Waking Other Lives
Bits and Pieces

At the Hospital...

The nurse entered the patient room hearing the sounds coming from the room, and exclaimed in joy at yet another miracle. The old woman was alive, and awake. “Madam, please try not to move too much, I’ll call the doctor immediately,” she explained.

The old woman did not heed her, she tried to get out of bed, confused as to why she was bedridden. “It was not supposed to be this way,” she kept muttering to herself. She pulled her hands from beneath the covers, and tried to pull herself out of bed, using her arms as leverage. Then she saw her legs partially covered with the blue hospital gown, and looked at her hands in amazement, turning them this way and that way, blinking her eyes a few times, before understanding settled in her features. And, she started screaming.

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Sierra’s POV

I was afraid of sleeping again, though my eyes were falling with the influence of the medication still flowing in my veins. I looked at the ceiling as I lay in bed, sweating, and tried to understand what the hell I had just seen. How could that girl digging a tunnel in that room be me? How could there be two of me? Where was that place? And, what did that all mean? Was that a vision, an alternate reality, or just dream? How I wish I could claim the latter, but deep in my heart, I knew that not to be the case.

I had to replace that girl, but how? Before I could face the obvious answer, my parents entered the room.

“Don’t wake her if she’s sleeping, she needs the rest,” I heard dad say.

“Of course, the news can wait,” said mom, her excited hand gestures, piquing my curiosity.

“I am awake, guys, what’s up?” I asked. What was going on?

“Sweetheart, grandma is awake. They just called from the hospital. We are heading there. Travis will stay here with you in case you need anything,” mom explained.

What? Grandma was awake? That was the best news, ever! I rose up in bed, getting ready to leave with them.

“What are you doing?” asked dad, his eyes teary with the news.

“I’m coming with you, what else?” I declared. There was no way I was staying behind when grandma was awake in the hospital. I had to see her, talk to her.

“Love, you should rest, we’ll bring her back in no time,” mom assured me.

My father knew of my stubbornness, and he didn’t even try persuading me, though mom did, in vain. Within minutes, I was up, dressed, and ready to leave with them.

I was too excited to speak, I was happy that I would have grandma with me to fulfill my last mission, the thought was a big comfort. She would also know something about the other Sierra, I hoped.

When dad parked in the driveway, I could hardly wait to get out of the car. Mom clutched me by the elbow, making sure I was not running. We asked to see grandma at the information desk, but instead of being allowed to proceed to the upper floor where her room was, we were taken to an empty room. Doctor Hastings entered inside, lifted his falling glasses, smoothed out his wrinkled coat nervously with his large hands, and looked at us with a solemn expression.

“I’m afraid I have both good and bad news,” he announced.

“Is she not out of the coma?” dad asked, worried that she’d relapsed back into it.

“She is, Mr. Trancelli,” the doctor confirmed. He threaded his fingers in his tangled hair, and lifted his glasses again. He didn’t speak, looking thoughtful, lifted his glasses once more, raising his bushy eyebrows at us. I was so damn irritated with the habit, I just wanted to rip his glasses off him forever.

“You were saying,” I urged him to continue.

“Yes...yes,” he said. “But, unfortunately she is not herself. We had to sedate her since she woke up, she...well, she keeps screaming,” Dr. Hastings explained. “We are not sure why as she does not seem to be in pain. That’s why it is best, you come and visit her tomorrow.”

“What?” dad exclaimed. “Why would mom be screaming if she’s not in pain? That does not make one bit of sense to me, so she must be in pain,” he yelled. “And, apparently you, as doctors, have no clue on how to help her.”

“I assure you Mr. Trancelli, we are doing the best we can. Her vitals are normal, and she does not seem to be suffering physically.”

“That is bullshit,” dad raged.

“Dear, let the doctor talk,” mom tried to calm him down.

“Well, that’s all I have for you, unfortunately,” the doctor said, tensing up and fidgeting with his glasses again.

“Okay, doctor. Please let us know when we can come and see her, ” mom said. “C’mon dear, let’s go,” mom said to dad. “Obviously they are not accepting visitors, and there is nothing we can do here. And, Sierra has to rest,” she added.

Dad sighed in frustration, but relented in the end. And, that’s how we went back home, with nothing in our hands. It was all a big disappointment.

