna frowns, closing her eyes, "It's a mark signifying your connection to a very powerful, dangerous spirit. My Aan, did this just happen?"

I shiver, "Last night, when my heart... stopped."

Luna's eyes widen, and she grabs my heart, fingers trembling. I clamp my hands over hers, "I'm fine, I promise I'm all fine now. No heart murmurs, my pressure is good. They say it's alright. There's no need to worry, and they're keeping a good eye on me." Luna still shakes her eyes filled with tears, "I... Oh my Aan... how did it happen?"

"I... I was stupid. I still barely remember what happened. But... I put this... this collar on my neck and... I don't know what happened. I'm... so stupid!"

Luna shakes my shoulders, "You are not stupid. Some things are impossible to control..." She says softly under her breath, "This was bound to happen sooner or later."

"Luna?"

She smiles lightly, sadness tangled in her eyes along with a mess of swirling emotions. She pats my head, "Tell me everything that has happened. Everything you can remember or feel. Make your heart light enough you can breathe."

I tell her everything. Every single detail from the beginning. I tell her about Calvin, his husband and son. How the dream was... real. I tell her about the chanting, the monsters, and the dream I had last night. Snippets really, like fuzzy snapshots taken from a camera hundreds of miles away.