The figure is large. Do they know that I am awake? They probably sense that I am, because my own breathing has changed out of the slow and steady rhythmic pace of sleep. What do I do? How long have they been watching me, oh shit, what should I do? I am frozen with fear. Do I say something, do I run, what? I lie still and glance to the foot of the bed to look back at the silhouette, my heart stops, the silhouette isn’t there. My eyes dart around, shit, where are they? I sit up and look to the closet to see if Ashlea is okay.

I feel the blade across my throat and then a deep familiar voice, authoritative and quiet. “Lie back down you little wench.”

I lay back; I can’t even bring my voice to speak, to cry out for Ashlea. He straddles me with the blade still at my throat, I can feel the point lightly piercing my skin and the warmth of a small stream of blood running down to the back of my neck and pooling on the sheet beneath. He murmurs, “Servants…; I will show you what it’s really like. Don’t you dare think of moving if you want to live?”

Aggressively, he pulls down the sheets to my knees. Where is my sister? I lay back silent and still, obeying him. I refuse to cry or close my eyes. My ears start to ring, and the smell of metal fills my nostrils, stay awake I urge myself.

“What’s wrong little pet, is this not what you had in mind?” He laughs, amused with my fear. His weight is too much for me to think about putting up a struggle to get him off me and even if I try, it may anger him more. His blade is on my throat. A sound, like a rock hitting a thick board of wood; he falls over me. The blade is still in his hand and the point lifts out of my skin a bit, as the blade falls and rests lightly severing the surface of my throat. I am frozen and then the sight of my sister.

“Hang in there!” Ashlea demands and rolls him off me. The intruder is out cold.

“Get up.” Ashlea urges, she sits me up on the bed and then nudges and holds my hands as she leads me off the bed. I can barely hear her through the wringing in my ears.

“Come” Ashlea wraps my arm around her shoulder, allowing me to lean on her for support, as we leave the room to go to Rosaleen’s. Ashlea bangs hard on the door and then twists the doorknob, its open and she walks the both of us in. Rosaleen is up with the startle of us barging in and turns on the lights to see who has disturbed her. I can tell that she is about to lay into whoever has interrupted her slumber, but then comes to a sudden stop at the sight of us. Blood is trickling down my neck and droplets are hitting the floor. Rosaleen draws her conclusions. She runs to her bathroom, gets some cloth to press on my throat.

“Sit her down,” Rosaleen says with anger in her voice. She approaches with the towels, taking one to cover my wound and applies pressure. I can feel the warmth on my neck as the towel soaks up my blood. “Keep it pressed on her throat Ashlea, keep her attention, I will be right back.” Rosaleen runs down the hall and wakes Soolena and Izavelle. Izavelle instantly comes to my aide. Without any hesitation, she takes a second towel, then quickly takes Ashlea’s hand off my neck, and removes the first towel as she applies the second towel and presses.

Izavelle tells me, “It’s not that deep Taylan we will get this closed up, and you will be good as new, but you have to stay awake for us.”

Izavelle asks me. “Can you see me?”

“Yes,” I answer.

“Are you dizzy?”

“Yes, the room is spinning and my ears, I can barely hear you, the wringing.”

Izavelle instructs Ashlea, “Grab her legs, and turn her so that we can lie her down.” Ashlea does what she is told, and she gently lifts and pivots me so that I am turned and lying across the foot of Rosaleen’s bed.

“Keep her legs up.” Izavelle orders and Ashlea does so without hesitation. Izavelle turns her attention to me, “How do you feel?”

“Thirsty, can I have some water?”

“Not yet dear we are going to keep your legs elevated until the color returns to your face.” Izavelle peeks in at the wound and the bleeding has slowed some, but it is still oozing.

Izavelle speaks to Ashlea, “She needs stitches; can you reach for those cushions over there without dropping her legs?”

“Yes,” Ashlea grabs them.

“Okay put them under her legs. There is a first aid kit in the bathroom, run and get it, quickly, go!” Ashlea is gone and back in a fraction of a second.

Izavelle instructs “Open the kit, there is a small hook-shaped needle; find it and a spool of thread.”

“Got it” Ashlea is anxiously waiting for more instruction.

“Okay Ashlea, I am going to have you switch with me, put pressure on her wound.”

Izavelle works effortlessly, threading the needle and knotting the string. She peers over me. Taylan, I don’t have any painkillers you are going to have to bear this. I will be quick; four stitches okay love?”

