Chapter 100: Twilight

CASSIE'S POV

I could smell the faint medicine smell clinics usually had before I even opened my eyes.

My eyes fluttered open and I tried to focus on the people hovering above me..

"Cassie? Hey... Can you hear me?" I heard Jake's voice say.

My throat was too dry to reply him so I simply nodded.

"You kinda scared me there for a minute." Jake smiled lightly. "Why did you take so long to wake up huh? You got me worried sick."

I managed a cough before speaking. "Sorry I made you worry."

"You have nothing to apologize for. How are you feeling now?" He asked me.

"I could use some water." I say softly and he nodded.

He poured some water in a cup and held it to my mouth. I drank slowly. The water was cool and it felt like heaven going down my dry throat. I pulled away from the cup after I drank some and let out a shaky breath.

The door to the clinic banged open and Madeline rushed in with Cara.

"Hey! Oh my god you're awake. How are you? How is she, Jake?" Madeline asked, her eyes wide.

"I'm fine Madeline. I just had a bad migraine." I say and managed a smile. My head did actually hurt. Like someone was drumming inside it.

"Are you kidding? You've been asleep for almost 24 hours." Cara said, coming to stand on the other side of my bed. She looked tired. There were dark circles under her eyes.

"Yeah, why didn't you just get out of the mind jump thing earlier before 'whatever' happened." Madeline said folding her arms. She looked mad, but I knew it was the worried-mad kind.

"You're only saying that because it didn't happen in your mind jump." Jake cut in, his voice sharper than before. "The thing is, it could have happened in anyone's. She was getting weaker with every mind she jumped in. It just happened to be Phoebe's."

Madeline's arms dropped. "Oh."

"Yeah. Oh." Jake said.

I looked between them and forced myself to sit up a little more. The room spun for a second but I caught myself. "Don't fight over me. Both of you." I said. My voice still sounded raspy.

Jake immediately moved to adjust my pillows. "Don't sit up too fast."

"I'm fine." I lied. But I wasn't. My body felt like it had been hit by a truck. Every muscle ached and my magic felt... empty. Like a well that had been drained dry.

Cara sat on the edge of the bed. "You really had us scared, Cass. When you collapsed and started shaking like that... I thought—" She stopped herself and shook her head. "Nevermind. What matters is you're awake now."

"I'm awake now," I repeated. "And I'm okay."

The door opened again, softer this time.

Phoebe stood by the door for a second before coming in. She was looking better than the last time I saw her in her mind. Her hair was all washed and shiny and she was wearing clean clothes. No uniform. But her eyes were red and puffy, like she hadn't slept.

"Cassie," she whispered.

Everyone in the room went quiet. Looking at her.

Phoebe walked closer slowly, like she was afraid someone would yell at her. "I... I came to say I'm sorry. For what happened. For making you go through that hell just to get me out. I'm really so..."

"Stop." I said, cutting her off.

She stopped mid-sentence.

"It wasn't your fault, Phoebe." I said to her. "Not even a little bit. You didn't ask to be possessed. Or to be trapped in that... that dead place with a devouring hurricane."

"But maybe if I had been stronger... Then maybe it wouldn't have turned out that way." she started.

"We were dealing with a mind trap set by the Voreth, Phoebe. Being stronger wouldn't have made any difference," I said, and that made her look up. "Look. I'm just glad you're okay. I'm glad all of you are okay. Jake, Cara, Madeline, you, and Damon. That's all that matters to me right now."

Phoebe's eyes filled with tears. "You're really a good person, you know that?"

"I don't know, I try to be," I said. "But in this case, it's not about me being good. It's just... what I gotta do. It's me doing what you would have done for me too."

She nodded and let out a shaky breath. A small smile broke through her lips. "I'm really glad you're okay, Cassie." She and touched my arms lightly.

Jake cleared his throat. "See? No guilt trips allowed in this clinic."

That made Phoebe laugh a little and the tension in the room broke.

Madeline came and sat on the other side of me. "So what was it really like for you? The mind jumping thing? Is it really that bad?"

I thought about the black clouds. The dead trees. The horrifying hurricane. "Yeah," I said honestly. "It was bad. Straight out of a horror movie."

