Bleeding Hearts

Chapter 7

*Aaliyah's P.O.V*

When I woke up, my head was pounding and I was laying in an unfamiliar room. My head throbbed as I looked around, staring at the white walls as I tried to figure out where I was. I rubbed my eyes, my head still feeling a little fuzzy.

"Where am I?" I asked as I raised my head, feeling panic rise in my chest. I was in an unfamiliar place and my magic wasn't responding. I could feel it trying to but something was stopping it. I looked down and noticed there was a bracelet around my wrist, the engravings on it looked similar to some runes that I had seen before.

I tried to jerk it off but it wouldn't budge. It had been magically stuck to my wrist and only the magic that affixed it could release it. I pushed myself up, my arms sore from physical exhaustion. Magical and physical exhaustion always went hand and hand.  

"Don't get up, you're still weak," Rana's voice was loud to my ears and my head pounded even worse at how loud she was.

"Shh," I hissed as I covered my ears, falling back down onto the bed.

"Sorry, sorry," Rana apologized as she set a tray on the bedside table. "I'll be more quiet," she whispered softly. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Like shit Rana," I said softly as I propped myself up on my elbows. "What have you got?" I questioned after a moment.

"I brought you some more potions and some Bamya," Rana informed me. I forced myself to sit up fully when she said that, reaching for the tray. "I don't understand how you like that, okra is not that good," she stated as she handed me the tray.

"It's not just okra though, it's okra and tomato stew over white rice," I corrected her as I took a bite of the Bamya, my hand shaking slightly.

"Give me Lentil soup any day," Rana said as she sat down on the edge of the bed.

"You're still not forgiven for giving me a sleeping potion and not asking for my permission," I said as I reached over, flicking her in the head.

"Okay well take this one, it's a replenishment potion. It should help you with your magic building back up," she said as she picked up a potion from my tray. I grabbed it, uncorking it and swallowing it down quickly.

"Take off the bracelet," I said as I shoved my hand out. She snorted as she grabbed my wrist, her hand resting on my bracelet. Her hand glowed and the bracelet loosened, easily sliding off of my wrist.

"Don't burn down my house or else I will kill you," Rana warned. I rolled my eyes as I continued to eat, my hand shaking slightly as I continued to eat. I could already feel the potion working to boost my magic.

"What's the other potion?" I asked.

"It's one I invited, supposed to help with headaches and I figured you would probably have a pretty big one considering all the magic you used," Rana said.

"I only used it because you decided to leave a letter on my business," I said simply.

"Sue me, I wanted to talk to my little sister," she shrugged as she opened the potion, offering it to me. I took it from her, taking my time with drinking it. It was sweet with a slight bitter aftertaste.

A soft chiming sound rang from downstairs. Rana froze, looking between me and the door. I raised an eyebrow when she hesitated.

"It's probably Mama and Baba, they've been struggling lately. They teleport here everyday to talk," Rana said as she crossed the room. "I should go see what they want before they come up here," she stated. I nodded my head as I watched her leave the room, continuing to eat. Once I finished eating, I sat in silence as I tried to contemplate what to do next.

After a bit I got out of bed, steadying myself by holding onto the bed frame. I limped over to the door, resting my body on the door frame as I peeked out. I left the room after a moment after I made sure that the coast was clear.

I supported myself as I leaned against the wall, carefully walking down the hallway. I could hear talking in a room downstairs so I had to carefully walk down the stairs to be able to hear them. I leaned against the wall near the door, making sure to stay out of sight.

"Rana, my darling. You have been well?" Mother's voice was soft. She was always so soft spoken even when she was angry.

"Mama, I told you I have been well. You have asked me at least 3 times already," Rana laughed softly. I could hear the sound of liquid being poured and I assumed it was probably some type of tea. We always had tea when we sat down to talk, it was tradition at this point.

"Your mother worries about you Rana, you're the only child that we can check up on," Father said. I heard the sound of something clinking together and I imagined it was him setting his cup down. I inched closer to the door. Despite how much I hated them, I wanted to see them up close after years of only seeing them from television.

Sure I could have seen them at any time if I snuck into the house but I felt standing over my parents as they slept was a bit too creepy even for me. I left a beating heart on their dining table but the person had already been dead. It was a great idea to invest into morgues for situations like that.

"Yes, how does your search for Aaliyah?" Rana asked as I peeked around the corner. My breath caught in my throat when I saw my parents. My mother looked older than I had ever seen her and her hair had streaks of gray in it. My father's hair was peppered with gray now and the rest of it had faded to a lighter brown color.

"I don't know, why don't you ask her yourself?" Mother asked as she waved her hand and the door I had been leaning against opened, causing me to fall to the floor.

"You have something explaining to do," Father said simply. I looked up, seeing Mother's eyes on me as Father looked to Rana.

"Well shit," my sister said as she ran her hand through her hair, looking at me with a small frown on my lips.