Traces Of Magic

~Chapter 28~

My eyes creak open. I use my hand to block out the bright light that comes from above me. I hear a soft beeping noise coming from beside me. As my eyes adjust, I notice a white wristband on my wrist. I sit up and look around in confusion. Where am I? The blank white walls and the smell of sterile cleaning supplies tell me that I am in a hospital. As I look around the room, I spot someone sleeping in the chair beside me. I smile at the sleeping Jarron beside me. I stretch my arms only to find out that I'm connected to an IV.

I pull the needle out of my arm and toss it to the side. As I take the needle out, I notice another white wristband on this arm as well. I look over to see Jarron shift in the chair. His head slides down the back of the chair and wakes him up. He sits up straight and stretches his arms above his head. Now I can see that his light blue shirt is wrinkled, as if he's been sleeping in that chair all night. He smiles at me as he rubs his tired eyes.

"Looks like Sleeping Beauty is awake. I didn't get to give you your kiss yet." He frowns playfully as I giggle. "Nice to see you too Jarron. How long have I been here?" He looks up at the clock on the wall as he moves his chair closer to me. "At least twenty hours Princess." I look at him. "And how long have you been here?" He looks up at the clock again. "At least twenty hours." I giggle at his joke. "I've been here with you since you were admitted. My princess didn't leave me, so I didn't want to leave my princess alone after she did the same thing I did."

I look at him. "No. You have to be joking, right? I would never..." He looks down and cuts me off. "Slit your wrists? Yeah. Me neither, but look where we are now." He sighs and leans back into the chair. I take another look at the white wristbands. Looking closely, I see that they aren't wristbands at all but bandages wrapped tightly around my wrists. I turn my attention back to Jarron, who continues staring at the linoleum floor.

"I'm so glad I found you when I did. I had to kick down the front door to get in though. I came to see you so I could show you that I was alright. When you didn't answer the door, I started to get worried, so I forced my way into your house. That's when I found you on the kitchen floor in the same state as when you found me in my room. I picked you up in my arms and rushed you here using my super speed ability." A tear rolls down his face. "I was so afraid that I was going to lose my princess the way she almost lost me." A few more tears roll down his face and drop to the floor.

Suddenly, he gets up and crawls into the bed with me. He holds me in his arms, making me feel warm. I place my head against his chest as he wipes away the remaining tears on his face. He wraps his strong arms around me tighter and pulls me closer to him. I set my hand against his chest as well. He tilts his head down and kisses my cheek. I find the courage to say something. "Does Derrick..." He chuckles softly. "No. Derrick doesn't know I'm here with you. For all I know, he thinks I'm in my room. It's easy to sneak past him when you can run fast." He smiles as I giggle.

A small bandaid on his arm catches my eye. "Hey Jarron. Why do you have a bandaid on your arm?" He starts running his hand through my hair. "That is where they inserted the needle." I look up at him, confused. His joking eyes soften a bit as his cheeks turn light pink. " The only way you would survive is if someone donated blood. Luckily, we have the same blood type." His lips graze mine. He kisses my cheek again before looking away.

"We still haven't found Sage. I'm starting to get worried about her." He frowns as he stares out the window. "Don't worry Jarron. She's probably okay. Your sister is one tough survivor." He chuckles and looks back down at me. "Yeah. You're right Mandy." I rest my head against his chest again as I close my eyes to think. I feel him drag his hand down the side of my face gently.

"You know Jarron. I've been thinking about everything, and I think I've made a decision on who I want to be with." His hand going through my hair slows slightly. He arches his eyebrows in surprise. "I didn't know there was an actual contest over you. So what did you decide?" I look up and stare into his blue eyes. "I've decided that I want to be by your side for the rest of my life." His eyes are filles with shock. "So...you mean..." I giggle and kiss his cheek. "Yes Jarron. I choose you." I smile as he rubs the back of his head nervously while his cheeks turn bright red. "Well...um...I...I don't know what to say...This is such a great honor..." He chuckles and smiles. "I'm really glad that my princess chose me to be her prince." I smile widely. "I couldn't have a better prince by my side."

He wraps his arms around me tightly and gives me a giant hug. "You don't know how much this means to me Mandy." Now my cheeks turn pink. "While I'm by your side, I am going to do everything in my power to help you find your sister, no matter what." His eyes full of tears twinkle. "Really?" I smile and kiss him. "Really really." He grabs me tightly and rests his chin on top of my head. "I love you so much Mandy." I hug him back. "I love you too Jarron."