I nod and Izavelle says, “Okay, here is number one.” She takes over from Ashlea, gently lifts the towel, carefully lifts a piece of my skin, loops the needle through, and then pierces back through the other side as the needle pushes through. With no effort, she gently knots and cuts the first stitch and then is on to the second stitch and warning me as she goes. It hurts, but I can manage this. “Taylan this is number two.” She repeats the same motion, knotting the thread and cutting the ends. This time she pauses to dab the blood away from the wound. Then she warns me and does the third and then the fourth stitch.

“I am thirsty,” I whine to them, my head is pounding, and I want to close my eyes.

Izavelle instructs Ashlea, “Go fetch some water.” As though no time has passed, Ashlea is back in a flash.

“Taylan, you have lost some blood and you are still pale, I am going to slowly lift your head up. Do not help, let me take your full weight just relax yourself. I am going to give you a sip, nothing more.” Izavelle puts her hand under my head to raise me slowly and holds the glass to my lips, tilting it slightly allowing me to take a small sip.

“Swallow” Izavelle encourages and I do as I am told. She gently lowers my head back down. Izavelle continues to treat my wound and dabs at it. The bleeding has stopped, and she is gently applying antibiotics and then dresses my wound with some white bandages from her first aid kit.

“Ashlea, she is still pale and clammy run to the kitchen; fetch an ice pack in the fridge.”

“Where is the kitchen?” Ashlea says quickly.

“It’s the door across the hall from the dining room; the door before entering the living room area.”

“I will be right back” and Ashlea is gone.

“How do you feel?” Izavelle asks as she feels my forehead.

“A little better, but I am still thirsty.” Izavelle then repeats the same steps lifting my head and allowing me another sip.

“There how is that?” She asks me.

“Better” I reply.

Ashlea comes back with an ice pack and hands it to Izavelle who places it on my head.

“I think we are doing well. Taylan you need to stay lying down for a bit I don’t want to deal with you fainting. This is going to take some time, and we will treat your thirst and feed you in moderation. No sudden movements especially if you are starting to feel better. We are going to help you until you are no longer showing signs of fainting.”

The ice feels wonderful on my forehead, and I start to feel my strength return. I can’t feel the pain of my wound at this point; the feeling is numb however; I still feel a bit tired and weak. I lay there and let Izavelle and Ashlea care for me. Every few minutes Izavelle allows me a sip at a time and then I am on to my second and third glass. My thirst is never quenched.

“How do you feel now? Izavelle asks.

“Better, I’m starting to feel hungry.”

“Okay, we are going to change the pillows and remove them from your legs and put them under your head and back. Keep the ice pack on her head; I will be back with some food.” With a blink of an eye, Izavelle is gone, and it is just Ashlea and me.

“How are you feeling?” Ashlea asks and I relax at the sight of my sister because I can see that the attacker didn’t hurt her.

“I feel better, now that I am all patched up,” I say calmly.

“I mean, how are your nerves?” I chuckle at the realization that I misunderstood.

“I have been more distracted by my thirst more than anything. You really did a number on them.” I pause and then look up to her, “Thank you for saving me.” I smile with a tear in my eye and she returns a warm smile and wipes the tear from my cheek.

“You’re welcome”, Ashlea pauses to gather herself and tucks a strand of her red hair from her face. “I think your attacker was one of the food servers. I didn’t get a good look at him. I didn’t even hear him when he entered the room.” She looks down at her hands, she is sad, but she is clearly making the effort to bury her sadness, now isn’t the time. “I woke when he spoke, his voice so familiar, I listened and knew you were in trouble. I slowly opened the door and crawled across the floor; when I could see that his back was to me, I leapt up and struck him in the back of the head with all the force that I had using the dolphin sculpture. I never got a good look at him to know for sure who he was; my attention was on you. I know that I knocked him out. He never moved or flinched when I rolled him off you. His voice was so familiar.” Ashlea takes my hand and holds it to her face, kissing it.

“Oh, Taylan we need to know why this happened. Do you think that we are being used as bait?” Before I can respond, Rosaleen, Soolena and Izavelle enter the room. Izavelle has a tray of sliced food and fruit juice.

Rosaleen comes to my side “I am so sorry that this happened to you.” She says with sympathy in her eyes and a quivering voice as she shakes her head. “Soolena has tied him up and locked him in your room as an extra precaution. However, I am not sure that it is necessary; he is still out cold and barely breathing. His scull is cracked, Soolena has tended to his wounds, but he will die today, if it is not by us, it will be by his wounds. Tell me what happened?” She looks on concerned and Ashlea tells her everything.

After Ashlea finishes, Rosaleen confides, “You two are very brave.” Rosaleen looks to me, “How do you want to dispose of your attacker?”