Esther awoke to a cacophony of distant sounds, muffled and indistinct. Her mind, emerging from the dense fog of unconsciousness, struggled to piece together the fragments of memory and sensation. The room around her was sterile, unfamiliar-a stark contrast to the dimly lit room she vaguely remembered before slipping into darkness.
As her eyes fluttered open, she realized she was lying in a bed, surrounded by the soft hum of magic and the occasional shuffle of footsteps outside her room. Above her, through the thin veil of drowsiness, she could make out the muted sounds of celebration-voices raised in joy, distant cheers. Yet, comprehension eluded her; the jubilation seemed out of place, disconnected from her current reality. What was happening? Who had cocooned her in magic?
Esther’s thoughts were sluggish, as if encased in molasses. She tried to recall how she had ended up here, why the people above her was shouting, why she was below them. Images flickered in her mind like a stuttering film reel: fragments of faces, fleeting emotions, but nothing concrete enough to grasp onto. Panic threatened to rise within her as she struggled to reclaim her lost memories, to anchor herself in the present. Had she lost her mind? Why were her memories running away from her grasp.
Just then, she heard a deep voice speaking above her. A male surely. Perhaps, the doctor? Was she in hospital? But the thrum of magic, instead of human machines suggested otherwise.
“Welcome back, Esther,” The male said gently, touching her forehead with practiced ease. “You’ve been through quite a lot. Can you hear me?”
Esther managed a weak nod, her throat dry and scratchy as if unused for ages. Questions clamored in her mind, but the effort to form words felt monumental. The male seemed to sense her confusion, speaking softly as if not to disturb the fragile web of her thoughts.
“You’ve been in a coma,” He explained, his voice a lifeline in the sea of uncertainty. “It’s been weeks since the accident. Everyone’s been waiting for you to wake up.”
The accident. The words struck Esther like a physical blow, unlocking a floodgate of emotions. Fear, confusion, relief-all swirled together in a tumultuous storm. She closed her eyes, trying to summon the details of what had happened, trying to understand why those emotions overwhelmed her, but they remained stubbornly elusive. How had she ended up here, and why did the room feel simultaneously alien and yet vaguely familiar?
The male continued to speak, recounting details that Esther struggled to absorb. Friends and family had visited, they had monitored her progress with cautious optimism. Yet, for Esther, it felt as though time had stretched and contorted in her absence, leaving her adrift in a world that had moved on without her.
The noises above her persisted, a constant reminder of a reality just beyond her grasp. Esther clung to the fragments of memory like a lifeline, piecing together the puzzle of her own life one fractured moment at a time. She knew she would have to confront the unknown, to navigate the labyrinth of forgotten days and unanswered questions.
Suddenly, Esther heard a woman’s voice burst into the room, full of urgency.
“Jack, Is she really out of the coma?” She heard the woman ask the male, her voice trembling slightly with emotion. Margo.
The name pieced together some memories for Esther, who inhaled sharply, painfully, as she remembered who Margo was. Her Aunt. But she became confused again. What was her aunt doing here?
As her mind struggled to grasp the significance of Margo’s question, she also struggled to make sense of the memory on the surface of her mind. Her aunt had been missing, after showing interest in a certain female… what was the girl’s name again?
Esther wanted to sigh in frustration. The pieces of her memory were scattered like shards of glass, no matter how hard she tried desperately to recall what had happened. Then she remembered more fragments-darkness, a sense of being trapped, and the overwhelming presence of fear. She remembered an evil queen. An evil queen she had worked for, to invoke evil in the land.
Was she evil? Esther questioned herself. No, it couldn’t be. She might not be perfect, but she would never work with an evil queen. But the memory persisted, nagging at the edges of her consciousness.
“Yes, Margo; she is. But I think she is very disoriented…”
Just then, a second after she heard the male’s reply to her aunt, she felt Margo’s hand gently rest on her forehead, the latter’s touch surprisingly warm and comforting. Esther instantly felt a surge of energy, like a current flowing through her veins. It was as if Margo’s touch unlocked something deep within her, stirring dormant memories and revitalizing her weary body.
