Faeries of Delusia

Chapter Fifteen

“Why are you doing this!” I yelled as I came back into consciousness. I realized I was pinned to a tree with arrows through my clothes. I was stuck there tightly and when I tried to squirm I didn’t move an inch and the pain was more than I could handle. The blood soaked almost my entire shirt, and I realized if Toru wasn’t going to kill me, I would die from too much blood loss. I looked around, still dizzy, and saw Toru ahead speaking with the twins. “I thought we were friends!” I shouted to the twins ahead, hoping they could hear me, and hoping I didn’t sound as drunk as I felt. Had Toru poisoned me?

“Shut up!” Toru shouted over his shoulder as he continued to speak to the twins. Fumio and Tomo watched me with sympathetic expressions, probably not listening to anything Toru told them. I wondered what he was telling them anyway. I heard Tory faintly yell, “Quit looking at her!” or something of the sort, because immediately both boys focused their eyes on him instead of me.

I waited for life, waited for death, waited for Raiden.

Come on, Raiden, where are you? I thought mentally as my nerves rattled throughout my body. I would be pacing right now, of course if I wasn’t pinned to a tree.

I was losing feeling to my arm suddenly when Toru turned and began to approach me. I felt my whole body tense, waiting for whatever sort of pain he planned to inflict on me now.

“Stay back!” I warned, attempting to sound dangerous, but I was pinned to a tree, I knew I looked more helpless than a mouse does when its being cornered by a cat.

“Stay back or else what?” Toru sneered, barely paying attention to me, and putting the twins in front of him. They both were facing me and it was even hard for me to look the in the eyes. They had betrayed me, and now I’m dying because of them.

“I hope you’re happy.” I muttered to either one of them.

That suddenly sparked amusement in Toru’s eyes. “I assume there are some things the twins would like to explain to you, and I’m sure there are some things you’d like straightened out with them before I kill you, am I right?”

I didn’t like the sound of that last statement, but I nodded.

“We already told you he threatened to kill us.” Fumio exclaimed suddenly. Tomo looked at him.

“Yeah, we didn’t have a choice.”

“I bet you didn’t even try to protest.” I thought aloud. “You never cared about me, you don’t care if I live or die, so you’ll sacrifice me for yourselves.” The hatred and disgust in my tone made both of them, even Toru, look away. He was still standing behind the two boys, with each hand on one of their shoulders.

“That’s enough of this.” Toru interrupted, but I doubt either of the twins had anything to say to that anyway. He pushed through the boys and I saw him pick up the arrow that laid on the ground; the one that punctured my shoulder previously. He was going to kill me now, it was time. I had to do something to procrastinate!

“Wait!” I shouted so loud Toru flinched. “What did I ever do to you? Why does it have to end this way?”

“I already told you before. I HATE humans!”

“Why? You are just stereotyping all of them. Has a human ever done anything to do before?” I pointed out.

Toru’s face scrunched together with fury and he held back his bow and arrow, aiming steadily.

“Yes, in fact, one did. My brother decided to help her and now the Lunar Faeries know about it and are hunting my family down. Now my mother is locked up!”

I was caught off guard. “Locked up?”

Toru snickered evilly, with no hint of amusement. “Oh? Raiden didn’t tell you? That’s why he ran off earlier because Mom was calling us. She was being captured. They found our hiding place.”

I suddenly had an epiphany. “So while you knew your mother was in danger you decided to let Raiden handle it while you came after me. It seems it’s also you’re fault she is locked up.” I spat at him. “YOU disgust me!”

“SHUT UP ALREADY!”

I closed my eyes, waiting for the arrow to pierce my body once again, but after a few seconds, I didn’t feel anything. I heard a cry of pain and realized it wasn’t my own. I dared to open my eyes just a touch. In front of me I saw Toru standing there, and he dropped his bow and arrow. As I examined him to find out what was wrong, I saw one of his own arrows shoved into his right side. His eyes were as wide as they could be and his mouth was open, trying to say something, but all that came out were groans of pain.

He fell over and I saw Fumio standing there, gripping two other arrows in his left hand.

I gasped out—too overwhelmed for words.

“Did you just . . .” I couldn’t finish my sentence. Fumio understood, and nodded. Behind him stood Tomo; his expression just as surprised as mine.

“You killed Toru.” I stated the obvious.

“You’re not a murderer.” Tomo mumbled from behind Fumio, but I could still hear him. “How could you do that?”

“He threatened to kill us. And Jamie.”

Tomo’s eyebrows furrowed together. “She’s just a human.”

I heard that, and was instantly angered. “You’re just a Shape Shifter.” I remarked.

Tomo’s eyes met mine and he had nothing to say to that. He simply glared at me.

Fumio turned to face Tomo and they both glared at each other for a second. Both of them were angry, either with each other or me. “Traitor.” I heard Fumio whisper to his brother.

