This is a bit of an odd chapter, I need a few like this just to bulk the story out slightly. I won't bore you with this room for much longer, mind! Thanks for reading xx
Consciousness is a curious thing. To be unconscious, as a generally accepted thought, usually means to have your eyes closed and remain unmoving despite various stimuli or occurrences going on around you, usually with the purpose of waking you up. “Unconscious” by the medical definition, is simply to be unresponsive. You can have your eyes open and be moving, perhaps a spasm of sorts I suppose, but unless you’re reacting to an action around you, you are unconscious.
During sleep we appear unconscious. It isn’t usually considered this way though, as it is so easy to wake someone who’s asleep. Well, most people. I wasn’t sure whether I was a heavy sleeper or light sleeper, it tended to depend on how I’d been sleeping prior to that moment and how long I’d been left to rest. All I knew was, the next time I work up, it was fast. Gradual, but fast. I became aware of shouts from outside in the corridor, accompanied by advancing footsteps and a feeling of dread for me. I couldn’t understand the words being said, but I could recognise one of the voices as Calix’s.
I know I woke up totally when my door opened quickly, only just stopping before it hit the wall. I sat up cautiously, sort of afraid of what I was about to greet, though my brain seemed to be working particularly slowly.
“Rena?” I asked, surprised, squinting a little when my eyes eventually behaved and let me focus. She had a calm look on her face, though something made her look rather hassled. I presumed it was her stance, as the impression disappeared as soon as she straightened up.
She stepped inside, letting the door close behind her. I saw a whip of cloth and heard retreating footsteps just before it snapped into place. This, presumably, was Calix, though I couldn’t understand why.
She strode across the room towards me, but I had such slow reactions at the time that the only thing I did was lean away slightly. She regarded me, an odd look in her eyes. Slowly, they travelled down my body; it felt like an examination.
I flinched wildly when she stopped and touched my arm, jerking away from her. I hated myself for showing how sensitive it was, and scowled when she looked up to meet my gaze. For a second her eyes seemed completely empty – almost unfeeling – it was extremely unnerving coming from her. I’d always associated her with calm and serenity, despite the aura of power about her. It wasn’t an aura that was intimidating, just one that made you aware of her presence. It was a kind of power that had an air of mystery to it, but even so, she’d always seemed like one of the most sensitive people I’d met.
Right now, her hand was placed gently on my shoulder, though I could feel the weight of it. I wasn’t sure if that was something she was doing that hurt, or if it was because of the throbbing pain from the previous night. I slowly gritted my teeth, wishing she’d removed it, though I refused to show that.
After another moment she did, and I noticed the tray or food she held in her other arm. I was shocked. One of the all mighty council reduced to bring food to me? It was almost laughable, and it wouldn’t have surprised me if she was furious, though she hid it well if she was. She placed it down on the table beside the bed and I thought I saw a twinge of disgust in her face. She turned her attention back to me.
“Eat,” she said simply, nodding at the tray, watching me carefully.
I glanced at it, the sight of it making me feel sick.
When I looked away, she moved slightly towards me. The movement alarmed me, and I straightened up quickly. She picked something up from the tray, offering it to me with an unreadable expression on her face.
I shook my head slightly, sliding into a standing position and taking a step back. Rena opened her mouth to say something, but I just shook my head more vigorously when she gestured to the food again. When she began to move towards me, I snapped, not wanting to be near it, and jerked my arm up from my side, knocking the dish up from her grasp so that everything spilled and clattered to the floor.
Staring at the mess for a moment, I felt something bubble to my lips, but turned sharply away and crossed to the other side of the room, leaning my fists on the cool window and looking out at the garden below, focusing everything I had on stopping the tears boiling in my eyes. I had felt this awful for a long time.
Rena sighed. “Ashlyn, acting like a child won’t get you anywhere.”
I bit down on my lip – hard. I almost split it.
I heard her move beside me, coming closer, and snapped my head up. My eyes were instantly clear. I fixed them on hers, an unspoken warning in them, something that she regarded with an unconcerned cool.
She stared at me for a moment, and I was suddenly aware of what she might be able to see. How well could she read minds when I was awake? After a long moment, she stepped back and turned, heading silently for the door.
Just before she closed it however, she looked back over her shoulder to me. “I mean it Ashlyn, acting like a child will get you nowhere.”
I fought back all reactions, knowing that she wanted something. She didn’t pause for long this time, I only saw her hesitate because I was looking for it. My back tingled, and the second the door closed, I swung back around, building up as much momentum as possible before my fist slammed into the wall beside the window.
