Sixty-four: Aspen

It has been three days since Zahra fell asleep after killing Marin, two days since I found her with everyone else, and one day since June began to get worried. Roan thought his sister was fine since she was breathing, but June was worried because Zahra hadn't eaten in a while.

I didn't truly know how to react other than to be grateful she was alive. Sorrel buried Marin some distance away, but I could still smell the charred flesh and decaying body. I could still see the blackened skin that was peeling off the bones. The memory would be with me for the rest of my life.

My gut wrenched. At first, I thought it was because of the memory, but it happened again and again in regular intervals. Sitting straighter, I closed my eyes and focused. A bright red thread burned bright with need, familiar to me. It pulsed jerkily, as if the owner of the thread was scared.

"Roan!" I call.

I hear a pair of feet and then feel a hand on my shoulder. "What is it?"

"I need you to keep an eye on both Zahra and I. She's calling me."

"Is she alright?"

"I don't know." I don't give him any time to ask more questions, but follow the red thread to Zahra's mind. However as I reach the end, I am blocked. Confused, I test the strength of whatever is keeping me out, and push. There's a little give, like some kind of gel, but I am pushed back. If Zahra wanted me, why would she block me out? Or was she not alone?

Worried, I go back to my mind, then body, and wake up. Beside me, June jolts to attention. "What is it?"

"Zahra needs help," I groan, sitting up and hold my head.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm being blocked from her."

"How is that possible?"

I shake my head. I stumble over to where Roan sat beside his sister and fell to my knees beside them. "Aspen?"

"She needs help!"

Roan glances from me to Zahra, panic rising in his hazel eyes. "How do we help her? Why can't you?"

I explain in as little words as possible what the situation was, then grab Zahra's hand and squeeze. "We have to wake her up. Whether we shake her or hurt her, we have to get her to wake up."

Roan looked horrified. "Hurt her?"

"If we don't figure out a way to wake her, she will never wake." I look to Roan and give him a sympathetic look. "I think someone is holding her in her own head, possibly hurting her already. We have to make her fade into her body."

We began shaking Zahra, calling her name and giving her whiplash. Then June tried slapping her face, causing minimal pain, but that didn't work. We pulled hair, squeezed limbs, did anything to get her to wake up, but she didn't.

It was nightfall when we gave up for the day. June was the one who asked, "How long can she stay in her head?"

"A week at most," I whispered. Looking over to Roan I steel myself to say, "If we have to, we will break a bone."

He glared at me. "We won't!"

"She will thank us for it later."

"She has been in enough pain! I don't see how causing more is going to do any good."

Sighing, I move away, wanting to be alone. I lie down and close my eyes, seeing the thread. It was dimmer, meaning she was giving up on me helping her. I followed it to her mind and tested the block. It still held.

Instead of fighting whoever was inside with her, I give the thread a light brush. It tingled, as if I plucked a string on an instrument. Then, I whispered to it, hoping my voice would carry through to her. "Your mind is blocked, Zahra. Whoever is with you is keeping you prisoner. I want you to fight with your mind. Free your mind from their hold. Return to your body. I can't wake you up without causing a lot of pain, so I need you to work with me. I know you're scared. I know this isn't what you were expecting, but if you fight from inside, I can fight from outside. If you can get me a hole in the block, I can come help you."

There was no response, not that I was expecting one. However the thread got slightly brighter after a moment, as if she hears my words.

"You're strong, Zahra. You can do this."

I return to reality to find Roan still holding his sister, whispering to her. I felt bad I couldn't do much, but I also knew Roan wouldn't let her die without doing everything he could to wake her. If it came down to it, he would break a bone to keep Zahra alive.

In my head, I see the red thread pulse again, this time, it seemed to be trying to hold on for a moment before the light faded.

"Aspen!"

I blink and Roan was sitting straighter, alert. "What?"

"She moved."

I sit beside him and rest a hand on Zahra's stomach gently, waiting. In my head, another pulse.

Then, I am summoned.