Sleeping April

"Aunt Freya.. it's time…"

_____

She slowly withdrew her hands from his,  turning away nervously. 

Walter watched her.

" How bad is it going to be?"

He asked her calmly. She was already by the door, had her hands on it. Her eyes went down and up sadly.

" so bad that it would change him, I fear "

She replied to him.

"How much?"

He asked further.

"So much he'd become who he once was…" 

She replied . They stared at each other for a while and then she took her hand to the knob turning it open, Walter followed behind her .

____

Stepping into the room, he saw Stace sitting on the edge of the bed beside April who laid in deep sleep. He had his back facing the door and his hand on hers while he quietly stared at her. Walter's memory ticked and he remembered the night, the night  he had placed Rebecca in the same position. He remembered Stace's brutality , his anguish , his decisions thereafter . Flashes of the past began to hit on him one by one . He blinked his eyes and heaved a sigh. 

"So how exactly does this work again?"

Walter asked Freya worriedly. She sighed shutting her eyes briefly.

" I will need to wipe off the memory of all she saw and every other memory that birthed that moment "

She replied, staring at the lady on the bed. 

…" So yes.. that means she will forget him, you, me, Luna , everything, even her own family , I'd be erasing her memory completely, it would seem like she never had one . She won't even remember her name. Whatever will trigger her memory to remember all that she saw, we cannot have it. "

She added.

"This is so f*cked up… did she really see that much? "

Walter asked, frustrated.

" We have to protect our people. Not a word of all she saw must get out there and we also need to protect her from herself, the truth that she knows already will eat her mind little by little till there's nothing left "

Freya replied to him.

…"and then what? When her family comes looking for her. This is so going to attract alot of problems for us, the company , everything that we have worked for , that we have built will be threatened . Her family wouldn't just give up? He would be the first suspect the case"

Walter cut in.

"When they come, they won't meet her . She was never here."

Freya told him.

"How so?"

He asked.

"Having wiped her memory, we'd have to send her away, now that an enemy knows she is human and his weakness, more enemies will know and come for her, we're also trying to protect her and protect her family "

She explained.

"Cycle of my life"

Stace voiced withdrawing his hand from April's . He placed both hands on his face scrubbing on it till he made them sweep his hair backwards on his head. He looked confused and exhausted , like a man trying so  hard to be strong.

"One more question.."

Walter said.

…"How do we send her away .. ?"

He asked. There was silence.  Stace turned to fix his eyes on him, Freya did the same. 

"...no no no no , that's insane !"

Walter voiced turning to Freya .

"Walter .."

Freya called.

" and i said No "

He stressed with a straight face.

…"it's too risky. It requires too much power , we could lose you "

He added.

"You won't.. I have practiced it before now, it's how I remained hidden and safe. "

She said as her eyes fell on him.

"Really? I may not be a mage but I know that for every spell, there's a consequence ,what was it?" 

He asked her.

"Walter, please just stop , time is not on our side. We do not know what the enemies are cooking , we cannot be late with our decisions . The least thing we need right now is pessimism. "

She told him rather upset.

" You are not Nimue.."

He said looking her deep in the eyes.

"...and  i know you.. you'll do anything without dwelling on the consequence , but this, this  is too dangerous, it was successful once, it might not be again "

He stressed.

"I don't fear danger" 

She retorted, looking deeper in his eyes enough for him to understand her bravery, she  moved to the bed afterwards leaving Walter standing there and looking conquered.

..."I'd need some red candles "

She voiced.  Stace moved to get them , Walter followed.

_____

Hurridly collecting the candles from the drawers , both men maintained a noticeable silence . 

" Out with it already, you look like a ticking bomb "

Stace said.

"I warned you, well I always do but you never listen, you're just like that, always been like that , stubborn , you don't think of consequences , like it runs in the family , do you even have an idea of what's about to go down? All of this could have been avoided, you allowed yourself to be distracted, forgot you're an Alpha with a pack to rule over, paid little attention to the pack , tried to be human enough just to fit into her world and now what? I have to risk the woman I love for you. Someone who I lost for a very long time , I thought I'd never see her again and now I have her back here. You want to put her in the middle of all these, in between life and death just because you have always been a selfish prick !!!"

