literature

Another Secret 3

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Another Secret
Chapter 3

To Thine Own Self be True

His mind was a flurry of confusion after Jayde – no, looked like Jayde but was not her – had used some hidden power to hurt him.  Kris kept his eyes closed, trying to keep conscious long enough to explain to someone what had happened.  The cabin was basked in darkness as furious thoughts ran through the blond’s mind.  What the hell is wrong with her?!  Her nightmares have never done this before…It’s like there’s another person in her.  Jayde…

The pattering of rain outside was akin to a drum, the thunder making the pain in his head that much worse.  The wind howled from outside and through the open door which proceeded in banging against the wall.  If Kris could have, he most certainly would storm across the room and slam that infernal door shut.  Through no control of his own, a royal blue eyes peeled open, showering his vision with a myriad of stars.  He groaned loudly as he clamped a hand over his eyes to block out what little light was entering from outside.

It was all too apparent that Kris needed help but who could he call?  He could not open his eyes much less walk to the phone to call for assistance.  There was no way he could just start yelling for help as he no idea if there was anyone nearby.  He had to do something; surely Kris could fight down a little bit of vertigo.  He had been through worse than being slammed into a wooden wall, with his head bouncing off the boards.

There were hurried boot steps across the floor as something or someone was supporting his neck.  There was someone trying to speak with him but the pounding in his head was doing a good job of blocking out most sound.  His hand was removed from his face and that was when he saw a blurry form that resembled Tyr.

“How many fingers am I holding up Kris?”

Kris blinked slowly, the ache in his skull making it difficult to concentrate.  The room was spinning slightly as Kris replied with, “Four.”

___________________________

Tyr sighed deeply as Kris replied with his answer to the two fingers that he was holding up.  Pulling a flashlight out of his belt, Tyr flashed it over Kris’ eyes to be greeted with pupils that were slow to dilate.  Possible concussion…What happened here?

“Kris, where is Jayde?” he pressed, hoping to keep the dazed blond awake.

Tyr was holding Kris’ neck in place to prevent any type of injury.  He was getting no answer to the location of the frail appearing young woman.  Tyr was a burly looking man by appearance with dark skin, hair and eyes.  He was around the same height as Kris but was much stronger and had no problem keeping the leaner man the same age as him in place.  There was a tattoo on his left arm that marked him from the same series of experiments that had been cursed upon Jayde.  Tyr told practically no one except for those that he trusted that he had been a part of the experiments that robbed thirty children of the childhoods they so rightly deserved and would never get back.  Upon his escape thanks to Jayde’s guardian Locke Cole, Tyr had promised that no one child would ever experience the trials and tribulations that had beleaguered his life.  

Tyr did not doubt for a minute that Jayde did not remember him but that was for another time as the man watched Kris’ eyes widen significantly.  They came into pristine focus for a few seconds as the blond fought his way out of the hold and struggled to his feet.  Tyr was behind the young man in a heartbeat as he was forced to catch the man and watch his eyes roll into the back of his head before closing completely.

____________________________________

“Foolish child, I knew you would not be able to survive on your own.” The other side of Jayde’s conscious called out in a taunt.

The other half of her power had boxed the weakened young woman into a box shortly after she had collapsed from the poison coursing through her veins.  However, a rush of the poisons antidote into the bloodstream had given Jayde enough strength and courage to break free of the box.  However, that excursion had left her weakened as she sat on the floor in the mental room, shivering uncontrollably.

“You don’t…know me…Aria…” Jayde rasped out.

Much to the surprise of Aria, she was not expecting her counterpart to suddenly call out her name.  She strode in elegant strides to the flushed Jayde and crouched before her.  “I know you better than you think you silly girl.”

Jayde looked up into the blue eyes of her counterpart.  That was the only way that the two of them could be told apart.  She was all too weak to handle this woman’s antics as Jayde laid down on the floor of the mental room, curling up into a ball and closing her eyes.  She had not felt quite this ill in a long time and it was starting to take its toll on her body as she mentally closed her eyes.

“Admit it silly little thing, you are nowhere near strong enough to be on your own.”

________________________

Tyr looked over at the clock on the wall and read the time with dismay.  He had not been expecting to find Kris semi-conscious in the cabin he had brought the sleeping couple to two days earlier.  He had called in one of his lab techs who were fully trained in using the portable x-ray machine that the company had recently acquired.   Much to the tall man’s relief, Kris’ neck was not broken, but he was the victim of a rather unpleasant concussion.  A few days of rest and staying in bed would probably do the blond a world of good at this moment but Tyr knew better.  Tyr had the gift of elevated empathy.  He had picked up early on that Kris was a very stubborn young man and would go to any length to aid the ones that he loved.

The dark-skinned man realized that eventually Kris would go off in search of his girlfriend and Tyr had every intention of helping him do so.  However, Kris was turning out to be a restless sleeper as Tyr went back over to the bed where Kris was tossing and turning.  Sighing, the technician strode back to the bed and made Kris as comfortable as he could.  Getting the odd flash of a memory from what had caused the blond’s injury Tyr smiled sympathetically.

