19 Time to wake up

There was nothing but silence as I sat still with my eyes closed. It felt as if everything around me had paused. I didn't want to open my eyes to see what had happened, and I couldn't move at all. My body was in complete shock.

I knew that I couldn't just sit there. "Come on Malaika. You need to get up or you will be next," I told myself, but before I could I suddenly heard a loud yell.

"No!"

It sounded like Derrick's voice.

I quickly opened my eyes and looked at Derrick.

His arm was stretched into Kai's mouth, and blood was dripping down it. As I looked closer, I noticed that Derrick had a knife jabbed through Kai's upper mouth.

"I will not go out like this," Derrick said.

Kai began to scream in pain. He tried to back away from Derrick, but it didn't work. Derrick kept pushing the knife in further.

"It's time for me to end you, kai." He said.

"No!" I yelled.

I quickly ran up to Derrick and grabbed his other arm. "You want me to use my powers? Fine."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Then I tried to remember the feelings I felt when I used my powers last time. I remembered that I was angry at that strange lady for wanting to hurt my sister. I was angry at those scientists for strapping me down to a chair and treating me as If I were a lab rat. As if I wasn't human.

My body began to glow as I felt a rush of energy. The crystal in Derrick's hand also began to glow, and I felt the crystal slowly drain my powers from me. However, I did not let go of Derrick's arm.

"What are you doing?" He yelled while in pain. All of the veins in his body began to glow a Blue-ish green color.

Derrick screamed again.

I let go of him and he fell backward. He laid against the ground, while breathing heavily, and with his eyes wide open.

I also felt very weak. The Crystal had drained up most of my powers. If I used them again, I would probably be powerless.

I walked to Derrick and took the crystal from his hand. Part of me wanted to destroy it, because of all of the damage it has caused, and part of me wanted to keep it. How else would the people of this world protect themselves from the demons?

Suddenly I heard a loud screech coming from behind me.

I turned towards Kai and noticed that he had pulled the knife out of his mouth.

All of his eyes were now piercing through me, and he was filled with rage. My heart pounded fast as I looked at him. If he was still in there how could I change him back? Could my powers do that? Or do my powers only hurt people?

"Kai?" I said. My voice was shaking.

He growled at me, but he stayed in the same spot while shaking his head.

"Why hasn't he tried to attack me yet? Is there still hope? Could he still be in there?" I thought to myself.

Derrick laughed slowly. He began coughing up blood with each chuckle. "If you think that you can save him, you're wrong. The only thing that crystal can do is take away and destroy things."

I looked at the crystal in my hand and then back at him.

"Then I'll take away the curse you put on him."

I turned back to Kai and stretched my hand out to him.

I was still angry with him. I was angry at the fact that he betrayed me, and his friends went along with it. I was angry at how he didn't even look me in the eye when I called out his name. I could easily think negatively of him, and my powers would show, but would that turn him back into a human or hurt him more? I wanted to think differently this time. I thought about how he was willing to help me even though he hardly knew me. I thought about how he helped me fight off the demons. He took me to his garden when I felt stressed, and he comforted me when I had doubts about my sister. I could picture his face in my mind. He was looking back at me and he was smiling. I caught myself smiling back at him.

My body began to glow again, and I felt the crystal slowly drain my powers. Still, I focused on Kai. He backed away from me, but his body also began to glow. The lights in the hall flickered on and off. There was a huge rush of air that flowed around me.

I was using a lot of energy, and I felt completely weak, but I didn't give up. He had to be in there somewhere, he was alive, he had to be alive. Kai's body lit up brighter and brighter. Suddenly the hall began to light up. Everything around me was so bright that I couldn't see a thing.

My body felt weaker and weaker, and I felt as If I were going to die.

"No!' I yelled.

"I can't- I can't stop now."

But it was too late. I could already feel the energy leaving my body, and everything around me went white.

. . .

There was nothing but brightness around me and it was completely silent.

"Am I dead? That can't be the end for me. What if I really am dead?" I thought to myself.

"Hello?" I shouted, but there was nothing but the sound of my own Ecco.

"Hello?" I yelled again.