In that moment, Esther felt clarity wash over her like a cleansing tide. Her mind began to piece together the puzzle of her recent past. She remembered the room she was in, the hushed mutterings of doctor Jack and, and the ache that permeated every inch of her body. And then, she remembered everything.
She remembered the red head, Emma, and her sisters. She remembered Derek’s party and the role she had played in Emma’s exile. She remembered her friends and her academics. She remembered her crush for Anthony, brother to Derek, despite knowing that they would never work out. She remembered the group of ancients that had come to the pack. And then she remembered that all this while, her aunt had been missing.
So how was she here? The thought was absurd yet compelling. Esther struggled to reconcile this fragment of memory, but Margo’s presence felt reassuringly real. The transfer of energy continued, a silent exchange between aunt and niece that transcended words.
As vitality flowed into her, Esther felt strength return to her bones. The fog that had clouded her mind began to lift, revealing a clearer path forward. She remembered Margo’s unwavering love and protection, the anchor in the storm of confusion.
“I’m here, Esther,” Margo whispered, her voice a lifeline in the tumult of emotions. “You’re safe now.”
Esther nodded weakly, gratitude flooding her heart. The pieces of her fractured memories slowly began to fit together, forming a narrative that was both unsettling and oddly familiar. She had faced darkness, but now, with her aunt by her side, she felt a glimmer of hope-the promise of healing and reclaiming the lost moments of her life.
“Can you sit up now?” Margo asked her, and she nodded again. She sighed longingly when Margo removed her palm from her forehead. “Now, sit up.”
Esther wanted to plead with Margo to return her palm over her forehead, that she needed more strength, but when she saw the determination in the latter’s eyes, she knew that she had no choice. Her aunt wasn’t letting her mope around on the bed. From the male’s mutterings, she had stayed in coma for over two weeks. And also sensing the urgency in Margo’s voice, she knew that something had happened during her absence from reality, something important.
“How are you here? Last I checked, you were missing…” She finally settled on, not moving to sit up yet.
Margo sighed. “I was rescued by an old friend. Do you remember Ketura?”
Esther nodded. “She is around too? In the pack?”
“She had been. She had returned to the witches’ community for a mission.”
Esther sat up slowly in the bed then, blinking as clarity began to settle over her. The cacophony of voices finally made sense-there were familiar faces gathered around her. The male who had tended to her was Jack, the pack doctor. There was his daughter Ava, whose presence brought a small smile to Esther’s lips despite her confusion. She could also see the group of ancients, of Sheila and her daughters. She could also the friends of Derek, and Anthony. Anthony gave her an empathic smile. She ignored the flurry feeling that started in her belly, and gave him a bland smile. Had he forgiven her already?
But then, as if on cue, Melvina and Eva entered the room with hurried breaths, their presence casting a shadow over the tentative calm. Esther’s heart skipped a beat as she suddenly remembered the missing piece of her memory-the accident that had led her to this bed. Eva’s involvement in the accident surged to the forefront of her mind, filling her with a mix of fear and disbelief.
She opened her mouth to speak, but the words caught in her throat. She pointed a trembling finger at Eva, accusation and confusion mingling in her gaze. To her surprise, it was Margo who sighed heavily, breaking the tense silence that had settled over the room.
“Esther, Eva wasn’t herself,” Margo explained gently, her voice a soothing balm amidst the storm of emotions. “She was possessed by an evil entity from Legardo, an ally of Leonarya.”
Eva’s eyes glistened with remorse as she nodded solemnly, her earlier urgency now replaced with a deep sadness. “I’m so sorry, Esther,” She whispered, her head bowed, her voice barely audible.
“I’m sorry too,” Esther managed to say, her voice wavering with emotion. “I shouldn’t have betrayed you all. I just thought…”
Margo reached out and squeezed Esther’s hand reassuringly, her expression filled with unwavering support. “We understand, Esther. It’s been a difficult time for all of us.”
Nathan’s voice echoed from the doorway just then, cutting through the tension like a knife. “Congratulations Esther on your quick recovery.” He started, bestowing a look on a surprised Esther, before looking at the others. “Everyone, gather in the sitting room. We need to talk.”