“Psychic projection…a rare gift.” Tyr murmured as he pulled the twisted sheets out of Kris’ fist.  “You must have startled your lover awake with it…”

“Not that…” Kris whispered, seeming to have lost every ounce of strength he had ever possessed this evening.  “Empathy… what happened…?”

Tyr patted Kris’ hand sympathetically as he pressed a micro needle against the blond’s arm and injected the tiny needles into the extra cellular fluid of the body’s cells.  They would enter the bloodstream and inject a pain medication to ease the blond’s suffering and let him rest more comfortably.  “This will let you sleep more comfortably and let you recover some of your strength.”

That got a reaction as Kris tried to instantly sit up in the bed as Tyr pushed him back down.  The drug slowly worked as Kris began to panic.  “We’ve gotta find Jayde!” he growled defiantly even though his speech was slightly slurred.  The struggles became less frequent as the medication began to take full effect.

The medic tucked the blond’s arms underneath the sheets and smiled sympathetically.  “Get some rest, my team is on it.”

“I can’t…” Kris struggled again to sit up but had no success.  He was too numb from the medicine in his system to do much of anything as he exerted the last of his strength in a last ditch effort to escape and search for his frail lover.  He collapsed onto the bed and closed his eyes, falling asleep almost instantly from exhaustion.

_________________________

Kaleb sat at his patient’s bedside, a constant vigil as memories of his younger sisters ran through his mind on replay.  Over and over, he heard their cries while they were struggling with a fever that he could not lower no matter what medicine or natural remedy he tried.  “Kayla…Lana…I’m so sorry…”

He had only been nine years old when his twin sisters had died from a strange disease involving small bumps that were all over their bodies and high fevers that went with it.  Kaleb was the only child in his family to be sent to a school outside of Troy and was vaccinated against the disease.  He discovered later on in his life as he was training to be a doctor for his village of Spartan that his home and the surrounding area had almost been completely wiped out by a pandemic of smallpox.

The trained field doctor had brought back medicines, supplies and vaccines but the demand was too great.  Therefore, he resorted to his old childhood hobby and pipe making to get enough money from the profits to buy more supplies and medicines from the city.  However, now he had a pale-skinned redhead in his care as he changed the cloth on her forehead.  The anti-toxin had taken some effect as her fever had begun to drop.  Her clothes were torn and tattered and had been disposed of once her injuries had been attended to.  Her arms were placed at her sides, hidden underneath warming strips to raise her body temperature.  The intravenous tube in her left hand was slowly dripping the fluid that kept her hydrated appeared to be almost empty.

“At least you’ve stopped shaking little one.” Kaleb murmured as he pushed the stringy red hair back from her face.  She flinched slightly as her eyes opened a crack.  She looked at Kaleb through fever glazed eyes and reached her right hand toward him.  Grabbing it quickly, Kaleb held it tightly in his own, smiling affectionately at his patient.  “You’re safe here, I found you in the woods.  Go back to sleep, and I’ll go and find you some warm clothing.”

He waited patiently until her eyes closed, a small sigh coming from her mouth.  Placing the arm back on the blanket, Kaleb quickly changed the fluid bag and went in search of Mala.  As he stepped out into the canopied village of Spartan, Kaleb was greeted by a flock of small children.  He walked past them quickly, locking the gate to his hut behind him.  The last time the rowdy children had gotten into his hut, he had lost his pipe making supplies out of it.  While their parents had profusely apologized, Kaleb no longer let anyone near his hut without his permission.  Grey eyes scanned the enclosure of the village until he came across the sun kissed hair streaked with tribal gold that belonged to Mace.  “Mace!  I need you to stay with the girl, her fever has broken.”

Racing along the path, the slightly shorter man greeted the medic with a relieved smile.  “You are going to see Mala are you not?”

Kaleb nodded briefly.  “I am, the girl will need some clothes as hers were soaking wet and disposed of.”

“I’m sure that Mala will pick something suitable for our young guest.” Mace replied, flashing a grin as he leapt the gate toward Kaleb’s hut.  “You should take that gate down; the children will not ransack your hut again.”

“The gate stays.” Kaleb replied bluntly, frown set in place as he strode purposefully toward Mala and Mace’s hut.

___________________

A brief chuckle escaped from Mace as he walked toward the flap of his friend’s hut and went to sit inside with the young woman.  He was shocked to see that the girl was lying in the bed, wide awake and looking at the mural on the ceiling curiously.  Although she was pale as a sheet and looking rather tired, she did not seem to react at all to his intrusion.  “How are you feeling child?” he asked gently.

Her eyes never seem to leave the mural which was depicting the coming of age ceremony in which all the boys in Spartan had to undergo.  “What is this?” she asked quietly, voice tired and weak.

Mace noted that her eyes were a brilliant shade of emerald green as he sat in Kaleb’s vacated chair.  “In our village Spartan, we have a coming of age ceremony in which all the young men here must undertake.  They must embark on a journey of thought and reflection while they search for the gold coloured rocks to streak their hair with.”

“Gold…hair…” the girl murmured sleepily, her head tilting to the side as her eyes remained half-open.  “Who are you?”