“Traitor? Against you? How is that?” Tomo asked, pretending to be oblivious.

“Don’t even get me started. I tried to stick up for Jamie, you just gave in to Toru.”

“He threatened us, you know that, you pointed that out. You probably weren’t even planning on saving Jamie, it was just a heat of the moment action.”

“You’re wrong.” Fumio exclaimed. “Besides, you’re a traitor against Jamie. You led her here.”

“Must I remind you again I was doing it to save my life?”

“And give Toru hers.”

Tomo made some sort of growling noise as he stood behind Fumio with his fists clenched.

“Wise up before I stab you with an arrow too.”

Tomo wanted to shoot a smart remark back, but held it in and walked away. Where was he going? I have no idea.

Suddenly I remembered what I forgot. “Fumio.” I snapped to get his attention. “How old am I?”

Fumio was caught off guard by that random question, but then thought for a moment. “I forget.” he shrugged. “Why?”

“Because I forgot.” I admitted, embarrassed.

“Why do you need to know?” he asked.

I was taken aback. “Everyone needs to know how old they are!”

He sighed out. “Sorry, Jamie. Here, I’ll help you out.” He approached me and examined my wound. “How are you still alive?” he asked to himself out loud.

My heart skipped a beat. “Don’t say that.” I told him.

“Sorry. We need to get you to a doctor, and fast.” he stated. “I’m no professional, but this isn’t good.”

I looked down at Toru laying behind Fumio. I couldn’t believe he killed him. How could I tell Raiden?

Raiden. I thought. Where was he now? Why did he come to help me back in the other forest when he could be saving his mother?

Forgetting that for a brief second and focusing my attention on Fumio, I noticed he was struggling to inch the arrows out of the bark of the wood so I could be free.

“He shoved these in there hard.” Fumio gasped as he struggled.

“Pull harder.” I urged.

“I can’t.” He tried, but it was almost impossible.

I nearly screamed when I heard someone come up from behind the tree and grab one of the arrows stuck in the bark. He twisted it and yanked it out. My left arm was half way free! I figured out it was Tomo who helped.

“I thought you left.” I muttered as he came in front of me.

“Don’t give me that tone or I won’t help you out.” he snapped as he attempted to release the rest of my arm. He sounded like my parents. After watching Tomo pull out two arrows, Fumio decided to try and help with my other arm.

“I helped Toru put these in.” Tomo admitted as he pulled out another arrow. When Fumio and I looked at Tomo with disgusted faces, he added, “He made me, remember?”

“Whatever” I breathed out and sucked back in. My shoulder had stopped bleeding, at least that’s what I thought, but I was very dizzy still and felt as if I were to throw up from the smell of dried blood.

“You said you need a doctor. I know where to find one.” As Tomo spoke, he didn’t look at either me or Fumio, and he spoke with a flat tone, as if he didn’t even care. It sort of bothered me, like he didn’t care if I even lived. As I watched him, his hands covered in my blood, he looked so much older than he had when I first met him. He looked dangerous, actually. Not the little twelve year old (in human years, of course) that I first knew. Why had he suddenly changed? I didn’t do anything to him or his family.

And Toru had no right to be angry with me for what happened to his family. I never asked Raiden to do anything for me, he made his own decisions. So it’s Raiden’s fault too, not that I wanted Toru to do any harm to Raiden. I hoped he was helping save his mom right now. When I’m free and fixed, if his mom isn’t free yet, I will help save her. I’m not afraid to shed anyone’s blood, not now, not after this.

Raiden knows I’m not a murderer, I know that too, but it’s time for this insanity to come to end, and it’s time for me to go back home, though I wasn’t sure when that would happen. I needed to tie up all the loose ends here first.

I was way too curious to know where Mitsoki went, and even Hikaru. I wondered where they went, what they were doing. Were they looking for me? Were they still in some sort of danger? Raiden needed to get here now and answer all my questions!

Finally I was free from the tree. I slowly moved my hurt shoulder and held it with my right hand.

“I’ll turn into a bird and you can fly on me.” Fumio told me then turned to Tomo. “You can lead the way to help.”

“What if I don’t want to?”

“You said you would, you’re going to.”

“I said I know where to find one, didn’t say I was going to show you.”

Fumio narrowed his eyes at his brother. “You will show us.” he demanded with a little more force than I was used to seeing from Fumio. Tomo quit arguing and sucked it up.

Both of them shifted into very large birds, a kind in which I couldn’t name, and I rode on Fumio. The ride was a bit bumpy and I needed to hang out, but my hurt shoulder flopped around when I wasn’t holding it, so I had to suck up a great amount of pain for a very long time.

“How far away is this doctor?” I shouted, but then realized they couldn’t answer. Fumio looked up at me, and I knew it wasn’t much farther.