I wondered where Seth was as mom tucked me back in bed like a little child. I was too tired to argue, and just closed my eyes in defeat.

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Seth’s POV

I missed her. Badly.

I’d called the hospital, and they had told me she was released from the hospital hours back, so I went to see her at her house. Her mom opened the door, and told me she’d been sleeping. She expected me to leave, just like that. She was my mate. How could she ask that of me? Yet, I thanked her, starting to leave, though every inch of my body was screaming against it. This was not working out how I’d imagined it to be. After having the freedom to see her, touch her, and talk to her whenever I wanted to in Rawonia, I hated asking for her parents’ permission to see her here, and I hated being away from her. I almost wished I could turn back the time.

I looked outside her bedroom door, her room dimly lit, probably with a bed lamp. I knew she hated the darkness now. That brought a smile to my lips. I gazed at the closest tree, eyeing its branches which were thick and extending in every direction. I smiled and started climbing with lithe movements, lifting myself up, one pull at a time, until I threw my body over the window sill and dropped myself down. Sierra was sleeping so peacefully in bed.

I simply looked at her for what seemed like hours, devouring the view, feasting on the sight of her. She was wearing blue cotton pajamas, silky tendrils of auburn hair falling across her sleeping face. This reminded me of the first time I’d seen her in Rawonia, sleeping behind a tree. How I’d tried resisting her pull then, of course, all in vain. It seemed like ages ago, yet felt like yesterday.

I slowly got in bed right behind her, heeding not to wake her up. I wrapped my arms around her and I sighed in contentment, closing my eyes.

I felt the light flow from her body to mine, lulling me to sleep.

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Dante’s POV

I looked at the traitorous bastard, wanting to kill him, my fists had become numb from clenching them. “How do I know you are telling me the truth?” I asked.

“My mistress can show you. Tomorrow, same hour, same place. Be here. And, bring us some useful news. Or else, forget the arrangement,” Rocco said.

“Give me something till tomorrow,” I urged him, the worry over the fate of my mate killing me.

He laughed, the bastard. “You first,” he said.

“He is gathering the Drakon army,” I informed him.

“How?” he asked.

“They are coming from all over the world. They all remember. Your turn,” I said.

“She is not on this earth.”

“Give me some evidence of it, asshole. All you have is words,” I yelled.

“You are right, Dante,” the witch said, entering the room. “I’ll give you a glimpse of your mate, and you’ll give us some more information tomorrow, or you can forget about her,” she said.

The sight of the witch made my every muscle tense, I remembered her, I remembered her well from the time she’d imprisoned me in my state of Drakon madness. She was not to be underestimated. I narrowed my eyes, looked her up and down in derision.

She walked with an air of confidence towards the table, and poured some water from a bottle into a transparent bowl. She waved her hand in air casually, and then swirled her finger around the water. A massive sphere of water began to float into the air, slowly taking the shape of a room. My mate slept there, crawled on the floor, the muscles in her face were tense, her teeth were clamped over her bottom lip, her fists were doubled up tightly as if expecting to fight any minute. She looked so worn out, so scared that I bent over, feeling her pain, her trauma.

“What did you do her,” I asked, “I swear if you’ve hurt her...” I raged.

“Calm down, lover boy. It was not me who hurt her, it was your brother, your friend. I’m simply helping you get her back. I’m the help, not the culprit,” she stated, her face all innocence.

My wrath knew no limits, I wanted to kill her, I wanted to kill them all. “I’ll bring you more news tomorrow,” I promised, and left with a million thoughts, and concerns in my head.

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Sierra’s POV

“Yes,” I shouted in joy. The last transmission of light had deprived me of my energy, but it had doubled the hole. I wiggled my butt as I moved inside the tunnel which was now large enough for three or four large crawling steps. It was not much, but it was something. I still had a lot to go, but I would rest now. I was tired.

Thought of what happened earlier disturbed me. I had felt a presence in the room, who was that? Had it been Abby? Was she the one behind all this? If she was watching me as I tried to dig myself out of here, the joke would be on me. I could not bear that. I had to get out of here. I had to replace Seth. Rest eluded me as I found myself on my feet again, and I went straight back to work.