“You should rest.” Mace replied with a gentle stroke of her cheek.  “Kaleb will be back soon.”

The tall man watched over the medic’s patient with silence.  He noted that her body felt much warmer than it had been upon their arrival late in the night four days earlier.  The three of them had taken turns watching over the girl but left the medical care to Kaleb.  Mace had felt a huge surge of relief that she would recover but knew that she would be bedridden for at least another week.

“You’ve got a brilliant bedside manner you know that right?”

Mace looked over his shoulder to see Kaleb and Mala standing in the doorway.  Mala was smiling while Kaleb stood there, stoic as ever.  He strode through the small hut and dropped the bag of clothing next to the bed.  Mace did not wish to intrude as he watched Kaleb pull out an archaic looking thermometer with a battery pack attached to the side.  The wait for the single beeping noise which meant it was finished seemed to last for an era until it did chirp in completion.  Reading the instrument, Kaleb nodded to himself.  Putting the instrument down on the table, the medic began to slowly peel away the first of the four visible heating strips.  Overall, there were eight of them on her body.

“Kaleb what are you doing?” Mala gasped as she rushed forward to attempt to stop him.

“Both of you, out; now!” he ordered firmly.  “She needs rest but not the heating strips.  I’ll tend to her from here.”

“Kaleb let us help you more.” Mala pleaded desperately.  She was afraid that Kaleb would start saying things that would hurt the girl and himself.  “She is not your seventeen years dead sister Kayla.”

Hand clenching tightly around the freshly removed heating strip, his knuckles turned white with anger. “Thank you for supplying clothing for the girl.  Now please leave.” Kaleb reiterated firmly, voice strained from trying to restrain his anger.

“Kaleb…” Mala began hotly before a fierce glare from her husband mellowed her temperament simultaneously.

“We must respect his wishes for privacy Mala.” Mace replied quietly, walking to his wife and pushing her toward the door.  After pushing the difficult woman out the door, Mace looked over the Kaleb.  “I’ll bring you something to eat later.”

Kaleb said nothing, only he took the vacated stool and watched silently over his patient.

_________________________

Daylight broke through the shuttered windows of the cabin where Kris lay, eyes open wide staring at two fingers above him.  Slightly annoyed, the blond pushed the hand out of his line of vision and suited for glaring at the man.  Clawing the bandages away from his head, Kris glared at Tyr.  “She could be dead and here I am, perfectly able to go and find her and you keep me here cooped up like a chicken waiting to be slaughtered.”

“I’m sure she’s fine.  She’s a big girl who can take care of herself.” Tyr reasoned calmly, passing Kris a mug of steaming tea.

“She’s naïve and has a weak immune system.  You weren’t there after her father passed away.  If I hadn’t been there, she’d up there with him in heaven because she wasted away.” Kris snapped as he sent the mug flying through the room, hearing it shatter against the wall.

Tyr let the third shattered mug in as many days lie resting with its counterparts as he strode toward the bed that Kris was confined to and frowned upon him.  “Do you not know of her childhood?  Have you any idea of the things that were done to her?  Do you have any idea at all about the strength that lies hidden inside her?!”

Kris glared defiantly.  “Like the strength that has me confined to a bed for the past four days when I feel perfectly fine?”

“You don’t understand the trouble you’re getting yourself into!” Tyr almost shouted at the rebellious blond.

“And what right do you have to tell me what to do?”

Tyr faltered at that question.  He did not have any right whatsoever to tell Kris anything.  What possibly could be happening to the woman that he loved could destroy them both if the other side of Jayde came out and lashed out at all of them.

“I don’t care if there’s some other person inside of her.  I fell in love with the quiet, gentle person who wouldn’t harm a fly.” Kris explained calmly as he threw the blanket from his legs and reached for a pair of jeans.  “I’m going out there to find her and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.  Come hell or high water, I will get her back even if it costs me my life.”

“To thine own self be true…” Tyr murmured after a brief silence.  He watched Kris gather his belongings into the blue knapsack.  “Never doubt the ones that truly care.”

Kris stopped as he heard Tyr talking to himself.  “I’ve heard that poem before.  It’s about never giving up on yourself or on others and believing in them as well.”

“How do you know about this poem?”

“Jay showed it to me back when we were in New Orion District Academy.  I took it’s meaning to heart and it hasn’t let me down yet.”

The conversation halted briefly there as Kris gathered the rest of what he knew he’d need for a long hike through a rainforest and went for the door when a hand grabbed his wrist.  Looking back, he saw that Tyr was frowning at him.  “What?”

Kris questioned.


“Do you even know your way through that tropical nightmare?” Tyr returned crisply.


“I’ll find a map.”


Tyr snorted.  “Good luck.  You wouldn’t find a map even if you tried.  You’re gonna need a guide.”


“I’ll do this on my own.”  Kris replied firmly as he wrestled his arm out of Tyr’s grip.  “Map or no map, guide or no guide, I’ll find her and bring her back.”
The chapter title: To Thine Own Self be True

Figured I'd post something to say Thanks for 7000+ pageviews!

<333

Also, feel free to point out any silly little errors, or stuff that reads rather choppily, etc. ^_^
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