I waited in silence hoping to hear someone's voice. I didn't want to be left alone like this…

"Malaika?"

I heard someone call out my name.

The sound of this person's voice was very familiar. It was my mother's voice. I haven't heard the sound of her voice in a long time.

"Malaika? Wake up, baby."

Now I felt her hand rub against my forehead. I suddenly realized that I was alive. I slowly opened my eyes, and her face was the first thing I saw.

"Oh thank God!" She said.

Tears were running down her face as she came closer to hug me.

I tried to analyze the scenery around me. I realized that I was lying in a hospital bed. Lia was sitting on the side of me. Her face lit up with joy when she saw me.

Was it all a dream? No, it couldn't have been. It all felt so real.

"Mom? What happened?" I asked her.

"You and Lia got into a car accident on your way back from school. Lia was fine, but you were hurt pretty bad. You've been out for days now."

What? That's impossible. That couldn't have been a dream.

"Mom where is Levi?"

"Levi? Who is Levi?"

I looked at her with complete shock.

"Are we back in Louisiana?" I asked her.

"Of course. We never left," She said.

I turned to Lia. "Lia, do you not remember what happened? We were dragged into a painting by a monster, and then we had to deal with those evil scientists, But Levi brought you back home, and I stayed behind. Derrick and his wife Marrisa were after us, and I had to use my powers to save you and Kai."

Lia looked back at me in confusion. "I don't know what you're talking about."

I paused and stared at her, then I laid my head back on my pillow and chuckled a little. Everything that I've seen; the demons, the forests, the lab rooms, the people, and even Kai, wasn't real.

"Mom, I think I'm going crazy,"

She placed her hand back on my forehead. "You are not going crazy. It was just a dream sweety. I'm going to tell the nurses that you are awake."

She quickly walked out of the room, and I was left alone with Lia.

"Do you remember us getting into a car accident?" I asked her.

She looked up at the sky and thought for a moment. "No, but that's just what Mommy told me,"

"Do you remember anything before the accident?" I asked.

"No, I don't remember anything,"

I couldn't remember getting into a car accident either. I couldn't remember anything beyond this moment. I removed the cover from off of my body. I didn't have any broken bones or any bruises, yet my body felt completely sore. Something wasn't right.

I spent the rest of the afternoon, lying in a hospital bed and talking to my mom and sister. When I asked my mom about the details of the car crash, she just stated what she stated before, and said that she wasn't there. She didn't remember Levi at all, or us moving to New York and living in a new home. Everything was the same as it was.

As much as I tried to convince her that everything was true, she didn't believe me, and I had no proof to show her.

"You really had me worried Malaika. I thought I had lost you both, just like I lost your father. I'm not letting you near a car again." She said,

"I told you mom. There was no car crash," I said.

"You can't make up excuses. I mean what I said. I know that you will soon be in College, but we will figure things out."

I sighed. "I'm not making up excuses,"

She looked at me for a while and could tell that I was serious, but then she shook her head and stood up from her seat.

"I'm going to ask the nurse to bring us some food."

Lia also hopped up from her seat. "I want to get some candy,"

"Okay, but as long as you eat it after your meal,"

Lia sighed. "Okay,"

"We'll be right back," My mother said.

They both walked out of the room, and I was left alone.

I sat in the bed in complete silence.

My body was still aching, but it was slightly better than before.

Everything was back to normal. Levi never existed, I never left my home or my friends. I should have felt happy, but I wasn't. I knew something was off. I knew I wasn't crazy. I could never make something like this up.

There could only be one logical explanation for this.

I didn't know if I was mentally ready for this conclusion, but nothing else made sense.

Lia's memory and my mom's memory have been wiped. My memory was also fading as the day went by, and I almost believed that it all was a dream, but it was very much real.

How did this happen? Where is Levi? Where is Kai? Where are the others? I thought to myself.

Suddenly someone appeared in the doorway.

"Mom?" I said before turning my head to see.

"No. Guess again," I heard a man with a deep voice say.

When I turned my head, I saw a tall man with sandy hair leaning against the door.

"Levi," I said.

He smiled. "It's good to see that you are alright."