Walter yelled out loud in his face . Stace remained quiet, staring at him while he vented his anger and when he was done, he turned his face away from his, staring into an empty space.

"She will be fine , that you constantly make her feel she isn't strong enough to make her own decisions will keep reminding her that she's older" 

Stace said to him picking up the box of candles and turning to walk out the door. He paused turning his head halfway towards him,

"... She is my blood, i wouldn't watch her hurt"

Stace added and then he left. Walter's heartbeat was hard in his chest , but as his mind dwelt on Stace's words, it somewhat healed his rage . 

_____

The candles laid around the bed, April's eyes remained shut . Her breathing was steady,her arms were by her sides, her body laid at rest,  Stace and Walter stood behind while Freya stood at the right side of the bed . It seemed she was ready to begin .

"Where will you send her?" 

Stace asked with his eyes fixed on April .

" To the future "

Freya replied to him.

"I know it's to the future, what year, the month, the place?"

Stace enquired desperately.

"I'm sorry. I do not know . The spirits will guide her safe to the future to somewhere she will start all over, she will be okay but I am not told where or when"

Freya replied . Stace had a hand in his pocket, and by now his other hand held on to his hair while he turned away. 

" Shall I? "

She asked him but all he did was nod. 

Freya lifted up her hands, shuting her eyes , she muttered some recitations repeatedly , the candles lit, and their flames went up to the ceiling as their scent enveloped the room. She stopped saying the words and the flames moved circling about April's nostrils , it made her nose uncomfortable, and she sniffed in. Just as she did, her head was suspended from the pillow straining on her neck and accompanied by a sharp groan. 

Her eyes remained shut and her head dropped back on the pillow. 

All of a sudden she looked peaceful. They all watched with keen interest. 

Stace's eyes grew teary, Walter's heart raced, it was as though they both knew it was about to happen as Freya turned her face towards them , Walter made a move to stop her but reality somehow had him restrained. She proceeded to shutting her eyes,  she had her index and middle fingers on both hands firmly stuck together and her other fingers locked beneath them. She looked fully concentrated, swinging her arms almost like there was a rhythm they danced to in her head. 

Strings of white fire was created, looking like lightening, they moved to the rhythm of her arms , a strong whirling wind stormed within the room . Her braid danced behind her head . She struggled to spread her arms apart, wide enough to somewhat create a jump link. Her nostrils gave out blood. Stace and Walter noticed.

"Stop "

Stace voiced in confusion and fear. 

"Stop!!!!"

He ordered again but she wouldn't buldge. She couldn't hear them. They both made a move to reach out to her, flashes from the strings of burning fire struck them, felt like electric and it displaced them. scattering them about the room causing them to land hard on various objects. They both stared at her from where they laid, they could see the struggle in her skin to hold on, Swiftly they got back up running fast as they could towards her and just then, the time froze.

Trying to move but cannot, they felt the zeal burning in their hearts to reach unto her but why did they feel stuck? They groaned in desperation , they could see her. She was right there , she needed help , but she seemed farther than she was. Walter's eyes gave out tears , he had his hand stretch out to reach for her, Stace's eyes had become red , his entire body showed the will to break free just to hold her down but it was all hopeless.

The strings of lightening mixed with the dark wind , it seemed to be it could only survive to do it's purpose by feeding on energy from the vessel. Freya's veins stood up, the mixture settled up above April and after a while it disappeared.  The connection broke and Freya broke free falling to the ground .

Like a miracle , Stace and Walter moved . They were able to catch her before she touched the floor . Walter held onto her tightly in an embrace . 

"Wake up… please… please  wake up…"

He muttered in a teary tone. Stace stared at them , his head spinned. His heart hurt and just then, his eyes fell on the emptiness of the bed. She was gone. Forever..

______

Walking carefully into the ladies room, the old woman seemed to have eaten the wrong meal, she hurried in, holding on to her handbag. Taking a right turn , her heels dragged on the tiles and as soon as she got close enough, she stopped.

"Oh my God...somebody call the ambulance !!" 

The old lady screamed .