“Don’t think too hard,” Nick commanded. “Tell me.”
The pressure he applied increased, and I jerked a little from the sudden penetration of heat into my skin. “I don’t know,” I managed.
“Stop fighting me, Charli. Let me do my job,” he insisted, pressing hard enough to make me wince. “Tell me what you want.”
The warmth on my neck slithered across my shoulders and down my arms. Instead of bliss, I fought shivers of disgust.
Little alarm bells clanged in my head, waking me from my restful temperament. Opening my eyes, I tried to adjust to the pale light in the room. A soft, sickly glow covered my body, and I raised my arm to locate the heat that wriggled through my veins.
Dark lines pulsed across the canvas of my skin, invading and curling around my arms like inky ropes.
Struggling, I found myself unable to move. “What are you doing?”
Nick grunted behind me. “Why isn’t it working?” He released my neck with one hand and laid his warm palm across my forehead, pushing me down. “Stop fighting, please. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Then…don’t…” I begged through clenched teeth.
The door I’d entered through before banged open, and the light from the other room flooded in, highlighting the shadow of a small figure.
“Leave her alone,” a familiar voice demanded.
I recognized the tiny being coming to my rescue. “Fenwen, be careful!”
She raised something over her head as if she were ready to swing it as a weapon. In my condition, I thought I saw a toilet wand in her hand.
“I’ll stop you,” Fenwen warned. “You won’t hurt anyone else.”
Nick lifted his hands, and the snaking lines retreated from my arms and curled around my neck, entrapping my head in place. “I don’t have time for this.” He lifted his hands in the air, and the crackle of power rose around us.
“Look out!” I yelled, unable to escape my magical bondage. “Fen!”
A bright light exploded, and heat filled the room like a dry desert. I fought to free myself to see if my little friend had survived, but the restraints against my throat tightened.
Nick’s face lowered over mine. “I’m sorry for this.” He laid his palm over my forehead, and the world went dark.
Chapter Fourteen
“Well, isn’t this a terrible surprise.” A soft hand stroked my hair. “No time for sleepin’, Charli Bird. You gotta get up.”
I fought against the heavy covers encasing me like a cocoon. “Nana? Is that you?”
Her laughter tinkled in the air like faraway bell chimes. “Why don’t you open your eyes and see?”
Desperate to spend time with my grandmother, I tried to lift my heavy eyelids but failed.
“Come on. Get up, sweetness.” She waited for my usual response.
My mind worked to find the right response, struggling to trudge through the fog thick as mud. Something about birds. No, I was the bird. And yet, I couldn’t fly out of the haze and into the light.
“I can’t,” I mumbled, wanting to give in to the drag of sleep.
Someone yanked on my hair, and the sharp pain woke me up.
“Don’t give into the dark. You gotta fight it,” Nana commanded. “Now, let’s try this again. Birdy, morning’s here to greet you with her shining light. What do you say back?”
“Nobody here but us chickens?” I said, a little stronger than before.
More of Nana’s chuckles chased away the rest of the fog. Blinking my eyes, I rubbed them to banish the soporific cloud. When my vision came into focus, there she sat like a cat perched on the edge of my bed.
“Hey there, Birdy.” She held out her arms.
I tossed the suffocating blanket off of me and sat up, throwing my arms around her. She wrapped me in a tight embrace, rocking me back and forth.
“I’ve missed you, Nana,” I muffled into her shoulder. “Don’t leave us again.”
She kissed the top of my head. “Oh, Birdy, I’ve been with you the whole time.”
Pulling back, I tried to take in our environment but saw only the bed we occupied. “Where exactly is here?”
Nana took ahold of my hands, pulling my attention to her. “Somewhere you shouldn’t be. And that’s something we need to rectify right now.”
My brow wrinkled. “I don’t understand.”
“And I’m afraid we don’t have time for me to explain.” My grandmother tightened her grip on my fingers. “Listen carefully to what I’m saying. There’s gonna come a moment where you’ll be at a crossroads. You’re going to have to make a big decision. Trust your gut, Birdy. Do what you know is right.”
“I can try,” I offered with a yawn.
“And now, I need you to wake up. Really wake up,” Nana insisted. “We’re running out of time, and I don’t know how much longer I can last.”
Angered adrenaline coursed through my veins. “Is someone trying to hurt you?” Whipping my head around, I looked for the villain.
She grasped my chin to make me focus on her. “I’m doing what I can here, but I need you to rise and fight for both of us. Whatever you do, you cannot fall back asleep.”
The second she mentioned it, a tiredness that ached to my bones took over. I yawned. “Why not?”
Nana’s eyes glared into mine. “Because you have to find her and stop her at all costs. You have to win so I can wake up, too.”
“Stop who?” It all sounded like too much effort. “Can’t I sleep now and fight later?”
“Charlotte Vivian Goodwin, that is not who we are!” my grandmother scolded. “Now, for once in your blessed life, stop sassin’ me and do as I say.”
“M’kay,” I agreed, my eyelids fluttering shut.
Giving in felt like the right thing to do, and the sweet slumber that awaited me sang out like an enticing lullaby.
Strong fingers dug into my shoulders, and Nana shook me until I opened my eyes.
