Dead

"What kind of seizure?" asked Alina as she wondered what kind of seizure would cause someone's eyes to turn blood red, and them cough violently, and become unconscious in pain.

"I do not know for sure, but this should help him feel better soon" said Ivor as he raised the leaf in his hand.

"Please crush this for me into a paste" said Ivor as he gave Alina the leaf.

"Yes master" said Alina as she nodded her head and she walked to the closet to get a small wooden bowl, and a little wooden stick with a solid base as she put the leaf in the bowl as she added a bit of water and she began to crush the leaf.

Alina crushed the leaf swiftly and with precision, as if she had done this many times before, and in no time as at all she was done as she walked to Ivor with the bowl.

"Here master" said Alina as he gave Ivor the bowl and he took I from her as he laid it on the ground and he unbuttoned Curtis shirt as Curtis' chest was left bare as he took a handful of the leaf that Alina had just crushed into a thick green paste and he put it on Curtis' chest, where his heart was as he rubbed the green paste on his chest.

"This should do, until I can go to the mountains and get some herbs to help him feel better" said Ivor as he rubbed the last of the paste on Curtis' chest as Curtis immediately stopped frowning as he looked relieved, and Alina sighed in relief, that he was better now.

"But Master, it is raining, you will be unable to go out" said Alina.

"Let's just hope that the rain stops soon, before he waked up, or else, when he does, the pain will be unbearable" said Ivor as Alina was worried about that happening.

"I hope so too Master, because I hate to see him in pain like that…" said Alina as her voice trailed off and she was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Ivor exclaim.

"Wait…" said Ivor in confusion and disbelief.

"What is it master?" asked Alina in worry, she hoped that everything was alright.

"He has no pulse…" said Ivor as he turned to look at Alina and Alina looked shocked.

"He's dead??" asked Alina in shock as she could not believe what she was hearing right now, Curtis could not be dead, no way, Annie would be devastated.

"No, he's not dead… he is still breathing… and he is very much alive" said Ivor as Alina looked at him in shock, she did not understand, not at all, this made no sense, how could somebody be alive, but have no pulse at all.

"The only thing is that he has no pulse… his heart is not beating at all" said Ivor as he himself could not believe what he was seeing for himself.

"This makes no sense Master, how can someone be alive, but their heart is not beating?" asked Alina in shock, she was hearing something impossible.

"Alina… I don't think that Curtis is a witch… or a human, or a living being at all" said Ivor in surprise and confusion as Alina felt like she was in some sort of dream, just what was happening??

…

Annie was on edge as she did not relax one bit, she could not hear what was happening in the room through the closed door, but she did now that she no longer heard Curtis coughing, and she did not know if that was a good thing or bad thing.

Annie rushed as soon as the door opened and Ivor walked out of the room.

"How is he?" asked Annie in concern as she looked at Ivor and he looked at her as he closed the door behind him.

"He is alright now, he is stable, Alina is with him" said Ivor as he replied and Annie sighed in relief.

"Oh thank goodness" said Annie as she took deep breaths.

"You see Annie, we told you that he would be fine" said Maddie as she heaved a sigh of relief and she smiled.

Annie was relieved that they were right, all she wanted was for Curtis to be alright.

"Can I go see him now?" asked Annie as she looked at Ivor.

"Not just yet Annie, hold on" said Ivor.

"Why?" asked Maddie as Ivor turned to look at her.

"Didn't you say that Curtis was stable now?" asked Ollie.

"Yes I did" replied Ivor.

"Then why will you not let Annie see Curtis if he is alright?" asked Matt as Ivor wanted to break this down slowly, but with their many questions, it would be impossible for him to.

"Yes, is something wrong? There is something that you are not telling us" said Maddie as Ivor looked at her.

"Is that true? Is something else wrong?" asked Annie as Ivor looked at her.

"Look, yes I did say that Curtis is stable, he is fine for now" said Ivor as Annie felt herself relax again.

"But…" said Ivor as he was cut off.

"But what?" asked Maddie.

"While I was treating him, I discovered something else" said Ivor as Annie felt her heart sink at that exact same moment, was there something else wrong? Was Curtis lying to them and hiding from them all this while as well? Annie's thoughts were raging with thoughts, many bad thoughts.

"Something like what?" asked Ollie as Ivor looked at him.

"Curtis has no pulse…" said Ivor and as he paused and he waited for their reaction as they all kept quiet and they looked at each other.

"He is alive, he is breathing, and sweating, and doing everything else, but as for a pulse, he has none, it is as if his heart stopped beating" said Ivor as Maddie looked at Annie and then at Matt.

Of course Curtis did not have a heartbeat or pulse, he was technically not a living being, well yes, he was a leaving being, but he had no heart, he was a book after all.

Ivor watched all their reactions closely especially Annie's he could tell that there was something strange here, at first he thought that maybe Curtis was another being who took the form of a witch, and that Annie and the rest did not know about it, but from their reaction, it would seem that they all had a secret between all of them.

"I am sorry to say, but I don't think that your friend Curtis is a witch, or a normal being for that matter, and this is dangerous, he might be an imposter" said Ivor as Annie bit her lip, she did not know what to do right now, if to tell the truth, or to keep on lying.

"I cannot treat a being that I do not know what it truly is" said Ivor as Annie's eyes went wide when she heard that, no, they needed him to help them, he was the only one who seemed to know what to do to help them.

"No, please don't say that" said Annie as she shook her head.

"Please treat him" said Annie.

"I cannot do that Annie, there is obviously something going on here, and I do not want to get myself involved in whatever it is that you all are hiding" said Ivor as Maddie looked at Annie, she knew what Annie was going to do right now, and quite frankly, Maddie did not think that it was a good idea right now.

Annie looked at Maddie as Maddie shook her head, and she looked at Ollie and Matt as the both of them did not know what to say, after all, this concerned her, it was up to her to tell the truth or not, it was her choice.

Annie was stuck in a hard place, she knew that if Curtis was awake, he would tell her not to say anything, but they needed to save him, and there was no other way to do that but to say the truth.

Annie took a deep breath as she made up her mind, she would say the truth, Maddie sighed as she shook her head, she knew what that look on Annie's face meant, and quite frankly, Maddie was sure that this would not end well for all of them.

"I will tell you the truth" said Annie as she looked at Ivor, he knew that there was something strange going on here.

"But first, you have to promise me that you will help Curtis get better no matter what, please" said Annie as Ivor was suspicious of her request.

"Alright, you have my word" said Ivor as he nodded his head and Maddie doubted that.

"Okay *Sigh*… the truth is that… Curtis isn't a witch, or a human… he's a book… my book" said Annie as she explained and she watched Ivor's reaction very closely in carefulness.