Chapter 40: Chapter 40

Charlottes POV

I had no idea who was on the other side of the door. I was still in and out of consciousness. I had no idea what was being said or what was going on. I felt myself being undressed. I knew it was Marcus. I then felt myself being picked up off the bed. I could feel him carrying me somewhere. But where I did not know. I knew that he wasn't wearing any clothes. We walked into a room. I heard him get into the bathtub. He did mention something about taking a bath. I was so groggy from the opium that it was like seeing in the fog. You weren't sure what was in front of you or what you were looking at. You weren't sure of a lot of things.

I could feel him moving around a lot. Then I'm sure he sat down in the tub. I could kind of feel the water on my bottom. Then he told me I needed to move around and sit differently. He helped maneuver me around. As I was sitting slowly in the water, the hot water stung my bottom. I hissed from the jolt. But after adjusting to the heat, it felt wonderful. Especially on my sore body. I have been in bed for God knows how long. I had no idea how long I had been in and out of consciousness. I was ready to stop taking the opium and start to move around. I needed to move around and get circulation back into my body.

Also, I know that it is bad to think about this when I'm like this, but I wanted to make love to him again. But I was in no condition to do so while I was so drugged up. I understood why he has been keeping me like this. It was so I could heal and not rip open my stitches. Even though I am drugged up, I can think a little. It was hard to form words. Every time I tried to talk, I would drift off to sleep in the middle of a sentence. I tried to tell him several times that it wasn't his fault that I had been hurt. He was not listening, or he was ignoring me.

As far as I could tell, he would not leave my side. I appreciated it, but I knew that he had things to do. I must have fallen asleep again because when I woke up this time, I was back in our room. But something felt strange. I tried to look around, and there was a white light coming from the corner. Then a voice started talking to me.

" Charlotte, it's me, your grandmother."

" Really."

" Yes, only you can hear me."

She went on to explain to me that I am very powerful and to trust Marcus. He would teach me how to use my powers, and that one day I would see her in person, but then she was gone. But not before she touched my hand. That's when I felt it. Up my arm and into my shoulder. A burning sensation. I screamed in pain, and Marcus kicked the door down. The light was blinding both of us. After, the light stopped. I could see that on my arm there was a tattoo. It was in the shape of a mermaid sitting on a rock. It then had ropes coming from the sea all the way up to my shoulder.

After Marcus could see again, I showed him.

" Marcus, what does this mean?"

" It means that you are the goddess of the sea."

" How could that be?"

He stood there with his mouth open. Now what was I going to do? Does this mean that I can control the sea? What does all this mean? Why is this happening to me all of a sudden? There were so many questions and not enough answers to them. I knew that things had changed. But I had no idea what I was in for. Now things are different. I was just branded the goddess of the sea. Why would she suddenly appear and brand me? I had no idea. It was all too much at once. Is there a reason for it now? What is going to happen if I need this power? Marcus ran to me, picked me up, and put me in his arms. He carried me back to bed.

He laid me down gently. He looked at my arm very carefully.

" Charlotte, only the sea goddess has this."

" Marcus, I know it came from the white light."

" I know."

He ran his finger over it, and it did not hurt. It was already healed. I would have thought that it would be bleeding or something, but now it has already healed. I was confused. I had no idea what to do.

" Charlotte, baby, it's getting late."

"Let's go to sleep."

We crawled into bed, and he pulled me close. It was as if when she put the tattoo on me, the effects of the opium somehow got washed away. I wanted to take some more to see if it was just from what she did. However, I didn't want to at that particular moment. We went to sleep and were woken up some time later by the roosters' crowing.

" Good morning."

I moved a little, and there was still some pain where I had been stabbed in the stomach. I knew that would go on for a while. I had no idea how deep the wound had been.

"Good morning."

" Charlotte, are you hurting?"

" Yes."

He got up and got me a glass of wine. He put a pinch of opium in the cup. I drink a little of it. I knew that it made me sleepy. I was not going to sleep all day. It was enough to take the aping away. I lay back down to let it take full effect. After a while, the pain subsided. Then I got up. Marcus had left the room and returned with a plate of breakfast. I was looking at my arm where the mermaid tattoo is. I knew how it happened.

" Marcus, why did the sea goddess give me this?"

" Because you are the new sea goddess."

That was something I didn't want. Why would she give me the honor? I knew very little about the sea goddess. It was hard to believe that I was her great-granddaughter. I knew my life had just become very interesting. What would my mother think when we rescued her?