{"id":966,"date":"2011-12-26T00:00:26","date_gmt":"2011-12-26T05:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=966"},"modified":"2011-12-19T10:01:41","modified_gmt":"2011-12-19T15:01:41","slug":"day-21-chapter-12-marin-22","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=966","title":{"rendered":"Day 21 – Chapter 12 – Marin – 22"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI thought you were afraid to do that,\u201d Kellin croaked from behind me.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I whipped around to stare at her.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>She was gaunt, leaning against the shelves and staring down at me with sunken eyes.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>She had a blanket pulled around her shoulders, dressed in old jeans and her sandals.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>She nodded toward the spread.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat were you looking for guidance on?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I shook my head a little, shifting so I could sit cross-legged on the mattress.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cJust Thom,\u201d I said quietly, gathering up the cards and tucking them back into their box.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>She drifted to join me, seating herself next to me and shivering a little.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAre you two all right?<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Jay said we\u2019ve been asleep for a few days.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Her voice sounded terrible, but I suppose mine would, too, if I\u2019d suffered what she\u2019d suffered.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWe\u2019re okay, I think,\u201d I said softly.<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u201cHe\u2019s having a chat with someone right now.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Someone new.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Kellin raised a brow.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cSomeone new?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYeah.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Someone Kira sent.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>You remember her, right?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThom\u2019s cousin?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Kellin nodded stiffly, as if her neck still bothered her.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI remember her.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>She seemed nice.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Open-minded.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>She was quiet for a moment before she looked at me, hard.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat happened to her, anyway? <\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Do we know?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cShe\u2019s still alive,\u201d I said softly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThat\u2019s what he said.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThom?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNo.<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Phelan, the one she\u2014or her husband, or something\u2014sent.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Phelan Conrad.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He\u2019s\u2026old.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>But he doesn\u2019t look old.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I exhaled, rubbing my temple.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNot just an old soul.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Something different.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHuh,\u201d Kellin said quietly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThat would explain it.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cExplain what?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhen I woke up, I could feel that something had shifted.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>In our favor, it felt like, but I wasn\u2019t sure.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>She was quiet for a moment before she asked, \u201cDid you set new wards?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>A shiver worked its way down my spine and I nodded slightly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYes,\u201d I said quietly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYes, I did.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>They\u2019re oddly strong, and I\u2019m not sure what I did to them that made them that way.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I smiled weakly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWardings are more <\/span>your<\/span><\/em> forte.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThey are,\u201d she agreed, rubbing her eyes. \u201cBut I\u2019m glad to know that you can somehow manage without me if you have to.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I touched her knee.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNothing like that is every going to happen again, Kel.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>She smiled wryly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHave you seen that?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNo,\u201d I admitted.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cBut we\u2019re not about to let them get that close again.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHow are we going to prevent that?\u201d she asked softly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cDid we ever figure out who was undermining the wards?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNo,\u201d I said again, then sighed.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cBut we were talking about that, Rory and J.T. and Carolyn and I, while we were out working on the wards.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>That\u2019s why they\u2019re stronger; it took all of us to make them like that.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>It was mostly a lie, but she didn\u2019t need to know that, especially when I wasn\u2019t sure what I\u2019d done.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWe don\u2019t know who could have done it, Kel.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>For all we know, the person that did left after the fight.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cDo you really believe that?\u201d she asked in a whisper.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I winced and looked away.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNo,\u201d I whispered back.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI wish I did.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWe have a job to do, then,\u201d she said simply, softly, and shook her head slightly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWe have to figure out who did it, make sure they can\u2019t do it again.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYeah,\u201d I said softly, staring off at nothing.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>My stomach twisted back on itself.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>A little part of me didn\u2019t want to know, was worried about who might have betrayed us\u2014and why.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cLook, uhm.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Can we not talk about this right now?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Kellin seemed startled, blinking at me.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAre you okay?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I nodded a little.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYeah, there\u2019s just a lot of other stuff on my mind right now.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>You should meet Phelan.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He can probably help us with our problem.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The undermined wards, I mean.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I wrapped my arms around my knees.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cDo you really think he can?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I looked at her sidelong and managed to smile.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHe\u2019s older than dirt and knows more about all of this kind of stuff than the rest of us combined.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cOf course I think he can help.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI thought you were afraid to do that,\u201d Kellin croaked from behind me.\u00a0 I whipped around to stare at her.\u00a0 She was gaunt, leaning against the shelves and staring down at me with sunken eyes.\u00a0 She had a blanket … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[31,32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-chapter-12","category-day-21"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1EBlN-fA","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/966","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=966"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/966\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":972,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/966\/revisions\/972"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}