She looked at me blankly.

"A horror movie?" I repeated but her face then looked confused.

"You guys do know what a horror movie is right? This whole realm is basically a horror movie franchise in real life." I say to her.

"Hm. Well... it can get pretty scary here some times. But I don't know if it would make sense if it was shown in that drama thing you mundane people watch all the time." Madeline said and flicked her eyebrows up.

We all talked for a while longer. Even Damon came by to visit but couldn't stay long. Madeline complained about the food in the clinic. Jake didn't let go of my hand the entire time.

It felt normal almost normal but everyone knew it was far from it.

~

Later that afternoon, the door opened again and this time it was Principal Bellweather.

Everyone immediately stood up.

"Principal," Jake said, a little too stiffly.

"At ease," she said, though she didn't look relaxed herself. She looked tired. "I just need a few minutes with Cassie. Alone."

Jake's grip on my hand tightened. "She just woke up. She needs rest."

"I know," Principal Bellweather said cooly. "This won't take long."

Jake looked at me. I gave him a small nod. He didn't like it, but he let go of my hand and stood up with the others.

"We'll be right outside," Madeline said before they all filed out.

The door clicked shut and it was just me and the Principal.

She pulled up a chair and sat next to my bed. "How are you feeling, Cassie?"

"Better," I said. "Tired. But alot better."

"Good." She let out a short breath. "First off. I want to say good job. What you've been doing with the possessed students... it worked. We've managed to wake five of them so far. Because of you."

I nodded. My chest felt warm at that.

"But," she continued, and her face got serious. "We still have more work to be done. The shield sphere holding the rest of them isn't stable. We can keep it contained for now, but the Voreth is still in their minds. And it's strong and It's eating away at them. If we wait too long, it might take over them completely. Even with the sphere."

My stomach dropped. "How long do they have?"

"I don't know." She looked at me directly. "I need you back on your feet as soon as you can, Cassie. I need you to use those the power of Fifth Element again. I need you to save my daughter."

Before I could answer, the door banged open.

Jake stormed in. "Excuse me? Did I just hear you right?" He looked furious. "She's still lying on a clinic bed! She almost died yesterday and you're already asking her to go back out there?"

"Jake," I said.

"No, Cassie. This isn't right." He turned to the Principal. "With all due respect principal Bellweather, she needs time to recover. You can't just tell her to get back out there."

"I can," Principal Bellweather said calmly. "And I have to. This is bigger than us all, Jake. As much as I care for Cassie, we have a school full of students whose minds are being devoured that needs saving."

"Then get someone else to do it!" Jake shot back.

"There is no one else," she said softly. "And you know it."

Jake opened his mouth to argue again but I cut him off.

"He's right," I said. Both of them looked at me. "And you're right too."

Jake turned to me, stunned. "Cassie, don't..."

"I have the Fifth Element," I said, my voice stronger now. "I'm the only one that can wake up all the possessed students. It became my responsibility the moment I stepped into this. And if I don't finish it, the Voreth will completely take over their minds. And I can't let that happen because of me."

I looked at Jake. "I know you're worried about me. But this is something I need to do. No matter how I might be feeling."

Jake's jaw clenched. He looked like he wanted to argue more but then he just exhaled and nodded once. "Fine. But if anything happens to you again,"

"It won't," I said. "Not this time. I'll be more... careful."

I turned back to Principal Bellweather. "I'll be ready by tonight. To continue from where I stopped."

The Principal's expression eased. She gave me a small, satisfied nod and a rare smile. "Very well."

She stood up. "Get some more rest until then. Eat something. Drink water. You'll be needing enough strength."

She walked to the door and paused. "And Cassie? Well done."

Then she left, closing the door behind her.

The room was silent for a second.

Jake sat back down and took my hand again. This time his grip was tighter. "You're insane, you know that?"

I chuckled. "Maybe," I said, squeezing his hand back. "You wouldn't be the first guy to tell me that. "

Outside the window, the sky was starting to turn twilight by the minute. A sign that night was coming.

And with it, more mind jumps.

Yikes.

~